2025 Lexus LX700h Overtrail First Test: The LX Achieves Its Final Form Without Compromise

Motor Trend

01-07-2025

Pros Looks cool
Very capable off-road
Excellent fit and finish Cons Gruff powertrain
On-road behavior needs work
Not fuel efficient
If you're going to buy a Lexus LX SUV, then you might as well go for the new off-road-focused Overtrail trim level. That's because the full-size LX is an old-school, off-road-focused SUV out of the box, with body-on-frame construction, low-range gearing, and a live rear axle. Lexus dresses up most of the LX family in street clothes, however, and even offers—puzzlingly—an F Sport trim level that isn't really sporty but if piloted that way might elicit a surprised 'F—!' from an unsuspecting driver. But every LX, at its core, is an Overtrail waiting to be unleashed, to be gifted a set of off-road tires so it can devote itself to a life in the dirt.
AI Quick Summary
The 2025 Lexus LX700h Overtrail trim enhances off-road capability without sacrificing on-road performance. It features a hybrid powertrain with 457 hp, improved fuel efficiency, and unique off-road tires. Priced from $113,700, it balances luxury with ruggedness for off-road enthusiasts.
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This isn't to bag on the LX (well, kind of) but more to highlight that if you're willing to tolerate old-timey off-road SUV drawbacks like wallowing on-road behavior, body lean, easily unsettled suspension, high floor, and substantial thirst for fuel, then you might as well maximize off-road capability. The Overtrail is therefore the most spiritually whole LX you can buy, and now we have test data proving that its off-road upgrades don't detract from its objective performance much, if at all.
A Hybrid in Name
The Overtrail isn't the only new entrant to the LX lineup for 2025. This year, the LX600 and its 3.4-liter twin-turbo V-6, which has been on sale since 2022, are joined by the LX700h hybrid, which uses an electrified version of the same engine. The Overtrail trim is only offered for the LX700h, whereas other LX trim levels can be had regardless of powertrain choice.
Power for the 700h rises to 457 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque, up from 409 hp and 479 lb-ft in the LX600. Fuel efficiency rises by 2 mpg city (from 17 mpg to 19), enough to drag the combined rating up 1 mpg (from 19 mpg to 20). The LX600 and LX700h share a 22-mpg highway rating. We suspect the Overtrail's off-road tires and other changes will likely blunt the hybrid's mileage benefits; in our week of real-world driving, we saw roughly 13 mpg. Expect less driving range, too—the LX700h's fuel tank shrinks from the LX600's 21.1-gallon size to only 18.0 gallons.
Lexus hybridizes the LX700h's V-6 by adding an electric motor between the engine and its transmission, where it replaces a traditional torque converter. Unlike the similar hybrid V-6 used in Toyota's Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV, the Lexus version runs on premium fuel and includes a separate alternator and starter motor rather than relying purely on the electric drive motor for those functions. Lexus powers the setup with a small nickel-metal hydride battery that eats up some of the underfloor cargo space behind the second-row seats (and is responsible for the fuel tank's shrinkage).
Although at times smoother in operation than the regular twin-turbo six in the LX600, the hybrid setup sometimes shines a harsher light on the otherwise gruff and grainy engine. That's because you're treated to moments where the V-6 isn't running, such as when it winks off at a stoplight or at steady low-speed cruising around town. It's these periods of silent, buttery smoothness from the powertrain that make the vibrations and noises that intrude when the engine refires seem that much less sophisticated. The old LX's V-8, while much less powerful and even less fuel efficient, at least was more Lexus-like in operation. But the Hybrid Is Quicker, Right? Right … ?
Lexus says the LX700h should hit 60 mph from a stop in 6.4 seconds. Our test data shows it's zippier than that, reaching 60 mph in 6.2 seconds—far ahead of the ostensibly 'sportier' 2022 LX600 F Sport's 6.7-second result. (We also tested a 2022 LX600 Luxury that somehow did the deed in 6.1 seconds despite being heavier than the identically powered LX600 F Sport.)
Remember, the LX700h Overtrail also rides on chunky 18-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrain rubber (sized 265/70R18)—we suspect non-Overtrail models equipped with more streetable tires would further improve performance (accelerative and otherwise) over their LX600 equivalents. While the Toyos don't add noticeable din to the cabin at highway speeds, you can feel them scrub a little more when taking corners enthusiastically.
Same LX, for Better or Worse
As for this street-second LX700h Overtrail's objective braking and handling figures, they aren't as far behind as you might expect. Despite weighing some 300 pounds more than the LX600s we've tested (all hybrids are about that much heavier than their gas-only LX equivalents) and those beefy tires, the Overtrail halts from 60 mph in 135 feet—just 1 foot shorter than the LX600 Luxury we've tested and only 7 feet longer than the F Sport.
Thanks to the rear-mounted battery, the LX700h is slightly better balanced than the LX600s, with this Overtrail stressing its front tires with only 51 percent of its mass, compared to 53 percent for the LX600 Luxury and 52 percent for the LX600 F Sport. That might be why the Overtrail and its trail tires hung on for 0.68 g average on the skidpad, a mere 0.05 g shy of the LX600 Luxury (the F Sport's sportier rubber garners a stickier 0.75 g) and in line with, say, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
The overall point we're getting at here is that outside of the numbers, which aren't bad considering the off-road-focused tires and suspension, the actual experience of piloting an LX700h Overtrail in the real world is about as rowdy and trucklike as any regular LX. It feels perched high, with a suspension that allows nautical levels of body lean, brake dive, and acceleration squat.
Although the thick-sidewall Toyo tires smooth out most pavement cracks and smaller imperfections, smacking speed bumps or larger-amplitude whoops at any real speed overwhelms the suspension, as each end of the LX responds differently. The independently sprung front end sops up the impact but allows some fore-aft pitching—enough that the live rear axle can load up before meeting the same bump, limiting its travel and allowing it to slam hard into its bump stops. That pitches the body forward, continuing the untoward motions back and forth well after the speed bump is in your rearview mirror.
But slow down to rock-crawling speeds, and the LX700h Overtrail's suspension articulation and pleasantly soft spring and damper rates eat up the ugly stuff (as we sampled in our first drive), even in the higher suspension height settings, keeping passengers mostly comfortable. The center Torsen differential can be locked, as can the front and rear axles. Drivers can switch between regular drive mode settings (Custom, Normal, Comfort, Eco, and the inexplicable Sport and Sport+ options), MTS off-road settings (Deep Snow, Mud, Sand, Dirt, or Auto), or DAC/Crawl low-speed cruise control options using handy physical toggle switches below the secondary touchscreen.
And Yet …
This gear is cool and all, and it all works—trouble is, most LX700h models, Overtrail or otherwise, are likely to spend most of their time on pavement and at speeds that exceed a walking pace. There, it'll wallow, heave this way and that, and go jittery over suboptimal road surfaces. But again, every other LX behaves the same way. Here, you're getting the appropriate off-road looks and wheels and tires to go along with the trucky behavior. It's a pairing that feels like the most cohesive of the LX family, though more general-purpose full-size luxury three-rows such as the Cadillac Escalade, Jeep Grand Wagoneer, and others meet or beat it in everyday comfort and utility.
In many ways, this feels like the LX in its most final form—as the de facto stand-in for the full-size Land Cruiser that Toyota stopped selling here in favor of the smaller 250-series model. For fans of the old Land Cruisers, the LX is probably exactly what they're looking for. As a bonus, it includes improvements over those older models in the form of easier access to the third-row seat (through a wider opening and better-folding second-row chairs) even though those seats are slammed down low on the floor and are best for children. Speaking of, the LX isn't bad for carting around kiddos, with overhead air vents in the second and third rows (joined by center-console vents in the second row), and cupholders abound. Adding Lexus fit and finish and materials to the already good Toyota build quality is another upgrade potential Land Cruiser buyers would no doubt appreciate.
Another bonus? The Overtrail is the least expensive LX700h you can buy, starting at as little as $113,700. (That price requires forgoing the otherwise standard third-row seat, which chops $1,750 from the price tag.) There is only one major factory option otherwise, the 2,400-watt, 25-speaker Mark Levinson audio system for $2,660. Fully loaded, as our test model was for $118,110, the Overtrail ends up priced at the low end of the LX lineup overall, LX600 included, making it the rare trim level that's both the one you want and not the most expensive.