BMW X5 vs Lexus GX 550

What's the difference?

This is a luxurious prestige five-seater brimming with BMW’s latest design and technology that’s not only practical for weekly family duties but can also embrace spirited driving with the push of a button. A great all-rounder for families that like a sporty edge. 

The retro-cool Lexus GX550 Overtrail is a solid mix of understated style, on-road performance and 4WD capability.

It’s suitably refined, luxurious and it’s a comfortable off-roader – and if you’re planning to cross-shop it against the likes of Land Rover Discovery, Toyota LandCruiser 300 or Land Rover Defender it actually compares quite favourably.

But there are some negatives: the Overtrail’s fuel consumption impacts its general appeal as a day-to-day driver, it lacks people-carrying flexibility without that third row of seats and the fact there’s no diesel Overtrail on offer is a real letdown.

Still, there’s no denying this is a worthy contender among the current line-up of large luxury SUVs and it makes a lot of sense.

The latest front-end design features subtle revisions to BMW’s signature 'kidney' grille theme, highlighted by slimmer matrix LED headlights with chevron-shaped DRLs that incorporate the turn indicators.

There’s also an ‘iconic glow’ function, which illuminates the twin-grilles at night in-sync with the external courtesy lights when approaching and departing the vehicle. Lower front air-intake and tail-light treatments have also been revised.

The dash features a new curved instrument panel. Based on BMW’s latest generation 'iDrive' operating system, it consists of a 12.3-inch driver’s info display and 14.9-inch control display presented across the same seamless glass surface.

The control display’s touchscreen functionality has allowed dash buttons and switches to be minimised.

This new design dash has a blend of synthetic leather trim and dark brown/high-gloss woodgrain surfaces, along with new LED ambient lighting and gear-selector design.

The rear seat is sumptuous and spacious, even for someone my height (186cm). There’s ample knee and headroom and it can seat three kids in comfort, but for adult passengers wanting that 'business class' feel it would be ideal for two.

My only criticism of the new instrument display is that with more than 30 applications displayed on the expansive control screen, it can be distracting at times trying to visually locate and operate these functions while driving.

And, depending on sun angle, there were also complaints from different front seat passengers on different days about blinding glare caused by the dash’s high-gloss woodgrain inserts. Fortunately, the driver is unaffected by these reflections.

The Lexus GX550 Overtrail is 5015mm long (with a 2850mm wheelbase), 2000mm wide, 1935mm high, and it has a kerb weight of 2515kg.

It has a chunky, almost straight up and down, old-school look, and leans heavily into retro cool rather than sleek styling.

A big front grille, bulging wing mirrors (more about those soon), as well as Toyo Open Country all-terrain tyres, wheel arch mouldings, and side steps that are all on the correct side of large, add to this wagon’s overall presence.

The bulky wing mirrors offer only a narrow field of rear vision, which is peculiar given the mirrors’ size and that field of rear vision is also vertically oriented which is even more peculiar.

The Overtrail has black trim highlights, and bridge-type roof rails that top off its sporty look.

Inside, there’s a little more posh-ness going on: most striking of all is the olive green synthetic suede accents and stitching added to the front seats, while the rest of the interior mostly consists of soft-touch surfaces with a smattering of durable plastic.

The interior is low-key classy with great build quality.

With its 2165kg kerb weight and maximum allowable weight of 2885kg, our test vehicle can legally carry up to 720kg.

That should be ample for five adults (even better for kids) and their luggage, of which up to 100kg can be carried on the roof rails using a rack or roof box (both in BMW's accessory range).

Powered upper and lower tailgates provide good access to the luggage area, which is carpeted and equipped with a roll-out privacy screen, load securing hooks, a 12-volt accessory outlet and a first-aid kit stored behind a removable side panel.

The space-saver spare and tools are stored below the hinged load floor, so all luggage must be removed to access them.

Internal luggage space with the rear seat upright is 650 litres (0.65 cubic metres) which expands to 1870 litres (1.87 cubic metres) with the rear seat folded flat.

A useful load-carrying feature when the rear seat’s backrest is upright is a hinged centre section that folds forward and flat to carry long and narrow items.

These can stretch all the way from the tailgate to the dash if need be, which could be handy for carting anything from skis to home hardware purchases (firmly secured, of course).

It’s also rated to tow up to an impressive 3500kg of braked trailer, which matches the class benchmark for one-tonne utes.

However, given that tow-ball download (TBD) is usually around 10 per cent of trailer weight, the X5’s maximum TBD rating of only 140kg could be a challenge if 3500kg towing is required.

Front of cabin storage includes a big bottle-holder and bin in each front door, a glove box and on the right-hand side of the dash a pull-out driver’s bin, both of which are felt-lined.

The centre console, in addition to its wireless phone-charging pad, USB-A port and 12-volt outlet, has two small-bottle/cupholders up front and a large box at the rear, housing a USB-C port and topped by a padded dual 'brochure fold' lid that double as an elbow-rest for driver and front passenger.

Rear seat storage includes a large-bottle holder and bin in each door and pockets on each front seat backrest. The rear of the centre console has two storage nooks for small items in addition to its air-vents, two USB-C ports and a 12-volt outlet. There’s also a handy tablet-mount and USB-C port on each front seat backrest, which is great for long trips.

Folding down the rear seat’s centre armrest reveals two pop-out small-bottle/cupholders. And under its hinged lid is a hidden felt-lined compartment that’s ideal for storing slim screened devices away from prying eyes.

This is a Lexus so, of course, the Overtrail’s practicality comes with lashings of prestige.

As mentioned, build quality is impressive, as is overall fit and finish. The olive green synthetic suede front seat accents and stitching are nice subtle touches – it adds nothing in terms of practicality but geez it looks good.

The 14.0-inch multimedia touchscreen system dominates upfront. While setting up wireless Apple CarPlay was easy enough, I had consistent issues with it and needed to repeatedly stab my finger onto the screen in order to work my way through countless menus and sub-menus to actually eventually reach the function I wanted to reach – and that’s far from ideal.

I’ve experienced this in several new-gen vehicles and my tip to you is: while the vehicle is stationary, work out how to use the functions you need/want to use most often, because the operation of some of those functions is counter-intuitive.

The driver also gets a 12.3-inch digital cluster with a variety of vehicular information to keep track of and a head-up display, which is a handy addition but polarised sunnies rob you of that.

There’s also a powered sunroof.

Otherwise, there are plenty of charge points, including a wireless phone charging pad in front of the cooled centre console, six USB-C ports, and 12-volt outlets front and rear, and a 220V outlet in the rear cargo area.

There are also cupholders galore – upfront and in the second-row armrest – and too-small bottle holders in the doors.

And – whoo-whee! – are the seats in here so bloody comfortable! Obviously upfront, ventilated, heated and power-adjustable etc are the pick of the pews, but the second row is no Gulag jail cell either. There’s room enough there for three burly blokes - just.

The Overtrail does not have the third row of seats as the Luxury and Sports Luxury do, but that frees up more space in the rear cargo area. Cargo space is listed as 1063L with all seats in use, and 2000 litres if the back row is folded down.

The rear cargo area has a 220V/100W socket (to run camp lights, fridge etc), a cargo blind, tie-down points and leftovers from the seven-seat layout: cupholders on both sides.

The rear tailgate is powered and lifts to open rather than swings to the side like the previous barndoor-style tailgate. Bonus: you don’t have to open the whole door to gain access to whatever gear you’ve stowed away in the rear cargo area; you can open the glass section only and reach in through there and that’s a very handy feature.

The Overtrail’s full-size spare is mounted to its underbody.

The 2024 Lexus GX550 is available in three grades: the seven-seat Luxury ($116,000, all excluding on-road costs), the five-seat Overtrail from $122,250 and the seven-seat Sports Luxury at $128,200. 

Our test vehicle is the Overtrail and its price as tested is $126,450 (excluding on-road costs) because its additional features are 'Moon Desert' two-tone paint and grey windshield sub-moulding ($4200).

Standard features on the Overtrail include an 14-inch multimedia touchscreen system (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), a 12.3-inch digital cluster, heated and ventilated leather-accented, eight-way power-adjustable front seats, a 360-degree camera system, three-zone climate control, a refrigerated cool box/centre console, a power tailgate with fold-out glass hatch and more.

It also gets 'Adaptive Variable Suspension', electronic 'Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System' (eKDSS, essentially an electronic active swaybar), 'Multi-Terrain Select' (a Toyota off-road traction control system), 'Multi-Terrain Monitor', crawl control and a locking rear differential.

Exterior paint choices include 'Sonic Quartz' or 'Graphite Black' – or you can opt for a two-tone colour – such as 'Titanium', 'Titanium Carbide', 'Moon Desert', or 'Khaki Metal' – but those colours will each set you back $4200.

The X5 xDrive40i is powered by BMW’s legendary 3.0-litre DOHC 24-valve in-line six with state-of-the-art technology.

This includes twin-scroll turbocharging, variable valve/camshaft timing and 48-volt mild hybrid technology (delivering up to 9.0kW and 200Nm) using an electric motor integrated with the transmission.

The combined effect is optimised power and throttle response (0-100km/h in 5.4 secs) with minimal fuel consumption and Euro 6d emissions.

It produces 280kW between 5200-6250rpm and 520Nm of torque (this can reach 540Nm with hybrid input) across a remarkably wide and flat peak torque band between 1850-5000rpm, which showcases its flexibility. There’s also auto start-stop and selectable drive modes.

This is paired with BMW’s smooth and sharp-shifting eight-speed torque converter automatic, which combines the best characteristics of a dual-clutch and traditional torque converter transmission.

There’s overdrive on the seventh and eighth gears to optimise fuel economy and the choice of rapid manual-shifting using the steering wheel paddles.

Power reaches its wide tyres through the xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive system, which actively varies the engine’s torque distribution between the front and rear wheels to optimise traction at all times.

BMW’s ‘Efficient Dynamics’ also includes brake energy regeneration with recuperation display and many other standard features to enhance driving safety and efficiency.

The GX550 Overtrail has a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine – producing 260kW at 4800-5200rpm and 650Nm at 2000-3600 rpm – and that’s matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

This is an impressive combination: smooth, plenty of torque across a wide rev range – punchy off the mark, and refined at highway speeds, always controlled, always comfortable.

The Lexus GX550 Overtrail has full-time 4WD and an electronic rear diff lock.

Its selectable driving modes include Normal, Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport S and the Overtrail also has 'Adaptive Variable Suspension' and 'Multi-Terrain Select' with drive modes, such as Dirt, Sand, Mud and Snow, designed for off-roading.

BMW claims combined average (WLTP) fuel consumption of 9.9-8.5L/100km. Our 415km test comprised a mix of suburban and highway driving and when we stopped to refuel the dash display was showing 10.2L/100km which was line-ball with our own 10.6L/100km figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings.

So, based on our figures, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 780km from its 83-litre tank using standard 91-octane petrol.

Fuel consumption is listed as 12.3L/100km and that's on a combined cycle.

On this test I recorded 13.9L/100km but, as I have a penchant for dirty stuff, I was doing a lot of low- and high-range 4WDing so I think that figure is actually pretty decent for a 2.5 tonne vehicle with a V6 petrol engine. That’s okay, but I can see those fuel figures climbing considerably once you load the Overtrail up or you tow something with it: a boat, a camper trailer, or a caravan.

The Overtrail has an 80-litre fuel tank so, going by our on-test fuel figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 575km from a full tank.

It’s supremely comfortable, with front bucket seats that offer powered-adjustment of height, reach and backrest angle along with side bolsters that can tighten their grip of your upper torso.

There’s also two-way lumbar support, that adjusts not only how far it pushes your spine forward but also allows that pressure point to be raised or lowered.

Combined with its power-adjustable leather-rimmed steering wheel, it would be hard not to find a comfortable driving position.

Eyelines to all mirrors are good and over-shoulder blind-spots are minimal. Front and rear occupants can talk without raised voices thanks to low engine, wind and tyre noise at highway speeds.

As you’d expect, it has high build quality and a tangibly solid feel as though it was machined from a single block of steel, from the satisfying thuds of its closing doors to the absence of shudders or rattles on a variety of roads.

It also has two personalities, which can be switched in an instant. In 'Comfort' mode it will happily cruise around city and suburbs as a mild-mannered family car, fulfilling daily duties like work commutes, school drop-offs and pick-ups, supermarket shopping and the like.

However, flick the drive mode to 'Sport Plus' and you awaken, well, if not ‘the ultimate driving machine’ then something close.

Its optimised drivetrain and handling settings feel more like a sports sedan than a family car, which can turn any winding mountain road into an engaging experience.

It has impressive reserves of cornering grip and braking force, combined with sparkling engine response and fast sequential manual-shifting at your fingertips.

It feels impressively agile, with all-round response that belies its 2.0-tonne-plus kerb weight, backed by a symphony of sounds from its sublime in-line six.

The smooth Overtrail driving experience begins before you even push the start button: the Overtrail has big grab handles for each door – and I bloody love a good solid grab handle.

Also, the combination of power-adjustable steering wheel and driver’s seat means you’re able to precisely dial-in your preferred driving position.

On road and at speed on dirt tracks, the Overtrail sits nicely. It has a wide wheel track and long wheelbase, so it retains a controlled and composed posture on sealed and unsealed surfaces. 

Some body-roll does creep in when you throw the Overtrail into a corner hard, but that won’t surprise you if you’ve spent any time at all in a large or upper large 4WD wagon recently and that characteristic is no deal-breaker.

Ride quality is very impressive and the suspension set-up – double wishbone IFS with eKDSS at the front, and four-link live axle with eKDSS at the rear – mostly soaks up any bumps, however, it does skip over some more substantial irregularities in the road/track surface here and there, but that’s mostly ironed out by the Overtrail’s adaptive suspension and you can also simply adjust tyre pressures up or down to suit the terrain.

With its 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine at full go – and harnessed so smoothly through the 10-speed automatic transmission – this Lexus offers plenty of acceleration, plenty of power, and plenty of torque.

It's quiet in the cabin although there’s some wind noise from the massive wing mirrors but that's not a huge deal when the overall vehicle itself is so impressive on-road. 

Once underway, this is an easy-driving 4WD wagon. And off-road, there’s a lot of good news about the Overtrail.

It shares the same platform as the 300 Series LandCruiser and the all-new Prado and it has a lengthy wheelbase (2850mm) and a wide wheel track (1685mm front and 1690mm rear) and that means it drives with impressive composure through most off-road situations, whether it's rumbling along a corrugated dirt track or climbing a rocky hill.

Steering is well weighted and precise and there's plenty of feedback for the driver from the dirt to the steering wheel so you know exactly what's going on. And further to that you have a 360-degree camera system, so you can be exacting about your wheel placement and that maximises your chances of always being in control of the vehicle and minimises the risk of any damage.

This Overtrail has so much mechanical goodness engineered into it and so much driver-assist tech that I didn’t even need to engage the rear diff lock because through its off-road driving modes, – sand, mud, rock, snow – it just delivers the right amount of throttle response, the right amount of traction, and with the 'Electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System' (e-KDSS) ticking away, working almost like a sway bar disconnect, the Overtrail is surefooted more often than not.

e-KDSS (essentially an electronically-controlled active swaybar) adjusts tension on the front and rear sway bars to suit the terrain and driving conditions. It tightens them for better body control at higher speeds on sealed surfaces, and allows for a lot more play in them when you’re off-road for improved wheel articulation through undulating terrain. It helps to get the tyres to the dirt and maintain optimum traction, maintain forward momentum – that's what it does and it does it with little to no stress whatsoever. It doesn’t even have to work hard. 

The Overtrail has decent all-terrain tyres – Toyo Open Country (265/70R18) – and even though they’re not as tough all-round as Light Truck (LT) construction all-terrains, they still provide plenty of grip and that's in a variety of off-road situations, on a variety of surfaces: sand, loose gravel, shale, even rain-soaked mud which can be very slippery and can quickly fill your tyre tread. These tyres are a handy addition to the Overtrail package and on a standard vehicle straight out of the showroom, they’re fine. 

But the news is not all good. 

The Overtrail’s 225mm ground clearance is industry standard for a larger or upper large SUV, but it isn't great for a vehicle that’s intended as an off-road beast.

And the off-road angles, approach (27 degrees) and departure (22) aren't fantastic, and rampover is not listed. Again, those measurements are industry standard for a larger and upper large SUV, but for the Overtrail, a vehicle that is supposedly an adventure machine, ground clearance and off-road angles could be a lot better. Having said that though, the underbody is well protected by some substantial bash-plates. Note: The Overtrail’s full-size spare is mounted to the underbody.

Wading depth is listed as 700mm, which is on par with its rivals.

The big side steps stick out and if you don't drive with real consideration then they'll probably cop a scrape here and there and maybe even a bit of a dent. 

One of the quirks about modern-day, large luxury 4WD wagons, such as the 300 Series, the Land Rover Defender and the Land Rover Discovery, is that the driver-assist tech onboard is so laser-precise that it almost removes the driver from the equation of actually driving. Manoeuvring one of these vehicles off-road can sometimes feel so clinical that you almost feel like you’re a spectator, that the vehicle is in control, not you. 

But what the Overtrail has in its favour is that driving it doesn't have that clinical feel about it. As the driver, you do feel dialled in to the entire experience, even though the mechanicals and tech are so very effective, you do still feel like you’re in control … and that’s how it should be.

Towing capacities are 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked). Payload is listed as 595kg, which is not a lot once you throw in your kids, dogs, and camping equipment – not to mention anything you might be towing at the time – but that payload figure is about standard for this part of the 4WD wagon market. For reference, a 300 Series LandCruiser's payload, depending on the variant, is between 650kg (VX/Sahara/GR Sport) and 785kg (GX).

The Overtrail’s listed kerb weight is 2515kg, gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 3110kg, and gross combined mass (GCM) is 6610kg.

The Lexus GX550 Overtrail does not have an ANCAP safety rating because at time of writing it has not been tested.

As standard it has nine airbags (front, side, knee and full-length driver and passenger curtain and far side driver front airbag) and driver-assist tech includes auto emergency braking (AEB) (front and rear, with day, night and intersection turning detection of vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles, plus daytime motorcycle detection), adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, front and rear parking sensors, and a 360-degree camera.

It also has road-sign assist with real-time speed limit updates, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive high beam system and a tyre-pressure monitoring system.

BMW covers the X5 with a five year/unlimited km warranty and offers several service plans to suit different budgets and requirements.

For example, the 'Service Inclusive Basic' package covers all scheduled services over five years/80,000km for a total of $3450, or an average of $690 per year.

The Lexus GX550 Overtrail has a five-year/unlimited-km warranty.

Servicing is scheduled for every six months or 10,000km, whichever occurs soonest, and costs $595 each time for a total of $5950. That schedule is a little too soon for our liking.