2024 Lexus GX 550 vs. 2024 Land Rover Defender 110

2024 Lexus GX 550 Luxury+ ・ Photo by Brady Holt

The Land Rover Defender is an SUV icon. When it began production in 1983, it bridged the gap between the agricultural-grade original Land Rovers and modern transportation. And when Land Rover reinvented the model in 2020, it took another leap – winning awards for retaining its legendary off-road capability while also becoming an excellent on-road machine. 

This year, the Defender faces a fresh challenge from the fully redesigned 2024 Lexus GX. The new GX 550 drives better than its predecessor, gets better gas mileage, and has a more modern interior. And as a luxury version of the new Toyota Land Cruiser (sold elsewhere as the Land Cruiser Prado), it’s also an off-road-capable SUV. For this review, we’ve tested both the GX 550 and the Defender to see how these two mid-size luxury SUVs – each priced starting in the $60,000s – compare in each of eight categories. Keep reading to see how they stacked up and which one is our top pick overall. 

Exterior Design

The newly redesigned Lexus GX adopts the same straight-lined-box shape that the Defender has enjoyed throughout its life. The Lexus rounds off the corners, while the Land Rover is decidedly pointy. The GX wears Lexus’s familiar slim headlights and “spindle” grille, along with a rear lightbar. Our test vehicle wore big dressy 22-inch wheels (while the GX’s off-road-themed Overtrail models have more rugged-looking 18-inchers). The Defender has more of a retro vibe with square headlights, a rear-mounted spare tire, and a series of small square taillights. 

The Discovery is available in three sizes – the two-door 90 model, the four-door 110 like our test vehicle, and the extended-length 130 model. The 110 has nearly identical dimensions to the GX, which is available in a single mid-size four-door body style. But part of that is the spare tire sticking off the Discovery’s rear end; the Land Rover’s actual body isn’t as long as the Lexus’s. (The Discovery 130 is longer than the GX even before counting the spare tire.) Overall, your personal tastes will determine your own winner between the classically styled Defender and the boxy yet contemporary GX. 

Winner: Tie 

2024 Land Rover Defender 110 S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Interior Design

Inside, both the GX and the Defender are more truck-like than the typical luxury SUV. The Land Rover uses materials that feel premium while emphasizing rugged strength over posh decadence. The GX, meanwhile, has a more simply shaped dashboard but decks it out with richer leather. We prefer looking at the Defender’s interior. It has more character, and if you actually do go out in the mud and snow, you won’t feel as bad about tracking it into the Land Rover.

Still, we’ll call this category a tie because of the Lexus’s simpler controls. The Defender’s 11.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system looks pretty, but once you actually try to make it do anything, you face cumbersome operations and laggy responses. Even its simple-looking physical controls on the dashboard and steering wheel can frustrate. The GX isn’t a class act, either; its big 14-inch screen has mostly unused space, and it won’t let you see multiple types of information side by side – you have to switch among views to see, for instance, your GPS map versus information about what's on the radio. We’ll call this category another tie between the more interesting Defender and the plainer but simpler GX. 

Winner: Tie 

2024 Lexus GX 550 Luxury+ ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Passenger Accommodations

As we mentioned, the GX is bigger than the Defender 110 unless you count the length of its spare tire. And yet, the Land Rover has more passenger space than the Lexus. 

In both SUVs, the front seats are comfortable and accommodating. But the Defender is the far better vehicle for carrying people in the backseat. The GX has barely adequate knee clearance behind the front seats, while the Discovery lets you stretch out comfortably. Both have available third-row seats that are among the smallest of any SUV on the market (the Discovery 130 has more adult-adequate accommodations). 

Winner: Land Rover Defender

2024 Land Rover Defender 110 S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Cargo and Utility

The GX’s size pays off in a slight edge for cargo space. With the third-row seat in use, the GX 550 has a tiny 10.3 cubic feet of cargo space. But it can fold down to allow a respectable 40.2 cubic feet behind the second row. And GXs without the third row have 45.6 cubic feet. Folding down the second row (which drops flat on three-row models and tumbles forward on five-seat models) results in 76.9 cubic feet in total for three-row GXs and 90.5 cubic feet for the two-row.

The Defender’s cargo hold is usefully boxy but comes up short of the bigger GX’s. While it has 10.7 cubic feet of space behind the third row, there’s just 34.6 cubic feet behind the second row and a maximum of 69.0 cubic feet behind the front seats. Skipping the third-row option brings 34.0 cubic feet behind the second row yet 78.8 cubic feet behind the front seats. Even the Defender 130 trails the GX’s cargo capacity except behind the third row (a still-modest 15.3 cubic feet); it has 35.8 cubic feet behind the second row and 76.1 cubic feet in total. The GX’s cargo space is also more accessible with a conventional swing-up liftgate that also lets you open the windshield glass separately to quickly grab small items. The Defender has a swing-out cargo door that’s awkward to open in tight spaces. 

If you have a heavy trailer, the Discovery is rated for a mighty 7,716-pound towing capacity with most engines and an incredible 8,201 pounds with its available six-cylinder. And yet, the GX wins here too – handling up to 9,063 pounds depending on the trim level. 

Winner: Lexus GX

2024 Lexus GX 550 Luxury+ ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ride and Handling

Although it’s a rugged body-on-frame SUV, the redesigned Lexus GX has gained remarkable handling composure. We don’t mean that it’s built for a racetrack. But while the old GX was lazy and clumsy, the new model has firm, responsive, confidence-inspiring steering, and the suspension keeps the big Lexus from feeling unstable. The ride is jiggly on our test vehicle’s 22-inch wheels; it’s stiffer than on the off-road-focused Overtrail model we’ve tested previously. Plus, the GX is a talented off-roader, especially in Overtrail form. 

Still, we came away even more impressed by the Discovery. It’s even more agile despite riding more smoothly. That’s no surprise given its car-like unibody construction. Still, the Defender enjoys Land Rover’s incredible suite of off-road tools. And it’s rated to survive driving through nearly 3 feet of water. Both the Defender and the GX are impressive on-road machines given their off-road capabilities, but the Land Rover is even more so.  

Winner: Land Rover Defender

2024 Land Rover Defender 110 S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Acceleration

Last year’s Lexus GX 460 used a silky naturally aspirated V8 engine, which it had last updated back in 2010. The new GX 550’s V6 is a clear step forward. This 3.4-liter turbo makes 349 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque (versus last year’s 301 hp and 329 lb-ft). That’s enough to send this brick of an SUV to 60 mph in just 6.5 seconds. The engine delivers smooth, natural power, rather than the old GX 460’s ineffectually roaring V8.

Our tested Defender is even quicker. Its 3.0-liter inline six makes 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, and it whips the Land Rover to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds. However, this engine is an extra-cost option (about $7,000 extra), while the base Defender uses a 296-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder. It hits 60 mph in a respectable 7.0 seconds, but it doesn’t sound as good as either of those six-cylinders. A V8-powered Defender is also available, but only for more than $100,000. The GX is speedy and luxurious-sounding on every trim level. 

Winner: Lexus GX

2024 Lexus GX 550 Luxury+ ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Fuel Economy

Last year’s V8-powered GX earned lousy EPA fuel economy estimates of 15 mpg in the city, 19 mpg on the highway, and 16 mpg combined. The new V6 model improves to 15 mpg city, 21 mpg highway, and 17 mpg combined despite being notably swifter, and we matched that estimate during our test.

Still, the Defender is more economical. Neither is a fuel-sipper, but the four-cylinder Defender 110 manages 18 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 19 mpg combined, while the six-cylinder 110 like our test vehicle manages 17 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 18 mpg combined. We blew past that estimate to hit 21 mpg during a week that skewed toward highway driving. The Defender 90 gets slightly better mileage than the 110, and the 130 gets slightly worse. And the V8 gets just 16 mpg. But between comparable models, the Land Rover beats the Lexus for efficiency.

Winner: Land Rover Discovery

2024 Land Rover Defender 110 S ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Pricing and Features

As we mentioned, the GX 550 and Discovery 110 have similar starting prices: $62,900 and $60,600, respectively. And both are similarly well-equipped in their base form, yet available with many extra-cost add-ons. 

We’ll give the Lexus the win for its standard six-cylinder power. As we mentioned, it costs about $7,000 extra to get more than four cylinders in the Land Rover. As you pile options onto these vehicles, you might find that the options you want cost more on one SUV versus the other. Our GX 550 Luxury+ test vehicle came to $84,590 while our Defender 110 S cost $83,528. Choose your options with care and see what comes up on top. 

Winner: Lexus GX

2024 Lexus GX 550 Luxury+ ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Final Thoughts

The redesigned 2024 Lexus GX 550 made great strides. With its boxier design, it doubles down on its off-road-ready strengths, yet it also drives much better than before. 

Still, we narrowly picked the 2024 Land Rover Defender 110 as our winner. It charmed us with its more interesting interior design and sprightlier handling, and appealed to our practical sides for its roomier rear seat and lower fuel consumption. Its controls were frustrating, and you won’t get as much cargo room or towing capacity as in the Lexus. But when you want a high-end SUV that’s great to drive on any terrain, the Land Rover’s character struck just the right notes for us while avoiding deal-breaking drawbacks. 

Winner: Land Rover Defender 

2024 Land Rover Defender 110 S ・ Photo by Brady Holt