I was one of the journalists initially trying to coax Lexus Canada into bringing the original GX 470 across the 49th after having

The midsize GX gets a new look, new features and a revised powerplant for 2010. (Photo: Lexus)

seen it cruising the streets of LA on numerous occasions. It’s a great looking machine after all, combining a tough and rugged Land Cruiser Prado based SUV with the sophistication of a premium luxury brand.

So to be one of the first to see the new 2010 GX 460 at a press event in Muskoka, Ontario last week was a real treat, and to be able to sit inside and get a real feel for how beautifully detailed this new model is compared to its predecessor, which is still extremely good, created an opportunity to share my experience with you that I simply can’t pass up now that the embargo is lifted and I’m able to talk about it.

Lexus

Revised from the rear, the 2010 GX is still upright and fully capable of stowing loads of cargo and passengers. (Photo: Lexus)

brand’s parent company Toyota had us there testing the all-new 2010 4Runner, which just happens to share its underpinnings with the aforementioned Prado model and therefore the Lexus in question, making this particular SUV extremely capable off-road. I suppose that’s the real differentiator here, as rivals from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz aren’t true 4x4s in the real sense of the word. No, the GX 460 is certainly capable of being sold against the Q7, X5 and ML, but it can also square off against Land Rover’s LR3 and new LR4, Porsche’s Cayenne, and Volkswagen’s Touareg. I suppose Jeep’s Grand Cherokee deserves mention too, in fully-loaded trim, as does Kia’s exceptionally good new Borrego. But really, as good as it is we can’t start comparing Lexus to Kia. It just wouldn’t be right.

I’ve

The GX has always been a decent handler for a body-on-frame SUV, but the new 2010 model promises even better road manners. (Photo: Lexus)

spent a reasonable amount of time in a couple of GX 470s since the model launched in Canada in 2003, and have grown to love and dislike some aspects of this SUV. Hey, just about every vehicle has some disappointing character trait or two, but I won’t delve into this single dislike right now or for that matter try to wrap my head around just why for some unfathomable reason it gets carried over to this 2010 model, so that we can start things off on a more positive note.

Where the new 2010 4Runner gets a tougher appearance that will endear it to the off-road crowd or wannabe rough and tumble set, the new GX is more refined, along the lines of what Lexus did with the full-size LX. The LX, while offering what might be the nicest interior in any 4x4 at any price,

Lexus has upgrade the GX interior with nicer materials, better style and more features, and it was already top-notch. (Photo: Lexus)

pushes the envelope from an exterior design perspective with an almost car-like grille and raked headlight treatment plus chrome-surround horizontal wraparound taillight lenses that, to be honest, have never really worked for me. The new GX, however, carries the vertical-style taillight treatment forward for the vehicle it replaces, which gives it a taller more conventional SUV-like visual stance, while the cross-ribbed chrome grille and rounded headlight clusters are more truck-like than those on the LX.

Inside it’s a real treat for sore eyes. Titanium-like metal trim surrounds beautifully finished gloss wood in a contemporary fashion, more with the times than previous Lexus cabins and replete with myriad top-tier

Fully featured is just the beginning. (Photo: Lexus)

features expected but nevertheless appreciated in this class. The centre stack is dominant, appearing wider than the previous iteration and stronger, more purposefully oriented to its off-road credibility. Truly, it’s more like a Land Rover than anything else that Lexus has put forth, and that’s not a bad thing considering the British brand, under Ford’s tutelage, has produced some brilliantly designed interiors. The GX 460’s switchgear, however, is beautifully executed, the detailing precise and overall it’s a well crafted cabin.

That switchgear grants access to myriad features such as a variety of standard and optional multimedia upgrades, additional choices for onboard family entertainment, plus a standard heated steering wheel, standard heated and ventilated front seats, standard heated outer second-row seats, and much more.

Those seats, covered in semi-aniline leather, feel as good as they look, a Lexus specialty, whether personally parked in front at the driver’s or passenger’s position, or in the second row where they can be moved fore and aft up to 104.1 mm (4.1 inches) or reclined for total comfort. Those seats flip forward for easy access to a third row that’s much more accommodating than that in the previous GX, and, drum roll please, that third row doesn’t split in the middle to fold up and hang on each side when not in use, eating up valuable cargo space while marring rearward visibility, but in a currently conventional manner they split 60/40 and power (yes, the power-folding feature is standard) downward resulting in a totally flat cargo floor!

Unfortunately, Lexus didn't have a photo of the side-swinging door, but this one shows the easy access flip-up rear window. (Photo: Lexus)

Of all the improvements, this is the most critically important for pulling midsize SUV buyers away from other brands and into the Lexus family.

What might turn them off, however, is that one beef I spoke of earlier. While Lexus adds a flip-up rear window for tossing smaller items like grocery bags through when possible, the GX incorporates a side-hinged swing-out rear door for accessing the cargo compartment. This is mostly done to accommodate a spare tire on the back, but in the case of the GX it is merely a carryover design from the Prado which utilizes it for this purpose on some models. Most vehicles in this class, including the 4Runner which shares the GX architecture, incorporate a liftgate that not only

The rear seating/cargo area is about as flexible as seating systems go, and best of all the rear seats fold flat instead of flipping up against the side-walls and robbing cargo room. (Photo: Lexus)

gets out of the way of the loading process, but shelters owners from the elements. Swing-out doors are difficult while parallel parked because you need a lot of room behind the car to extend the door, although making matters worse in the GX’ case is a door that was designed for the Japanese market, and unlike some brands that redesign the rear door for right or left hand drive, Lexus makes it so you can’t access the cargo compartment from the sidewalk, but rather have to carry your encumbrance further and potentially expose yourself to busy traffic when loading from the driver’s side. I don’t know if we’re talking about a deal-killer here, but I can see mothers of young children not wanting to have to go through this process all the time when loading up the stroller.

What

And now, entertainment for the entire family. (Photo: Lexus)

mothers with small children will appreciate is the GX’ standard list of safety features, including a segment-leading 10 airbags and Lexus’ available Pre-Collision System. Four discs come standard too, of course, while ABS and all the other brake-related acronyms that joined forces for superb stopping power with the outgoing SUV will no doubt be strong with the new GX 460. Among those is electronic traction and stability control, the first helpful to get things going and the second really useful when trying to keep control on slippery surfaces.

The GX 460 gets a revised V8, smaller in displacement but more powerful and more fuel-efficient. (Photo: Lexus)

These electronic aids prove amazingly helpful when off-road too, finding traction when the unenhanced four-wheel drive system simply can’t, even in bull-low gear. Testing the GX 460’s advanced Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) in the new 4Runner, it was evident very little could stop it in its tracks, let alone slow it down. When starting to teeter-totter on a particularly difficult spot with the KDSS system off, a quick flick of a switch to resume full electronic assistance solved the problem immediately, lifting the big SUV up and out of the problem area without drama. Normally the KDSS system would be left on, but we turned it off for dramatic effect. It was impressive. The GX 460’s full-time

The new GX gets all the updates expected in a modern luxury machine. (Photo: Lexus)

four-wheel drive system and rugged body-on-frame construction add to the 4x4’s off-road prowess, while also making it capable of heavy loads in the cargo hold or tugged behind via an available tow package.

The previous GX felt good on the road too, with a comfort-biased suspension setup thanks to long suspension travel. The new one should be much the same, although driving the revised 4Runner made it apparent that more sporting behavior is available if tuned appropriately. Then again, firm the suspension up too much and that ride goes out the window, along with the GX’ well respected interior quietness, said to not only carryover in the new 2010 model but be enhanced.

Part of that quietness equation is a velvety smooth powertrain, beginning with a new 4.6-litre V8 that’s also 14% more powerful while 11% more fuel-efficient than the 4.7-litre V8 it replaces. With 301hp on tap, 38 more horsepower than the outgoing engine, and 329 lb-ft of available torque, it’s no slouch off the line, optimized by a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic with manual-shift mode. This powertrain, not available with the 4Runner but part of Toyota’s Sequoia and Tundra offering, results in an estimated fuel economy rating of 14.1L/100km in the city, 9.8L/100km on the highway, and 12.1L/100km combined city/highway, compared to 13.6 combined for the 2009 GX 470.

The new GX will debut at the 2009 Guangzhou Auto Show in China, and go on sale in Canada in early 2010. When it does, it will offer Canadians the unique benefits of resplendent luxury and rigorous off-road capability, a rare combination in today’s all show and no go crossover world.