- Hot on the heels of its new TX flagship crossover, Lexus also teased the new off-roading GX this week.
- Toyota’s taken a more aggressive stance with its body-on-frame models and this one looks much more muscular than the existing version.
- Not to make anyone feel old here, but the current generation has been around (with a couple facelifts along the way) since 2009.
- The new 2024 Lexus GX may well use the brand’s 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 to replace its aging V8, moving in lockstep with the Tundra and Sequoia.
It’s been a long time since we could talk about an entirely new Lexus GX.
Toyota’s luxury brand last introduced an “all-new” GX for the 2010 model year. Let that sink in for a moment (because I had to) — both the Lexus GX and its mainstream counterpart, the Toyota 4Runner have been around in their current iterations half as long as I’ve been alive. Despite a few facelifts along the way, there’s no denying the age of either rig, and it seems the automaker is finally ready to do something about that.
To that end, here’s our first teaser showing the all-new 2024 Lexus GX. Now, companies tend to throw “all-new” around liberally, even with moderate refreshes, but this time we should see an SUV that’s wholly updated for this decade. The images show a far bulkier, brawnier SUV than the one we currently know, while we also get a glimpse of the full-width taillight and Lexus script across the tailgate that’s a hallmark of its most recent revamps, including the new full-size LX.
Since we’re looking at the first teasers here, Lexus naturally gave no additional information. This week’s announcement just said the new GX is “coming soon”, much like the three-row TX crossover. However, there are a few things we know will certainly change with this next-generation model.
For example, don’t expect the 4.6-liter V8 to make another appearance here. It’s all but certain we’ll see the new 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 instead, perhaps with an electric motor as part of the “i-Force Max” setup, at least on some models. The body-on-frame construction will remain, though, as Lexus seems keen on giving buyers the choice for the full-on SUV experience or a more pavement-friendly crossover.
Will we finally see a new Toyota 4Runner too?
I recently admitted to having a soft spot for the aging Lexus GX, and that extends to the Toyota 4Runner as well. I understand (particularly in the Toyota’s case) why these vehicles are still so popular. However, it’s long been time to give us a comprehensive update that brings the performance, efficiency and technology we expect in modern vehicles without sacrificing the practicality and off-road chops that make them so appealing in the first place.
We’ll know more when Lexus takes the wraps off the 2024 GX, but this news has me excited to see the next-generation 4Runner out of Toyota’s stable in the next several months, once we see the new Tacoma pickup.
