Lexus GX 550 vs Toyota C-HR

What's the difference?

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.

There’s not much in terms of practicalities that are going to convince you the C-HR is a better option than Toyota’s other small SUV, the Corolla Cross.

Even other ‘stylish’ small SUVs like the Mazda CX-30, fuel savers like the electric MG ZS EV, or performance small SUVs like the Hyundai Kona N are more affordable than the GR Sport version of the C-HR.

In the case of this car, unlike most of its Toyota stablemates, buyers will likely be making a decision from the heart based on exterior styling and its interior rather than value or practicality.

And who would anyone be to tell you not to buy a car you like for its styling?

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.

There’s a fair bit going on here compared to most of Toyota’s other products, much like the first generation, but being designed with Europe as the key market and Australia as a secondary means the styling team needed to take on some fairly fashionable brands.

All three variants of the C-HR are relatively close in aesthetics, with major differences being two-tone paint or specific trim elements for the top-spec GR Sport.

It uses new Toyota design elements that have been seen on some models already, the ‘c-shape’ lights have been used on the new Prius, which we no longer get in Australia, for example.

The black roof was also available on the previous generation, where this car has carried over the ‘egg-like’ silhouette from.

The overall relatively aquatic styling and shape must be for aerodynamic advantage - its chief engineer told us the drag coefficient is just 0.318Cd - but the removal of the rear wiper to lower drag might have been unnecessary for a city-focused small SUV.

The cabin isn’t as wild as the outside, which may be a let-down in some ways, though it’s still a little more visually interesting than its more mainstream stablemates.

The 64-colour ambient lighting changes based on settings including time of day or drive mode, but can be set to a specific single colour if you wish.

The centre stack on the dash is gently angled towards the driver with a small separation between it and the passenger, creating a slight ‘cockpit’ feeling.

Seats are made from different materials depending on the grade, though no real leather is used even in the GR Sport, where synthetic suede and leather are the main upholstery.

The cloth textiles are made from entirely recycled materials, while the synthetic suede is made from a little less than half recycled materials.

They don’t look cheap, but they also don’t look particularly luxurious.

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.

When it comes to interior layout and ergonomics, there’s never much to criticise in a Toyota, unless playing it safe is a downside for you.

The buttons you’re most likely to use regularly, across the climate control, centre console and steering wheel, are all very obvious and easy to find, if a little uninspiring, as is wheel design itself - form definitely doesn’t sacrifice function here.

Welcome are the two large screens, the multimedia touchscreen a large 12.3-inch unit and the driver display either 7.0-inch or another 12.3-inch version depending on variant.

Toyota’s software is simple and accessible, using a few main menu sections, though many will likely bypass this with wireless phone mirroring.

Everything’s in a sensible place: a tall bottle in the cupholders won’t block access to anything, the phone charging pad is tucked away to minimise distraction, and Toyota has kept things like the gear selector and stalks behind the steering wheel relatively traditional.

While the interior feels a little dated by its many buttons and some of its simple graphics, there’s certainly something to be said for a welcome change from distracting screens and menus - if the aim was to not exclude Toyota’s older market, it seems like mission accomplished.

In terms of comfort and space, the C-HR makes pretty good use of its interior from the front, the seats are relatively comfortable and visibility is fine, though the back seat starts to feel a bit cramped.

While cupholders and door bottle storage is plentiful in the front, there’s no armrest and no bottle storage in the rear, only relatively shallow cupholders on the armrests in the doors.

Visibility is also relatively poor with high windows, a narrow rear window, and not a lot of light unless there’s a sunroof.

Behind that, with the seats up, the C-HR’s boot has a claimed VDA capacity of 388 litres in the GXL and Koba, or 362L in the GR Sport. Total volume with the seats down is 1154L and 1490L respectively.

While a Corolla Cross starts at $33,980 before on-roads, or $36,480 for a hybrid, the C-HR is just under $43K in its lowest spec.

And even though you’re paying more for a new hybrid drivetrain and some fun Euro styling, the Corolla Cross’ drivetrain isn’t far behind, and it still looks good enough to sell quite well.

So what’s the C-HR got going for it that the Cross doesn’t?

The base GXL starts from $42,990 plus on-road costs and comes with a bit more than you might expect from a base variant Toyota.

A 12.3-inch touchscreen, a 7.0-inch driver display and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay have things covered for multimedia, while dual-zone climate, keyless entry and start, rain-sensing wipers, and USB-C and 12-volt ports and chargers cover off convenience.

The GXL has manually adjustable seats with recycled fabric - which I’ll come back to later - plus a synthetic leather-accented steering wheel.

The Koba, at $49,990, scores heated sports seats with synthetic suede trim, plus power adjustment for the driver seat and a digital rearview mirror as well as cabin ionisation via the climate control.

A wireless smartphone charger, a head-up display above a larger 12.3-inch driver display, plus adaptive high-beam all add to the convenience, while a nine-speaker JBL sound system and 64-colour ambient lighting add to the vibes.

Atop the range is the GR Sport, which starts from $54,990.

As well as being more powerful - we’ll come back to that, too - it gets unique styling outside, plus synthetic leather-accented and suede seats inside, aluminium scuff plates, and a heated GR Sport steering wheel.

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.

The difference in boot space is likely because the hybrid-only C-HR comes with two drivetrain options, depending on which variant you have.

The GXL and Koba both use Toyota’s 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine aided by a front-mounted electric motor to produce a 103kW output at the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission.

The GR Sport, however, gains a rear electric motor (taking up some boot space) and a more powerful front motor, helping a larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine make a total 146kW - still via a CVT.

Don’t expect to be getting to 100km/h from a standstill in any less than 8.0 seconds in either variant, but both have a claimed top speed of 170km/h.

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.

Toyota says the C-HR uses just 4.0L/100km on the combined cycle test, which is 0.3L less than the previous generation’s claim, but it should be noted the 2.0-litre in the GR Sport drinks a claimed 4.1L/100km.

During testing on the launch drive, but without being able to measure properly from fill to fill, one quite spirited leg of driving netted a 6.9L/100km reading on the trip computer, while a more sedate drive returned 5.4L/100km.

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.

There’s nothing particularly offensive about the way the new C-HR drives, but there’s nothing riveting either.

If you’ve driven anything on the Toyota TNGA platform, this will feel familiar to you - and that’s not a bad thing, it’s generally pretty stable, comfortable and controlled.

The modified Corolla platform it rides on is a very good thing, but the C-HR doesn’t have anything in the way of sporting tendencies its styling might suggest.

The hybrid drivetrain in the two 1.8-litre versions of the small SUV don’t offer up a whole lot in terms of keen acceleration, but even the GR Sport and its 146kW drivetrain need a push to get things feeling properly quick on a twisty road.

The added stability of the all-wheel drive in the top variant is noticeable, the front-drive variants feeling a little less planted when pushed.

Steering is on the slightly lighter side of still being well-weighted - it doesn’t wow, but Toyota’s engineers know what they’re doing and it does everything it needs to in terms of communicating feeling to the driver.

Some particularly rough roads on the test drive showed the suspension to handle short, sharp bumps well and not feel crashy over larger imperfections.

The suspension has been retuned in this TNGA-C platform to be stiffer for more control but also more compliant in terms of comfort.

But it’s around urban and suburban streets where the C-HR will spend most of its time, and neglected streets, speed bumps, or tram lines won’t shake you too much from in the cabin.

All three variants of the C-HR come with a version of the Toyota Safety Sense suite of tech which includes things like pre-collision, active cruise control, speed limit sign assist, a surround-view parking camera, plus all the expected inclusions like ABS, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

The rear outboard seats are equipped with ISOFIX tethers, too, while the ADR-necessary top tethers are also present.

It hasn’t been tested by ANCAP, but in the case of a collision the C-HR does have a pretty decent airbag count of 10.

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.

Toyota has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty which covers the C-HR, as well as capped-price servicing for the first five years or 75,000km, whichever comes first, with each 12-month/15,000km service costing $250.

The C-HR also comes with a 12-month subscription to Toyota Connected Services, with features accessible through the myToyota Connect smartphone app.