More Power, More Off-Road, Less Fuel

If we were asked to recommend one new car to last a lifetime, it would probably be a 2025 Lexus LX. Known to most of the world as the 300 Series Toyota Land Cruiser, the LX is a more luxurious version built to cater to brand-conscious American consumers. It may be more plush than its Toyota counterpart, but the LX still boasts rugged dependability and off-road capability, which is improved for the 2025 model year with the addition of a new Overtrail trim level.

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2025 Lexus LX

Base MSRP

$105,500

Base Trim Drivetrain

Four-Wheel Drive

Base Trim Transmission

10-speed automatic

Base Trim Horsepower

409 HP @5200 RPM

Base Trim Torque

479 lb.-ft. @ 2000 RPM

Base Trim Fuel Economy (city/highway/combined)

17/22/19 MPG

Base Trim Maximum Towing Capacity

8,000 lbs.

Base Trim Engine

3.4L V6 ICE

Pros & Cons

• More performance from hybrid powertrain
• Overtrail trim is the most capable yet
• Ultra luxurious interior

• Fuel economy is still middling
• Feels like an old-school truck to drive
• Practicality isn’t as good as rivals

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The fourth generation Lexus LX receives its first major update, though there aren’t many visual changes outside the aforementioned Overtrail trim level. The biggest change comes under the hood, where a new hybrid powertrain joins the standard twin-turbocharged V6. This new hybrid model is called the LX 700h, and it’s the largest number Lexus has ever used on a vehicle. Is it deserving of that substantial name? Lexus invited us to Napa Valley, California to experience the new LX 700h both on-road and off-road so we could find out.

What’s Changed For 2025?

Now in its third model year, the fourth-generation Lexus LX adds a hybrid powertrain for the first time in the model’s history. A new Overtrail off-road trim has been added to the lineup, acting as the starting point for the new hybrid powertrain. Customers can also opt for the hybrid on the F Sport Handling and Luxury trims, while the Ultra Luxury is now hybrid-only, just like the Overtrail. The LX 600 gas-only model remains available on Premium (gas-only), F Sport Handling, and Luxury grades. The base LX 600 is no longer available.

Aside from the new powertrain and Overtrail trim, the changes to the LX are pretty minimal. Front massage seats are available for the first time, a cool box in the armrest and rear sunshades now come standard, and the driver assists have been upgraded to the Lexus Safety System+ 3.0.

Exterior Design: Tougher Than Ever

The LX offers three unique grills styles to distinguish the different trim levels. Premium, Luxury, and Ultra Luxury use a silver grille with horizontal bars, the Overtrail gets the same grille finished in matte gray, and the F Sport Handling gets a black mesh grille. 20-inch wheels come standard on the premium, while the other on-road trims upgrade to 22-inch wheels. The new Overtrail downsizes to 18-inch wheels wrapped in 33-inch all-terrain tires, the most aggressive setup Lexus has ever offered on an LX.

Related

Lexus Overtrail SUVs Are Proving A Masterstroke

The Overtrail is already racking up impressive sales.

Opting for the Overtrail also rolls in a front skid plate, black door handles, gray roof rails, and black fenders to complete the more rugged look. This trim is available in four colors, including an Overtrail-exclusive brown paint called Earth. Other available colors on the LX include Caviar (black), Manganese Luster (gray), Atomic Silver, Ultra White, and Nori Green Pearl.

Interior: Lexus At Its Best

Sitting as the flagship of the Lexus lineup, the LX always had a top-notch interior. This year, Lexus added front massage seats, a feature that was explicitly missing from previous LX models, while the Ultra Luxury still has massaging rear seats as well. A front cool box in the armrest is a nice standard feature, as are manual rear sunshades in the back seat. Leather seats come standard on all trims with semi-aniline leather available as an upgrade on the Premium trim or standard on all other trims.

Though the LX sits at the top of the Lexus portfolio, it’s not the most practical vehicle the company offers. If you want a more spacious SUV with a Lexus badge, you should buy the TX. Most trims offer a third row with seven seats, but the Overtrail can be purchased as a two-row vehicle with five seats. There’s also the Ultra Luxury, which swaps the rear bench for individual reclining seats and a large center console, cutting the seating capacity down to four. Even in its most practical form, the LX maxes out at just 71 cubic feet of cargo space. By comparison, a short wheelbase Cadillac Escalade touts 120.5 cubes, nearly 70% more overall volume. That storage space is reduced further when opting for the LX 700h, which mounts its hybrid battery under the third row in three-row variants or under the rear seat in two-row models. The battery also causes the load floor to be raised, so Lexus added a folding shelf that can create a flat surface.

Infotainment: Lets Get Physical

A 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system carries over from last year unchanged with a seven-inch lower touchscreen to control the climate and drive modes. It’s an easy-to-use setup, but we find it odd that less expensive Lexus models have a larger touchscreen. Old school Lexus fans may prefer the setup in the LX, which includes plenty of buttons and knobs that are large and easy to use while wearing a glove.

Powertrain & Driving: More Of Everything

Lexus had several versions of the LX 700h available at the event, including the new Overtrail trim level, which we spent most of the day driving. The LX 700h uses the same twin-turbocharged V6 found in the LX 600, but it adds a small battery and electric motor that boosts the horsepower and torque without hurting fuel economy. A version of this engine is also used in the Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, but it produces slightly less power when running on 87 octane gasoline.

We could immediately feel the additional power and torque produced by the hybrid powertrain. In fact, the LX 700h bested its manufacturer’s estimated 0-60 mph time by more than half a second, clocking 60 mph in just 5.72 seconds. The standard LX 600 is already a smooth vehicle, but the LX 700h feels smoother still. The transmission changes gears almost imperceptibly and the electric motor mounted in the transmission provides instant thrust before the turbos fully spool. When you bring the LX to a stop, the hybrid system keeps the accessories running and restarts the engine without the driver noticing. This ranks among our favorite powertrains in the full-size luxury segment.

Some buyers may not love the LX’s truck-like ride, which carries over from last year’s model. It’s far more controlled and athletic than the outgoing LX 570, but a Range Rover or BMW X7 will out-handle it on the pavement. Though the suspension is tuned softly for comfort, rough roads do come through to the driver in the form of body motion, a trait that many old-school body-on-frame vehicles suffer from. The body-one-frame construction does have many benefits, however, including impressive off-road capabilities. Every LX gets a center locking differential with Multi-Terrain Select, but the Overtrail trim adds front and rear lockers for additional utility. We were able to briefly test the Overtrail’s off-road chops on a short course, which flexed the wheel articulation to its max. The LX 700h will have no issues getting to your log cabin at the top of a hill.

Despite having more power than its non-hybrid counterpart, the LX 700h achieves better fuel economy figures, if only slightly. You can expect to see 19/22/20 mpg city/highway/combined, which is a modest improvement over the LX 600 at 17/22/19. The hybrid powertrain is a performance option, not a fuel-saving one.

Verdict & Pricing: Ditching The Land Cruiser Roots

Lexus previously offered a base LX 600 to capture “Land Cruiser orphans” who could no longer purchase the more affordable Toyota version in the United States. With a new (albeit smaller) Land Cruiser now available stateside and a fresh Lexus GX riding on the same platform, the LX is free to embrace its flagship status. Pricing for the 2025 LX 600 Premium now starts at $106,850 (not including a $1,350 processing and handling fee). That’s a $5,985 price hike over the 2024 LX 600 Premium and a whopping $13,935 bump over the discontinued base model. The LX 600 F Sport Handling and Luxury grades see even larger increases of over $6,000, now priced at $113,850 and $115,350, respectively. If you want an LX 700h, the Overtrail is the cheapest way to get one at $115,350. The F Sport Handling and Luxury hybrids are $4,000 more than their gas-only counterparts ($117,850 and $119,850). At the top of the range, the LX 700h Ultra Luxury costs $141,350, and will continue to be sold in small volumes (less than 3% of LX production).

If you want the smoothest and most powerful powertrain available in Lexus’ flagship SUV, it’s the LX 700h. The hybrid brings a noticeable power increase without a fuel economy hit, though the fuel savings are minimal. Is that worth a $4,000 price increase? We’d argue that other optional engines at this price point add significantly more performance, but at a much higher cost and a drop in efficiency. So if you are already spending six-figures on a car, what’s another four grand? The hybrid is also the only way to get the Overtrail, which has now become our favorite LX trim based on its rugged styling, increased capability, and (relatively) reasonable price point. The LX’s off-road prowess is its most endearing feature, and the Overtrail encapsulates that the most. If we wanted a luxury car to last a lifetime, it would be an LX 700h, specifically a Nori Green Overtrail grade.