GX460....? More 4Runner or More Land Cruiser? Or Both?

[SnoViking]

So how do most people see the GX460? More 5th gen 4Runner-esq? Or Land Cruiser-esq?

(I'm back and forth. Maybe I'm biased... ... ... I see it like a "Land Cruiser-Lite"... ... ... )

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Well, just going off of the structure and not the design looks.

It's a 5th gen 4Runner, not a land cruiser.

The frame, axles, steering, lower body chassis and even location of computers are 4Runner.

Yes the motor gets the very nice 4.6L, but the raw strength is 4Runner. Which isn't a bad thing, I think the 4Runner is an over engineered joy, but Is is still far from a cruiser underneath.

 

[LouisianaFJ]

I daily drive an FJC, my wife drives a 200 series, and my mom has a 460 so I've got experience in all 3.
Size wise, chassis... yes very 4runner, but the bells and whistles, interior touches, full time all wheel drive, v8... i think push it more to the land cruiser side of the equation.

Honestly if I didnt need the seats, my wife would be driving a 460 and not a 200. Id say its a pretty good balance of both worlds, tough and capable yet some extra luxury and features.

 

[lowlight]

Not trying to incite a war again (seems like folks can get pretty worked up about this). but IMO, GX seems more LC than 4R to me too.

Lots of vehicles share platforms these days, yet much differentiation can be made. IMO, all the small luxury/quality improvements add up to make the GX a different vehicle than the 4R.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Not trying to incite a war again (seems like folks can get pretty worked up about this). but IMO, GX seems more LC than 4R to me too.

Lots of vehicles share platforms these days, yet much differentiation can be made. IMO, all the small luxury/quality improvements add up to make the GX a different vehicle than the 4R.

Wow, bringing up a year old thread, but fun either way. Also, I don’t think too many people will really get up in arms, I mean, it’s easy to compare vehicles all made by the same company. Not like we’re trying to compare a Tacoma to a Colorado.

I guess I go off of substance more, not looks. I don’t mean that in a smart ass way, far from it. The overall “feel” sometimes means more than the guts underneath.

But...

The Lexus GX is firstly a Toyota Prado. The Prado is a cheaper, less tough, but still very well built compared to other SUV, Land Cruiser “lite.” It’s still though, not an American vehicle and as such, made for crapier road conditions (which is great). We get it as a Lexus, and a bunch of squishy luxury items that of course make it more Land Cruiser V8 like.

The 4Runner is purely an American vehicle. More aggressive looks, but not as tough as the GX because Toyota knows that at the end of the day, we have pretty good roads... everywhere. The 4Runner is like Olive Garden, it’s pretry good, for the price. Which is why it doesn’t really have any competition, and why Toyota doesn’t worry about updating it much.

So Toyota in the US has a pretty good line up of body-on-frame 4x4 SUVs. If you want a great vehicle, 4Runner, boom, and a ton of people make stuff for it. Want a 4Runner with more power, and a more sophisticated feel, GX. If you want over the top strength and power, a proper Land Cruiser.

They are all great. But Toyota makes them all, and Toyota makes it pretty clear that the Land Cruiser is the pinnacle, the Prado is a watered down LC, and the 4Runner is the poor mans land cruiser. We just need to find out which works best for our budgets and our actual needs.

I for one have been running Prado Toyota for over a decade and found that the frame wasn’t up to the level of off-roading I was putting it through. So I saw a real need to move to a frame that was much stronger. And that’s why I have a 200 now. Doesn’t make me better than a GX or 4Runner guy. It’s just the better tool for the “job” I needed the tool to do, for me.

 

[steviesterno]

old thread but I'll chime in. New to the GX and just got one last week after 6 years in an FJ. People that don't know LCs or Toyota well see it as a cushy ass soccer mom mobile. Which is fine. I describe it as a luxury interior 4Runner with a Tundra motor. I'm going to pretend it's a land cruiser, but really i live in DFW and this likely won't ever even see more than 2" of snow. I know it can handle all but serious rock crawling in stock form, but I actually think this was a nanny's car.

 

[lowlight]

Shhhh, let's keep the GX a secret to ourselves for a while longer!

 

[Nickk6]

The Toyota Prado badging says LAND CRUISER PRADO. I think its more Land Cruiser than 4runner based on what the manufacturer calls it.

 

[r2m]

I'll be taking delivery of my 2013 GX 460 primium today, so I don't have a lot of first hand input on the 150 series first hand. My wife and I have had two 100 series LC's for over 18 years (with hundreds of thousands of miles each!) of which I built one up as an expo vehicle and have done camping, off-roading, minor boldering (I don't like abusing my vehicles), dunes, family road trips, etc. My daughter had a 4Runner, albeit a '89 1st gen and one of my closest friends purchased a brand new 2017 4Runner all factory'ed out for the trail (just shy of the TRD Pro). So I've seen that too, just not in depth. But I've done a lot of research before buying this GX and my conclusion is this:
The 4Runner and GX 460 offer the BEST of both worlds!!!
I'm in my late 50's and like my heated and ventilated seats, but living in So. Cal. I also like some spirited off-roading and expedition style trips too!
My daughter and granddaughter can have their own hot and cold in the back seat, killer Mark Levinson sound system, all the off-road bells and whistles, which I may try but probably not need. I have enough years experience 4-wheeling that I should need that rookie stuff. What I may use may be that front and right rear view camera when wheeling and getting close to making contact on the front or right side!

 

[Knowbuddy]

GX, Prado, and 4runner all share the same under pinnings. Interior and exterior may be different. But I would not say the Prado is better than the 4runner in any way. They do not get the V8 outside of North America for the GX so that is a moot point. Like others have said they are all Toyotas. I believe the 4runner and GX do not sport the Land Cruiser name in the USA because of marketing. The 4runner thanks to the chicken tax is a household name and that's why it sticks around. Bottom line all built in the same factory all share parts I would say they all fall under the Land Cruiser lite catagory.

 

[Jetboy]

As it was discussed in the other thread. GX and 4runner are very close siblings with identical frame and most running gear, built in the same factory with most of the same parts. 4Runner has more offroad features - like fox bypass shocks and locking rear diff, less weight, more power potential (2 supercharger options). GX has nicer interior, more electronic features, v8 engine, and is a lot heavier (as a result of all the weight of those features). Both share most things other than body and interior parts - 95% of the same interior parts internally like fan blower motors, dash internals, etc. Long term durability - 4runner probably wins; it's almost 1000lbs lighter weight with the same running gear and a less powerful engine. Everything should be less stressed over time.

Interior - the 4Runner is closer to the LC70, the GX is closer to the LC200. They both basically share interiors with the Prado. 4Runner being closer to GX. Prado closer to Kakado models.

I think the primary reason they don't drop the 4runner name and sell a Prado instead is that the USA market sells about the same number of 4runners as the entire Land Cruiser group of vehicles world wide.

What makes it a "land cruiser" is a bit subjective even at Toyota. Arguably the LC200 is not really a Land Cruiser in the sense of being a successor to the early ones. The LC70 is the only current model that's really a true successor. It doesn't say "land cruiser" on the outside anywhere on either 4R or GX. Toyota doesn't count the Prado as a proper "land cruiser" either. For example when they list global Land Cruiser sales in they say that "figures do not include Prado wagons that also bear the LandCruiser name". Take that for what it's worth. Maybe none of them are Land Cruisers? Maybe all of them are? To me the Land Cruiser models typically designate what's essentially 3/4 ton version of a BOF SUV. Neither meet that category, nor does the Prado.

I don't think either one is more "land cruiser" than the other since they're different iterations of the same thing.

 

[Jetboy]

Looks like it's closer to 4-500lbs difference depending on year/model.

Seems like the weights vary a bit by year. For 2018 the 4Runner is 4675 for an SR5 and 4750 for TRD Off Road. Not sure where that extra weight comes from. They're identical but for the rear locker, half inch wider wheels, small gas tank skid difference and the electronics. And no third row option in the TRD OR.

GX listed at 5340 in 2010. Not sure what's changed since then. Currently the 2018 is 5130 still. Did they remove something since the '10 model?

Both are too heavy.

Oddly they also spec the GX at only 8.1" ground clearance where the 4Runner is 9.6. Is that due to the bumpers?

 

[wardharris]

FWIW......

Most of our friends in Australia see the Prado platform (FJC, 5G 4Runner, GX 460) as a light Land Cruiser equivalent. Good enough for me until the VDJ79 gets here (humor).

I cancelled a new 2018 LC 200 order to buy a used GX 460 (CPO 2013) when I realized I did not want an 8 speed auto or seating for 6. Saved many $$$ in the process.

Eight months on, no regrets. "Drives like a car, works like a truck" for you old fellas out there.

 

[Jetboy]

It may be a change from curb weight to empty weight. They list both in foreign model info for most toyota products. For example a Prado 150 Kakado is 5147 empty (tare weight) and 5412 curb weigh. I suspect that's where the 5,405lb curb weight for the GX460 comes from that's commonly used although it differs from the empty weight in he Lexus publications - that say 5130 curb weight. Is a GX460 almost 300lb lighter than a Prado 150? Why would that be?

Seems like one of those things that would require a scale to actually find out. The info is inconsistent. The only consistency is that both the 4runner AND GX are overweight. When a 4runner is within 100lbs of a crew cab Chevy 4x4 truck, it might be worth Toyota thinking about some weight loss.

The EPA rating is only 14/18/16 highway, so if you're getting 21 consistently you're doing really well.

 

[r2m]

Well, Ford's been trying by putting their F150 trucks on a diet using aluminum: 4,529 to 5,265 lbs for the F150 Super crew cab. Maybe a little aluminum might help the 150's?

 

[Fj81]

Here is the Landcruiser Prado I rented in Nicaragua Last year, small diesel motor, Manual Tranny and still good off road. Not quite as fat as a 200. Worked good to get around in the north due to the washed out bridges! The higher trim version could be had with the full luxury interior and a higher HP turbo diesel. This one was more basic, cloth interior, no extra gizmos.

 

[ChiTown]

It's a pink panty 4Runner

 

[Moose545]

Are all the 200s rocking the 8spd trans? Huh... I like the 200s but they're UUUUUUGGGEEEE, but have their place. Still steering towards a 10-13' 460, but have been looking at 08-13' 200s for s***s and grins. Price point hurts though, say for 24k, 460 has 40k miles, can't find a 200 for that, maybe 200k on it lol

 

[titotonto]

Old thread but I lurked around here as I was making up my mind between 4Runner and GX 460 and wanted to give potential future buyers my impressions:

- I originally wanted a 5th Gen 4Runner that was my goal...but I wanted a nice trim level to have the interior options and the third seat I was looking for...anything was better than my Infinity QX60 which I still keep as a grocery getter (lol). As I looked at used 4Runners and GX460s (about 3 years old), the prices started coming together. After driving the GX with the 6 Speed Auto (I bought an LX470 when they went 5 speed back in the day too, so this is a big deal to me) and the V8, I just couldn't bring myself back to the 4Runner. I don't necessarily appreciate all of the Lexus bells and whistles like the air suspension so finding a base GX with low mileage at 30k was just too good to pass up.

- Now someone posted on the components and their similarity to the 4Runner (more knowledgeable than me) and that sounds correct, however, the interior comfort (seats, AC, Navi, etc.) are better in the GX in my opinion. The sounds system, even though it's not upgraded is still superb for a factory vehicle and it's fairly quiet inside. Now I'll go and ruin some of these features with a lift and noisier tires perhaps. lol.

 

[Jetboy]

- Now someone posted on the components and their similarity to the 4Runner (more knowledgeable than me) and that sounds correct, however, the interior comfort (seats, AC, Navi, etc.) are better in the GX in my opinion. The sounds system, even though it's not upgraded is still superb for a factory vehicle and it's fairly quiet inside. Now I'll go and ruin some of these features with a lift and noisier tires perhaps. lol.

Everything from the frame down including the frame is identical between the two. Almost everything inside that you don't see is also the same. For example the AC blower motor and control assembly is shared between them. And road noise is the same.

GX has a lot of upgrades - like the v8 and 6AT along with better headlights, better seats, headroom interior materials, etc. And radar cruise control. And I personally prefer the side opening rear door. I bought the 4Runner for a few reasons - mainly because of the cargo area and weight and the offroad features like rear locker. If they offered something like an offroad package in a GX with the 2 row rear area design I'd probably switch. Or a v8 Limited 4Runner with the offroad bits. They're very close siblings so it's pretty easy to go either way.