2024 Lexus GX 550 Road Trip Review: 1,000 Miles of Comfort and Annoying Driver Tech

• The more I drive it, the more I like it.
• The driver aids were more problematic than they were helpful.
• Even with a majority of highway driving, the GX's fuel economy wasn't stellar.

I drove our 2024 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail 1,000 miles over the past two weeks. Most of my time driving the GX was during a 600-mile road trip. The four of us in the Lexus were part of a 20-person caravan headed to the Hoover Dam, where we'd drop canoes into the Colorado River and paddle south for a couple of days. Over this trip, the GX was comfortable and a bit frustrating because of its tech.

The drive

On the open road, a few things stood out. The turbocharged V6 and 10-speed automatic worked perfectly together. Power was easily accessible at any time. If I wanted a little more speed, I put my foot farther down and the GX would pull, strong and smooth, even when downshifting. Back off the gas and it slowed on its own, with an almost immediate response. It's just as seamless in stop-and-go driving around town. The GX's driving manners are great to live with and much better than those of its predecessor.

Comfort along Interstate 15 was notable, too. The ride quality was "silky smooth" if you ask my passengers, but they couldn't feel those uneasy shimmies when we hit a bump in the road mid-turn. Nevertheless, I was still impressed by its ride despite the off-road disposition of our Overtrail trim. Same goes for overall quietness with a cabin that was mostly shielded from external noise. At one point, raging winds outside blew head-on, supercharging the AC fans and shoving air at us with an audible howl. But the AC worked diligently in triple-digit heat, providing a comfortable experience for everyone on board.

The technology

This GX has a broad suite of in-car tech. Still, adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance were all I used. Maybe I'll try them again in the future, but during my initial time with the GX, they proved more annoying than useful. The adaptive cruise control system is slow to apply the initial brake when a car enters your path and slow again to accelerate when it leaves your path. Aside from one bend in the road, where the GX wanted to drive us into a ravine, lane keeping did its job.

My backseat passengers on this road trip stood 5 feet 5 inches. So comfort was less of a concern for them. The Lexus had plenty of USB-C connections to keep phones charged and users entertained, but not much else. Trimmings were pretty stark. The lack of rear seat heaters was mentioned, though not belabored.

The rest of it

Fuel economy was disappointing considering the amount of time spent on the highway. On this trip, we achieved the best average to date: 19.7 mpg. Remember, the GX is rated at 17 mpg combined (15 city/21 highway).

The turning radius was amazing. I could flip a U-turn on most residential streets in my area. This must help a lot with maneuvering off-road, but I kept on pavement this time. That said, our team will be sure to bring the Overtail off-road over the course of our yearlong test.

The pop-out cargo area window was a feature I didn't realize I needed until I had it. Three one-gallon jugs of water got pinned against the cargo hatch door when I wasn't looking. Had I not opened the window first for a peek, it could've been trouble when I opened the hatch door. I should add that at 6 feet tall, the window is a perfect height for me. I could see it being less useful for shorter humans.

Finally, two oddities. First, I was in a drive-thru and the front proximity sensor chimed an alert, then stopped, then repeated five or six times. The distance shouldn't have triggered the sensor to begin with, and considering that the car was stationary during the freakout left me scratching my head. Second, there was a water drainage quirk. The GX roof drainage rail lines up in such a way that, when I opened the rear door and reached inside, a stream of cold morning dew dripped down the back of my neck. When I wasn't blocking its path, the water flowed right onto the carpet. That shouldn't happen.

Our GX 550 received more unsolicited praise from total strangers than any car I've driven in a long time. People dig it and want to know more. So do I. It's not perfect. Still, the more I drive it, the more I like it. Much more to come as we continue our yearlong ownership test with the GX.