Well I gone and done it: 2018 Premium (1 Viewer)

[BigSwede]

How well do those Vehicross rigs do? while looking to replace our 100 series Hundy's, along with GX's, these were one of the vehicles I was considering.
The styling is awesome, but my concerns were:

1. Unibody. How well will these handle torturous terrain?
2. I was thinking a little on the small side, about the size of a Rav4?
3. And the biggest issue, no more Isuzu dealers in the U.S., so in time replacement/repair parts will becoming more rare.

All-in-all, I have absolutely no regrets with our GX.

1. They are body-on-frame, not unibody.
2. Pretty small, I can't fit in one comfortably, not enough headroom.
3. Mechanical parts are generally available still (they are 20+ years old), but body panels and cladding can be hard to find.

If they had better headroom and a better place for an oversize spare tire I might have one. They are nimble and have great approach/breakover/departure angles, but are in no way as roomy as a GX. Not apples to apples IMO.

 

[BigSwede]

They are absolutely stellar offroad and on the frozen stuff and they look particularly narly modded. There's like a ton of sensors that are utilized to help out with the slippery stuff.

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Lol, somebody solid axle swapped that VX... they are IFS stock.

Dunno if I would say a "ton" of sensors, the Torque On Demand transfer case uses wheel speed sensors to determine distribution of power. They are full time 4WD, kinda like the GX.

 

[offroad47]

I always wanted one . But at 6’4” I knew it would be a long drive issue . Yes they look so cool lifted and big tired. It’s great to see folks are still
Using and loving them.

 

[Banandalorian]

If they had better headroom and a better place for an oversize spare tire I might have one. They are nimble and have great approach/breakover/departure angles, but are in no way as roomy as a GX. Not apples to apples IMO.

Do they have worse options for an oversized spare than a GX? Is that possible!?

 

[MrTorgue]

Lol, somebody solid axle swapped that VX... they are IFS stock.

That was part of the "mods" I was mentioning.

Dunno if I would say a "ton" of sensors, the Torque On Demand transfer case uses wheel speed sensors to determine distribution of power. They are full time 4WD, kinda like the GX.

12 sensors is "a ton" to a simpleton like me. LOL It's still a fantastic little thing and I want one for fun.

 

[r2m]

Do they have worse options for an oversized spare than a GX? Is that possible!?

I think the spare tire issues is that you can't fit the hard shell over anything much larger than a stock tire.
Have to admit I don't know if you could hang a 33" or 35" tire off the rear and just leave the hard shell off.
In the pictures, one of the Vehicross's has the spare on top and the other has a trailer which could house their spare.

 

[BigSwede]

Do they have worse options for an oversized spare than a GX? Is that possible!?

The stock spare fits in the tailgate, with no room for a larger one. And with that TOD transfer case, it is not a good idea to run a different size tire on one wheel. Most people carry the spare on the roof, but that is far from optimal.

A couple of people have shaved off the rear tailgate bulge and created internal structure and a mount for the spare on the outside of the tailgate, but serious fab skills are needed for that.

 

[BigSwede]

Buncha pics from my recent Silverton CO trip. The GX did well.

 

[Hiluxforever]

Looks great!

 

[r2m]

Buncha pics from my recent Silverton CO trip. The GX did well.

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That last photo looks like it could be used by Lexus marketing! That's a great photo with the valley and mountains centered behind!

 

[apeterson]

hi from MN also. just got a GX and wanted to subscribe to keep reading your adventures!

 

[r2m]

hi from MN also. just got a GX and wanted to subscribe to keep reading your adventures!

Congrats!
It'll be just a wee bit quieter and more comfortable to drive than your FJ40.
MPG will be about the same.