Next in our brief series comparing the Toyota 4Runner with its more upscale cousin, the Lexus GX, we compare the models that will be available in the 2010s and 2020s. Previously, we compared the 4th generation 4Runner to the GX470.
One of the “oldest” new automobiles now on sale is the Fifth (and current) Generation Toyota 4Runner. Even when it first appeared for the 2010 model year, technology-wise, it was still very traditional.
According to logic, 4Runner’s popularity should have decreased every year as the platform has aged and become more “out of date.” Sales data, however, paint a very different picture.
The fifth generation 4Runner’s annual US market sales were in the 40,000s for the first few years before began to soar about 2015.
Moreover, the recent years? In the United States, Toyota sells somewhere in the neighborhood of 130,000 4Runners each year. And this despite the absence of any substantial mechanical upgrades.
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Are GX460 and 4Runner the same?
There are several factors a buyer of a fifth-generation 4Runner might additionally take into account. In 2010, the GX460, the second generation of the GX, also made its appearance. Like the first version, the GX460 was essentially a rebadged Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, which also occurred to share many of its underpinnings with the fifth generation 4Runner.
It represented a greater advancement over the 4Runner. It switched from a 4.7 liter V8 to a new, more potent 4.6 liter V8 with 301 horsepower.
Like the original generation, the GX460 had a new six-speed automatic transmission and came standard with two-speed transfer case and four-wheel drive.
As before, the interior had a far broader list of standard luxuries than the tough 4Runner and was much more luxurious. In addition, it retained the 4Runner’s typical rear hatch in favor of a hinged rear door.
Even though the fifth-generation 4Runner was a significantly more expensive SUV when it was new, there isn’t much of a price difference between a GX460 and it on the secondhand market. Like the 4Runner, the 2022 GX460 is mechanically identical to a 2010 GX460 despite facelifts and additional technology.
The Lexus GX470 is a 4Runner, right?
The fourth-generation Toyota 4Runner shares a large portion of its platform with the first-generation Lexus GX470, which is fundamentally a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (known as the Hilux Surf overseas).
Both versions debuted in 2003, and the GX differs from the regular 4Runner in a number of technical ways in addition to having a shorter, higher body and more opulent interior features.
The 4.0 liter 1GR-FE V6 engine made up the majority of the fourth-generation 4Runners sold, but Toyota’s 4.7 liter 2UZ-FE V8 engine was also offered, making the fourth-generation 4Runner the only generation to offer a V8.
While V8 4x4s have a full-time configuration, V6 4×4 models feature a part-time system. In contrast, the GX470 only offers the 2UZ-FE V8 and regular full-time four-wheel drive.
To what may the Lexus GX 460 be compared?
Range Rover is the undisputed leader in the market for large luxury SUVs, and with good reason. However, over the past ten years, this hasn’t stopped Lexus from entering the sector. Since its debut in 1951, Toyota has enjoyed great success with the Land Cruiser, which expanded in size in tandem with the growth of the British luxury Land Rover offshoot. The GX, which debuted in 2002 and was based on the same chassis as the Land Cruiser Prado and was produced at the Japanese Tahara plant, enjoyed similar success.
The second-generation GX was released to the market in 2009 and underwent cosmetic changes in 2011. Since this time over ten years ago, it has mainly remained the same, however the bodywork was changed for the 2020 model year. The time has come for Toyota to swap out this outdated model. The departing GX is a time capsule; it isn’t in line with the premium brand’s movement toward electrification and is equipped with a 4.0 or 4.6-liter engine.
The variety of vehicles is enormous since more customers are purchasing SUVs than ever before. Competition for this Japanese vehicle includes the Q7, Touareg, Range Rover, and X5. The Bentayga and Urus, which are practically the hypercars of the SUV market in terms of performance and price, are not the GX’s main competitors; rather, it is just another sizable SUV with its own advantages.
The GX 460 is a Land Cruiser, right?
Like the LX, the GX arrived on the North American market as a Toyota Land Cruiser with new branding. The GX, however, is built on the smaller Land Cruiser Prado rather than the larger Land Cruiser.
Since the early 1990s, the Prado has been available as a more cheap, more portable member of the Land Cruiser family.
And following the success Lexus had with its LX, a luxury SUV based on the Land Cruiser, in the 1990s and the expanding luxury SUV industry, Lexus introduced the GX470 for the 2003 model year.
What Lexus is comparable to a Highlander?
Many of the same opulent amenities found in the Lexus RX 350, which has a base price of $41,900, are also available in the Highlander LTD model. Given that both SUVs are equally equipped, it is important to analyze their differences.
Is GX470 a step up from GX460?
Both the GX470 and GX460 are capable off-road cars that can be used on dirt roads, mountain trails, and, with some minor modifications, rock crawling routes. In comparison to the GX470’s approach angle of 30 degrees and the GX460’s approach angle of 28 degrees, the new style of the GX460 from 2014 onward significantly reduces approach angle to 21 degrees. This explains why off-road bumpers are so common on GX460 cars from 2014 and beyond. The GX470 features higher ground clearance (8.3 inches), matches the departure angle, and outperforms the GX460’s 2010–2013 approach angle. The GX470 is also more maneuverable on off-road terrain thanks to its shorter and thinner dimensions. Even though the GX470 weighs 4,871 lbs less, the benefit is minimized because the engine produces fewer horsepower. On off-road approach, departure, and length/width measurements, the GX470 still triumphs.
The GX 470 is a Land Cruiser, right?
The Lexus GX is a full-size luxury SUV that is sold in North American and Eurasian markets by Lexus, a high-end branch of Toyota. The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, from which the GX derives its off-road prowess, serves as its base. In 2002, Lexus debuted the first generation, also known as the GX 470, which later became the third SUV to join the Lexus lineup. With low-range gearing, a full-time four-wheel drive system is standard. The larger LX 470’s 4.7-liter V8 engine was also utilised in the GX 470. The second-generation model was then released by the company in 2009 under the name GX 460 to reflect the upgrade to a 4.6-liter V8 engine. Later, in 2012, Lexus released a GX 400 with a smaller displacement and a 4.0-liter V6 engine for the Chinese market.
The GX is positioned between the RXcrossover and the LX SUV in the Lexus lineup (the Lexus-badged Land Cruiser). The Land Cruiser Prado, the Toyota 4Runner, and the GX have all been produced in the Tahara facility in Japan.
Is the Lexus GX 460 a good investment?
Of the two SUVs, the 2022 Lexus GX 460 is without a doubt more dependable. In fact, it is named the most dependable car of the year by Consumer Reports. The Lexus GX 460 is anticipated to be 5/5 reliable in 2022. Consumer Reports analyzed information from the 2019, 2020, and 2021 model years to make its prediction. Every one of those model years has an unblemished dependability record, which says a lot about how long the Lexus GX usually lasts.
The Toyota 4Runner, on the other hand, is anticipated to have a 4/5 reliability rating. This ranking by Consumer Reports is based on the Toyota 4Runner models from 2019 through 2021. The reliability rating for the 2019 and 2020 Toyota 4Runners is 4/5, while the 2021 4Runner has a perfect score of 5/5. In the 2019 and 2020, the fuel system will be a problem, and in the 2020, the brakes and body integrity will be.
What rivals does the Lexus GX face?
The 2022 Lexus GX best competes against the GMC Yukon and Infiniti QX80, two SUVs with a luxury exterior, seating for three, and premium amenities inside. This is due to the GX’s truck-like construction.
Underneath, it is the same SUV and provides comparable off-road technology at a significant savings.
However, the majority of customers would be better served by the Volvo XC90 or Mercedes-Benz GLE because of their superior handling, ride, and interior room at more affordable price points.
Is the Lexus GX the Highlander’s similar size?
In a busy parking lot, it will be considerably simpler to find a wide enough place for the Lexus GX 460 because it is significantly slimmer than the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. In terms of overall length, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the Lexus GX 460 occupy almost the same amount of room in your garage.
Is the Lexus GX as trustworthy as the Land Cruiser?
It is challenging to determine where the 2021 Lexus GX 460 leads the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser because they are so closely matched throughout the board.
Although the Lexus GX model’s reliability rating is theoretically somewhat higher than that of the Land Cruiser because it has been around for a shorter period of time, handling is what matters most.
In this area, Consumer Reports gave the Lexus GX higher ratings. For starters, it is somewhat lighter and smaller than the mondo LC. That most likely plays a significant role in the improved braking and swerving performance.
Last but not least, if you can believe it, the Lexus GX460 is considerably less expensive than the Toyota. The price range for the 2021 Lexus GX is $53,450–64,715.
What model of Lexus is equivalent to a Land Cruiser?
Lexus LX 570 and Land Cruiser compete for power Toyota is the parent company of both the Lexus LX 570 SUV and the Toyota Land Cruiser. Both automobiles stand for their respective manufactures’ top-tier SUVs. These two SUVs were built on the same platform and have a lot of similar features.
What does Lexus’ GX stand for?
Since 1999, Toyota’s premium branch Lexus has sold the compact executive automobile, the Lexus IS, which is marketed toward younger clients. Intelligent Sports is the acronym for the IS.
The Lexus IS series has always integrated trademark Lexus features in a smaller, more mechanically dynamic package since the introduction of the IS 200 twenty-one years ago.
Lexus model name : GX = Grand Crossover
Built on the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado platform, the Lexus GX (or Grand Crossover) is a full-size luxury SUV available in North American and Eurasian markets.
In 2002, Lexus debuted the first generation, also known as the GX 470, which later became the third SUV to join the Lexus lineup.
Lexus model name : CT = Creative Touring
The Lexus CT 200h is a premium compact hatchback hybrid vehicle made by Lexus. The Toyota Prius drivetrain and Toyota MC platform chassis serve as the foundation for the CT. CT stands for Creative Touring in the name.
Lexus model name : RC = Radical Coupe
The Lexus RC is a two-door coup version of the Lexus IS that is small and executive (XE30). Radical Coupe, according to Lexus, is what the RC stands for.
The Lexus RC was created to disprove common assumptions about what a self-charging, gasoline-electric hybrid should resemble.