460offroad

GX460 ATRAC musings

Piney1

Does anyone know about this GX? It is a Nori Green one with 5k on it but it looks to be given some sort of flat paint finish & a mild lift. This is really nice! Wish it had black leather though. It is in Plano, Texas. It is odd that someone would buy a new one and do that type of work to it and then sell it with just 5k on it.

Specialeyes

That one sold within a day or two of being listed. I seen it come up on cars.com last Tuesday without any photos. Pics went up late the following day so I went to the dealership Thursday morning ready to write a check and it was already spoken for. Why this one and not another you ask? It was tastefully modded pretty much exactly how I would like with the Bilstein lift, Falken Wildpeak AT3W, and the color of course. All for a ask of $59k.

Based on the Carfax I am pretty certain it came from Park Place Lexus in Plano. They have been building some of their 460's up and they had a couple of Blackline's with this full matte style wrap on their lot early last year. I liked the idea of buying one from them like this but their mark ups just were not reasonable IMO. For something like this with a fairly basic lift, tires, and wrap they were adding another $10k to the sticker, plus another $2-$3k for their BS window and paint packages.

Piney1

This was on CARFAX for sale just yesterday. I really love that look. The more I think of a GX550, the more I really want a 23 in Nori.

asong1

I have both. 23 Type S / Adv packge + 23 GX Luxury fully loaded w/ offroad-package custom order (yes they took my custom order). Completley different animal, and not everyone will want a truck-like ride of the GX for thier d2d. I love them both for exactly what they are. Type S is luxurious, and sporty + utility / cargo space. Amazing ride quality and very sporty motor with enough HP and Torque that is more than plenty for more in a vehicle like this. Safety features aren't annoying and can be turned off if you want, so there is no point in arguing this. Digital gauge isn't annoying either. I like the different themese and its customization features. But I will say that I 'prefer' the beautiful analogue gauge in the GX, which in my opinion is 'peak' gauge. True, beautiful analog gauges + small digital window for additional information. This is very subjective. Not everyone spends 70+% off road. And the ELS 3D Signature sound system is far superior and more pleasing to listen to (again, subjective). And the air suspension on this thing is AMAZING! Soft and pillowey ride with great dampening to handle the bumps and pot-holes when you want it, and stiff and sporty when you are in that mood.

I bought the GX for 2 reasons. I appreciate the naturally aspirated V8, and wanted to have one. Second, it's true 4x4 nature for off-road use. But in general, I find the GX too stiff for d2d in urban environment. Depending on the road you're on, the ride can be jarring at times. Again, this is highly subjective. I think it has a lot to do with the stiff sway bars & KDSS. As for my GX, I feel that semi-aniline leather in GX is much higher in quality when compared to the Type S. Other than the leather wrapped areas, GX's plastic dash & upper part of the door trims feel very cheap even in the highest trim (mine). ML's bass is severely lacking, and overall sound quaity is sub-par when compared to the ELS 3D Signatres in Type S. Slap on some multi-terrain tires on the Type S, and I would bet that it would handle 90% of the environments which GX can tackle. Espcially given the fact that the MAJORITY of the GXs out there are just mall-crawiling.

If someone put a gun on my head and made me choose 1 only, I would choose the GX, because of the rarity of the V8, and it's offroad capability and it's proven reliability. Would I like the GX on day 2 day basis with this choice? No! I would much prefer to have the ride quality of the Type S and all the creature comforts it provides. But these things can be forgiven to keep the V8 & off-road oriented body-on-frame chassis.

I'm fortunate to have both for different uses, but they are completely different things targeting different attributes for people who prioritizes different things. I wanted both for different usage scenarios, so I got both. But neither one is better than the other in what they do. They are both great at what they were intended for. As you can see, the opposite argument can be made about the GX, and they would be correct since most people do not even get close to using GX's off-road pedigree. They are completley different and I can certainly respect & unerstand why some would have difficult time choosing between the two types of vehicles.

asong1

Buddy of mine bought the GV80. His is running fine, and it's absolutley gorgeous inside, rivaling premium European brands, but he is very nervous regarding the quality & reliability, especially in the powertrain. Regarding the Type S, $70K is pretty good deal. Adv pack? Mine out the door (MSRP) was more than $80 when all said and done which included extras for the tow hitch, trans cooler + dark chrome badges all around AND illuminated sills on the door & trunk (trunk part not sure if it lights up or not). But, based on what I was comparing to (X5, X7, GLE, GLS), and the comparable features, performance and ride quality, it was a no brainer for me. I test-drove the X5 & GLE, and I was immediately sold on the Type S, didn't even want to dry the X7 nor the GLS. If you really like the Type S, you should seriously consider it.

asong1

One dealer I called in Utah told me that he had 150 people on wait list for one. Not sure if this guy was exaggerating or not, but many were trying to get one when they found out that it's the final Natural / or otherwise V8 SUV from Toyota. I guess 'final' in many aspects including mechanical nature of this beautiful beast!

asong1

They do it in 2 different ways, which will boil down to 1 way only. It's all about allotted carbon credits. OEMs all receive carbon release quotas. This is why many car companies who produce mass-volume of ICE cars cannot do this. Most of the companies are buying these credits from companies like Tesla. Companies like like McLaren, Ferrari & Lamborghini do not mass produce vehicles. I'm not exactly sure if all OEMs receive the same quotas (regardless if you are electric only), or based on volume to carbon ratio. So given the available carbon credits (received or purchased), each product managers receive their targeted emissions goals based on the forecasted demand for a particular model. It is then up to the product managers to design an car that meets or surpasses that directive. So you can use batteries, turbos & whatever other tricks they have up their sleeve (within pricing / budget). This is why even when the cylinder number stays the same, the displacemet number goes down, and boost pressure increase. It's delicate balancing act.

In Porsche's case, just about all mass-produced cars, inlcluding 911s have all gone turbo - inline 6 or 4 engines, while still producing limited number of GT division cars in Naturally Aspirated, larger displacement (flat 6 usually)

SpudsMcD

I'm surprised by your comments about the ride of the GX, esp. with air suspension. What size wheels and tires are you running? I have the stock 18" wheels with stock tires, non-air suspension, and I've been very pleasantly surprised by the ride of my '23 GX. It's a lot more isolated and smooth than I expected. It's so sedate that I find myself just cruising along at or near the speed limit lost in thought or enjoying some music, which is not at all how I used to drive when my McLaren 12C was my daily. I think the ride of the GX is substantially better than my 2012 BMW 740Li (which had run-flats), and over rough pavement I think my GX is also more well-isolated than my wife's '22 LS500 (with Lexus OEM 20" wheels and run-flats).

asong1

The GX is Currently parked at th NC house. But when I bought it, I chose every package available including sport design package. I would say 19 inch wheel? i can’t recalll. but it’s all stock. here is a photo of it.




Regarding the ride quality & air suspension, the comfort mode doesn’t really seem to help. but compared to the Type S, for the regular road ride quality, i stand by what i said. GX doesn’t even come close.


comparing apples to oranges.

i’m sure the tire type also contributes to this, but the bottom line is, Type S is like X5. GX cannot come close in terms of road handling. Not biased either way. i love both of these cars, otherwise i wouldn’t have bought one. Also, I appreciate the ‘truck-like’ ride on the GX in the right environment. And i know trucks and how they handle, including ones with solid front axle. here is my truck for heavy, long duration overlanding use. So I believe i am qualified to provide a non-biased assessment based on real experience rather than purely speculating and sticking to brand loyalty regardless of usage scenarios.

asong1

I've never owned an LS or 740i. But been in both. I can't recall. In my stable, I also have the 24 LC 500 / bespoke edition. I love the LC's suspension and ride quality. It's my favorite of them all. I will say this, the MDX ride feel comes very close to the LC. It's really nice w/ amazing road dampening. If you can, just to resolve your curiosity, test drive one (type s), and see / feel for yourself. It may surprise you.

SpudsMcD

Dude, you clearly enjoy having nice vehicles, but I am curious as to why anyone would choose the bespoke package on the LC? It just doesn't seem reasonable to charge $5K to allow specing regular options in "non-standard" combinations. I've been looking for a new LC (non-convertible) with the handling package, and they are pretty much impossible to find. My wife is champing at the bit to get one to replace the LS, which she and I both find to be competent and inoffensive, but just boring overall. I have no interest in the MDX, because I think Honda has seriously lost their way. I hope they recover, but after they agreed to rebadge GM cars I just had to call them dead to me (despite loving my 2005 S2000).

asong1

I chose the bespoke because initially, I wanted the Inspiration series, received the allocation, but turned it down after seeing it in person (all blue interior, yuck!), but I wanted the white & blue interior which is only possible on the bespoke. Bespoke is identical to the Inspiraton except for the front bumper cards. Plus it comes standard with all the packages, so it was a better choice for me. That white & blue interior is to die for...




I

I hope you & your wife get one. You'll love it! One thing to note. I would HIGHLY recommend you get one with Limited Slip. Makes a world of difference. If you end up going bespoke, it's all standard. Lexus will not list this, but bespoke by default has the sport handling package included. I was able to verify this with the parts department based on my vin. This is my favorite car right now. MDX is mostly used for 2+ hours of driving to DC (I'm in VA) or as a grocery / costco run vehicle. LC is my new daily.