7 days ago
2024 Lexus GX 550 Road Trip Review: 1,000 Miles of Comfort and Annoying Driver Tech
The rest of it
Fuel economy was disappointing considering the amount of time spent on the highway. On this trip, we achieved the best average to date: 19.7 mpg. Remember, the GX is rated at 17 mpg combined (15 city/21 highway).
The turning radius was amazing. I could flip a U-turn on most residential streets in my area. This must help a lot with maneuvering off-road, but I kept on pavement this time. That said, our team will be sure to bring the Overtail off-road over the course of our yearlong test.
The pop-out cargo area window was a feature I didn't realize I needed until I had it. Three one-gallon jugs of water got pinned against the cargo hatch door when I wasn't looking. Had I not opened the window first for a peek, it could've been trouble when I opened the hatch door. I should add that at 6 feet tall, the window is a perfect height for me. I could see it being less useful for shorter humans.
Finally, two oddities. First, I was in a drive-thru and the front proximity sensor chimed an alert, then stopped, then repeated five or six times. The distance shouldn't have triggered the sensor to begin with, and considering that the car was stationary during the freakout left me scratching my head. Second, there was a water drainage quirk. The GX roof drainage rail lines up in such a way that, when I opened the rear door and reached inside, a stream of cold morning dew dripped down the back of my neck. When I wasn't blocking its path, the water flowed right onto the carpet. That shouldn't happen.
