Payne: Muddin' in the rugged Lexus GX (yes, Lexus)

Holly — The steep descent into Holly Oaks ORV Park’s boggy Big Valley via Electric Slide Trail is no picnic. The crest above me, depending on Mother Nature’s mood, alternates sending mudslides or sand runoff onto the trail. The dirt path is rocky, uneven, with a habit of opening up holes that will swallow a vehicle’s front corner. Survive the descent and you’ll still have to navigate the steep ascent up The Troubles on Big Valley’s backside.

Good thing I was driving a Lexus GX. That’s right, a Lexus.

The brand known for its pampered dealer service, sippy hybrids and posh rides has long had a gas-guzzling, off-road model hiding in plain sight. But with the 2024 model year, GX gets a proper muscle-shirt wardrobe to match the gym-toned bod underneath. Off-roading is in, and GX embraces Lexus’s inner rock warrior much as the V8-powered Lexus LC 500 gives life to the brand’s sportscar ambitions.

My GX shares its rugged ladder-frame truck bones with Toyota’s forthcoming, similarly priced Land Cruiser off-road bruiser, and both look the part for ‘24. From its square corners to its round headlights, Land Cruiser is a Land Rover with a Japanese accent, and the Lexus looks butch as well. With its squared-off fenders and tear-drop grille, the GX might be the love child of a Lexus and GMC Canyon.

It’s quite a contrast from the softer, more familiar Lexus bod found on GX’s mid-sized stablemate — the unibody three-row TX that I used to move furniture over the winter holidays.

Sure, my Overtrail + tester cost an eye-watering 80 grand (like the TX500h F Sport), but the GX’s ripped pecs and biceps beg to be exercised off-road — especially in its clingy new wardrobe. My tester was dressed in Earth and Black Onyx that matched its natural Holly Oak habitat. Like Jeep Wranglers, Jeep Gladiators, Ford Broncos, GMC Canyons, Chevy Colorados and other native beasts, the GX’s ladder frame is tough as nails.

WHUMP! WHUMP! The GX’s frame rails — lifted 9.7 inches in the air by 33-inch all-terrain Toyo tires — absorbed the deep ruts of Holly Oaks winter-torn landscape. Not a shudder, not a groan. Fat skid plates under the Lexus’s nose also help absorb impacts.

“That’s impressive,” said my driving mate Tom Zielinski, who designed Holly Oaks off-road Hellscape and has piloted every vehicle under the sun through here.

True to its luxury badge, the Lexus brings premium technology to the off-road experience (OK, the rugged Toyota 4Runner has it, too). Dirt-kickers like the Wrangler Rubicon and Bronco Badlands offer (respectively) manual and electronic disconnecting, button-actuated front sway bars for when you want to increase suspension articulation and keep both wheels on the ground over sketchy terrain.

The Lexus front and rear sway bars disconnect automatically. Dude.

At the bottom of Electric Slide, the broken terrain looked like it had been bombed by B52s, but GX rode it beautifully, all four wheels increasing travel up to two feet to help the Toyo tires keep close to terra firma.

Lexus calls its system Electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System — or e-KDSS for short. Rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? It’s part of a laundry list of acronyms that Lexus pilots will find in the cockpit of the Overtrail model — the halo model for the new GX line signaling its rugged aspirations.

Under the center console’s DRIVE MODE selector are standard drive modes — NORMAL, ECO, SPORT, SPORT PLUS — and then a MTS button which stands for Multi-Terrain Select. That opens up still more drive modes — AUTO, DIRT, SAND, MUD, DEEP SNOW, ROCK.

Below that is another button: DAC. Short for Downhill Assist Control. FYI. LOL.

These acronyms are part of a blizzard of buttons that make an airline cockpit look simple. I tested a 2024 Tesla Model 3 Highland the day before the Lexus, and they’re from different planets. Elon Musk’s smartphone-on-wheels is obsessive about removing buttons (not a single one on the console), while Lexus is determined to have everything at your fingertips. There’s even a COOL BOX button under the console storage lid so you can keep your drink chilled. And a camera button to peer 360-degrees around the car for obstacles.

But wait, there’s more. In addition to Drive modes and gear shifter, the console includes more buttons for the transfer case that allows you to select H4 (4-wheel-drive high), L4 (4-wheel low), rear differential lock, or four-wheel lock for off-roading.

Charging out of Big Valley, the rear locker did its job maintaining traction while I straddled ruts deeper than the Grand Canyon. At The Troubles’ summit, the landscape got even more ill-tempered and I laid my foot into the 349-horsepower twin-turbo V6 (the same mill that motivates the terrific Toyota Tundra pickup) and powered my way back onto level ground. When in doubt, power out.

Mission accomplished. The GX Overtrail is one tough ute. If I had wanted to bring more toys to the sandbox, GX will tow a mighty 9,063 pounds of side-by-sides, motor bikes, whatever.

Customers will buy GX for its macho looks and cred, but most will spend their time on asphalt. For a stiff, truck-framed SUV, GX excels there, too, thanks to its adaptive suspension.

Once you, um, come to terms with the ergonomics.

Like the console, the steering wheel and dash are choked with buttons and menus you’ll need to sort out. The (recommended) head-up display isn’t adjusted via the left-quarter dash like a Cadillac, for example, but under the VEHICLE CUSTOMIZE menu under the SETTINGS menu in the center screen. Took me a while to find that one.

The generous 14-inch touchscreen is a big advance over remote-touch-operated screens of Lexus past that made Mrs. Payne’s head explode. Fat Camaro-like dials are also helpful for climate control.

Lexus has been slow to update drive-assist systems and wireless smartphone apps, but my GX was on par with competitors with a good adaptive cruise system and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

This being a Tundra-based SUV, rear seat room was generous, and a third seat is available in non-Overtrail models starting at $64,250. But, if you have more cash, I’d recommend the Overtrail for its all-terrain bandwidth.

Just make sure to get the rubber floor mats option to absorb the dirt you track in.

Next week: 2023 Chevrolet Malibu

2024 Lexus GX

Vehicle type: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive four-door SUV

Price: $64,250, including $1,350 destination charge ($80,915 GX 550 Overtrail + 4WD as tested)

Powerplant: 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-6

Power: 349 horsepower, 479 pound-feet-torque

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5 seconds (mfr.); Towing, 9,063 pounds; Top speed, 109 mph

Weight: 5,666 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. 15 mpg city/21 highway/17 combined

Report card

Highs: More engine options; major exterior/interior upgrades

Lows: Rear seat still tight; gets pricey

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.