I got about 20-21mpg in the GX driving from Tulsa to Denver.
Vs the 12mpg I get in my 200.
GX550 vs LX600 (2 Viewers)
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Vs the 12mpg I get in my 200.
I’m averaging 16.8-17.3 per tank in mixed use with the GX.
Same usage affords me 15.5-16.8 in my 2015 200.
I expected more improvement from the 200, mpg wise, but it’s not that big a deal. Wasn’t going into it thinking it was a Prius or anything!
I'm kinda of surprised at some of the poor mileage being reported for some vehicles. My 80 would get 13-15, lifted on 35's and not regeared prior to the diesel transplant. My 100 gets 14-15 routinely in mixed city/highway driving and it's running slightly taller AT tires. The worst I got with the 100 was around 10 towing a travel trailer down I-15 for several hundred miles. Well, I actually got into the single digits once, but I was doing 110 mph on the autobahn....
The poor MPG’s of these new models certainly is disappointing but I am even more annoyed that they continue to handicap them with these little fuel tanks. Is it too much to ask for at least a 32 like what’s standard on the Tundra?
Perhaps the marginal improvement in the new model's mpg is related to Toyota being required to improve fuel economy across its entire fleet a certain degree. (CAFE) Corporate Average Fuel Economy.
If a new vehicle only gets 1 mpg better fuel economy, that's likely good enough to meet CAFE standards - so its good enough for Toyota.
The improved mpg (as marginal as it may be) has less to do with satisfying the customer as it has to do with satisfying CAFE law.
Also the tiny gas tanks are also related to CAFE law. the smaller the tank, the less fuel it carries, the lighter the vehicle, the more fuel efficient it becomes - however marginal.
If a new vehicle only gets 1 mpg better fuel economy, that's likely good enough to meet CAFE standards - so its good enough for Toyota.
The improved mpg (as marginal as it may be) has less to do with satisfying the customer as it has to do with satisfying CAFE law.
Also the tiny gas tanks are also related to CAFE law. the smaller the tank, the less fuel it carries, the lighter the vehicle, the more fuel efficient it becomes - however marginal.
I hate CAFE. We get 0w16 oils, turbochargers, small tanks and other nonsense.
What's worse we get more complex cars, costlier to maintain and with shorter lifespans. Counterproductive to the energy conservation goal. Hate these hypocrites. They just want to rip off everyone, not save the planet.
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I feel this above everything. It's all about money at the end of day. Whether you're pushing for electrification, gas, etc. Toyota, the largest volume auto manufacture in the world has a pretty strong anti EV stance and why do you think that is? They are at the top of the food chain and don't want to see any changes knock them off their perch.
Owner of a LX 600 here. Just drove a GX 550 a few days ago. No comparison between these two vehicles. The GX rides like a Radio Flyer wagon, bouncing to and fro. Much more wind noise. The Toyota 250 is worse than the GX even. Feels even cheaper and noisier. After the new wears off, I see a bunch of GX and 250s on used car lots.
I'm not sure what is going on with Toyota/Lexus. Even my 600 has some wind noise and rattling sunroof cover. I think it's high quality, but I don't know that I could say that it is the best quality out there. That is now debatable.
I'm not sure what is going on with Toyota/Lexus. Even my 600 has some wind noise and rattling sunroof cover. I think it's high quality, but I don't know that I could say that it is the best quality out there. That is now debatable.
What are these folks gonna buy instead when they trade them in?
They have the anti-EV stance because they don't believe they are a long-term solution for every single vehicle in the world, and they think EVs are over-hyped. I tend to agree with Toyota on that as well.
If Toyota legitimately thought that EVs were the future they'd be rushing to get into the market - just like many automakers were over the past couple of years. But, EV sales are stagnating and seem unlikely to improve over the next few years.
It seems like Toyota saw this coming and smartly bet on hybrids as opposed to electrification. Sitting here in February 2025, that appears to have been the right move, relative to other established automakers and startups like Rivian/Lucid etc sinking billions in dollars into EVs that may never generate a return on investment. They should have focused more on a more balanced approach that includes both hybrid tech and EVs in a secondary role.
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Who knows. I think there are going to be a lot of unhappy people. This is the first time I've really felt that Toyota/Lexus duped their loyal customers.
I was so excited to see and drive the GX and 250 and try to decide between the two. I walked away shaking my head. And somehow, people are lining up to buy these things.
A good friend of mine is a Toyota loyalist - trades at my local dealership here all the time. He bought a 250, traded in his Tundra, drove the 250 a week, took it back last Friday, and asked for his Tundra back. They obliged. And apparently, they are having other customers complain, too.
Not a good look for Toyota.
Yeah, who knows. Not really like there's any better new options. Broncos? Jeeps? GM trucks / BOF SUVs? Land rovers? Good luck.
Anyways, IMO, true Toyota "loyalists" are simply keeping the Toyota's they already own for the long term - because that was their plan all along when they purchased. A Toyota loyalist has no business trading "all the time". Purchasing (especially new) is at most a once in a decade event.
Why do I have no business trading all of the time?
I have not driven the new 250-series LC or GX, but I drove the new Tacoma with the 4-banger and it was pretty horrible, even compared to my now ancient 2nd gen Taco. Well, the 4.0 V6 is old, but solid. I also drove 150-series Prado in Europe with a diesel, and I did not hate it at all, liked it actually. Seemed like a solid smaller version of 200.
If 250 sucks beyond the engine, that's really bad move on Toyota's part. If so, I see 2nd gen Tundras and 5th gen 4Runners to be keepers for people for a long time. Luckily, bazillion of them were made.
I can't reveal the specific Toyota dealership, but from a very good source, the OWNER of the dealership drove a 250 for a couple of weeks and told the GM, "This thing is pretty loose."
That was in January.
Toyota publicly stated that they wanted to bring the USA land cruiser back to its roots - especially to make it more affordable compared to the outgoing bloated 200.
Id say that the 30 year old USA FJ60 is about as "roots" as you can get - a classic station wagon design land cruiser, Guess what? If it (FJ60) was offered brand new today, virtually nobody would buy one except diehard enthusiasts.
So we can't have it both ways --- affordable yet very fine. Not going to happen
Id say that the 30 year old USA FJ60 is about as "roots" as you can get - a classic station wagon design land cruiser, Guess what? If it (FJ60) was offered brand new today, virtually nobody would buy one except diehard enthusiasts.
So we can't have it both ways --- affordable yet very fine. Not going to happen
Here is what I think Toyota did privately:
Hey, everyone really likes the boxy Defender and Bronco. Let's get in on the action. Let's make a new, boxy car, shape it like a Defender, run it on the 4Runner platform, put it together as cheaply as we can get by with, and slap a Land Cruiser badge on it. We can probably price it $15K above the 4Runner and get away with it because it says Land Cruiser and it will be so much cheaper than the 200 was. Everyone will think they are stealing something. But we can't release the new 4Runner the same year or everyone will know what we did. We will load up the actual Land Cruiser with options and put it under the Lexus badge and call it the LX 600.
But if you do even a cursory look and drive at the 250/GX and then go drive a 4 banger Defender, anyone will see that there is really no comparison. The Defender owns the show, and within the same price range. You certainly CAN get a premium, heavy duty, midsize SUV for the mid $70s. I am seriously contemplating selling my 2022 LX 600, buying a new Defender for mid $70s, and putting the rest of the money in the bank.
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Toyota made such a poor decision and produced such poor vehicle that 6-7k people a month (US only) continue to purchase the overpriced hunk of s*** that is the 250. Not sure why they’d do such a thing.
Do it and report back on your experience.
