Why This Lexus SUV Is a Smarter Buy Than the 2025 Land Cruiser

The return of the Land Cruiser in 2025 has stirred plenty of excitement, but there’s another SUV in the Toyota group lineup that quietly does everything better, with more refinement, comfort, and luxury baked in. For those who want rugged capability without sacrificing upscale appeal, this Lexus SUV may be the smarter pick.

It rides on the same tough platform and offers serious off-road chops, but takes things further with a more premium interior, smoother ride quality, and additional features that make it feel far more complete. From high-grade materials to cutting-edge tech, it delivers a luxury experience wrapped in adventure-ready toughness.

While the Land Cruiser focuses on heritage and simplicity, this SUV proves you don’t have to choose between capability and comfort. It’s built for the trail, but designed for the daily grind. Here’s why it might just be the better buy for those who want it all.

The 2025 Lexus GX Is Essentially a Posher Toyota Land Cruiser

For the 2024 model year, Toyota brought the iconic Land Cruiser nameplate back to the United States, something that nobody was really expecting. Its return grabbed headlines and drew all the attention away from another redesign. The mid-size SUV’s rich cousin from Lexus, the GX, also underwent a redesign, and it might be one of the best off-road-ready SUVs money can buy.

2025 Trims and Pricing

For the 2025 model year, the GX starts at around $65,000. This means that it isn’t exactly an affordable SUV. However, considering how much more luxurious it claims to be, it is a reasonable jump from the $56,700 starting price of the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser. The top of the range Land Cruiser starts pretty close, with an MSRP of $61,470, and the GX definitely comes better equipped.

The GX has two pretty distinct personalities. It can be a plush on-road cruiser or a rough-and-tumble adventure SUV. This all depends on which trim you go for. If you’re looking for the model that best compares to the Land Cruiser, the Overtrail+ trim offers the best value for your money. It deletes the third row of seats and instead offers some advanced off-roading equipment.

Changes For 2025

The Lexus GX was completely redesigned for the 2024 model year, with a new platform, powertrain, exterior, and interior. Where it was starting to show its age, it is now a modern SUV topped to the brim with high-tech luxury features. This does, however, mean that Lexus has taken it easy for the 2025 model year, with only a few meaningful changes to talk about.

Some standard equipment has been added this year, though, including a power-adjustable steering column. All 2025 models also now come with a memory function, which programs the power-adjustable seats, mirrors, and steering wheel based on your individual preferences. Finally, Lexus has given the Overtrail and Overtrail+ trims an additional inch of lift so that they can better tackle the tough stuff.

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The New Twin-Turbo V-6 in the GX Makes More Power Than the Land Cruiser’s Inline-Four

Downsizing is a trend that we will continue to see throughout the automotive industry as automakers struggle to meet tightening emissions laws. For the Land Cruiser and GX, this has meant the death of the V-8 engine. Both models have gone with smaller units, with the Land Cruiser relying on hybrid assist for extra power while the GX uses some heavy forced induction.

Performance Specifications

Comparatively, the Lexus GX is just the more powerful and more capable beast. It comes standard with a twin-turbocharged V-6 that makes more power than Toyota’s hybrid inline-four. The fact that it doesn’t use a hybrid assist system is something that will also be attractive to some because of the perceived reliability benefits. The GX is also capable of towing over 3,000 more pounds than the Land Cruiser when properly equipped, and more than most of its rivals.

The Land Cruiser comes pretty well-equipped for outdoor excursions, but the Lexus still comes out ahead. For example, the Cruiser has a front-stabilzer bar disconnect but the GX has an advanced electronically controlled kinetic dynamic suspension system which adjusts stabilizer bars automatically for road stability and off-road wheel articulation. Both have center and rear locking differentials and full-time four-wheel drive.

Fuel Economy

Comparing the two, it’s obvious that Toyota’s hybrid inline-four is much more efficient than the Lexus V-6. If fuel economy is a big priority to you, then this is the one area where the Toyota outperforms the Lexus. Despite Lexus downsizing its engine, the new V-6 offers very few economy gains over the outgoing V-8. In fact, the GX is one of the biggest gas-guzzlers that you can currently buy. That additional power comes at a cost.

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The GX is Much More Comfortable Than the Land Cruiser

Surprising to no one, Lexus does interior comfort better than Toyota. The price jump between the Land Cruiser and the most affordable GX is pretty substantial, but this is one of the areas where you see what your money actually gets you. Considering how rugged and capable this boxy SUV is, it is beyond impressive that its interior is such a spacious and comfortable place to be.

Interior Dimensions and Comfort

The Lexus GX is easily more spacious than the Toyota Land Cruiser, especially if you’re a passenger in the back seats. One of the biggest places the Toyota falls down is in its rear seat space. The GX can also come with a third row, depending on which model you opt for, which reduces second row legroom, but both rows remain comfortable for adults. If cargo hauling is important to you, the GX chalks up another win, with a much more spacious trunk area.

The Land Cruiser has always meant to feel comfortable, and the current iteration certainly is. Go from the Toyota to the Land Cruiser though, and the difference is night and day. While the interior design feels very similar, with most things in the same place, the Lexus just feels like a simple upgrade in just about every way. Niceties like heated and ventilated seats, massaging front seats, semi-aniline leather, and tri-zone climate control are all available in the Lexus.

Infotainment and Technology

We’ve established that the interior of the GX just feels like an upgraded version of the Land Cruiser’s, and this trend continues when we take a look at technology. Every 2025 GX comes with a pretty large 14-inch touchscreen integrated into the dashboard, with a separate customizable 12.3-inch digital gauge display. The Land Cruiser comes standard with an eight-inch screen, upgradeable to a 12.3-inch unit.

The GX comes with a plethora of other features to fluff out its cabin, including six USB-C ports scattered throughout the cabin. A wireless smartphone charging pad is also on offer. A ten-speaker sound system is standard, but audiophiles will be pleased with the 21-speaker Mark Levinson system that is available as an upgrade. A multi-terrain monitor also uses cameras under the vehicle to display what obstacles might be in your way.