BEND, Oregon – “I hope it’s definitely worth the noise!” I saved listening to Richard Lewis saying that, with grand horns blaring inches from his head, in that cinematic basic, “Robin Hood: Males in Tights.” For greater than 13 hours, I drove the 2024 Lexus GX 550 Premium+ alongside California and Oregon highways at a gradual 70 mph. Any sooner, and the wind noise would elevate from a gradual roar to booming. Not due to the GX, thoughts you – it’s surprisingly quiet for a field on wheels with mirrors formed like a hardcover guide – however due to the full-roof accent roof rack I requested be put in for my journey from Agoura Hills exterior Los Angeles to Bend in central Oregon.
As I described in Half 1 of my GX outside journey street journey story, the accent rack was obligatory as a result of the Premium and Luxurious trim ranges don’t include the Overtrail’s raised roof rails that allow you to set up your individual crossbars or different racks (such because the Yakima crossbars I personal). Whereas I may’ve requested Lexus set up the $440 cross bar official accent, I opted for the $1,580 accent “Roof Rack.” It will look quite a bit cooler, for starters, which I’ve to think about is why I so often see such full-roof racks on Land Rover Defenders, Mercedes G 550s and different luxurious off-roaders. Relatedly, it looks as if the type of factor somebody can be more likely to match to their GX; attempting it out subsequently appeared helpful for reporting functions. I used to be additionally on a mission to make use of it for transporting a rented kayak as soon as in Bend, and it positive appeared like it will be extra helpful than plain-old crossbars.
However to know for positive, I requested the skilled opinion of Danielle, the pleasant worker of Bend Kayak Faculty and Leases (pictured above left) that set me up with a stunning yellow tandem kayak and the straps wanted to verify it stayed atop the GX.
“So, I’m borrowing this automobile. I used to be questioning if that large rack up there truly makes a distinction for transporting and securing kayaks?” I requested as she secured the entrance strap onto the little tow hook that’s apparently simply beneath the appropriate facet of the bumper. She knew it was most likely there, I didn’t.
“Oh yeah. All that additional floor space goes to make it much more steady, and make it simpler to rise up there,” Danielle reported to my reduction. It was definitely worth the noise, it was!
Clearly, the GX is sort of a tall automobile; in actual fact, it’s precisely as tall as me at 6-foot-3. My father is 6-foot-even, so we’re as near a best-case situation aside from some former basketball gamers. Nonetheless, it was fairly a hoist to get the massive tandem kayak off and later up there once more. Danielle is barely cracking 5-feet, nonetheless, so she expertly used the door sills and doorways to hoist herself and the kayak up. Not her first rodeo. Personally, if I have been going to be routinely transporting a kayak locations, I’d most likely get a wagon due to the decrease roof. I ponder if Audi sells a full-length platform roof rack for the RS 6 Avant? (Strokes chin.)
The rack wasn’t the one gear-hauling accent I introduced alongside on the journey – the Yakima StageTwo heavy-duty bike rack that made its debut final 12 months after I made an analogous journey with a Honda Pilot TrailSport additionally made the journey. Each GX comes normal with a 2-inch trailer hitch, which is “hidden” behind a curiously conspicuous panel. It pops off simply — I used a flat-head screw driver to tug out a pair of plastic pins, which pop again in simply as simply sufficient.
There have been no points putting in or uninstalling the rack, which is extra a credit score to the Yakima, however the Lexus GX will get a reasonably large shout-out, too, because it proved to be completely arrange for carrying a motorcycle again there. You see, the rack folds up when not in use and folds down while you want entry to the liftgate; when loaded with a motorcycle, it tilts all the way down to let the liftgate swing up. Nonetheless, that performance was typically not wanted in any respect due to the GX’s pop-up rear window. I may simply stroll up, pop open the window, and simply drop in or pick objects within the cargo space with out touching the bike rack. I had identified the pop-up rear window may very well be helpful, however I didn’t learn about this. In contrast, the Land Rover Defender and particularly its jumbo, door-mounted tire made utilizing my bike rack troublesome (I couldn’t use the inboard platform).
I may even pop the glass with the kayak in place. Barely, however it was nonetheless extra do-able than trying to open the entire hatch with the strap in place.
Now, above you may additionally see that I found the bike rack can double as a river float tube rack. Candy. Positive beats inflating it on the river (although the GX has an influence outlet to take action), attempting to tie it to the roof rack (lamest roof-mounted wheel ever) or attempting to stuff inside. I most likely may have, although, because the GX’s boxiness proved time and time once more to be a boon for packing no matter inside. Sarcastically, I didn’t convey any of my standard baggage check luggage, as an alternative choosing smaller soft-case luggage that have been simpler to load given the massive, awkwardly formed objects that wanted to come back alongside as effectively. That included a fold-up Thule stroller, a toddler bike seat, helmets, a child’s steadiness bike, inflatable rafts, small oars, camp chairs and a field of groceries. I truly had room left over, so I’m fairly proud of the quantity of cargo quantity current.
As a refresher, I used to be assembly my household in Bend (my spouse, 3-year-old son, mom and father). Though we may technically all slot in two rows, my son’s jumbo automobile seat makes that awfully squishy. As such, we saved the driver-side third-row up. My spouse, who’s 5-foot-zip, reviews that it was completely comfy again there and likewise appreciated that the GX’s boxiness makes it much less claustrophobic than in different third rows. With the passenger-side third-row seat lowered, we had sufficient room for the stroller, child’s bike and varied backpacks for our varied adventures. Mainly, the GX having one of many least helpful areas behind its third row wasn’t a hindrance on this journey.
Inside storage is enough. The cupholders are sufficiently big to carry a wine-bottle-sized water bottle, and the door holders are equally as broad (although the armrest above requires a barely smaller bottle). The wi-fi telephone charger is conveniently situated and didn’t roast my telephone. Then again, the quantity of heart console actual property dedicated to the cigarette lighter energy port and the little door that covers it looks as if a waste and the encompass wooden trim unimpressive. Additionally, I don’t assume the little storage shelf on the passenger facet is that helpful.
As for know-how, this GX already obtained the over-the-air replace that retains the native infotainment system shortcut buttons on display screen whereas utilizing Apple CarPlay. It is a game-changer. The Toyota Land Cruiser I had the next week hadn’t been up to date, and the necessity to continually trip between the Apple and Toyota techniques is endlessly annoying. Now, I can’t say the GX’s greater display screen makes a lot of a distinction versus the Land Cruiser’s (14 vs 12.3 inches), for the reason that additional actual property is completely dedicated to the local weather controls. These are common buttons within the Land Cruiser. The GX’s touchscreen controls work nice, in addition they keep completely docked and nonetheless have bodily temperature knobs, however I can’t say it makes a lot of a distinction. If something, I choose the little ledge underneath the Land Cruiser’s display screen that allows you to regular your hand whereas making inputs.
To be trustworthy, the Lexus infotainment system gave me essentially the most pause as I contemplated spending 25-plus hours with it, however it finally was simply nice. As I described in Half 1, the motive force help tech proved to be the larger annoyance, however the offending options at the very least stayed off. Finally, from a driving, practicality and performance perspective, the Lexus GX 550 Premium+ significantly exceeded my expectations. Now, I solely dipped a toe into its full outside journey functionality for the reason that furthest I took it off street was on some unpaved parking tons. There may be subsequently much more versatility right here, however given its off-roading functionality contributes to its poor gasoline economic system, it’s exhausting to not marvel if the trade-off is value it in case you don’t routinely enterprise to extra rugged locations.
I suppose an analogous argument could be made about that full-roof rack: Except you’re going to be doing all of your fair proportion of kayaking or roof tenting, it’s possible you’ll need to skip it – even when it all the time seems cool. It most likely gained’t be definitely worth the noise.
