2024 Lexus GX vs 2024 Land Rover Defender

[supersix]

It's going to be real interesting to see how the new 2024 Lexus GX stacks up against the Land Rover Defender!

 

[Dragoon]

I'm curious to see a real-world comparison review myself! Our P400 Defender 110 has been great and I really like the mild hybrid drivetrain that it has. It's very smooth and efficient.

 

[Dragoon]

I dropped by my Land Rover dealer today and they had some serious Overlanding Defenders on display.

 

[curb-optional]

Like many shoppers, I too find myself debating and comparing between the GX Overtrail (absolutely only trim I'd go for) vs. the 110 Defender. I've tested the Defender and driving, it's wonderful. Interior space and features - also wonderful. The reason I'm even looking at the Overtrail? The Defender sells with a mandatory glass roof. Although a style feature many like, I find it impractical because I do load the roof (and use a roof rack). The JLR response seems to be that folks buying Defenders don't seem to actually care about loading a roof much (statistically), so the folks they lose (like me) by mandating the feature is worth it to them to gain the upside of a glass top SUV selling an image. The second feature the Overtrail gets 1,000% right is the wheel/rim/arch space configuration. The Defenders all roll with very little room in the wheel arch (it's on air suspension, which rides great... but leaves little exta room to bang around in). The rim is at best 19" - which dramatically restricts tire choices. It's not like you can't get tires for a 19" rim - it's more that some of the really fantastic choices out there - like KO2s - are not designed for the 19" rim - you need an 18". And even if you can put the KO2s on a Defender, there's virtually no extra room built into the wheel arch, so it's likely to rub or hit. The Overtrail allows for stronger tires than the Defender. It's not just a bigger sidewall - there's a Kevlar reinforced tire I could potentially put on the Overtrail, as well as several from Firestone (their Destination series) which are prohibited by JLR's decision to keep the rim at 19". IMO, it's not like JLR couldn't sell a Defender with 18" steel to roll a KO2 - it's more that they don't seem motivated to focus sufficiently on the required engineering to do it. So that's another point for the Overtrail. Toyota figured out how to give a person a luxury SUV on the inside matched to somethign that seems ready to be super dependable off road, even after hitting potholes at speed, curbs, and going through flooded streets. The restricted tire choices for Defender doesn't matter if you keep Defender on the hightway. It's only an issue if you hit stuff, which I guess is what JLR is trying to move Defender away from. I've also tested Bronco (really fun!), but I think I'll be more likely to want to buy the higher end Overtrail interior vs. the more basic (but totally sufficient) Bronco. To be fair to JLR, if they fit a Defender 110 with a no glass option (I'd save money if they allowed it), and enough space to fit KO2s, then I'd be back at a JLR showroom. But I'm not - apparently - what JLR is seeking. They want imange buyers. But the reailtiy is, no matter how fancy the SUV is tech wise for off road gearing (and both GX and Defender use lots of tech to navigate off road scenarios), the SUV stops when the tire pops. All that $85k tech laden SUV is going nowhere if a $120 tire hits a rock and flattens. You'd think JLR would appreciate that, but it doesn't. Toyota does, and for that, I totally give them loads of credit and can't wait to test the Overtrail out!