Land Rover Discovery vs Lexus GX

At 2026 driveaway pricing the two open almost level: the Discovery S starts at $132,376 and the GX Luxury at $130,586, under $2,000 apart. The GX runs just three grades to $143,917 for the Sports Luxury, a tight band with almost no configuration to think about. The Discovery spreads four grades to $162,645 for the Tempest, and its real catch is the options list, which regularly adds tens of thousands over the sticker. The GX also brings a Toyota-group resale record the Discovery cannot match. So the entry prices are a dead heat: the GX is the tighter, more predictable spend, the Discovery the one where the final price depends on how carefully you build it.

You would expect the ladder-frame GX to out-climb the monocoque Discovery, but the numbers say otherwise. The Discovery's air suspension lifts it to 285mm of clearance, a 33.6-degree approach, a 30-degree departure and 900mm of wading, past the GX's 220mm, 26 degrees, 22 degrees and 700mm on every axis, plus Terrain Response and full-time four-wheel drive. The GX's reply is hardware and durability: full-time four-wheel drive with a lockable centre diff and standard low range, on Toyota's proven bones. The caveat cuts the Discovery's way, since its most serious low-range gear can be a cost option on some grades where the GX's is standard. The Discovery for the bigger envelope on paper, the GX for hardware you never question.

The Discovery. Where many seven-seat SUVs offer a token third row, AU road tests single it out as a real one, with a back row that takes adults and is covered by the curtain airbags. It also carries the bigger boot, 1,137 litres behind the second row and 2,391 with both rows folded, against the GX's 900 and 2,100. The GX seats seven in the Luxury and Sports Luxury, but its off-road Overtrail is a five-seater, and its third row reads as occasional-use, best for shorter trips. For a family using all seven seats often, the Discovery is the roomier pick; the GX counters with proven reliability and one more airbag, nine to the Discovery's eight.

At the bowser the Discovery wins clearly, a claimed 7.8L/100km diesel against the GX's 12.3L/100km petrol, and the V6 runs thirstier in reality. But fuel is only part of the sum. The GX lists its 2026 ownership terms in full: five years and unlimited kilometres of warranty, six-monthly services at $695, and $6,950 across five years. The Discovery matches the warranty and adds five years of roadside to the GX's three, but its servicing sits behind Land Rover's network, and long-term reliability is the softer spot. So it is a real trade: the Discovery banks the fuel savings and carries a reliability question; the GX spends more at the pump and settles it with Toyota-group provenance and resale.

The headline ties at the volume grades: both are rated to 3,500kg braked and 750kg unbraked. The detail favours the Discovery slightly. It holds the full 3,500kg across its range and carries a marginally higher gross combination mass, 6,745kg to the GX's 6,650, while the GX's 22-inch Sports Luxury eases to 3,130kg braked. Both are serious tow vehicles with the mass and driveline for a big van, so for a straightforward 3,500kg tow at the popular grades they are evenly matched. If you tow near the limit, plan around gross combination mass rather than the braked figure alone, and confirm the grade before you hitch a van to it.

Neither can show you a current, independent crash score, and that is the honest heart of this comparison. The Discovery earned five ANCAP stars in 2017, but the rating expired at the end of 2023, so every Discovery built since is officially unrated. The GX has never been ANCAP-tested at all. Unrated is not the same as unsafe. Both fit autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert as standard. The GX adds a ninth airbag and pedestrian detection; the Discovery adds a driver attention monitor and automatic high beam the GX does not record. If a current five-star badge is a hard requirement, neither ticks it, so cross-shop a freshly rated rival.

They take opposite routes. The Discovery runs a 3.0-litre Ingenium diesel six, 257kW and 700Nm, praised by AU road tests as effortless and refined for touring and towing, and it returns 7.8L/100km. The GX runs a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, 260kW and 650Nm through a 10-speed auto, rated in the same reviews for smoothness and punch. It is the more characterful engine, but the love letter carries an asterisk: no diesel or hybrid in the Australian GX range, and it drinks accordingly at a claimed 12.3L/100km. If touring range and fuel bills lead your brief, the Discovery diesel is the pick; if a strong, smooth petrol matters more to you than distance, the GX's V6 is a treat.

For sheer screen the GX leads. Its 14-inch central touchscreen and 12-inch digital cluster outsize the Discovery's 11.4-inch Pivi Pro, though AU road tests rate the Land Rover interface well for speed and clarity. Both fit wireless smartphone mirroring, built-in navigation, a 360-degree camera, keyless entry and heated front seats. The GX brings three-zone climate and ventilated front seats, and material quality reviewers consistently praise, even where they find its dash design divisive. The Discovery answers with a taller, more practical cabin, retained physical climate controls touchscreen-only rivals have dropped, and the space to make its third row usable. The GX for the bigger, newer-feeling screen tech, the Discovery for cabin room and everyday usability.

The split is clear. The Discovery brings the bigger off-road envelope, an adult third row, more boot, a longer touring range and the effortless diesel six, all near the GX's entry price. The GX counters with Toyota-group provenance, strong resale and a low-drama ownership record, nine airbags and a characterful petrol V6, at the cost of fuel, six-monthly servicing and the same missing crash rating. We'd pick the Discovery when space, economy and capability lead and you can carry the reliability question; the GX suits the buyer for whom proven dependability and resale matter more than outright reach. Either way, cross-shop the Toyota Prado, LandCruiser 300 and Land Rover Defender before you sign.