Both the new GX and new LC (Prado) are obviously inspired by the Defender. I do not want to say "copycat", but Toyota/Lexus cut pretty close to that - almost acting as the Chinese copying some of the European and even Japanese cars. I haven't seen one in person but the pictures kinda let me down. I do not like that hump towards the end of the shoulder line. The wheels and tire combo look dainty to say the least. The Defender shoulder - raised and straight - looks waaaay better. But again, they had to change it a bit to avoid carbon copy comparisons. Where the GX and LC leap forward is build quality. As much as we love our Defenders, I think we are all mature enough to admit Toyota's build quality is stellar when compared to LR, especially (and this is a big one!) coming straight from Japan. This is not to say however the first year models won't have their issues. They all do, but I would expect the issues to be fairly minor when compared to some of the stuff we've seen from JLR. That said, for now I am keeping my Defender - but with an extended warranty of course.

 

Mazda too. We have a CX-5 turbo in the family motor pool. CX-5 is the last Mazda sold in the US that is built in Japan. The build quality and interior style and materials are amazing for a $40K vehicle. Right up there with some Audis I have owned.

As for the GX, I can already guess that those stupid GX running boards and lack of a heated windshield and an interior cooler box will keep me in a Defender.

 

You can get a heated windshield and a cooler box on the build page. The cooler box looks small and like a mild cooler, not a refrigerator like the defender but it is available.

 

I have 2022 toyota sienna, it less over engineered and doesn't have Pivi problems and speakers shutting down but it's not really superbly built, panels are loos-ish, paint is thin and wears off and suspension arm makes noise at 80K kms.
And there's that lurch when regen braking stops and brakes take over.
No points on build quality but it has less annoyances.
And ask Tundra turbo owners about their engine issues.

 

Wow, so they carefully copied the Defender including the options list. Imitation is the highest form of flattery.

 

Agree and to me the front is very ugly/odd

 

I waited for the full reveal on the GX before committing to the Defender. The teaser images from Lexus marketing team made it look compelling in that Earthy tone/black trim instead of the typical Lexus chrome.

As soon as I saw the interior and read end I was out. Who signed off on that b-hole looking tow hitch cover?

 

I'm happy with my Defender but curious about the Grenadier and the GX Overtrail. I test drove the Grenadier last month in Seattle and it reminded me of my old D2 in a good way and I know it will be good off road. My use case and age I'm not sure I can do a long road trip in the Grenadier to go camping or overlanding. For me that's why the ND works so well with me. The GX Overtrail looks interesting and configuring it as close to my Defender X comes out to quite some savings. The biggest thing for me is the ability to sleep in the back with the seats laying flat. My LR4 did it best and the new GX at least from the videos I've seen has some spaces where it would look uncomfortable without modding it for a complete flat floor.

 

Ha! Nice try, but you lose the argument as soon as you park your Defender next to a Rubicon or a Bronco Badlands or Wildtrack. Have you driven a Wildtrack? This is one of those Llyod Benson flashback moments: JLR, I've seen KO2 tires; I've driven a car in KO2s; I know how durable KO2s are; JLR, those off road treads you're putting on Defender are no KO2s... Suggesting Defender is top of the line in off road configurations makes you sound like Dan Quayle. It's not that Defender doesn't have off road tires; they do. Park Defender next to an X5 and it's a huge improvement; but is the X5 your metric? If Defender is to have an off road trim, didn't you wonder why JLR isn't selling Defender with one of the most popular off road tires? It's not just the tire, it's the space in the wheel arch for them to bang around a bit. Saying you can put some other off road tires on Defender is not the issue & you're overlooking a likely culprit: KO2s are heavy. You can put off road tires on a Forrester, but that's not what I'm talking about. IMO JLR is restricting tire choice by limiting 18" rims to the 2.0L engine. Goodyears with Kevlar may fit rims of 17-21" but it's not all the same: the sidewall should be a choice you get to make, not one made for you by JLR. JLR could put the stronger 3.0L engine in Defender with 18" rims and sell it with KO2s. If they did so, it would be a popular trim for sure. Tire choices go up when you go from a 19" rim to an 18" rim. It's not just rim size. The Defender has to have room in the wheel arch for big, heavy tires. The 2.0L is a good engine, but it's apparently not up to the KO2 entry fee. (By way of comparison, the GX has increased torque of 479 vs Defender at 295 - that 60% more than the 2.0L on Defender, and it gives GX owners more choices in the aftermarket because the engine is more capable.) It's clear Defender doesn't offer as many tire/rim choices as Wrangler, Bronco and the new GX will. Why? Why is JLR restricting after market tire choices for folks that just plunked down $80k? No other manufacturer in the off road market does that. Maybe it's because JLR has decided you don't need KO2s for Whole Foods? And that's the point. If you want to be in the off road SUV market, you have to spec out an SUV you can take off road. Lexus concedes the point. Although the GX may not come with KO2s, if you buy the Overtrail you'll be able to buy KO2s later on. Why would Lexus market an off road SUV that can't roll one of the most broadly accepted off road tire choices out there? Right? So Lexus is game on, same as the others. It's only JLR out there telling the buyer: "You don't really need a big sidewall. There's no difference. Buy these lighter, less durable, perhaps even thinner tires with low profiles instead!" Nope, not going to happen. I'm not saying JLR needs to make Defender super off road oriented. But at the same time, if JLR doesn't let the buyer configure Defender with one of the leading off road tire choices out there, what exactly is JLR saying? Right, Defender is for the shopping malls, and you don't need KO2s for that. Personally, I think JLR will get more competitive eventually. The 18" steel wheel is awesome, and the 3.0L engine is the winner compared to the 2.0L engine. Like chocolate and peanut butter, they will eventually put the two together.

I think JLR keeping Defender at the mall has given Lexus an opening for buyers that wanted their SUV to do something more than mall shopping. IMO, there's no way a GX Overtrail is going to lose in a head to head off road match with Defender as it's currently configured. For Defender to compete (and it could), it will need a trim fitted with more durable treads. The GX has the treads + alot of the off road tech from the older 200 LC; it's likely to be an absolute beast on bad terrain in a way that folks familiar with old GX are going to be like WTF it's like a LC! Yep, because it's getting alot of the LC tech, plus increased torque. Defender has lots of tech too, just as much if not more as GX. But didn't you stop to wonder what all that Defender tech is reliant upon? Right, the rubber beneath it. And that's the point. Defender trims today are about compromise, and I'm interested in Defender with a 3.0L engine, 18" steel wheels, and KO2s. If JLR were not so focused on 0-60 acceleration speeds, it may have allowed them to configure the 3.0L engine for increased torque but not as much acceleration, and allowing smaller calipers, and then the 18" rims. But a myopic drive to get "fast" Defenders produced required engines built for acceleration, big calipers to control that acceleration, and has lost some buyers not interested at all in the 0-60 number. I'm sure I'm a minority of buyers, but the GX Overtrail is really tuned to attract folks like me. And for $80k buyers, why not?

 

You're 100% trolling. That's now abundantly clear. For what it's worth, I also have a Bronco Wildtrak. It's nowhere near the vehicle the Defender is. It is Cyber Orange, so it does stand out a bit more though.