2024 Lexus TX Hopes to Become a Better Family Hauler

by Matt Posky

Published: June 9th, 2023

2024 lexus tx hopes to become a better family hauler

Lexus is hitting the public with a one-two punch this week. After showcasing the next-generation GX, the brand introduced an all-new model designed to replace the three-row RX L. However, where the RX was stretched as an afterthought, the TX was always designed with extra seating in mind.

Sharing a platform with the Toyota Grand Highlander, the TX is an extremely large vehicle. But that’s the point, as the manufacturer was clearly trying to maximize interior volume without sacrificing cargo. Storage behind the rear seats of the RX L was unsuitable for long trips when fully loaded with people and the TX’s dimensions are supposed to remedy that.

At a smidgen over 203 inches long, the TX doesn’t seem to have any direct competitors. The infiniti QX80 and GMC Yukon are a little too big, while something like the Acura MDX is a little too small. But that’s a good place for a new vehicle to be when the market is receptive.

Lexus says the back row will be more spacious, comfortable, and easier to get into than what was available on the three-row variant of the RX. Additionally, the TX is supposed to offer more room for luggage, yielding 20.1 cubic feet of space without having to fold any seating.

The base powertrain will be a turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four offering 275 horsepower. That unit comes with a 10-speed automatic and should provide a 21 mpg combined EPA-certified economy rating when configured for front-wheel drive. But all-wheel drive is likewise available.

Stepping up beyond the TX350 to the TX500h brings on board a hybrid system that takes the 2.4-liter to 362 horsepower thanks to dual electric motors offering default all-wheel drive. However, it’s not so much focused on saving fuel as it is promoting fun. The powertrain comes with a 6-speed automatic and is only available via the F Sport Performance trim. Still, it’s supposed to deliver 24 mpg (combined) and adds rear-wheel steering, adaptive dampers, and flashier 22-inch wheels.

The above is already available on the Toyota Grand Highlander. What isn’t is the Lexus-exclusive plug-in-hybrid model (exclusive to the all-wheel drive TX550h Plus) that hybridizes a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine for a very agreeable 406 horsepower and 30 mpg combined fuel economy. It’s also supposed to be capable of allowing drivers to propel the machine 33 miles using the battery alone. But it comes with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that’s not going to be for everyone.

Interior inclusions are about what we’d expect with the LX seeming to focus a bit more on practicality due to its role as a family hauler. But there’s a massive 14-inch infotainment center as standard and the option to upgrade to a digital gauge cluster with a head-up display.

Additional details are forthcoming, with Lexus yet to provide charging details for the plug-in variant and more comprehensive specifications on the rest of the line. But it’s basically an upscale Grand Highlander focused more on comfort without ditching practicality.

Pricing should reflect this with the Lexus TX starting a little higher than the three-row RX — so above $50,000.

[Images: Lexus]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.

#NewsBlog #Toyota #SUVs #Lexus #TX

Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

More by Matt Posky

Comments

Join the conversation

3 of 39 comments

Teddyc73 on Jun 12, 2023

This thing almost looks like a joke. LIke one of those nondescript cars in auto insurance advertisements. For years people based Lincoln for being dressed up Fords. I wonder if people will do the same to Lexus for this thing. Also, what a dreary cold interior. This is from a luxury automaker?

1 Reply
- Stuki Moi on Jun 12, 2023
  
  Difference being: These days, being a "Dressed in anything" Toyota, is about the highest compliment one can give a car.
  
  The Lincoln quip was a result of dressing up a rattle trap in pseudo-fancy garb can't cover the crumbling innards for long. Very different from cautiously adding slightly more comfortable trappings to what is already world-beating platforms.
  
  By any even remotely conservative measure, they are overcharging for the changes (unless you're a die hard Japanophile, at least).
  
  But that's just the nature of attempting to run an industrial company in the neo-feudal era: The bottom 95% cannot afford to be relied on for any profits. Instead, they serve simply as a means to get volumes up to where reliability is made possible. All profits instead have to be made from the 30-then-10-then-5-then-1..... percent on the receiving end of the all-encompassing wealth redistributions which has been the only game in any Western town since 1971.
  
  Like
Kari on Jul 02, 2023

Wow....what an utterly ugly disappointment. Looks like a minivan on the outside and older on the inside than my 2014 Sequoia. Is that an ETCH-A-SKETCH for the console screen? Where is all the luxury that my 2019 Lexus LX had? No cool features or ambient lighting? PASS. Being a sassy mom of 2 teens, I'll stick with our 2023 BMW X7 iDrive40 all day long over this boring garbage.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Redapple2 I gave up on Honda. My 09 Accord Vs my 03. The 09s- V 6 had a slight shudder when deactivating cylinders. And the 09 did not have the 03 's electro luminescent gages. And the 09 had the most uncomfortable seats. My brother bought his 3rd and last Honda CRV. Brutal seats after 25 minutes. NOW, We are forever Toyota, Lexus, Subaru people now despite HAVING ACCESS TO gm EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT. Despite having access to the gm employee discount. Man, that is a massive statement. Wow that s bad - Under no circumstances will I have that govna crap.
Redapple2 Front tag obscured. Rear tag - clear and sharp. Huh?
Redapple2 I can state what NOT to buy. HK. High theft. Insurance. Unrefined NVH. Rapidly degrading interiors. HK? No way !
Luke42 Serious answer:Now that I DD an EV, buying an EV to replace my wife’s Honda Civic is in the queue. My wife likes her Honda, she likes Apple CarPlay, and she can’t stand Elon Musk - so Tesla starts the competition with two demerit-points and Honda starts the competition with one merit-point.The Honda Prologue looked like a great candidate until Honda announced that the partnership with GM was a one-off thing and that their future EVs would be designed in-house.Now I’m more inclined toward the Blazer EV, the vehicle on which the Prologue is based. The Blazer EV and the Ultium platform won’t be orphaned by GM any time soon. But then I have to convince my wife she would like it better than her Honda Civic, and that’s a heavy lift because she doesn’t have any reason to be dissatisfied with her current car (I take care of all of the ICE-hassles for her).Since my wife’s Honda Civic is holding up well, since she likes the car, and since I take care of most of the drawbacks of drawbacks of ICE ownership for her, there’s no urgency to replace this vehicle.Honestly, if a paid-off Honda Civic is my wife’s automotive hill to die on, that’s a pretty good place to be - even though I personally have to continue dealing the hassles and expenses of ICE ownership on her behalf.My plan is simply to wait-and-see what Honda does next. Maybe they’ll introduce the perfect EV for her one day, and I’ll just go buy it.
2ACL I have a soft spot for high-performance, shark-nosed Lancers (I considered the less-potent Ralliart during the period in which I eventually selected my first TL SH-AWD), but it can be challenging to find one that doesn't exhibit signs of abuse, and while most of the components are sufficiently universal in their function to service without manufacturer support, the SST isn't one of them. The shops that specialize in it are familiar with the failure as described by the seller and thus might be able to fix this one at a substantial savings to an OEM replacement. There's only a handful of them in the nation, however; if you're not near one, that means figuring out how to get the car to them or removing and shipping the transmission. A salvaged unit is another option, but the usual risks of cannibalizing an unknown car are magnified by similar logistical challenges to trying to save the original.I hope this is a case of the seller overvaluing the Evo market rather than still owing or having put the mods on credit because the 'best offer' won't be anywhere near the current listing.