The first thing that struck me about the new GX 550 is its dramatic styling. Gone is the front bumper overbite and megachurch-parking-lot chrome maw that last looked modern before the Trump administration began. Instead, Lexus has leaned heavily into the GX’s off-road market for the third generation. An upright flat windscreen, boxy body lines, squared-off fender arches, and short overhangs give it a tough appearance. Massive FJ Cruiser-inspired mirrors, a low belt line, and a dramatic hood scallop ensure that visibility on tight trails is excellent. In short, the GX bulked up, and it’s much more handsome, if a bit militarized.
The all-new, off-road-focused Overtrail and Overtrail+ trims ensure that it can back up those rough-and-tumble looks with actual ability. Although more placid packages are offered — indeed, Lexus expects its volume model to be the mid-grade, on-road-first Premium+ trim — the GX is clearly designed with off-roaders in mind. Its underpinnings reflect this. While the rest of the midsize luxury SUV market has abandoned the traditional SUV formula in favor of unibodies, the new GX adapts the body-on-frame GA-F architecture introduced on the 2022 LX (and global Land Cruiser). Suspension is double-wishbone in front, four-link in the rear, with adaptive suspension available on higher trims.
The real show-stopper, however, is the Lexus-first Overtrail trim, laser-targeted at the off-road market. This brings a host of overlanding goodies to the GX platform, including Toyota’s electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (e-KDSS). This system electronically monitors road conditions and detaches the sway bar links during intense off-roading, to allow for over two feet of suspension articulation without sacrificing on-road stability.
