Lexus GX vs Lexus LX

For most buyers the GX is the smarter money. It shares the LX's badge, twin-turbo V6 family, 10-speed automatic and 3,500kg braked tow rating, and its seven-seat Luxury opens around $130,586 driveaway against the LX's $177,319 as of mid-2026, roughly $47,000 less. Choose the LX if you want what the extra spend buys: the LandCruiser 300 platform, a choice of diesel, petrol or hybrid power, the long touring range of the diesel, 10 airbags and a plusher, quieter cabin. If genuine off-road capability at the lowest Lexus price is the brief, the GX Overtrail is the one to shortlist. If you want the full-size flagship and the diesel's range, step up to the LX.

As of mid-2026 the GX range opens at about $130,586 driveaway in NSW for the seven-seat Luxury and runs to $143,917 for the Sports Luxury. The LX starts higher, at $177,319 driveaway for the diesel LX 500d Luxury, and climbs to $217,009 for the hybrid LX 700h F Sport. That leaves roughly $47,000 between the two cheapest cars, for a pair that shares a Lexus badge, a twin-turbo V6 family, an identical 2,850mm wheelbase and the same 3,500kg braked tow rating. The gap buys the LX's larger LandCruiser 300 body and its choice of three engines, not more towing capacity.

Both run full-time four-wheel drive and real off-road hardware, so this is close. The GX has the sharper geometry on paper, with approach angles of 26 to 27 degrees against the LX's 22 to 23, about 220mm of ground clearance to the LX's 210mm, and a published 700mm wading depth. Its Overtrail grade adds e-KDSS and taller 18-inch all-terrain tyres. The LX answers with the LandCruiser 300's proven hardware and its own Overtrail grade, the only LX to swap the range's 22-inch wheels for 18-inch all-terrain rubber. For the most capable setup at the lowest price, the GX Overtrail leads; for LandCruiser 300 bones under a luxury body, the LX Overtrail.

Both are rated to the class-standard 3,500kg braked and 750kg unbraked, so on paper it is a tie. The difference is consistency and character. The LX holds the full 3,500kg on every grade, including the hybrid and the F Sport on 22-inch wheels. The GX matches it on the Luxury and Overtrail, but the Sports Luxury drops to 3,130kg on its larger wheels. For heavy, regular towing the LX 500d diesel is the stronger tool thanks to its 700Nm and long range, though the GX Luxury keeps the full rating for less money. Neither maker publishes a payload or gross combination mass, so check the compliance plate on the car you buy.

For long distances the LX diesel is the clear pick. The GX is petrol only, a 260kW twin-turbo V6 with an official 12.3L/100km and an 80-litre tank, which the Australian press consistently flags as thirsty with a limited touring range. The LX 500d diesel makes 227kW and 700Nm, drinks an official 8.9L/100km and carries up to a 110-litre tank, so it travels much further between fills and pulls harder at low revs. The LX also offers a 305kW petrol and a 341kW hybrid for buyers who prioritise refinement over range. If touring range leads your brief, the GX has no answer to the diesel LX.

Neither the GX nor the LX carries an ANCAP rating, and neither inherits the five-star result of the Toyota it is based on. ANCAP ratings do not transfer between models, so treat both as untested rather than unsafe. On equipment the LX edges ahead: it carries 10 airbags to the GX's nine, and standardises a driver attention monitor and automatic high beam across the range, features the GX reserves for its Sports Luxury grade. Both otherwise share a strong active-safety suite, with autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and pedestrian detection standard. If a current ANCAP star is a fleet requirement, note that neither car has one.

They are close relatives rather than identical. The GX runs a single powertrain across its range: a 3.4-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 making 260kW and 650Nm through a 10-speed automatic. The LX is built around the same family of engines but offers a choice of three: the 227kW, 700Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel, a 305kW 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol, and, since 2026, a 341kW twin-turbo petrol hybrid that is the most powerful LX yet. Both send drive to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic. The single biggest powertrain difference is that the LX gives you a diesel and a hybrid the GX simply does not offer in Australia.

Ownership follows the same pattern on both. Each carries Lexus Australia's five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and the Encore ownership program, and each wants a workshop visit every six months or 10,000km, whichever comes first. That short interval is the recurring ownership catch on both cars, and it chips at the value case each builds against the cheaper Toyota it shares its bones with. The GX's petrol V6 is also thirstier day to day than the LX diesel, which narrows the running-cost gap the lower purchase price opens up. If servicing convenience and fuel cost matter most, the LX diesel is the cheaper car to feed; if purchase price leads, the GX is thousands less to buy.