…of the new Lexus GX 460 SUV. While it is largely the same as a Toyota Land Cruiser–albeit at a much lower price than that Toyota model–this auto writer finds it to be…unsatisfying, non-competitive with the other vehicles in that market segment, and…“irrelevant”.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-24/2017-lexus-gx-460-suv-review?cmpid=BBD012417_BIZ
You mean ‘higher’, right? Oh, you compared it to the Land Cruiser. The GX is more like the 4Runner. The Lexus LX is the Land Cruiser upgrade.
This is a pretty old design, surprised they’ve let it go so long.
They can’t be #1 in everything. Lexus tends to have tepid performance. If that isn’t important, then the excellent reliability might make up for it. The RX and IS have better peformance ratings, and tend to be closer to the top. Like all manufacturers, Lexus figures out what their customers like and give it to them. The vehicles aren’t as fun to drive as the competition because the customers aren’t as interested in it. FWIW, my son in law’s grandmother owns a Lexus LS and I don’t see her as someone interested in handling during the drive as much as comfort.
Edit: I read the article after my first post. 
The author did mention the Land Cruiser for comparison, but it is much more like the LX570. Maybe there isn’t a Toyota that the LX460 is based on. I’m not really interested enough in large SUVs to know for sure, but I don’t think the Highlander is available with a V8.
As much as it might be an irrelevant design, I am sure the loyal Toyota/Lexus buyers would still buy them. I have a few friends that lease or buy Toyota/Lexus exclusively. They don’t even test drive or research any other car. Pick the model that fits their size needs and then buy. One actually uses a buying agent and never steps in a dealership for the purchase. If the previous model RX was good for him, the new one should be even better.
Funny, but every alternative she mentioned as being better than the Lexus has a much lower reliability rating.
But, then, it’s clear that this particular writer is bedazzled by the fanciest whiz-bang high tech bells & whistles. Me? I choose reliability and longevity over bells & whistles. To me, good engineering is reflected in the reliability and longevity. To her it’s clearly in the high-tech “features”. To each his/her own.
I don’t think it has anything to do with “Bells and Whistles”, the GX 460 has all the expected features but drives like a 7000 lb truck.
The Lexus GX 460 is similar to the Land Cruiser Prada referenced in the review. The Prada is sold outside the U.S. and smaller than the Land Cruiser sold here.
I would rather drive a very reliable body on frame Lexus suv, which probably also has excellent value retention, versus a unibody european luxury suv, which is probably far less reliable, and depreciates in value like nobody’s business
Seems to me the Lexus is a vehicle to keep for a long time, whereas the others are only kept for a few years, until the lease ends. And those european luxury suvs are probably going to be a financial nightmare for the second and third owners