Review and Test Drive: 2020 Lexus GX 460
The Lexus GX, first launched in 2002 and built on the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado platform, arrived at a time in the United States where there was no coronavirus pandemic and the biggest health concern was SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome, an epidemic traced back to cave-dwelling horseshoe bats in Yunnan, China.
Life was simpler then. The iPhone, Facebook, and Twitter had yet to be invented and, as a result, the 24×7 news cycle was still relatively calm. It was, however, a time during which the country was still reeling from the September 11 terror attacks.
What a difference two decades can make.
The 2020 GX started life in the aughts, receiving a first mid-life refresh in 2013 with the addition of the Lexus spindle grille, new LED headlights and daytime running lights, and it made it to a second refresh in 2019 for the 2020 model year, gaining a redesigned, more angular Lexus spindle grille and new triple-beam LED headlamps. Thanks to these touches the GX has managed to stay current, unlike SARS.
For 2020, Lexus has made the Lexus Safety System+ standard and added an available off-road package that features a multi-terrain option for tough landscapes. Our tester arrived with the optional and rather striking Sport Design option that adds a lower grille surround, rear valence, new side mirrors, scarlet taillights, and 19” alloy wheels with a Gunmetal Metallic finish.