Yahoo Autos Overland and See: 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 vs. 2024 Lexus GX550
From the September/October 2024 issue of Car and Driver.
Sometimes you just need to get away. Maybe from the daily grind, maybe from civilization itself. But that doesn't mean you have to rough it. In search of a capable yet comfortable mount, a discerning explorer might wonder: Can today's luxury SUVs break serious trail without shedding their bumpers in the process?
Lexus believes the answer is yes when it comes to its 2024 GX550, which builds on the already hardy bones of the redesigned Toyota Land Cruiser. That this mid-size SUV also introduces an adventure-themed Overtrail model to the brand suggests it rivals one of the go-to nameplates in upscale overlanding, the Land Rover Defender.
Like all new GXs, Overtrail models are powered by a twin-turbo 3.4-liter V-6 backed by a 10-speed automatic transmission and a full-time four-wheel-drive system with low range and a lockable Torsen center differential. Key figures include a decent 349 horsepower, a hefty 479 pound-feet of torque, and a big 9063-pound towing capacity on our Overtrail+ model, which also offers fripperies such as massaging front seats. Unlike the street-oriented Premium and Luxury trims that can be configured with six or seven seats, Overtrails have two rows only. But a host of rugged upgrades are included: low-speed crawl control, downhill-assist control, various off-road drive modes, a terrain-monitoring system, a locking rear differential, and Lexus's new Electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (E-KDSS), which can automatically disconnect the front and rear anti-roll bars independently. Overtrail models also include adaptive dampers and 18-inch wheels wrapped with 33-inch Toyo Open Country A/T III all-terrain tires. The Overtrail's $69,250 ask is $5K more than the base GX550's, and the well-equipped Overtrail+ ups the ante to $77,250. A Mark Levinson stereo ($1140), a head-up display ($900), and a few minor options brought our example to $80,915. Not exactly beater territory.
Land Rover Defender 130 Outbound
HIGHS: A beast on the trails, thoroughly refined, cavernous interior.
LOWS: Bulky size, phoned-in throttle and steering response, complicated interface.
VERDICT: Go-anywhere capability and luxury.
The Defender 130 Outbound shares the GX's outdoorsy vibes and eschews the 130 model's standard three-row seating for five-up accommodations. The Outbound treatment is mostly a shadowy aesthetic enhancement, adding dark-finished accents inside and out, painted panels over the rearmost side windows, and black 20-inch wheels shod with Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac all-terrain tires that stand about as tall as the Overtrail's Toyos. A super- and turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six routes 395 horses and 406 pound-feet through ZF's excellent eight-speed automatic and a full-time four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case.
In contrast to the body-on-frame GX, with its coil springs and solid rear axle, the Defender uses unibody construction with an independent suspension at both ends supported by adjustable air springs, albeit without the ability to disconnect its anti-roll bars. It also features an electronically locking center differential, and its towing capacity is 8201 pounds. The Off-Road pack ($1250) adds an electronically controlled locking rear differential with brake-based torque vectoring. Yet, unlike the Lexus's manually selectable lockers, the Rover's are controlled by the All Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2, and other electronic chassis systems that come with the Towing Pack 2 ($1850). Lesser add-ons helped swell the $86,125 base price to $93,938, which, in today's money, amounts to a week's worth of Whoppers more than the Lexus.
With our muck boots packed for a proper expedition, we set a waypoint for Drummond Island, a small, rocky refuge from cell service off the eastern tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Populated by about 1000 full-time residents and several billion mosquitoes the size of sparrows, Drummond Island is also home to gnarly wooded trails that show little mercy to soft-roaders pretending to be the real deal.
Interior and Exterior
Both test rigs present as premium machines that are at their most fashionable when covered in mud. Easy to mistake for the Land Cruiser that shares its two-box silhouette, the GX looks the rough-and-tumble part, stocky yet handsome. Lexus tastefully scaled down the grille to a reasonable size, and the airy greenhouse offers panoramic views in all directions. The pronounced fluttering of the hood on the highway is a less-than-reassuring trait that's compounded by a tinny sound when shutting the doors.
The Rover's hood also wobbles at speed but to a lesser degree, and the 130 generally exhibits the solidity of an ingot. Sized like a bus compared with the sensibly proportioned GX, its 14.6 additional inches of length and 6.8-inch-longer wheelbase make it far less nimble. We found no practical use for our example's side-mounted lockbox and deployable roof ladder, but the Defender looks capable and expensive. We wish you could spruce up the Outbound trim's cabin with color. The black interior made for a dreary contrast next to the Lexus's tan and olive upholstery. Worsened by its massive rear-quarter blind spots, the gloom inside the bunker-like Defender had us eyeing its rubber floor mats as yoga pads for lunchtime meditation.
Nor did the Defender win any points for its clumsy side-hinged rear cargo door, though its massive luggage hold makes it a better stand-in for a box van than the GX. The cushy heated and ventilated front seats in both vehicles were deemed equally comfortable, but the opinions of rear-seat riders were decisively one-sided: The Rover is the place to be for two or three back-seat passengers, as the Lexus is stingy on legroom, and its center console extends onto the floor, leaving little room for a middle occupant's feet. While both SUVs feature large, vibrant displays for infotainment and off-road readouts, you're less reliant on the GX's straightforward touchscreen, and manipulating its physical controls on the center console is more intuitive than having to search through the Land Rover's complex onscreen menus. The Defender, however, earned praise for more price-appropriate materials. The GX suffers from some Toyota-grade plastics.
Powertrain and Performance
At startup, the Rover's straight-six idles with a diesel-like clatter that grows into a deep growl as the revs pile on, its thrust building in a linear, uneventful fashion. The Lexus's V-6 is slightly quieter at both idle and full whack, yet it also struggles to inspire with a gruff, agricultural tone that we never found charming. Both produce the same surprisingly hushed 67 decibels of noise inside at 70 mph, though some roar from their meaty tires and blocky aerodynamics is noticeable.
While both vehicles are peppy enough on the road, their mechanicals are largely focused on optimizing traction and suspension articulation. The GX is more accomplished in the latter area, garnering an impressive ramp-travel-index score of 613 versus the Defender's modest 331.
Lexus GX550 Overtrail+
HIGHS: Impressive off-road prowess, responsive chassis, no-nonsense ergonomics.
LOWS: Compact back seat, primitive ride quality, hood flutters at highway speeds.
VERDICT: A pricey trail basher in need of polishing.
That difference aside, their test results were essentially a wash, despite the 5905-pound Land Rover's 281-pound weight penalty over the Lexus. The Defender beat the GX to both 60 mph and the quarter-mile mark by just 0.1 second, posting 6.2- and 14.7-second times, respectively. Only a few tenths separated the SUVs' passing-acceleration times. The Land Rover needed eight additional feet to stop from 70 mph (188 to the Lexus's 180), yet it eked out a smidge more lateral grip on the skidpad. Its humble 0.72-g effort was all the intrusive stability control would permit, whereas terminal understeer limited the Lexus to 0.71 g. Both listed enough during cornering to remind us of an America's Cup yacht heeled over in a strong wind, particularly the GX.
The stalemate continued at the gas pump, with both SUVs averaging the same 16 mpg over our 600-mile trek and nearly matching each other on our 75-mph highway test: The Defender's 19-mpg result beat its EPA estimate by 1 mpg, while the GX's 20-mpg score fell short of its rating by the same amount. The biggest difference was how each vehicle doled out its performance. Where the Lexus is alert and responsive both underfoot and at the helm, making it feel half a ton lighter than it is, the Rover is burdened by lazier throttle calibration and vaguer steering. The result is rather aloof driving behavior that often makes it feel even larger than it already is.
Driving Experience
While some pilots preferred the GX's smarter ergonomics and wieldier size on long highway slogs, all agreed that its choppy, unsettled ride magnified every pavement seam and divot in the road, despite its tires' fat sidewalls. We've driven models without E-KDSS that felt more refined even with passive dampers and larger 20-inch wheels. Less frequent but just as annoying were the uncouth stumbles of its transmission when crawling through traffic at low speeds.
Conversely, the Defender operates with greater smoothness, exhibiting better body control, a plusher ride, and a calmer demeanor wherever it went. That includes in the woods, where the Outbound's higher maximum ground clearance helped it counter the Overtrail's better maneuverability and suspension articulation. Hike the Defender's air springs up to Off Road 2 mode, and its clearance increases from 8.6 to 11.5 inches. Thanks to considerably steeper approach and departure angles, nary a scrape befell its underbelly. It was a towering figure next to the GX, which occasionally ground its frame rails over larger rocks due to its static 8.9 inches of clearance. That's not to say the Lexus didn't impress at times. Its pedals are easier to modulate in the woods, and its suspension flexed like a Slinky as it clambered up broken ledges that we initially thought only the Defender could ascend. A GX driver just needs to be more adept at reading the terrain and precisely placing the Lexus's 18-inch wheels—and accepting that the GX's protruding running boards may look different after the journey ends. Ours did (sorry, Lexus).
Though the big Outbound was prone to lifting a wheel in the air over uneven ground, it maintained steady forward progress. Its differentials automatically locked and unlocked as the conditions changed, reducing wheelspin, whereas we needed to fiddle with the GX's locker switches. Switching to the Defender's Sport transmission mode and upping the throttle sensitivity in the off-road menu somewhat compensated for the sleepy accelerator pedal. Tricky terrain often necessitated consultations with each vehicle's array of exterior cameras, but for different reasons: The various views were a boon in the Rover when extricating it from tight confines, whereas the Lexus's helped us steer clear of larger obstacles. Unsurprisingly, the Defender's greater maximum water-fording depth (35.4 inches to the GX's 27.6), plus its door-mirror sensors that double as wading-depth indicators, helped it stroll through sippy holes that the Overtrail plowed through like a swamp buggy.
And the Winner Is...
As we emerged from the trails, the yin and yang between the GX550 and the Defender remained strong, which is why their scoring came out so close. Both SUVs balance their weaknesses with comparative strengths, ultimately reaching similar destinations via different paths.
That said, the GX was the only one to incur wounds on its underside during our trip. That Lexus's beefiest off-road-oriented model retains sacrificial side steps is perhaps a hint that the company doesn't expect many GX owners to stray far from the beaten path. Yet viewed from a more civilized perspective, the Overtrail+'s brittle ride, flimsy body panels, and underwhelming cabin are hard sells on an $81K Lexus, even one designed to get dirty. The Defender, on the other hand, takes a narrow victory by complementing its stout off-road chops with a level of refinement more commensurate with its price. That's a welcome quality wherever you find yourself.
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