Anticipation has been high for the new 2024 Lexus GX ever since we saw the teaser image giving a glimpse of its boxy, rugged shape. Now that the mid-size luxury SUV is scheduled to go on sale soon, we’re getting all sorts of information on pricing and trim levels, and Lexus’ online configurator got us thinking about how we’d like our personal GX550s to look. We got to work building our own GXs, with some editors more interested in the off-road-oriented models and others just looking for a cushy cruiser with the added bonus of some Toyota Land Cruiser DNA.
Drew Dorian’s $80,040 GX550 Luxury
I’m not one to venture off-road, and my outdoor activities rarely involve much more than a weekend at a campground with electrical outlets right at the site. So, I’d skip the more rugged Overtrail trims and aim for the mid-range Luxury model. It still looks ruggedly handsome, especially painted in this Nori Green Pearl paint and equipped with the optional saddle-colored semi-aniline upholstery. The Luxury trim comes with 22-inch wheels finished in a dark gray paint, and I like this look more than the 20-inchers you get on the Premium and Premium+ trims. In addition to the bigger wheels, the Luxury trim also comes with 10-way power-adjustable front seats with heat, ventilation, and massage—perfect for a relaxing commute after a long day of automotive research and analysis. We C/D editors live a charmed life, huh?
The GX can be had with a lot of options, but I’d only add a few. The optional Mark Levinson stereo costs $1140, which seems a reasonable ask for 21 speakers. I’d also pick the 10.7-inch color head-up display for $900, the Cold Area package for $200, and swap the second-row bench for captain’s chairs for $440. Finally, I’d pick up the cargo area tonneau cover for $110, bringing the total for this build to $80,040. That sum is way more expensive than I could ever afford in real life, though. Maybe this life isn’t so charmed after all. –Drew Dorian
Greg Fink’s $78,780 GX550 Overtrail+
Let’s face it, most Lexus GX buyers don’t need a GX. In fact, they’d probably be better off with a unibody Lexus SUV such as the TX. But that doesn’t matter to most GX owners, because the GX is a dyed-in-the-wool body-on-frame SUV ready to take on the toughest terrain. Sure, few GX550 drivers will venture into uncharted territories, but what’s important is that those folks know that they could. So, if you’re going to cosplay as a serious off-roader, you might as well get the GX with the most off-road capability: the Overtrail.
But this is a Lexus after all, so my GX is the $8000 pricier Overtrail+, which adds a number of extra goodies, the most important of which is massaging front seats. (Who said off-roading needs to be uncomfortable?) To compensate for that extra spend, I avoided an extra-cost exterior color, instead choosing the one that’s most likely to hide any scratches from my grocery getting off-road adventures: Atomic Silver. But silver is such a boring hue, so I caved and spent $350 for a black roof to give this big box a little more personality.
That, however, is the only vanity option on my GX. Sure, I could live without a $900 head-up display, but I figure it’s a small price to pay to have key information in my line of sight so I can keep my focus on the parking spot trail ahead. Likewise, I dropped $170 on the console-mounted cool box, because there are few things more rewarding than a cool bottle of water in the middle of a hot day while stuck in a traffic jam traversing the dry desert. And the $110 tonneau cover? Well, sometimes you have to get back on the grid, and I’d rather prying eyes not see the contents of my GX’s cargo hold. –Greg S. Fink
Eric Stafford’s $64,675 GX550 Premium
I prefer the more retro look of the new Toyota Land Cruiser over the Lexus GX’s pointier face. I would also prefer to pay less for a similarly capable off-road SUV, but the GX is currently configurable while the Cruiser is not, so I’ll pretend to be an impatient person who wants to build and buy the one that will sooner reach my driveway. At least the upside to the Lexus’s higher price tag is a more desirable powertrain. Since every GX550 has a 349-hp twin-turbo V-6, I can happily choose the entry-level Premium trim that starts at $64,250. Lexus doesn’t charge extra for the glorious Nori Green Pearl paint or the saddle tan interior, which I think go great together and look simultaneously rich and rugged. I’d only add two individual options: the $75 wireless charger (which should be standard, in my opinion) and the $350 Cold Area package. The latter is a small sum to pay for a heated steering wheel, headlight washers, and an upgraded interior heater. That keeps the price of my GX550 Premium under $65K. Sure, I could’ve spent roughly $5000 more for the Overtrail’s upgraded hardware, but I prefer to source my own off-road-oriented wheels and tires. Plus, like the Land Cruiser, the Lexus GX is ripe for accessorizing. –Eric Stafford