Luxury MEETS CAPABILITY

Lexus has added an Overtrail model to its 2025 range of LX wagons with a choice of petrol and diesel powertrains. We took the LX600 Overtrail model for a spin.

- WORDS MATT RAUDONIKIS PHOTOS ELLEN DEWAR

For decades now, Lexus has been waving its luxury wand over parent company Toyota's LandCruiser offerings to make them appeal to a different clientele than the traditional Cruiser buyer. Think Range Rovers with lashings of leather hides, a smattering of woodgrain trim and premium fit-out to bring in buyers from the luxury SUV segment.The latest off-road offerings from Lexus are the updated LX range, which arrived alongside the refreshed LandCruiser 300 Series on which the current LX is based.

Significantly, the 2025 LX update introduced an Overtrail variant to the lineup - a model designed to appeal to clientele who want to get their Lexus dirty and make the most of its LandCruiser underpinnings. The LX Overtrail follows the launch of the GX550 Overtrail earlier this year, which gave the same off-road-focused treatment to the 250 Series Prado.

WHAT IS THE OVERTRAIL?

The LX Overtrail is offered with either petrol or diesel power. The LX Overtrail 500d uses the same V6 diesel found in the LC300 and starts at $182,300, while the LX600 Overtrail runs a V6 petrol engine and starts at $185,800.

Both Overtrail variants are five-seat only, leaving the rear section open for cargo. Seven-seat LXs are available in other trims, but not as an Overtrail — and they miss out on the auxiliary fuel tank, limiting capacity to 80 litres. The five-seat Overtrails, by contrast, can carry 110 litres of petrol or diesel, depending on the model.

For the record, the LX600 has an ADR combined-cycle fuel consumption rating of 11.9L/100km, while the LX500d is rated at 8.9L/100km.

We have the LX600 Overtrail variant on test here, powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 producing a healthy 305kW at 5200rpm and 650Nm.

Interestingly, this engine in the GX550 produces the same 650Nm but is limited to 260kW, and with different engine codes, the two units are not exactly the same.