2025 Lexus LX 700h Overtrail Review: They Paywalled the Real Land Cruiser

Toyota did something almost unheard of when it brought back the Land Cruiser to the United States: It made the iconic 4×4 cheaper. It’s not just slightly more affordable than before, either—it’s nearly $30,000 less. But you see, the Land Cruiser in America isn’t what it used to be. It’s really the global market Land Cruiser Prado, which is smaller than the true 300 Series Land Cruiser most of the world gets. If you want the full-size Land Cruiser in North America, well, you’ve gotta buy the Lexus LX700h Overtrail.

In that sense, Toyota actually raised the price on the big Land Cruiser by making it a Lexus. That doesn’t automatically make it a bad value, but the one I tested for a week was $118,510—roughly $30,000 more than the 200 Series Land Cruiser was when it left the U.S. market after 2021. “For that much, it better be good,” I said to myself.

Fortunately, it is. But Dave Ramsey says I can’t buy one until I make $250,000 a year.

The Basics

In case you hadn’t already put it together, the three-row LX is the biggest Lexus out there. The current-gen was introduced for the 2021 model year, though the electrified Overtrail off-road trim is new for 2025. Like every other body-on-frame Toyota and Lexus, it rides on the manufacturer’s TNGA-F platform.

The Overtrail look is nice, especially with the Earth paint color (that’s what this sandy beige coat is called). Some features clearly set the Overtrail apart from pavement-pounding LXs, like the 18-inch matte grey wheels wrapped in 33-inch Toyo Open Country rubber. You might be familiar with the big SUV’s adventure vibe if you’ve seen the similarly kitted GX.

Inside, it’s the best Lexus has to offer. The tech is good—I dig the slender infotainment screen, but the integration is funky with the smaller, more square HVAC display underneath. That’s also indicative of some other ergonomic strangeness that I’ll get to in a bit. The seats are super, though. They’re more like thrones.

And finally, once you’ve taken in all there is inside and out, you get to drive the rig with its hybrid 3.4-liter, twin-turbo V6. It makes a lot of twist with 457 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque. That power is sent to all four wheels continuously through a 10-speed automatic transmission, and there’s a two-speed transfer case to choose between high and low range. Importantly for wheeling purposes, it has locking front and rear differentials. Very nice.

Driving the Lexus LX700h Overtrail

Right off the bat, this car is a drive-thru hero. It moves through the Mickey D’s line silently without the gas engine, which is a huge plus when you have three kids making a bunch of noise in the back. This is also handy for creeping up the driveway late at night when you have close neighbors, or moving around the campsite when you’re miles deep on some trail somewhere.

The rest of the time, the hybrid assist is helping the LX to boot, scoot, and boogie. It’s darn near 6,000 pounds, but you wouldn’t know it, either in a straight line or around the corners. I won’t bluff and say it’s like an LC500, but supercar-level torque helps erase a lot of heft, as does the adaptive air suspension. It even makes up for the observed 17 mpg combined (these big hybrids were never about fuel economy anyway).

While my kids weren’t crazy about sitting three-wide—this Overtrail model didn’t come with the available third row—they especially liked the Mark Levinson audio setup. It isn’t overpowering, but boy, is it crisp. If you’re looking for suggestions, my six-year-old recommends “Routines in the Night” by Twenty One Pilots cranked all the way up. I’m far from an audiophile, though I will say that I picked up on the parts that producer Paul Meany mentions here with the Lexus’ system.

I normally test a vehicle’s off-road aptitude at my family’s campground, where you’ll find a good deal of loose surfaces like creek gravel and mud in the springtime. When I had the LX, though, our low-water bridge was damaged, so I had to take it to a friend’s place. That proved to be a good time anyhow, as it had plenty of obstacles to clear: some downed trees, some short and steep climbs.

This was the best test of the Overtrail’s off-road fundamentals, like its ground clearance and suspension flex. You can see in these photos with the rig’s wheels stuffed way into its arches that it’s pretty nimble for a big machine:

Still, I couldn’t help but sweat knowing I had that much weight leaning to one side or the other. It doesn’t help that the sticker price was nearly $120,000, and while I know that’s what it’s built for, I doubt many real owners even wheel as much as I did—and I never even engaged the front locker.

You really come to appreciate the hybrid system’s low-end grunt in low-speed scenarios, and combined with the twin-turbo V6, I’m pretty sure you could climb a right angle if you could just get pointed upwards. 

It can get around as well as a true Land Cruiser; I genuinely believe that. But the added cost made me a little shy when it came to really challenging it. While the $72,000 GX Overtrail I tested last year certainly doesn’t go for chump change, I’d feel better taking it out to the woods. Its skinniness also helps it squeeze where the LX simply can’t.

The Highs and Lows

There’s a lot I like about the LX 700h, particularly in Overtrail trim. I like the look, although this generation has been around for a minute, and it’s only made better by the high-riding stance and chunky all-terrain tires. The infotainment UX is solid, the seats are plush, and it feels like you’re rolling down the road in a six-figure cruise ship in almost every way…

Except for one, which is my biggest gripe about the LX. I’m a big guy at 6’5” and 290 pounds; in theory, this big Lexus should be the best fit for me. Instead, the interior space is just OK, and I had to squeeze my legs together just to reach the window controls. And while I like the grab handle on the door panel, it blocks some buttons and switches that you use pretty often. Little things can turn into big things when it’s something you interact with daily.

Fuel Economy

As you can see, the LX 700h isn’t a fuel-sipping superstar. I never saw the rated 20 mpg combined during my week with the car, but even if I had, it still would have been lower than the competition. The BMW X7 xDrive40i, Mercedes-Benz GLS450 4Matic, and Range Rover P400 are all big hybrids that manage 24 mpg on the highway compared to the Lexus’ 22 mpg max.

Value and Verdict

If a four-wheeling friend of mine got rich enough to step way up from their 4Runner, I wouldn’t blame them for snagging one of these. It’s big, it’s capable, and although it doesn’t carry the Land Cruiser name, I do feel like it carries the pedigree as much as you could hope for. It’s a solid SUV that anyone would like on the road, and they’d love it even more if they took it off the pavement.

With all that being said, I would still buy a GX Overtrail for about $40,000 less if luxury and a third row aren’t the priority. Since you don’t get that much more interior space with the LX, I’d prefer the GX’s smaller footprint—especially if I were going to drive it on the trails.

Not that I have to worry about making this decision in real life, of course. The only Lexus I can afford is *checks notes* a high-mileage LS400. Thanks, Dave.

Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com

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