The 2018 Lexus GX460.

It's been four years since our last week in a Lexus GX460.  So what's changed?  Virtually nothing.

And that's a good thing.

2018 Lexus GX460.

Some folks have been expressing worry about the future of the GX460.  It's been around, virtually unchanged (this year's big news is the Sport Design Package, more about which later),  since the 2010 model year (LED lights and the Lexus spindle grille were added in 2013). 

That's a long time without even a mid-cycle refresh.  And Lexus hasn't been publicly discussing a next-generation GX.  But our bet is that Lexus will keep making the GX460 because people keep buying them.  It is a solid, strong competitor to Land Rover's Discovery and Range Rover Sport, every bit as capable and luxurious and demonstrably more reliable.

2018 Lexus GX460 interior.

The GX460 is a body-on-frame, V8-powered, three-row SUV with full-time four-wheel drive and a Torsen limited-slip differential.  As David E. Davis, Junior once said, it'll climb a tree if you're brave enough.

The V8 is the long-serving 4.6-liter, 32-valve DOHC variable valve timing powerplant that's been under the hood for eight model years running.  EPA fuel economy estimate: 15 city/18 highway.

A base price of $63,230 gets you that as well as adaptive variable suspension, rear air suspension with automatic load leveling, a kinetic dynamic suspension system, 18-inch alloy wheels with mud and snow tires, anti-lock braking with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, vehicle stability and trailer sway control, ten airbags, the Lexus Enform Safety Connect app suite, smart access with pushbutton start and stop, a blind spot mirror with rear cross-traffic alert, backup camera, intuitive parking assist, navigation with an eight-inch touchscreen, voice command, a one-year trial subscription to Lexus Enform Destinations, a three-month subscription to SiriusXM Satellite Radio, semi-aniline leather-trimmed seats with memory, the front seats heated and ventilated and ten-way power adjustable, the second row heated.

There's also a heated mahogany wood steering wheel and shift knob, a three-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, a windshield de-icer, auto-dimming mirrors, Homelink, power folding mirrors, a power tilt/slide moonroof, automatic LED low-beam headlamps with washers, LED daytime running lights, LED foglamps and running boards (which my wide feet found too narrow to be useful---I had to step over them to get in and out).

That's a lot of SUV for $63,000.  Especially in a world where you can find less capable machines nudging $100,000.

Of course, our tester had options:

• Dual-screen rear-seat entertainment system with audio/video and HDMI inputs, a 12-volt outlet and wireless headphones: $1,970.
• The Sport Design Package (18-inch split-six-spoke alloy wheels with gunmetal metallic finish, heated second-row tilt and slide captain's chairs, unique lower grille front, and rear bumper spoilers, a chrome exhaust tip, chrome detail side mirrors and deep red taillights): $1,950.
• The Driver Support Package with Mark Levinson Audio (a pre-collision system with driver attention monitor, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, intelligent high-beam headlamps, wide-view front and side monitor, crawl control, and a Mark Levinson Premium surround-sound audio system): $4,340.
• F-Sport 18-inch alloy wheels: $1,499.
• Tow hitch with ball mount: $654.
• Carpeted cargo mat: $105.
• Glass breakage sensor: $329.

The 2017 Lexus GX460.

Yes, the old phrase is "leaving well enough alone".  But where "well enough" doesn't describe the Lexus GX460, "excellence" does.

2017 Lexus GX460.

Our Publisher and Executive Editor has had the last couple of turns in a GX460,  the most recent being about two years ago, in a 2015 model.  His observations stand.

The Lexus GX460 is, along with its big brother, the LX570, which we reviewed just two weeks ago, one of a handful of truly capable luxury SUVs.  One size smaller than the LX, its competition is the Land Rover Discovery and the Mercedes-Benz GLE, both newer, more efficient---the 301-horsepower, V8-powered GX460 has an EPA fuel economy estimate of just 15 city/18 highway---designs.

2017 Lexus GX460 interior.

There is something to be said for those machines, and 2017 is the fourth model year of the GX460 without much in the way of major changes---the center stack of the instrument panel is beginning to look like a relic of a different age---but let's stop and consider Lexus' trump card, its unassailable reputation for quality and reliability.  That alone will keep the GX460 on customers' lists until an all-new one is ready.

Our test vehicle had a base price of $62,980 and a staggering list of standard features.  There were, as usual, options:

• A dual-screen rear-seat entertainment system with audio/video and HDMI inputs, a 12-volt power outlet and wireless headphones ($1,970)
• The Sport Design package---18-inch split six-spoke alloy wheels with gunmetal metallic finish, unique lower grille surround, unique front lip garnish, contoured side mirror covers with chrome, rear valance, deep red taillight graphic and chrome exhaust tips ($1,625)
• The Driver Support package---Mark Levinson audio system, pre-collision system with driver attention monitor, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, intelligent high-beam headlights, wide-view front and side monitor and crawl control ($4,340)