GX460 vs T4R

[r2m]

Yes, very good points. The GX460 continues to grow on me although I would like to black out some more of the chrome bits although the F sport grill I changed to was a good start. I also should have been clearer in my post, but I meant to imply that "If" Lexus made a factory off-road version, it would hold its value much better. Obviously they market things a certain way towards the luxury crowd, and they may have missed the opportunity at this point although the T4R Trail and Off Road editions are still hot sellers. This GX-OR Off road concept is what I was thinking of, but I am sure you as well as many GX460 owners on this forum have already seen it.

Yep, that GXOR has been out a while now and I'm sure many of us have had to replace our keyboards from drooling over it!
I imagine much like the new Bronco Sasquatch and other extreme Bronco's coming out, an extreme GX would garner quite a resale price! Even from the dealer! Don't want to even think what their markup would be!

 

[mrshow]

Yep, that GXOR has been out a while now and I'm sure many of us have had to replace our keyboards from drooling over it!
I imagine much like the new Bronco Sasquatch and other extreme Bronco's coming out, an extreme GX would garner quite a resale price! Even from the dealer! Don't want to even think what their markup would be!

My favorite thing about the bronco is you can get sasquatch package on the bare bones base model. Granted, it does add considerable cost. But its nice that you don't have to buy some "luxury" trim in order to even get access to the higher tier off-road features.

Hoping Toyota/Lexus takes notes.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Yep, that GXOR has been out a while now and I'm sure many of us have had to replace our keyboards from drooling over it!
I imagine much like the new Bronco Sasquatch and other extreme Bronco's coming out, an extreme GX would garner quite a resale price! Even from the dealer! Don't want to even think what their markup would be!

Offtopic, that new bronco is unappealing. It feels cheaper than a late 90s Hyundai. The interior feels like they cut too many corners. The base engine is woeful. Why they didn’t at least put the 3.7 NA V6 as a base engine is beyond me—but I get it omg ecoboost omg. Plus, I just cannot wrap my head around not having a V8 option—I understand it’s a small light duty Ranger chassis with a passable 4WD system but it just doesn’t sit right with me (neither does the Ranger). I’m ready to sell my Ford stock, they’ve really strayed too far over the deep end and I do not like the direction they are headed. I got more but I digress. Hah.

So having said that the V8 and extra comfort and noise cancellation sold me on the 470 and 460 over a 4R. It didn’t help I got my 460 for ~$15k and the equivalent 4R was $5k more expensive.

 

[Honeymooner4evr]

Offtopic, that new bronco is unappealing. It feels cheaper than a late 90s Hyundai. The interior feels like they cut too many corners. The base engine is woeful. Why they didn’t at least put the 3.7 NA V6 as a base engine is beyond me—bit I get it omg ecoboost omg. Plus, I just cannot wrap my head around not having a V8 option—I understand it’s a small light duty Ranger chassis with a passable 4WD system but it just doesn’t sit right with me (neither does the Ranger). I’m ready to sell my Ford stock, they’ve really strayed too far over the deep end and I do not like the direction they are headed. I got more but I digress. Hah.

So having said that the V8 and extra comfort and noise cancellation sold me on the 470 and 460 over a 4R. It didn’t help I got my 460 for ~$15k and the equivalent 4R was $5k more expensive.

Offtopic, but the new Ford Bronco is a vehicle I still want to check out in person. My 7th vehicle was a 1972 IHC Scout II (I believe the GX460 is now my 37th vehicle), so the Ford Bronco definitely reminds of a reborn Scout. I actually was going to wait on purchasing a T4R or GX until I found out that Ford would very likely not offer a v8 in the Bronco. I also decided I needed a 3rd row at least occasionally. It really was crazy how I also found the equivalent 4runners were at least $5k more which ended up making my GX460 decision easy.

 

[BigSh00ts]

I was just in this predicament and chose a 460 for some different reasons than mentioned here (and some the same). 1) I could find PLENTY more "soccer mom driven" GXs than i could 4Rs (i.e. babied and with maintenance records). 2)In south Florida i honestly couldn't find a comparable 4r price and mileage wise. Apparently the Toyota badge is very expensive. 3) V8 with similar MPGs (and will likely take power upgrades better). and a dumb bonus reason, 4) free parking at the panthers arena in lexus vehicles (it's actually not that tumb because we usually have season tickets and parking is $20 a pop. At 42 games that's $840 a year).

 

[chiz45]

Also, the middle seats on the GX slide forward and aft AND recline which the 4R doesn't.

This is not true, at least for my '14 SR5 Premium trim with 3rd row. My middle row does all of the above, and the 60/40 can be adjusted independently. Perhaps this is unique to 3rd row -or- the premium trim?

 

[Honeymooner4evr]

This is not true, at least for my '14 SR5 Premium trim with 3rd row. My middle row does all of the above, and the 60/40 can be adjusted independently. Perhaps this is unique to 3rd row -or- the premium trim?

All T4R 2nd rows recline, but I think only 3rd row T4Rs 2nd row can move forward or back ---unless I just couldn't figure it out which is definitely possible or maybe it changed over the years or trims. Either way, this is all good info to have.

 

[FireGuyBri]

I just sold my 2010 4Runner SR5-Premium in pursuit of a GX460 build. I honestly loved everything about my 4Runner and after 6 years of ownership, the truck never let me down, did everything exceptionally well and was a beast off road with just Atrac and knowing how to drive.

I had my 4R lifted with 33s and a cargo basket, and it would run 13-15.5 mpg regularly. The 4.0L V6 was strong but lacking in acceleration. Adding a pedal commander changed that entirely. I blame the sluggish feeling simply on Toyota’s conservative and safe throttle positioning. It’s a strong engine and is even better than people think. It has the ability to be a million mile engine as well, honestly.

I had the two row version with the slide out command tray. It was perfection. The tray holds 440 lbs of stuff. The seats fold flat. It’s a great rig.

I will say, after driving the 460, it’s a class above the Runner. I never found the Runner lacking and miss it like crazy. If you sit in both, however, the build quality and feel are simple more elevated in the 460, which says something because my Runner was a tank and had not a single rattle or hint of being cheap or irrelevant. I think the GX is going to perform just as good, if not better, than my Runner did and all while feeling more comfortable and classy. You really can’t go wrong. I believe that. I love the appeal of the GX, the fact that you can buy these two trucks used for comparable money, and that they’re far more rare in a modified form than the Runner which I see everywhere.

Time will tell if I like the swinging barn door and I know I’ll miss the roll down window in the Runner. All of that aside, I’m excited to start my GX build and see where I can take this rig.

 

[Acrad]

The 4.0L V6 was strong but lacking in acceleration. Adding a pedal commander changed that entirely. I blame the sluggish feeling simply on Toyota’s conservative and safe throttle positioning. It’s a strong engine and is even better than people thing. It has the ability to be a million mile engine as well, honestly.

I'm on the side that likes PC on my 460.

The 4.0L 1GR-FE V6 in 4R was used in Chinese version of 460 called the GX 400 from 2012-2017. GX 400 left the market there in 11/2017. Originally GX 460 was sold there for 2010-2012.

 

[adventurers]

Resurrecting the War of the Wheelers: GX vs T4R to add my data points to the discussion. I read through this whole thing before I bought my GX and figured i should leave the info here vs. starting my own thread.

The Long-Term Quality Index is something I've used for a while now when choosing used cars to purchase for my family. They publish all their data so we can all see how these cars and trucks hold up with high mileage and older age. And it looks like the Lexus GX460 comes out on top over the 4Runner cousin.= in terms of reliability over time.

The data points from them both are as follows:

Lexus GX 2010-2015 Reliability Score: 100
Toyota 4Runner 2010-2015 Reliability score: 87.4


The total sample size is 16325 T4R and 3867 GX, and that's across all production years so I can't find sample size numbers for specific years. Feel free to add whatever conjecture made this outcome happen but the number are just that.... numbers. On a side note, interestingly enough if you look at the 4runner brother to the GX470 they both sit at a 100 reliability score.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Resurrecting the War of the Wheelers: GX vs T4R to add my data points to the discussion. I read through this whole thing before I bought my GX and figured i should leave the info here vs. starting my own thread.

The Long-Term Quality Index is something I've used for a while now when choosing used cars to purchase for my family. They publish all their data so we can all see how these cars and trucks hold up with high mileage and older age. And it looks like the Lexus GX460 comes out on top over the 4Runner cousin.= in terms of reliability over time.

The data points from them both are as follows:

Lexus GX 2010-2015 Reliability Score: 100
Toyota 4Runner 2010-2015 Reliability score: 87.4


The total sample size is 16325 T4R and 3867 GX, and that's across all production years so I can't find sample size numbers for specific years. Feel free to add whatever conjecture made this outcome happen but the number are just that.... numbers. On a side note, interestingly enough if you look at the 4runner brother to the GX470 they both sit at a 100 reliability score.

Wow a 100 rating on both the 470 and 460. That’s pretty awesome.

 

[FireGuyBri]

Resurrecting the War of the Wheelers: GX vs T4R to add my data points to the discussion. I read through this whole thing before I bought my GX and figured i should leave the info here vs. starting my own thread.

The Long-Term Quality Index is something I've used for a while now when choosing used cars to purchase for my family. They publish all their data so we can all see how these cars and trucks hold up with high mileage and older age. And it looks like the Lexus GX460 comes out on top over the 4Runner cousin.= in terms of reliability over time.

The data points from them both are as follows:

Lexus GX 2010-2015 Reliability Score: 100
Toyota 4Runner 2010-2015 Reliability score: 87.4


The total sample size is 16325 T4R and 3867 GX, and that's across all production years so I can't find sample size numbers for specific years. Feel free to add whatever conjecture made this outcome happen but the number are just that.... numbers. On a side note, interestingly enough if you look at the 4runner brother to the GX470 they both sit at a 100 reliability score.

I wonder how much of this has to do with the general clientele of these vehicle purchases when they’re new. This is an over engineered rig with a hefty price tag, largely purchased by older people and soccer moms who can afford the high initial price tag, the 5,000 mile service intervals, and who never drive the vehicle off road except for the occasional brush with grass in their driveway.

I’m certainly not saying these aren’t reliable vehicles, but mine is a perfect example of the market. It’s a 2010 and, while it had 138,000 on the clock when I bought it, the service records were literally clockwork from one owner. There are so many examples of this. My truck, though showing a little age and needing some TLC, would fool people into believing it has significantly fewer miles. I’m certain I’ll give up on the rig before it gives up on me.

 

[Tex68w]

I'd be willing to wager that the main reason for this is the over the top maintenance schedule on the Lexus product versus the Toyota. The original owners are usually of a higher clientele that don't balk at the occasional preventative maintenance items that would send your average customer into a cursing fit with the service advisor lol. I didn't have to change differential and t-case fluids on our GX at 30K miles like was suggested but I did it anyway, that's a prime example. Another major reason is likely the more subdued role these vehicles play in their owners lives, pavement pounding while picking the kids up from school and lacrosse practice is a much softer life than the active weekend warrior that is more likely to own and use a 4Runner in their hobbies and adventures. Regardless, it's great to see these types of real world ratings, it'll surely help the vehicles image in regards to resale values and future popularity.

 

[BigSwede]

Offtopic, that new bronco is unappealing. It feels cheaper than a late 90s Hyundai. The interior feels like they cut too many corners. The base engine is woeful. Why they didn’t at least put the 3.7 NA V6 as a base engine is beyond me—but I get it omg ecoboost omg. Plus, I just cannot wrap my head around not having a V8 option—I understand it’s a small light duty Ranger chassis with a passable 4WD system but it just doesn’t sit right with me (neither does the Ranger). I’m ready to sell my Ford stock, they’ve really strayed too far over the deep end and I do not like the direction they are headed. I got more but I digress. Hah.

So having said that the V8 and extra comfort and noise cancellation sold me on the 470 and 460 over a 4R. It didn’t help I got my 460 for ~$15k and the equivalent 4R was $5k more expensive.

I was looking at the Bronco, but the 3,500 lb tow rating turned me off of it. That, and the Ford fleet vehicles we have at work haven't impressed me - we have a 5 year old Escape with 60k miles that is starting to rust at the bottom door seams. Half the cruise control buttons on a 55k mile F150 have the lettering worn off.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

I was looking at the Bronco, but the 3,500 lb tow rating turned me off of it. That, and the Ford fleet vehicles we have at work haven't impressed me - we have a 5 year old Escape with 60k miles that is starting to rust at the bottom door seams. Half the cruise control buttons on a 55k mile F150 have the lettering worn off.

None of that surprises me.

 

[Tex68w]

I've had very good luck with the four Super Duties and the three Mustangs that I have owned. Much better build quality and textiles used than any GM product my extended family members have owned. Toyota builds a better vehicle this much is true but it's not a standard across all models.

 

[re_guderian]

My daily driver '13 Ford C-Max Energi is starting to have weird electrical gremlins. The horn beeps softly in time with the right turn signal. The radio won't shut off, change volume, or station/mode without pulling the fuse, not even a FORScan APIM reset will help, have to pull the freaking fuse to shut off the radio. Time to sell, which is too bad, I love driving electric, it's feature-laden, and very comfortable for a tall guy like me. There's a reason the depreciation drop is off a cliff at the end of warranty, something I haven't had to worry about for 20 years since the Chrysler Town and Country.

 

[Acrad]

My last Ford I purchased new and still on the road with a nephew was a '96 Explorer XLT 5.0L AWD. Basic rig that had manual HVAC and no electric seats.

Still runs greats for nephew... it had a fully mechanical viscous coupling full time AWD system made by Borg Warner.

I guess a 302 developed in the early 60s is in for the long haul.

Only thing that ever rusted off of it was the exhaust system. I really have nothing bad to say about the rig other than it didn't have a 4L but the system it did have worked remarkably well for what it was in the snow and mud...but the the limited slip rear end probably helped too.

I believe this vehicle was the last one using that old 302 until the end of that Explorer gen in 2001.

 

[Hammeredsole]

I’ll add to the fray. I owned a very nice 2014 LC200. I immediately added +1 up size KO2 and Radflo IFP suspension with about 1” of lift, bud built sliders, LED indicator lights, smart flash relay, 2 piece brake rotors, and a few other tweaks. The truck was amazing. Fast, luxurious, bomb proof, but I found it exceedingly difficult to deal with the fuel mileage and range. Not even getting barely 260 miles (highway, even less combined or city) to an enormous tank totally pissed me off. I sold it after about 11k miles of driving in Texas and Northern California. I have very fond memories of a family vacation to Yosemite, where we took the LC on the Miami trails and around the mountain roads. Awesome truck.

I then bought a 2018 TRD ORP from the father-in-law and drove it for about 8k in Northern California. I escaped some hellish forest fires and explored some trails in it. It had the sure-footedness of a goat, and I felt very confident with reliability and off-road capabilities. However… that motor; thrashy groaning acceleration, totally rental car experience. Interior; loud, plasticy, echoey, no ventilation circulation in back for family and children. I did a few mods to it, mostly stuff like sliders, MESO LED puddle lamps, etc. I sold it pretty resolutely after I couldn’t get comfortable in the painful seats, and always reaching somewhere else to open the window than the poorly designed location. The stock audio system was so bad it gave me headaches. I miss the back window and that’s about it. Also, I swear the paint was the softest paint I’ve ever had on any car, and very thin sheet metal. Great car for a young active person with mostly personal individual use.

Most recently, I have bought a 2019 GX460 Premium. I’ve already added an OEM trans cooler, Crawl/MTS, Dobinsons IMS @ 1.5", AT tires, and some other stuff. First off; overall quality is on par with the LC200. Similar feels, road noise, and road presence in an easier to park package. Kids actually enjoy the barn door, and they’re constantly climbing into the back and to their captains seats. I’m getting 300 miles to a tank in the highway, yet still have luxurious power. Really in between 200 and the 4R on fuel efficiency, worth the trade-off imho. The GX is a very comfortable place to spend time, the 4R isn’t. My family enjoys the comfort of the GX hvac and security. I’ve already scratched up the bumpers off-roading, but it just adds character. As someone else said, the GX is truly a 3/4 LC200.

Overall, in my opinion, the GX is a rebadged Land Cruiser Prado, and is certainly entitled to the Land Cruiser title. The 4Runner may be built on the same frame, but it is an economized 4x4 for the US market which lacks the comfort and prestige of the Land Cruiser marque. For my money, GX all the way.

 

[FireGuyBri]

I’ll add to the fray. I owned a very nice 2014 LC200. I immediately added +1 up size KO2 and Radflo IFP suspension with about 1” of lift, bud built sliders, LED indicator lights, smart flash relay, 2 piece brake rotors, and a few other tweaks. The truck was amazing. Fast, luxurious, bomb proof, but I found it exceedingly difficult to deal with the fuel mileage and range. Not even getting barely 260 miles (highway, even less combined or city) to an enormous tank totally pissed me off. I sold it after about 11k miles of driving in Texas and Northern California. I have very fond memories of a family vacation to Yosemite, where we took the LC on the Miami trails and around the mountain roads. Awesome truck.

I then bought a 2018 TRD ORP from the father-in-law and drove it for about 8k in Northern California. I escaped some hellish forest fires and explored some trails in it. It had the sure-footedness of a goat, and I felt very confident with reliability and off-road capabilities. However… that motor; thrashy groaning acceleration, totally rental car experience. Interior; loud, plasticy, echoey, no ventilation circulation in back for family and children. I did a few mods to it, mostly stuff like sliders, MESO LED puddle lamps, etc. I sold it pretty resolutely after I couldn’t get comfortable in the painful seats, and always reaching somewhere else to open the window than the poorly designed location. The stock audio system was so bad it gave me headaches. I miss the back window and that’s about it. Also, I swear the paint was the softest paint I’ve ever had on any car, and very thin sheet metal. Great car for a young active person with mostly personal individual use.
Most recently have bought a 2019 GX460 Premium. I’ve already added OEM trans cooler, crawl/MTS, Dobinsons IMS, AT tires, and some other stuff. First off; overall quality is on par with the LC200. Similar feels, road noise, road presence in an easier to park package. Kids actually enjoy the barn door, and they’re constantly climbing in the back and to their captains seats. I’m getting 300 miles to a tank in the highway, yet still have luxurious power. Really in between 200 and 4R on fuel efficiency, worth the trade off imho. The GX is a very comfortable place to spend time, the 4R isn’t. My family enjoys the comfort of the GX hvac and security. I’ve already scratched up the bumpers off-roading, but it just adds character. As someone else said, the GX is truly a 3/4 LC200.

Nice review.
Having owned my ‘10 GX460 for several months now, I’m finding I miss my 4Runner less and less. I’ve been patiently waiting for the Ironman suspension to arrive so I can lift it and get it out on the trails where I’ll be able to accurately gauge its abilities versus the 4Runner. From a daily driving standpoint, there is no doubt the Lexus is miles ahead in overall materials quality and comfort. Even for an older girl with 142,000 miles, she drives silky smooth and this V8 offers everything you could want in a power plant. At her age, she is in dire need of the new suspension, sway bar bushings and spark plugs, all of which are coming soon. As long as she does at least as well as the 4Runner did off road, I’ll be beyond thrilled with this move. Plus, the 4R has caught in popularity in my area and I see them literally everywhere. I have yet to see even one mildly modded GX so I’ll see how that goes. It’ll be either thumbs up or a lot of pointing and laughing...either way, I’m excited.