GX Gas Costs $20,131, Almost Matching Its Depreciation

Our calculator puts the 2024 Lexus GX at $65,391 over five years and 12,000 miles a year. That is $1,090 a month, and it is more than the $64,100 we assume you pay for the truck in the first place.

The detail that stuck with us is smaller. Fuel comes to $20,131. Depreciation, the thing everyone fears on a luxury SUV, comes to $21,154. You will spend almost as much feeding this Lexus as you will lose in resale value.

That changes how to think about it. Most buyers worry about the sticker and the trade-in. With a twin-turbo V6, standard four-wheel drive and a boxy, heavy body, the gas pump is the second-largest bill you will face.

Where the $65,391 goes

Here is how the five years break down in our figures.

Depreciation is the biggest line at $21,154. Fuel is next at $20,131. Insurance follows at $15,472, then maintenance at $4,977, repairs at $3,402 and registration at $255.

Repairs are the smallest of the big items, and that is the Lexus reputation at work. We estimate $3,402 over five years, which is low for a $64,000 vehicle. Maintenance at $4,977 is higher, because a heavy truck eats tires and brakes and Lexus dealers charge Lexus prices for service.

Insurance deserves a caveat. Our $15,472 figure is an estimate built from the vehicle's value and class. It is not a quote. Your own number will differ based on your age, ZIP code, driving record and insurer, sometimes by thousands.

The point is that $1,090 a month is the real price of this truck. A monthly payment is only part of it.

What the GX actually is

The 2024 GX is a full redesign. It is a body-on-frame SUV, meaning the body sits on a separate steel ladder frame like a pickup. That is the older, tougher way to build a truck. It tows well and handles abuse well, and it rides less smoothly than a car-based crossover.

Under the hood is a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 with a 10-speed automatic. Four-wheel drive with a low-range gear is standard. For official fuel economy numbers, use the EPA's fueleconomy.gov listing rather than trusting any review, including this one. What we can say is what our calculator says: $20,131 over five years is a lot of gas.

This engine family also appears in the Toyota Tundra, which had an engine recall tied to debris from manufacturing. The GX is a new application, and a first model year is a first model year. Lexus has earned trust, but a redesign is where problems tend to show up.

Who it is for

The GX suits someone who tows a boat or trailer, drives dirt roads or snow regularly, and wants a nicer cabin than a Toyota gives. It also suits someone who keeps vehicles for ten years and wants the repair bill to stay boring.

Who it is not for

If you drive mostly highway commutes and school runs, you are paying for capability you will never use. A car-based three-row SUV will cost less to fuel and ride better.

Trims: the price climbs fast

Prices below are approximate and exclude options. Destination fees and packages move them, so confirm on Lexus's official build page before you budget.

Trim	MSRP	What you actually get
Premium	About $62,000	Base GX with the V6, standard four-wheel drive, leather-style seats, a large touchscreen and Lexus Safety System+
Premium+	About $65,000	Adds comfort and convenience upgrades, such as nicer seat features and a bigger technology and parking-aid package
Luxury+	About $77,000	Real leather, upgraded audio, adaptive suspension and a much richer cabin
Overtrail	About $65,000 and up	Off-road focus: all-terrain tires, a more rugged look and trail-oriented hardware

Our $64,100 assumption sits between Premium and Premium+, which is where we think most real transactions land.

The jump from Premium+ to Luxury+ is about $12,000. For that money you get nicer materials and suspension tuning. Whether that is worth it is personal, but the extra price also means more depreciation in dollars, since a pricier truck loses more cash even at the same percentage.

What it gets right

The cabin is the best part. Lexus has swapped the old fussy controls for a large screen, but kept physical buttons for climate and key functions. That is the right call in a truck you drive over bumps, where poking a touchscreen is annoying.

The seating position is high, visibility is good, and the boxy shape makes it easy to place on the road. Material quality feels solid and built to last, not flashy.

The capability is real. A low-range gear and a body-on-frame build are not decoration. Most luxury SUVs at this price cannot match this truck's toughness.

And the repair estimate is the quiet win. At $3,402 for five years, our calculator expects fewer shop visits than most vehicles at this price.

What it gets wrong

The fuel bill is the obvious problem. Turbocharging was supposed to bring efficiency, but a heavy truck with permanent four-wheel drive does not sip anything. Expect to be at the pump often.

The ride is also firmer and more truck-like than rivals with air suspension. On the base trims you do not get adaptive dampers, so you feel the frame.

The third row is the other weak spot. It exists, but adults will not want to ride there for long, and it eats cargo space when in use. Treat it as a kid and emergency seat.

Finally, the price creeps. A truck that starts near $62,000 can pass $70,000 with options, and Lexus makes you buy up a trim to get things that are standard on cheaper cars.

Safety: not fully rated yet

As of this writing we could not confirm complete crash-test results for the 2024 GX from either the NHTSA or the IIHS. We will not guess. Check both sites before you sign, since ratings for a new model can appear at any time.

What is confirmed: Lexus Safety System+ comes standard, bundling automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping help and adaptive cruise control. Those are useful, but they are not a crash rating.

Your first year in a Premium+

Here is the first twelve months on the mid-level trim, using the $64,100 assumption.

Depreciation. New vehicles lose 15% to 22% in year one. On this truck that is roughly $9,600 to $14,100. Lexus trucks hold value better than most, so we would lean toward the lower half, but that is a hope and not a promise.

Fuel. At 15,000 miles a year, our calculator's per-mile cost implies about $5,030. That is higher than our 12,000-mile figure of roughly $4,030 a year, because every extra mile costs real money in this truck.

Insurance. Our estimate averages about $3,100 a year. A realistic range for buyers is perhaps $2,600 to $3,600, but it is an estimate, not a quote. Get real quotes first.

First service. Lexus typically calls for an early oil change at about 5,000 miles. Confirm the interval in the owner's maintenance guide. Under warranty, repairs should be minimal in year one.

Add it up and year one is likely to cost you well over $18,000 all in, with depreciation doing most of the damage.

How it stacks up

Toyota Land Cruiser. The GX wins on cabin polish and a bit more seating flexibility, but the Land Cruiser loses nothing in capability and costs less, so it is the better value if you do not need the Lexus badge.

Land Rover Defender 110. The GX wins on expected reliability and repair cost, while the Defender wins on style and a more refined ride, but its repair risk is much higher.

Genesis GV80. The GX wins on off-road toughness and towing credibility, but the GV80 wins on ride comfort, interior flash and price per feature, and it is the smarter pick for pavement-only buyers.

Verdict

Buy the GX if you actually use what makes it a GX: towing, rough roads, bad weather, long ownership. If you keep it ten years and want repairs to be dull, the $65,391 five-year bill is easier to accept. Look at Premium+ before climbing to Luxury+, because the extra $12,000 buys comfort and not capability.

Skip it if your life is mostly pavement. You would be spending about $1,090 a month, with $20,131 of that going into the fuel tank, for hardware you never touch. A GV80 or a lighter crossover would serve you better for less.

And skip it if the unrated safety status and first-year redesign worry you. A calm buyer can wait a year for the crash scores and the first round of recalls to settle.

The GX is a good truck priced like a luxury car and fueled like a truck. Know which one you are paying for.