5 photos
Of all the cars, trucks and SUVs that danced across our desk last year, few were quite as delightfully surprising as the Lexus GXOR overlanding concept. That Lexus-made off-roader took the stolid SUV known as the GX 460 here in the states (and the Land Cruiser Prado elsewhere) and outfitted it with an overlander’s dream kit — a roof rack, winch, snorkel, body armor and all-terrain wheels and tires, among other tweaks.
We ogled it, we lusted after it, we imagined ourselves in the fun promotional video the carmaker released along with the concept — and then we moved on, figuring Lexus would do the same. Nope. Lexus just revealed an updated version of the GX Overland Concept at the Montréal International Auto Show in Canada, and we’ve fallen in love with it all over again.
The refreshed version, which appears to be based on the facelifted 2020 GX 460, packs a handy-dandy tent on its roof, enabling users to avoid sleeping on the Canadian permafrost when the day is done. Pop-out awnings protect the sides and rear of the vehicle when it’s stopped, while what Lexus describes as a “shower cube” serves up a way to clean off the grime accumulated from a long day sitting in that red leather interior.
Sadly, the 2.0 version of the GX Overland Concept has lost a couple features in its move to the Great White North. The sweet snorkel mounted on the passenger’s side A-pillar is gone, and while there’s a space for a winch under the massive spindle grille, there doesn’t actually appear to be one mounted there. And the understated matte black exterior is no more, now replaced with a very Canada-spec blue-white livery featuring what looks like a topographic map of…some arbitrary part of Hudson Bay? It’s not very clear.
Still, while we’d rather still have the winch and snorkel, it’s hard not to see the 2020 edition of the Lexus GX Overland as an upgrade on the previous version. That one, after all, depended on a camping trailer for a place to sleep at night, which seems a less-ideal solution than popping a rooftop tent when it’s time to hit the hay. Now we just need to convince Lexus to build a few of these for us to buy.
