Based on Toyota’s latest Prado, V6-engined and off-road-oriented, the latest Lexus SUV is a bold step on a new path for the luxury carmaker.
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Fast Facts: Lexus GX 550 Overtrail
- Price: R1 766 000
- Powertrain: 3.5-litre, V6 twin-turbo petrol
- Transmission: 10-speed automatic
- Driven wheels: All
- Power: 260 kW @ 4 800-5 200 r/min
- Torque: 650 N.m @ 2 000-3 600 r/min
- 0-100 km/h: 7.0 seconds*
- Top speed: 175 km/h*
- Fuel consumption: 12.3 L/100 km*
*Claimed figures
What are we driving?
Lexus’ Toyota Prado-based GX models have been available in numerous global markets for more than 20 years, so it’s a little surprising that a country as taken with SUVs as ours is only seeing its first GX now. The 2025 Lexus GX 550 is based on the current (J250) Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and is therefore underpinned by the same body-on-chassis variant of the Toyota New Global Architecture (GA-F) platform. The local model line-up comprises two versions: the more upmarket, seven-seater SE and the one perhaps of greater interest to those used to Lexus’ premium approach to SUVs – the five-seater Overtrail we’ve driven here.
Why is the Lexus GX 550 Overtrail significant?
As alluded to above, despite its many of its larger SUVs making use of the proven and rugged mechanical foundations of Toyota’s Land Cruiser models, the traditional Lexus approach to its Toyota-based SUVs is a premium market-focused one that sees such models wearing upmarket finishes and rolling on large alloy wheels shod with more street-friendly rubber. And while this is the case with the SE model – decked out with more satin chrome garnish and rolling on an eye-catching set of 22-inch rims – the Overtrail marks a departure from this well-established norm.
Previewed at the 2023 Tokyo Outdoor Show, in the form of a prototype showcasing what an overland-kitted GX could potentially entail, the Lexus GX 550 Overtrail is the first model borne of the firm’s Overtrail project: an initiative that introduces a series of adventure-oriented mechanical upgrades to both existing and upcoming Lexus model lines. In addition to this new purpose-driven tack, the GX models are significant in their being offered with the engine many Prado aficionados were hoping would come their way: Toyota’s V35A-FTS 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol engine.
Related: Review: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2.8GD VX-R
What’s different on the Lexus GX 550 Overtrail?
Along with omitting the SE’s third row of seating, the Lexus GX 550 Overtrail’s execution sees that robust-looking angular frame finished with protective plastic cladding on the lower body and purposeful-looking, dark-hued 18-inch rims, well protected by 265/70 off-road tyres. The adventure-ready appearance is further enhanced by a front spoiler that’s a sensibly off-road-raked affair, affording a very respectable 27-degree approach angle, and opting for the decided un-Lexus-like (but wonderfully attention-grabbing) khaki-coloured ‘Desert Moonlight’ paintwork makes the Overtrail look both upmarket and every bit as adventure-ready as its Toyota relatives.
Inside, the inclusion of tan-coloured leather trim panels echoes the upmarket/off-road stance struck by the exterior, but perhaps the most welcome change is the adoption of the crisp touchscreen/dial combination infotainment panel from the likes of the Lexus RX. The cabin is spacious all-round, and the inclusion of a separately opening glass hatch granting access to the (claimed) 1 063-litre boot is a nifty touch.
Mechanically, the biggest talking points concern the powertrain and a more off-road-oriented version of Lexus’s E-KDSS (Electro-Kinetic Dynamic Suspension) system. The 3.5-litre V6 is coupled with a 10-speed torque-converter automatic and develops 260 kW and 650 N.m.
Offering its best further up the rev range, this unit is said to strike a good balance between open-road refinement and off-road muscle. At low speeds, the E-KDSS setup can disconnect the GX’s front and rear sway bars, freeing up an additional 110 mm of axle articulation that aids in traversing more challenging off-road obstacles. In addition, the Overtrail ushers in model-specific features such as a lockable rear diff, off-road surround camera system, Crawl Control with Turn Assist (overseeing the modulation of throttle and brake inputs, and steering responsiveness at low speeds) and a hill-descent control system.
What does the Lexus GX 500 Overtrail cost?
The five-seater GX Overtrail weighs in at R1 766 000, while its seven-seater SE sibling costs R1 829 000. Both include maintenance plans and warranties spanning seven years/100 000 km.
What are the Lexus GX 550 Overtrail’s rivals?
Given the paucity of V6 petrol-engined SUVs with a blend of genuine off-road ability and luxury out there, it’s difficult to find direct equivalents to the Lexus GX 550 Overtrail at its price point. Similar options include the likes of the related (but obviously non-V6) Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, the petrol inline-six-engined (but less comfy) Ineos Grenadier, and perhaps the top-tier Ford Everest Platinum V6 turbodiesel.
Related: Ineos Grenadier 3.0TD Trialmaster Edition
What is the Lexus GX 550 Overtrail like to drive?
On road, the Overtrail is broadly very comfy and refined. Driven back-to-back with the SE, however, the influence of those knobbly all-terrain tyres becomes evident in a ride that feels a little lumpy and unsettled compared with its more town-biased sibling.
Dynamically, the GX’s setup is what you’d expect of a body-on-frame luxury SUV tipping that scales at a shade over three tonnes. The steering is light, and swift directional changes are met with a hint of floatiness. But overall, it’s composed and comfy. That weight – and perhaps a little low-end hesitancy from the otherwise smooth transmission – may account for a touch of lag from a standing start, but once the revs climb, the GX hunkers down, picks up the pace and feels effortlessly long-legged on the open road.
A stint of sand driving is perhaps the most challenging medium in which to test the Overtrail’s off-road mettle. Toggling the six-mode MTS (Multi-Terrain Select) drivetrain system to its ‘Sand’ setting, and dropping the tyre pressure to 1.8 bar, we ventured into what can only be described as an adventure playground for capable off-roaders, and a veritable trap for those less so. Thankfully, the Overtrail sits firmly in the former bracket.
On compacted sand humps and uneven terrain, the E-KDSS proved impressive; its coupling and uncoupling of the sway bars is imperceptible and combines with the off-road tyres and suspension setup to allow the Overtrail to effortlessly leopard-crawl over terrain that would unsettle most SUVs.
The petrol V6’s tendency to deliver its best further up the rev range when compared with the Prado’s 2.8-litre turbodiesel means you must slightly recalibrate your off-road driving style. Granted, the MTS’s ‘Sand’ setting does tone down the accelerator’s response to mitigate potentially bogging down from careless throttle inputs, but the transmission sometimes doesn’t respond to the incremental inputs we’re accustomed to making on technical off-road sections. While this feels as though it could potentially curtail the all-important momentum required of sand driving, you must scrap the carefully-does-it approach in favour of a full cavalry charge. Once you make that adjustment; trusting in the combination of the traction system and V6’s sheer grunt, the Overtrail feels almost unstoppable off-road.
While the V6 is a wonderfully brawny yet refined unit (not to mention possessed of a smile-inducing, snarling soundtrack) it has a voracious appetite for unleaded. Measured driving on-road saw it return a best average consumption figure of 16.5 L/100 km, while our off-roading saw this figure climb into the high teens.
Verdict
Lexus’ decision to step out of its SUV comfort zone with a more rugged Overtrail model is a brave one, and hopefully one that will even better showcase the off-road ability of its SUVs that’s always been hidden under luxurious trimmings. The exclusive use of that V6 is another potential drawcard for those who appreciate the loftier output deliveries and refinement – albeit at some cost come fuelling time – served up by a large-capacity petrol engine.
