Even though the Lion is the king of the Jungle, It still can’t defeat a tiger. And that’s true. 

There are plenty of SUVs coming out from various brand houses and every time they call it the macho SUV of all. But it really can’t go past the mighty Defender. Land Rover has kind of given birth to a Lion named ‘Defender’ and many other brands are hustling to create one like it. They are failing every single time. But I think finally, Lexus has managed to give birth to a Tiger which could actually defeat it. And the name goes the Lexus GX. 

Lexus GX is a SUV from the cave of Lexus which has been serving the market for the past 20 years now. The current generation is its second one. Once in a decade it was given an update, the last one was in 2010’s and it's been a decade, it was yet to get an update. And at last, on June 09, 2023 Lexus unveiled its 3rd generation, and its galaxies ahead! 

In this article we will discuss the Tiger who has entered the field, The 2024 Lexus GX .

When was it first unveiled?

It was June 09, 2023, the global unveiling of the new generation GX took place. The first glance made it clear that it has got the muscles to take on the Defender.

What's different?

Almost everything, the whole car itself has been redesigned.

New ways have been taken to differ it from everything present in its segment.

It packs some new promises.

It has got the strength to climb up the tall hill named ‘Best Off-roader’.

Exterior - Worked out hard!

You look at the old GX and then check out the new one, it clearly is visible that the boy never missed a single day of going to GYM. It has been completely brought in with a new design language, which follows the traditional and most liked ways of being a SUV. BOXY, BOLD, BRAVE and TALL. The Boxy elements have been carried throughout the whole design. The straight running lines, Flat sides and the tall boy stance gives it a stand out look altogether.

The Front -

It's flat, as said. The angular Lexus grille is quite different from other models, though it has the trait of being a Lexus which is, the grille extending till the lower bumper, which can be seen in silver finish. The hood has got some beefed up shoulders. The Headlights too have the traditional Lexus trait - L shaped. They consist of 3 LED beams in them.

The Side -

The shoulder line continues to run till the very edge at back. The window line runs straight too with an incline at the C-Pillar. The side cladding being bulky, improves the big-boy feel of the car. It runs on standard 18 inches with thick boots - All terrain tyres. The wheel size could be increased till 20 - 22 inches, we believe. The wheel arches are in an octagonal shape, to enhance the boxy feel of the SUV even more.

The Back -

The back is a straight 90 degree cut. The whole back is divided into two parts - The rear windscreen and The Lower tailgate - by the Lexus’ very traditional L-shaped Tail Lights. As showcased by the company, the tailgate is a split unit and can be opened in two parts to make the access to the boot more convenient. The rear windscreen can be opened separately to avoid the hassle of opening that humongous tailgate. At the bottom, where the rear bumper starts, we can see a provision made for the towing hook as well.

Well, it seems that it has parted its ways from the traditional Lexus’ design language for SUVs which have curves and thick lines running through the edges of the car, take the LX for instance. And in fact that’s true, the Chief Engineer - Koji Tsukusaki, from Lexus has revealed that the GX follows the principle stated by the new-age Lexus designs - ‘The Next Chapter’. This actually explains the fact that this SUV has been made to enjoy more on rough roads.

Interior - 'Tazuna Cockpit'

Tazuna Cockpit is also one of the Lexus’ new-age concepts. It basically says that the interior should be a ‘delight’ in terms of its usage and not in terms of its visuals. Lexus GX’s interior is one of the most practical one’s. All the principal controls and information has been kept handy. So, the driver reaches them at ease. And we can surely spot some dial knobs and buttons placed in the central console though towards the driver’s side.

The technology used is also up to mark! It uses a 14 inch touch screen display to showcase all the necessary data and information regarding the vehicle or the journey. On the other hand, it fits a 12.3 inch digital display which showcases vehicle centric information to the driver.

The comfort has been designed and engineered very carefully. With respect to all the traditional comfort oriented disadvantages which one used to feel being in an off-roader have been solved. The seats have been designed in a way which could hold you during off-road sessions, so that your body doesn’t toss much. It will be available with 2 seating options -

6 Seater with captain seats in the middle row.

7 Seater with bench seats in the middle row.

The practical bits used are also impressive! The dashboard and the central console provide a lot of  cubby spaces to store your stuff. This Lexus’ human centric approach in the interior will surely be a plus point for them.

Powertrain - A new 'V6'

Lexus has introduced a new work horse for this beast. It's a 3.4 L V6 Twin - Turbo engine which puts out 350 PS & 650 Nm of torque. This engine will replace the current GX’s 4.6 L V8 engine. Yeah, it's sad that almost every car maker has been degrading the powertrain to meet the strict pollution norms. Though, there’s one thing to note, that this engine produces more power than the current 4.6 L V8, which also gives it the ability to tow up to 3.5 tons.

There are speculations that it might also get a 2.4 L Turbo - Hybrid engine as a second option.

Off-road capability

This car sits on the G-AF - Global Architecture Platform. This platform has already been applauded a lot for its performance with the elder sibling the LX 550. The ride quality is plush as its capabilities are skyrocketing when it comes to off-road & on-road. 

It also gets Lexus’ E - KDSS, Electronic - Kinetic Dynamic Suspension system, to tackle the rough roads with ease and maintain stability throughout the trail.

It also comes with a full time 4 Wheel Drive system.

India launch & Expected Price

India launch could not be confirmed yet, as no details have been put out in the first place. Though we assume that, it could launch in Q3 or Q4 of 2024, just after its global launch. 

The expected price we think could be around ₹ 1 Cr. to ₹ 1.5 Cr.

Verdict

We think it's a great and a worthy product to go up against the Defender, who’s already ruling the segment. And to some extent, it could win this clash because after all being working under TOYOTA, it automatically gives a lot of advantages. And at last, Lexus’ approach towards making this car looks very straightforward and purposeful.