I have.
I dont know of anyone else who offers anything close. This one does cover Turbo.
Your Thoughts on the LC 250? (3 Viewers)
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I dont know of anyone else who offers anything close. This one does cover Turbo.
Point taken and you're not the first person to tell me that
. The Grenadier in my neck of the woods would be about as out-of-place as a lifted Cummins with a rolling-coal tune would be in the Bay Area (similarly, no one really looks the diesel rigs here as they are so common, despite the best attention-getting efforts of their drivers).At first I got odd looks wheeling my Lexus around here but haven't in some time. My old Subaru got more attention on the trails (and disparaging comments directed towards it) than my GX gets. Usually the questions on my GX are "what is that thing?" along with comments about it how good it looks. There are very few Lexus cars or SUVs around here period, so mine stands out, but we have lot of old Toyotas still getting use in the woods and on the trails.
Is that the lifetime powertrain warranty, or the standard Toyota 5 year powertrain warranty? If that is indeed the lifetime policy then your dealer is covering way more components than what I've seen here locally. Is there an added charge? Here the lifetime powertrain warranty is included for free with all new Toyota's.
What I posted is the non-transferable Lifetime Powertrain Warranty offered by Fidelity from my dealer. No additional cost.
Right on. Definitely a perk for those who are able to maintain eligibility over the long term.
Seems to be a lot of concern around here about other people, their finances, what we think of them, and what they might think of us.
Life's too short.
Life's too short.
Also wanted to add for what it's worth (which may not be much) but the variant of that engine in the GX is de-tuned so it is making less power than the Tundra and LX using the same engine. Whether or not that matters I cannot say with certainty but at a surface level one would think less power = less stress. Toyota still claims it was due to manufacturing debris on the assembly line and not a design flaw. Plenty of thread here discussing so I won't go into that any further.
What I will say is I have not yet heard of any issues with the main bearing being spun in a new GX nor have I heard of any glaring issues with the turbo 4 (with or without the hybrid) other than it's a very noisy engine which I can personally attest to.
My only real question is Would you rather the GX550 W/O the lifetime powertrain warranty or LCLC WITH the lifetime powertrain warrany?
Some cars you need that warranty; others you do not. I would put Toyota/Lexus powertrain in the "do not need" category, although their recent fit and finish is really bothering me.
I own a 2025 1958, no mods other than tires. Just returned from a week long skiing trip in Colorado, so I was able to put the new cruiser to test on a long road trip, loaded with 4 people and all our gear. The vehicle I replaced was a 23' Defender 110s, which is very comparable to the new 250. Having done the same trip with the Defender in January, this was a very comparable test. Here are my conclusions. First, the Defender did considerably better on fuel economy, and comfort on the long ride. Second, the Defender has more room for gear, people, and storage. The Defenders engine did a better job handling the hills, shifting and managing power. Both did extremely well handling the snow and ice, and both have the looks. The 250 I believe, should do better as a long term vehicle, just based on past Toyota ownership. Not knowing how the hybrid will hold up, but I have put my faith in the Toyota engineers. I owned the Defender for two trouble free years, but the warranty was nearing the end, and this is the reason for trading. I also previously owned a 21' heritage, regrettably sold, but feel with purchase prices now, the 250 made sense. My main complaints with the 250 are the fuel economy, not being able to disable the auto start/stop, cannot get used to driving a hybrid, and now the 250 makes a horrible burnt rubber smell at low speeds and stops after driving. Has anyone experienced this? I forgot the noisy windshield on the passenger side only.
So which do I prefer? As of now the Defender. More room for gear and people, better fuel economy/range, and just as capable off road. But,,,, give me the 250 with all of these Defender positives, with the Toyota reliability, and I would have the perfect vehicle.
So which do I prefer? As of now the Defender. More room for gear and people, better fuel economy/range, and just as capable off road. But,,,, give me the 250 with all of these Defender positives, with the Toyota reliability, and I would have the perfect vehicle.
Good analysis.
Somehow missed responding to your question but it's hard to answer. I drove both back to back 4 months ago and took delivery of a GX550 OT+ only to return it a couple days later as I noticed many of the QC issues being reported on them. (Fluttering hood, noisy brakes) Plus other things that initially soured me such as very little storage inside (how does a new $50k 4runner get a sunglasses compartment overhead but a new $85k GX does not?) They are the same vehicle so they are going to be very close with the main difference being the engine. Fit and finish wise I personally felt the 250 w/lux package to be on par with the 550 OT, slightly less in some ways (soft touch materials, upholstery, switch gear) but also slightly better in others (rear zone climate, rear view camera).
I have previously owned a Gen 2 Tundra, Gen 5 4R, and two Heritage Edition Cruisers. I declined any additonal warranty on all of them because of their long standing reputation for reliabilty. I never kept any of these long enough for it to matter but even in my short term (2-3 year windows) I never needed even the factory warranty. It's still too early to tell on these new models but give it time and let's see where things are in another 5-6 years to have a good data set to analyze. My advice would be to drive both and pick whichever one you like best, also try and tune out the noise you read here on the forums, youtube, reddit, etc. Most of them are just talking out of their rears and have no skin in the game.
Short answer.... I think the GX is better, but not by much. I also have grown very tired of my local Toyota service deparments, Lexus dealers to a MUCH better job on that end. Something to think about unless you're a DIY type.
*Edit, I also wanted to add and backup what @Oakleyguy said back on the first page. You should drive a 200, if anything just to get a taste. Maybe you like it? Maybe you don't? Either way it would be a great way to compare heavy duty vs light. Old vs new. That sort of thing.
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joseywales
Renaissance Redneck
I took the Grenadier and 550 off the list as the Ineos is too obscure, and GX is the same as the 250 but with less desirable badging on it (to me).
We were looking at ‘24 4Runners, and Bronco 4 door V6 Sasquatchs as our other options. I’ve driven G63s and we’ve owned a 4 door Rubicon in the past. I don’t have any personal experience with the new Defender.
We ended up with a 1958 as we both liked the round lights better, and didn’t care about leather. The cost on all, when comparatively equipped is so close it’s not really an issue (except the G). I got the 1958 into a situation today after sliding off a forestry road in deep rotten spring snow. Both lockers and good Toyos got me back on the road without much drama. Power on the highway is great, fuel economy is WAY better than my Tundra with 5.7 was. My only complaint on the 1958 is the lack of power seats. It’s an odd thing to save $50 on (at most) in the manufacturing process.
People will say the 4Runner is way cheaper, but an Offroad Premium with the hybrid is not far off…
On the 4Runner, can you dent the hood with your hand like you can on the GX and Land Cruiser?
joseywales
Renaissance Redneck
Why would you want to do that?
I could dent any hood with my hand. But why would I do that? lol
Same engine built in the same factory.
Grenadier is a completely new company and, like many such new companies, I suspect it will be years for them to iron out the kinks. What I've seen from some comparision videos from Australia showing 4 different vehicles (Grenadier, 200, G Wagon, and a can't remember the fourth) on the same off-road tracks on the same day, the Grenadier's traction control tuning is crap and its articulation isn't great either. The 200 was easily able to walk up obstacles that the Grenadier struggled over, simply due to traction control tuning.Point taken and you're not the first person to tell me that
The B58 is said to be a great engine, but I worry about the price of repair parts. And it is a very complex engine.
Edited to add: the G Wagon needs 3 lockers because it's articulation is crap. The same seemed to be true of the Grenadier. If you can keep your tires on the ground, then you have less need of a locker.
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Anecdotally it seems that many new car companies/startup brands fail. Remember Saturn, Scion, Geo, etc? Those all had the backing of huge existing production, distribution, and dealer networks. And we have other Japanese brands like Suzuki and Isuzu who gave up and pulled out of the US market. Ineos has to build their network from scratch and is limited to a niche market share. They might make it, but the deck is stacked against them.
I personally went though another version of this decision process when I bought a tractor (a purchase I wanted to make once and use for the next 30+ years). There are lots of rebranded Korean-made tractor brands that are rugged and spec'd very well for the price. But, those kinds of brands have a long history of entering the US market for a decade or so and pulling out, leaving owners with limited US sources for parts. So, I paid a little more and bought a John Deere (though a Kubota was on the table too). If it needs a replacement part in 2055, it's highly likely I'll still have a local dealer and the part will still be available.
Every new car company started in the US after WWII has failed until Tesla. And we will see whether Tesla makes it through the current crisis.
Ineos is a vanity project started by a billionaire. If he gets bored or tired of losing money, then Grenadier is done.
I'm in the market for a subcompact tractor. Sheesh these things have gotten expensive.
