Written by Marco Carvajal
Lexus GX 460 Luxury
The Lexus GX 460 Luxury trim is a premium mid-size SUV with three Rows and Performance priced around $65K.
The sophisticated and muscular design of the GX 460 Lexus SUV can impress the most demanding car drivers with an imposing stance, a modern front fascia with Premium LED headlamps combined with a luxury interior with unparalleled craftsmanship, bold details, and a striking balance of comfort and capability from a luxury utility vehicle.
GX Grand Crossover
The name GX stands for Grand Crossover. In the Lexus lineup, the GX is positioned between the Lexus RX crossover and the full-size premium Lexus LX SUV. The GX’s first generation, the GX 470, debuted around twenty years ago at the 2002 NAIAS Auto Show in Detroit, becoming the third SUV to enter the Lexus family lineup that has been increasing over the recent years.
A Lexus GX will satisfy the most demanding car drivers with its luxury-lined cabin style, expansive features, extreme safety, off-road performance, and smooth ride due to its great adaptive variable suspension.
The GX is built under the robust Toyota Land Cruiser Prado platform, which also powers the Toyota 4Runner and Toyota FJ Cruiser. Since its beginnings until the present time, both generations of the GX are influenced by the Toyota Prado, using a stylish and premium-looking front fascia typical of Lexus vehicles.
GX 460
All GX models, along with the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, have been produced at the advanced Tahara plant in Japan, known to be one of the most computerized and robotized automotive plants in the world. The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is also produced in the same plant. Both are definitely very reliable cars.
The GX 460 is a large three-row SUV that uses a strong traditional body-on-frame structure.
This SUV is very spacious with three rows, with capacity for seven people.
The available captain’s chairs in the second row reduce the capacity of the GX 460 to six passengers.
The new 2023 GX 460 model includes a new modern infotainment system and a redesigned instrument panel that was introduced in 2022.
The exterior look of this SUV is very attractive with different body colors and stylish decorative fog lights. It has older-style body-on-frame architecture and a non-turbocharged V8 engine, both of which are rare in today’s luxury SUV market and can be an advantage of the GX.
2023 GX 460 Luxury Trim Model
This SUV is a dual-purpose luxury vehicle as it can be used for short work commuting or for long family Trips on difficult off-roads.
The 460 Luxury trim I am test driving is the top of the line, and it includes a smooth adaptive variable suspension, semi-aniline leather interior trim, power-reclining, and folding third row. All GX models include a powerful four-wheel drive engine.
The interior is very stylish and looks great, with an impressive combination of rich materials and textures, it looks well-built and durable. Some of the interesting Interior features are Lexus memory system 10-way power-adjustable front seats reclining, sliding middle-row seats with 40/20/40-split seat back.
Exterior highlights of the GX include the premium triple-beam led headlamps, power moonroof, and privacy glass.
The interior of the Luxury trim includes smart technology like the Lexus app, Enform remote engine start, service schedule, and vehicle health reports/alerts. four USB ports (two front/two rear) and 10 standard airbags.
For 2023 the Luxury trim version is now equipped with a premium Mark Levinson audio system.
Performance is not a problem with the powerful full-time four-wheel drive with active traction control adaptive variable suspension auto-leveling rear air suspension kinetic dynamic suspension system, KDSS.
The GX 460 luxury is available with 5 multi-terrain driving modes, including off-road capability with its naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V8 engine and all-wheel drive, a four cam, four valves per cylinder, with dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i).
This SUV includes a class-exclusive kinetic dynamic suspension system that makes you feel a smooth ride even in bad road conditions with its powerful 301 horsepower engine with 329 lb-ft of torque. The GX can tow up to a heavy load of 6,500 pounds.
The Lexus Safety System suite of technologies is standard on the entire 2023 Lexus vehicle lineup. Lexus Safety System includes Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert, Intelligent High Beams, and High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. Intuitive Parking Assist is also standard.
The GX is a very safe car, from advanced lane assistance technology to intuitive high beams that offer added illumination to help keep you focused on the road ahead, this integrated suite of standard active safety equipment brings us the best technology to stay safe when driving this smart SUV.
I enjoy the very good visibility all around the driver, due to the large glass area, low doors, good size mirrors, and the large camera screen, providing great tools for easy driving and almost a 360 view of the road and surroundings.
The GX comes with a clever suspension system that provides flat corners on mountain roads and automatically shuts off for excellent articulation when off-road. The result is a very agile SUV for its size and height.
This car is very attractive with its luxury-lined cabin, expansive features, and smooth highway ride.
Similar to other Lexus and Toyota cars, the GX has an excellent resale value.
In previous car year models, only the GX 460 Black Line Special Edition trim had the advanced large touchscreen, but since the 2022 model year, all GX trims will receive the new modernized central panel and the 10.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system, instead of the previous smaller eight-inch system.
The modern 10.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard in all GX models and includes support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, and a few other little things. It includes smartphone integration and Amazon’s virtual assistant. Navigation is standard, along with power-folding heated side mirrors and an intuitive parking assistant.
Fuel Economy
All the 2023 GX 460 models have the same V8 engine and therefore the same fuel economy with an estimated City fuel consumption of 15 miles per gallon, highway consumption of 19 miles per gallon, and combined fuel consumption of 16 miles per gallon. For a large mid-size SUV, this is a normal fuel economy but there is room for improvement.
- City 15 MPG Estimate
- Highway 19 MPG Estimate
- Combined 16 MPG Estimate
Lexus Four-Wheel Drive with Active Traction
The GX is very powerful with a full-time automatic four-wheel drive system. Four-Wheel Active Traction allows you to drive on any type of road without a problem.
A TORSEN torque-sensing limited-slip center differential distributes power 40:60 front to rear under most driving conditions and it adapts and changes the ratio as needed depending on wheel slip. The advanced four-wheel-drive system offers a low range for slow-speed off-road driving, and the center differential can be electronically locked.
A two-speed transfer case with low range is supported by a wide array of chassis control technology. With great features like Downhill Assist Control (DAC), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Active Traction Control (A-TRAC), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), and available Crawl Control, the GX 460 can drive on unpaved roads, trails, and steep inclines.
Trims and Pricing
2023 GX 460
All GX models are powerful with all-wheel drive. Each trim model stays in a similar price range between $57K and $68K with a medium-high price range compared to other SUVs.
The top-of-the-line 2023 GX 460 Luxury trim I am test driving has increased pricing for around a $4K increment compared to the previous year’s 2022 model, starting at $68,230 MSRP.
The GX is luxury, powerful, smart, and premium on any of its tour trim models. The three rows with a capacity for seven people make the GX a great car with plenty of space for all the family.
- 2023 GX 460
$57,575 Starting MSRP
- 2023 GX 460 PREMIUM
$58,910 Starting MSRP
- 2023 GX 460 BLACK LINE SPECIAL EDITION
$62,310 Starting MSRP
- 2023 GX 460 LUXURY (the one I am test-driving)
$68,230 Starting MSRP
