I have been composing a post in my mind for the last several weeks explaining why I was trading my 2 month old GX, then….
After owning the GX550 OT+ (pictured in this post) for 2 months, I was on the cusp of trading it for a 2025 Land Rover Defender X. Over the past 2 months my frustration continued to build…the fluttering hood, the “tinned” feeling of the doors, the absolute maddening squeal of the brakes, the apparent haphazard function of the camera system and most annoying, the seemingly endless driver warnings popping up with no rhyme or rhythm. The technology and infotainment seemed poorly designed and not intuitive.
I actually had a deal negotiated and was going to facilitate the trade this week!!!
Last week, out of necessity (my son had my pickup), I had to drive my GX to our Ranch in the Texas hill country. The ranch is quite rough with granite outcroppings and deep barrancas. While very rough, it’s unbelievably beautiful and I love spending days and weeks out there. It was crazy cold for Texas so rather than taking our Kawasaki Mule’s out, I drove the GX. I was absolutely amazed at the capability of the GX550. I had so much fun, I actually ended up driving almost every road on the 1000 acres for over 3 hours. After I got back home, I was surfing this forum and in the “Tips and Tricks” section, discovered the 2 1/2 hour Deep Dive Tutorial on the GX550 produced by Northside Lexus. I must say that this is an absolute EXCELLENT resource. If you haven’t spent time with it, do it!!! You will learn soooo much about the vehicle. I actually began to understand the driver assist system, the warnings, why they were happening and how to control them. I also learned so much about the off road and drive settings and I must say the capability of the GX is utterly amazing!!!!!
I fiddled around with the various settings and then went back out to our ranch today. I used the Down hill control system, the rock crawl setting and various other settings. I immediately texted my Land Rover salesman (I actually own several Range Rovers) and told him the deal was off…I’m keeping the GX!!
While the GX550 is not perfect (hood flutter and squealing brakes), I am totally amazed at the capability and now understand how to control many of the things that were driving me crazy with Driver Assist. It is actually is a joy to drive. It lacks the panache’ of my G63 and pales in luxury to my Range Rovers, but it is a special vehicle and I’m happy to own it!!
In closing, if you haven’t seen the aforementioned Deep Dive Tutorial and you want to learn about all the various systems in the GX, do yourself a favor and spend some time perusing the video!!!
K
After owning the GX550 OT+ (pictured in this post) for 2 months, I was on the cusp of trading it for a 2025 Land Rover Defender X. Over the past 2 months my frustration continued to build…the fluttering hood, the “tinned” feeling of the doors, the absolute maddening squeal of the brakes, the apparent haphazard function of the camera system and most annoying, the seemingly endless driver warnings popping up with no rhyme or rhythm. The technology and infotainment seemed poorly designed and not intuitive.
I actually had a deal negotiated and was going to facilitate the trade this week!!!
Last week, out of necessity (my son had my pickup), I had to drive my GX to our Ranch in the Texas hill country. The ranch is quite rough with granite outcroppings and deep barrancas. While very rough, it’s unbelievably beautiful and I love spending days and weeks out there. It was crazy cold for Texas so rather than taking our Kawasaki Mule’s out, I drove the GX. I was absolutely amazed at the capability of the GX550. I had so much fun, I actually ended up driving almost every road on the 1000 acres for over 3 hours. After I got back home, I was surfing this forum and in the “Tips and Tricks” section, discovered the 2 1/2 hour Deep Dive Tutorial on the GX550 produced by Northside Lexus. I must say that this is an absolute EXCELLENT resource. If you haven’t spent time with it, do it!!! You will learn soooo much about the vehicle. I actually began to understand the driver assist system, the warnings, why they were happening and how to control them. I also learned so much about the off road and drive settings and I must say the capability of the GX is utterly amazing!!!!!
I fiddled around with the various settings and then went back out to our ranch today. I used the Down hill control system, the rock crawl setting and various other settings. I immediately texted my Land Rover salesman (I actually own several Range Rovers) and told him the deal was off…I’m keeping the GX!!
While the GX550 is not perfect (hood flutter and squealing brakes), I am totally amazed at the capability and now understand how to control many of the things that were driving me crazy with Driver Assist. It is actually is a joy to drive. It lacks the panache’ of my G63 and pales in luxury to my Range Rovers, but it is a special vehicle and I’m happy to own it!!
In closing, if you haven’t seen the aforementioned Deep Dive Tutorial and you want to learn about all the various systems in the GX, do yourself a favor and spend some time perusing the video!!!
