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The new 2023 Lexus GX 460.

Courtesy photo

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The new 2023 Lexus GX 460.

Courtesy photo

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The new 2023 Lexus GX 460.

Courtesy photo

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Inside the new 2023 Lexus GX 460.

Courtesy photo

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There have not been a lot of changes in the Lexus GX for the 2023 model year, but it remains one of our favorite Lexus models. This is mainly because it is really a Toyota 4Runner with all the great Lexus luxury added in, and it comes with a large V-8 motor that is not available in the 4Runner.

Along with including all the luxury items we would have expected in any Lexus, the engineers have taken the GX’s four-wheel drive capabilities to the extreme, just as they have in the 4Runner. In fact, we believe this Lexus would go anywhere a Toyota 4Runner can go.

Receiving the GX a couple of weeks before Christmas gave us the opportunity to travel a longer distance with a full six-passenger load when Craig drove from Provo to his company Christmas party in Ogden. Climbing back into the third row were Craig’s sister Marci Harris and co-worker Tracie Hartman, who didn’t seem to mind the long ride in the rearmost seat. They indicated the seats were nice to sit in, and they would have been comfortable going even further if the need had arisen.

Getting in and out of the back, however, was a bit of a chore, although the passenger-side second-row seat tipped and slid forward, providing more access to the rear there than the driver’s side.

The GX 460 claims to be a seven-passenger SUV, over which there has been much debate on just how comfortable the third-row seating would be since space back there is very limited. With the rearmost seat up, there is not much space in the back to haul things, but it was able to accommodate the small packages we took with us to Ogden.

Craig’s sister Christi Babbitt and co-worker Shellie Fennell sat in the second row and had their own zone of heat and heated seats, making the December trip very comfortable for them.

The best part of the trip was that everyone could talk and converse on the way, and having holiday tunes playing on the included nine-speaker sound system gave the trip a nice Christmas touch. Luckily, the weather was only overcast for the day, and they didn’t need to engage any of the four-wheel-drive functions that come with the GX.

The GX 460 is not what most would consider a crossover vehicle; instead, it falls into the SUV category, although on the smaller end of most larger truck-like SUVs. It sports a V-8 engine that puts out just over 300 horsepower with 329 foot-pounds of torque. This isn’t the strongest V-8 on the market, but it’s more than adequate for the smaller size of the GX.

It will also tow up to 6,500 pounds when needed, so a boat or a trailer with a couple of snowmobiles or four-wheelers would be the perfect complement to the GX. We found the acceleration of the GX to be strong; it went from 0 to 60 in just 7.8 seconds, which is very good for a vehicle of its size.

It took us a couple of days to get used to the rear access door swinging out instead of lifting upward like most SUV rear access doors. However, it did make loading and unloading easier. And with the electric up-and-down-controlled rear seating, rearranging the furniture, as it were, was a simple process.

During the week of our test drive, the GX 460 averaged right where the EPA said it would: 17.8 miles per gallon. This is quite comparable with the likes of the Tahoe and other SUVs of a similar size and weight and equipped with a V-8 engine.

Unlike many of the Lexus sedans that we have driven over the years, the GX SUV came with a touch screen as well as the usual mouse-like device to which we have become accustomed. It functioned flawlessly and was much easier to use than the standard Lexus mouse. When the GX gets its redesign scheduled for 2024, the mouse will most likely be gone and only voice activation and touch screens will be available, as has happened with other Lexus upgrades.

Included with the GX is the new Lexus Enform system. This makes finding a restaurant, ordering movie tickets or using advanced navigation options on the fly an easy operation. It is combined with the new predictive traffic function, an industry first that Lexus is now including with all its navigation systems. The predictive traffic system gives up-to-date traffic updates and allowed us to avoid the spots with slower traffic.

The GX also is equipped with all the awesome Lexus Safety System+ equipment, including pre-collision warning and mitigation, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and intelligent high beam headlamps.

Of course, as the name Lexus is synonymous with luxury, the GX came with all the great features we would have expected, including heated and cooled front seats that would adjust in any way we could imagine and made us as comfortable as possible. There was leather throughout the interior, with soft touches everywhere you might consider putting your hand or arm, along with wood accents. There was also Craig’s coveted heated steering wheel. He would have slept in the Lexus if it were possible!

If getting around town in style and luxury is a future you’d like to achieve, the GX 460 is worth a look, especially if you’d also like to take a ride up the slick rock in complete comfort. The GX will easily get you there.

Base price: $56,425

Destination charge: $1,150

Price as driven: $62,460

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