Luxury off-road showdown: Land Rover Defender vs Lexus GX

Back in 1989, comparing a Land Rover Defender to a Lexus would have been a huge waste of time. On one hand, you had one of the simplest, barest and most charismatic four-wheel-drives on the planet. It was V8-powered by that stage at least, and had adopted more comfortable leaf springs only recently.

The successful luxury spin-off from Toyota, Lexus burst onto the scene in 1989 with the watershed LS400. This new luxury saloon impressed against the likes of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class despite being a first crack, and its success paved the way for the brand to drop roots with no shortage of luxury and a reputation for excellent engineering. These different brands from opposite ends of the world with equally antipodean philosophies.

Times move on, however, and we now find these two brands competing on a highly aspirational battleground. On one hand, we have the 2025 Land Rover Defender, which only shares a name with its storied forebear. It's smooth and sophisticated, luxurious and family friendly. It's been a hugely popular vehicle for the brand in recent years and a sound commercial success.

On the other hand, Lexus is doubling down on the four-wheel-drive space with the GX – an upmarket take on the Toyota LandCruiser Prado and sitting below the larger and more luxurious Lexus LX in the pecking order. But unlike the diesel Prado, we've got gutsy petrol power, reworked suspension components, and a push to own the luxury family four-wheel-drive segment.

But which is the best? The Land Rover Defender has been a favourite at Drive for a number of years now, consistently coming away from our Drive Car of the Year awards with some silverware.

At the same time, however, the Lexus GX has had an impressive first foray into the Australian market. While the GX has been something of a cult favourite in the United States for many years, this third-generation model is the first taste we get in this highly competitive market.

While recent updates to the range for 2026 will see the re-introduction of an entry-level Defender S 110 with diesel power, the pick of the current range is the next rung up the ladder. It's called the Defender D350 X-Dynamic SE, which provides a few nice touches for the $114,500 (plus on-road costs) asking price.

Typical of many Land Rover press vehicles, however, the pricing of our test car is pumped up by a wide range of options and accessories. There's a cool $21,000 in options, while local-fit accessories account for another $13,000.

So while the base vehicle is over $15,000 less expensive than the Lexus GX550 Overtrail, the as-tested price sits quite a lot higher. Buyers can – of course – opt for a variety of their own choices, or keep prices down by ticking fewer boxes.

Standard kit here includes an 11.4-inch infotainment system (though it will be 13 inches for MY26 examples), electric front seat adjustment and surround-view camera. There's also LED lighting front and rear, 20-inch wheels with Goodyear tyre and a dual-zone climate control system.

The upgraded leather interior ($3510) goes a long way to jazz up the interior, which also comes in a variety of colours. This also throws in heating and ventilation, along with a multitude of electric adjustment and memory.

The sliding panoramic roof feels a bit stiff at $4490, however, but it does leave this example vehicle feeling quite well specced overall.

And while there is petrol power available, we've got the impressive and more pragmatic choice of a 3.0-litre inline-six turbocharged diesel engine, which has been recently juiced up to make a hearty 258kW and prodigious 700Nm. It's got almost equal power to the petrol Lexus, a dollop of extra torque, and promises significantly less fuel consumption at the same time.

In a relatively simple three-choice line-up, we've got the middle-of-the-range GX550 Overtrail to assess in this comparison. Priced at $124,840 plus on-road costs, it is more expensive than the entry-level Luxury ($118,320) and now above the Sports Luxury ($130,770). Overtrail is the off-road hero of the range, however, going hard on mechanical upgrades in lieu of some interior niceties.

There's still some good stuff here, though: LED lighting is used at both the front and rear, while front seats have heating and ventilation. There is eight-way electric adjustment for driver and front passenger, driver's position memory, a 14-inch infotainment display, head-up display and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. There is also a 360-degree camera system and three-zone climate control as standard fitment.

Important stuff for the Overtrail comes through the wheels and tyres, with beefy Toyo all-terrains mounted on 18-inch wheels for much improved off-road suitability. The suspension employs e-KDSS (electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System), which is the latest electrically controlled version of swaybar technology used by Toyota and Lexus for many years. It's a highly regarded system, and different to the adaptive damping you get in the Sports Luxury variant.

The refrigerated centre console is a nice touch for the Overtrail spec, which is properly fridge-cold after running for a while, and can fit a few sandwiches or drinks quite comfortably. Although, it only runs when the ignition is switched on.

Under the bonnet is a 3.4-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6, which dates back to around 2017 and has been used in a bunch of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. It makes 260kW and 650Nm here, and runs through a 10-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel-drive system with locking centre and rear differentials.

If you're in the market for either of these vehicles, it's worth checking out what's for sale on Drive Marketplace for both the Defender and GX550.

While the Land Rover Defender we tested is still getting away with practical (but not particularly luxurious) rubber floor mats, I was a lot less stressed about hopping into the car compared to the shagpile-esque carpet of the Lexus, when on the off-road tracks. It's also a good option for those with grotty kids, but you can opt for carpeted floor mats if you so wish.

Otherwise, a vibe check of the Defender 110 X-Dynamic SE versus the GX550 Overtrail gives the former an advantage of design and aesthetic overall. Perhaps it's the mixture of colours, or the combination of various materials, but it looks and feels a little more special on the inside.

The Defender's dashboard – designed around a metallic and evocative cross-beam – holds a lot of stuff on the shelf, has a power outlet hidden amongst it, and also gives a sturdy grab handle at both sides. It also gives a nice, uninterrupted view forward for the driver and front passenger.

In comparison, the dashboard of the Lexus feels a little more regular with its vertical design. It's dominated by a huge display, which bleeds down to include digitised physical climate-control dials.

The build quality of the Lexus feels excellent, as you'd expect. But the choice of materials and colours, through the seats and dashboard, seems a bit subdued and uninteresting. There is a smaller shelf in front of the passenger for some storage, and a lidded area with cupholders for some extra storage, and that chilled centre console.

Aside from the green suede material on the seats, the only other big flash of design in the GX is the 12-volt plug cover, which looks yacht-like and is beautifully damped in its opening action. But it also feels strangely overdone and otherwise out of place.

The Defender has a centre console that can absorb a good amount of stuff (especially lower down), but it also has the ability to be optioned with a cutesy jump seat (for six in total), or nothing at all.

In terms of outright space and comfort, the Defender wins in the battle of the second rows against the GX. It's a more spacious use of the platform, which is particularly better when loaded up with three across the back. A large transmission tunnel, bolstered with chunky plastic, eats into a lot of the leg room in the middle of the GX.

The Defender has quite a bit more leg room, but doesn't have air-conditioning controls in the second row like we have in the Lexus. It's also worth noting that the Lexus has roof-mounted air vents, which can be better at pumping air throughout the cabin (and being noticed) than vents lower down.

In terms of boot space, the Defender and Lexus GX have not much between them on paper and in reality. The Defender seems to have a wider load space with more hard plastics and harder-wearing materials, whereas the Lexus GX has a longer load space with a more carpeted finish.

The side-hinged rear door of the Defender would eat up a lot of space in a tight shopping centre carpark, and the length is impacted by that rear-mounted spare wheel. The GX has a top-hinged tailgate – electric opening as well – which also includes a handy opening rear window.

Because the Lexus GX (and LandCruiser Prado) is available as a seven-seater, the hangover of extra USB points and cupholders is handy, as is the 240V inverter power outlet.

As you would expect, both of these vehicles punch hard when it comes to infotainment, screens and technology.

The Lexus wins on overall screen size, with a 14-inch display beating the 11.4-inch curved display in the Defender. In terms of the operating system and user experience, both are excellent. There's wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, native navigation, digital radio and slick operating systems. Both are easy to learn and navigate, and both showed good responsiveness, loading times and processing speeds.

In front of the driver is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster in both the Lexus and Land Rover, while the GX is also bolstered by a head-up display. The Land Rover's digital cluster does have the advantage of some increased adjustability, even though it takes some time to figure it out.

Both of these vehicles have a connected services app and related integrated connectivity, along with the ability for over-the-air updates.

Against testing in 2020, the current-generation Land Rover Defender picked up a five-star ANCAP safety result. This included an 85 per cent crash rating for adult occupants and 88 per cent rating for child occupants. Vulnerable road users (pedestrians) have a 71 per cent protection rating, while the active safety systems on the Land Rover Defender get a 76 per cent score. This testing was done via Euro NCAP, with results ported across to the ANCAP system.

In comparison, the Lexus GX (not being a vehicle aimed at the European market) sits in this comparison as being unrated.

Another thing you'd expect here is a bountiful supply of safety equipment and technology integrated into the driving experience. And while there are some subtle differences between the two, the chart below shows that neither misses a trick in terms of covering all of the important elements.

What's pleasing to experience for both of these vehicles is the smart integration and overall lack of jarring interruption you get from both. The Lexus GX has a more comprehensive driving assistance package with lane-centring assistance, which does work smoothly. But most importantly, neither is a constant source of annoying beeps or unnecessary interventions.

The Lexus GX has a camera mounted on the steering column, which monitors the driver for attention and fatigue; the Land Rover Defender has no such thing. But it's interesting to note that it doesn't seem to do much at all. Possibly, for the Australian market, this has been dulled down as much as possible.

This is one area where the Defender gets bragging rights of efficiencies, being much cheaper to service over the period of five years. Rather than the six-monthly serviced intervals imposed by Lexus on the GX550 (or every 10,000km), the Defender comes with a more condition-based set-up. The vehicle monitors its condition and kilometres, and will indicate when a service is necessary.

While the servicing frequency might be unclear, it does have a flat upfront $3500 cost over five years (or 102,000km), which is impressively cheap for a vehicle of this price and standing.

In comparison, the GX550's maintenance is substantially more expensive than the Defender. Servicing intervals will be much more frequent as well. And while this is less convenient, I'm sure there would be plenty of buyers out there who would appreciate a closer eye being kept on the car in that first half-decade.

Although, it's worth mentioning the additional costs of the GX550 do come with the benefits associated with the brand's Encore membership program, which some might find value in.

Diesel versus petrol is a bit of an unfair fight in this regard, and the Land Rover Defender has a clear advantage in this comparison because of its outright efficiency. The claim of 8.1 litres per 100 kilometres is impressive, but doing a hearty amount of off-road driving, suburban driving and a couple of longer highway runs saw the number stick to (just) below 10L/100km.

It's impressive that this relatively frugal oiler can almost match the bigger petrol V6 for outright power, and beat it for torque.

Whereas some of the latest V6 and V8 engine designs have opted for a more cramped and efficient 'hot vee' set-up, the 3.4-litre petrol V6 in the Lexus GX keeps those twin turbos located on the outside of the banks. Despite being a relatively old design, there is still a lot of new technology within this engine, such as an integrated exhaust manifold, laser-sprayed intake valve seats and dual fuel injection (port and direct).

However, a relatively big twin-turbocharged petrol V6 didn't prove to be the most efficient during our test. It's worth noting that real-world efficiency wouldn't be as bad for suburban and highway driving, but our time spent off-road rock crawling and low-speed dirt driving really knocked the average around. We saw an average of 16.5L/100km (and that's the fancy premium fuel, by the way) against a claim of 12.3L/100km.

Mechanically speaking, these two four-wheel-drives couldn't be more different in their design of chassis and suspension technology. On one hand is Land Rover, a brand with a long-standing reputation in the off-road scene, offering a modern take with independent suspension, height-adjustable air springs and electronically controlled clutch packs within the driveline. 

Lexus, a relative newcomer in comparison, offers a more traditional four-wheel-drive layout. There's a coil-sprung live rear axle with a panhard rod set-up, independent front suspension, and a full-time four-wheel-drive system with an honest-to-goodness mechanical and locking centre differential.

The Overtrail also benefits from having smart 18-inch alloy wheels shod with Toyo all-terrain rubber. Others in the line-up have 20-inch and 22-inch wheels.

The Defender we have here sits on less bush-ready 20-inch wheels and mild all-terrain tyres. Some 19s can be optioned, or the recently announced introduction of the lower S-grade Defender means 18-inch steelies can be had with a diesel-powered 110 again. It's probably not a surprise to know that this is the spec I would go for if I were buying.

Along with the mechanical differences, the driving experience of these two luxury wagons is also at odds with each other.

Both are impressively capable standard offerings that defy their premium suburban image to offer serious off-road cred. 

Whereas the Defender has the advantage of offering more outright ground clearance (thanks to the air suspension), the Lexus has better and grippier tyres for harder off-road work and durability.

While we didn't have any tyre-related issues on this test, having proper off-road tyres (even if it's not a light-truck construction) adds to your confidence.

A special shout-out must go to the suspension set-up on this Lexus, which feels impressively well dialled. While the on-road ride quality is nice, there is an awesome suppleness and stability on offer here for off-road driving.

The e-KDSS – which is also available on the top-spec LandCruiser 300 Series GR Sport – is employed excellently here. It provides impressive articulation from the rear panhard rod suspension, feeding lots of confidence into the mug behind the wheel.

For me, this is a much better implementation of the body-control technology than the similarly priced LandCruiser, which can feel too stiff and unforgiving at times.

A locking rear and centre differential rounds out a pleasantly traditional four-wheel-drive layout in the Lexus, which might not be able to match the Land Rover for outright clearance, but feels so nicely dialled and capable nonetheless.

Similarly to the off-road driving experience, both of these luxury four-wheel-drives are excellent on the road in their own ways. Both offer a big hit of torque-heavy performance, hustling along confidently – not with big revs, but instead through a surge of mid-range momentum.

Both are refined through their respective powertrains, the Land Rover particularly as a diesel engine. It's not noisy or clattery, and even manages to make a pleasant, smooth inline-six rumble when working hard. The Lexus is smooth and silky as well, albeit sounding and feeling more like a V6. There's a similarity in the power and torque delivery of both vehicles, despite using different sources of fuel.

Whereas a diesel is normally a low-revving, torquey and clattery option, the Land Rover doesn't feel like that in the slightest. It's remarkably refined and smooth, even being pleasurable to rev up towards the redline. It's worth noting peak power for the petrol V6 only exists 800rpm higher up the tachometer than the diesel – showing that both these engines are mid-range monsters more than high-rev performers.

The two vehicles manage to extract some roadholding capabilities that defy their high-riding and heavy-set nature. Electric steering in both feels reasonably crisp and responsive (for such big rigs), and the suspension for both is well dialled for ride comfort.

There are some differences here, though. Height-adjustable air suspension in the Land Rover Defender is particularly different to the live rear axle and ladder chassis of the Lexus GX, but both manage to be an enjoyable driving experience. There's a bit of wind noise generated from the upright windscreen in both cases.

The e-KDSS suspension in the Lexus can provide impressive bump absorption in particular, feeling reminiscent of a soft, cushy live-axled four-wheel-drive of yesteryear. You can explore this more through the available driving modes, where Comfort feels the best. The Land Rover Defender is perhaps a little less supple in direct comparison (especially with the difference in wheel diameter we have here), but the Land Rover can hold its nerve a little more through the corners.

Although, physics does eventually catch up with both of these high-riding four-wheel-drives sooner rather than later. Hustling too hard through a corner will induce a bit of body roll, and ask big lateral grip questions of the tyres.

It's worth pointing out that big luxury SUVs without any off-road ability will provide a more dialled on-road experience, dynamically in particular. But I must take my hat off to both vehicles here for providing something so refined and comfortable on-road, without compromising the off-road side of the equation.

We didn't do any towing this time around, even though both of the vehicles (as you'd expect) come with a 3500kg braked towing capacity. Our fuel economy figures put the Defender ahead from a towing point of view, where that gulf in consumption between the two vehicles would only likely increase when under tow.

And while petrol might traditionally have an advantage of outright grunt compared to diesel, that's not the case here.

The Defender has the advantage in weights, as well. Along with having a significantly better payload and lower kerb mass, the slightly larger gross combination mass means there is still some headway available when you start hitching up a trailer that is close to the limit.

If you hitch up a 3500kg caravan, for example (with the supposed 350kg of ball weight), the Lexus will be left with only 245kg of vehicle payload left over. The Defender, in comparison, will have 489kg of payload with the same theoretical trailer.

Driving the Lexus GX in Australia makes you wonder why it took so long for such a compelling vehicle to finally arrive in a market that has been agog for four-wheel-drives for decades. It combines luxury, comfort and capability so nicely, along with good family functionality and overall practicality. Those with a LandCruiser Prado – for example – would be envious of the more practical boot layout of this five-seat version (and seven-seat options, as well).

While it might have a higher asking price, many buyers of the Lexus will appreciate no need to dip into an extensive (or expensive) list of options.

The Lexus also feels like the traditional four-wheel driver's choice of the two, even though diesel power isn't available. The old-school mechanical centre differential remains wonderful, as does the live rear axle swinging from a ladder chassis.

Aside from that point, many advantages of the Lexus can be said for the Land Rover Defender at the same time. Some specific advantages of the British choice in particular are the more impressive cabin look and layout, better outright off-road ability (thanks to the improved ground clearance), lower asking price (before you start smashing through those options), and much lower running costs (especially including fuel consumption).

The Land Rover Defender takes out this comparison, because of that massive advantage in fuel efficiency and better off-road ground clearance. It also has a nicer interior presentation, more second-row space and a lower initial asking price (before you start ripping into the multitude of options). The recent re-introduction of a Defender D250 S (which can be had with 18-inch steel wheels) will also bring some additional appeal to the Defender range.

For two vehicles that are in many ways similar, they also have very different mechanical and experiential natures that will appeal to different buyers. But on overall balance, it's the Land Rover that feels more complete and capable.

Sam Purcell has been writing about cars, four-wheel driving and camping since 2013, and obsessed with anything that goes brum-brum longer than he can remember. Sam joined the team at CarAdvice/Drive as the off-road Editor in 2018, after cutting his teeth at Unsealed 4X4 and Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures. Off-road writer of the Year, Winner - Sam Purcell

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