With my Trail still on order I have had the chance to drive a co-worker's 2010 GX460 numerous times over the past month. I suppose the big difference to most here is the V8 w/ 6 speed transmission in the GX. The vehicle accelerates very smoothly (yet feels no faster than the 4Runner). Of course it tows more and is heavier than the Toyota too. I will say cruising on the highway at 65 or 70, if you move the gear shift to the left and put it in Sport mode it immediately drops to 4th gear and does not lag at all. Passing power is plenty. This model has KDSS suspension and the ride is fantastic (I think there are only 2 GX versions, and both have KDSS). Obviously the interior is quite different. The Nav touch screen is huge and very intuitive. The instrument cluster is less colorful and much more refined than the 4Runner.

Very nice vehicle, but I have no reservations about the KDSS Trail.

Now that you mention it, I haven't seen a new one on the road yet. And the area to which I've just moved, I don't even see older ones now like I used to.

The 4R does the same, drops to 4th when you put it in 'S' mode, but it only has a 5 speed (to me almost like an overdrive button for towing). Interesting that the 460 drops 2 gears instead of 1, but I guess with 6 gears the drop of one might not be a big enough difference.

my 6speed lexus sedan does the same thing - goes to 4th gear - when flipped over to "sport" mode.

thanks for posting your impressions of the new GX460; first i've heard.

V8 or no, the 460 was just an illogical choice for me (rear barn door? ugh!) but like you i'm super happy that my Trail has KDSS — continues to impress the hell out of me.

funny: the two things i liked most about my 06 were the V8 and the Torsen diff... gave 'em both up for my Trail and, with a few months in the rearview mirror, i'm now having a hard time remembering why they were sticking points in the first place.

congrats and post up pics when your Trail comes in.

Once winter rolls around, you might be reminded why.

I still think it was a really bad move on Toyota's part to delete the Torsen from all but the 5th gen Limited. The ability to "set it and forget it" during the winter months is a must-have for me.

I'll be driving one for 7 days starting Aug. 3. If anyone wants to know anything specific, let me know.

one of my neighbors has a 2010 GX... the little woman drives it... and honestly, as much as i've tried, i just can't get past the fugly exterior. the interior... definitely sweet.

I drove both a 2010 4Runner and GX460. Overall, I liked the interior of the GX but still indifferent about the exterior styling. I actually thought the GX460 felt less powerful than the GX470. When I pushed the accelerator down, I find my body snapping back into the seat more so in the GX470 than the GX460.

Hmm, i wonder if this is the case of: "No replacement for displacement"??

Probably a case of throttle response for the sake of fuel economy. Attached to the same drivetrain, the 4.6L makes more power than the 4.7L thanks to the reduced internal friction (0w-20 oil, roller rocker valvetrain) and variable cam timing on intake and exhaust (instead of just intake). The EPA rating of the 460 is a 10% improvement of the 470 while making more power at the crank.

Interestingly, the 460 has a shorter final drive than the 470. The gearing of the 5AT perfectly matches the 6AT except the 6AT has a .59 ratio thrown on top as a 2nd overdrive. So, apples to apples, the 460 makes more power and puts more torque to the ground because of the shorter final drive. It must be throttle tuning that gives it the feeling of not being as fast.

let me tell you something since you brought this up in the 4runner forum (if i brought this up here people like fxoffroad would of chewed me out) but here goes

the gx premium has air suspension in back which handles slightly better than the base. The lexus is much quieter, accelerates about the same, and drives better imho. I think the kdss feels much tighter in the curves than xreas, but thats just me.Contrary to most folks here who speculated the v8 was causing tail end to spin out, the weight distribution for the gx is 52% front, 48% back. Thats damn good if you ask me. The interior blows away 4runner for sure. Has everything i want and absolutely no mods needed for me! Here is a thread i started about comparison between 2...

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/lexus-...0-4runner.html

Aplles to Oranges Comparison!

The MSRP of the Lexus GX460 Premium your talking about loaded like my Limited is $65,304 compared to $43,700 for the Limited .

Wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure you should get more and have a nicer ride for $22,000 more.

And yes, the GX460 doesn't even come close to the new Lexus LX10 for another $22,000 on top of the $65,000.

Note that the 2010 4runner Trail has KDSS as an option.

Ahhh, makes sense. Thanks.