The rear cross-traffic alert is actually very useful and it's alerted me to cars & people that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. The front cross-traffic alert is just moronic. It's like Braille on the drive-up ATMs.
Will be selling
- Thread starter Happy
- Start date
To follow up, I did end up trading mine in (on a 518 horsepower Land Rover Defender V8 - don't hate) and I got $1000 less than what I paid for it, with 1700 miles on it. That speaks highly of the resale market for the GX550.
Wow! Disappointed to see you go but great choice and well done on the trade.
Oh, man, what have you done!
Please tell me you purchased an extended warranty and a dependable extra vehicle to drive while it's in the shop.
I don’t know why but I don’t even notice the cross traffic alert. My wifes Audi has an exceeding the speed limit warning that you can’t permanently shut off, it resets after each drive. The closest we got is to create a short cut but it’s still 3 clicks. It’s equivalent to our massage seats but far more moronic.
Apparently it has to do with EU regulations but it’s a massive pain in the ass.
Not to scare anyone away but we drove the 6 cylinder variant before leasing an Audi and the Defenders entire screen went out during the test drive. I felt bad for the sales person.
Pretty vehicle tho.
Had my heart set on a Defender, and drove a couple. I still think it's a little sexier vehicle than the GX (especially the V8) but just couldn't pull the trigger. Enjoy! And pics please.
Coils or air suspension? The dealers in ABQ and Santa Fe only seemed to have coils on the lot, and I thought the suspension felt great. I was really torn between the reliability of coils vs the extra clearance with air.
Coils or air suspension? The dealers in ABQ and Santa Fe only seemed to have coils on the lot, and I thought the suspension felt great. I was really torn between the reliability of coils vs the extra clearance with air.
Air suspension is great...until the shocks pop and it's $2000 per axle for replacements. And then the compressor goes out and it's another couple thousand to repair. And when it goes out, you're not moving the vehicle. Awesome when you're 50 miles offroad and you hear air hissing out of the shocks when the suspension extends on that corner and exposes a hole in the air bag. Or you have to pull over and let the compressor cool down because it's working non-stop to try to stay ahead of the leaks. Then the air compressor just gives up the fight.
Ouch. I thought of a few scenarios like that that made me say Lexus at the end of the day. I also had no desire to spend thousands on the common failed DRL replacements or myriad other little, but stupidly expensive crap that I read about for a year on the Defender forums. The nearest Rover dealer being 4 hours away means even minor stuff isn't minor. Better judgement won the day for me.
Last edited:
Air, but more importantly, a 518 HP V8. It moves.
I looked long and hard at the Defender before buying my OT (and my wife a Toyota LC FE). There is no LR dealer in Vermont, but neither is there a Lexus dealer. Convinced myself that Lexus would be a much smarter purchase for my “needs,” and 16k miles in I am very happy with my choice. Have to say the V8 Defender seemed way more engine than I would have wanted in a boxy SUV that in my case would spend much of its life on dirt roads and in snow. To each his own, as it is said.
Of course. I was coming from a Cayenne Turbo and an F-150 Powerboost (very quick truck that handled surprisingly well), and wanted to get back to more of a sporty feel. I did not find that with my GX. As you say, to each their own! Enjoy.
GX550 Forum Photos
GX550 Forum Photos
