New Kind of Lexus SUV

Posted on by Derek Price
Cargazing
By Derek Price

Lexus has long offered spacious SUVs for people who need three rows of seating.

There’s just one problem. The brand’s biggest SUVs — the GX and LX — are built on heavy ladder frames just like pickup trucks, which is ideal for off-roading but not necessarily a good fit for the upscale suburbs where luxury SUVs tend to gravitate.

On pavement, unibody construction is a much more logical choice because it weighs dramatically less, resulting in a more responsive ride and lower payments at the gas pump.

Now, for the first time ever, Lexus is selling a purpose-built three-row SUV with unibody construction called the TX.

While Lexus did offer a three-row version of the RX in the past, called the RX-L, it shoehorned a third row into a vehicle that didn’t seem properly designed for it. Kids may have fit back there, but it wasn’t great for adults.

That changes with the roomier TX.

Based on the same design as the new Toyota Grand Highlander, this fresh Lexus has a reasonably spacious third-row seat that could actually fit grown-ups comfortably.

The TX is a new Texas-sized Lexus SUV. It has three rows of spacious seating and is built with unibody construction for better gas mileage and crisper handling than body-on-frame SUVs.

It also offers the predictable recipe Lexus buyers have come to expect: a solid cabin built with luxurious-feeling materials, a generous suite of tech features and a syrupy, fluffy ride that makes highway trips relaxing.

I spent a week behind the wheel of the new TX, and I came away feeling like this is the first time Lexus has hit the sweet spot of the market for three-row SUVs.

The big LX is an incredible machine, but its base price around $94,000 means not many people can afford it. The outgoing 2023 GX starts at a more attainable price, around $60,000, but is rated for a combined 16 mpg in city and highway driving.

The TX 350, in contrast, is rated for 21 mpg in the city and a thrifty 27 on the highway, an impressive feat for a vehicle this size.

A turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is responsible for the thrift. Coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the powertrain felt silky and competent in my tester, although not quite muscular enough to power a truly premium SUV.

The gasoline-powered TX 350 accelerates from 0-60 mph in a ho-hum 8 seconds, according to Lexus’ measurements.

A huge, 14-inch touchscreen dominates the dash on the new-for-2024 Lexus TX.

If you want to upgrade to a faster TX, there two different hybrid versions to pick from.

The standard hybrid, called the TX 500h, accelerates from 0-60 in 6.1 seconds while delivering better gas mileage at the same time. Government wonks rate it at 27 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway.

A plug-in hybrid, called the TX 550h+, is two tenths of a second faster than the standard hybrid to 60 mph. It also lets you drive up to 33 miles on battery power before the gasoline engine kicks in. On the downside, it also tops the lineup in price, more than $20,000 over the TX 350’s starting sticker.

The TX comes with a long list of no-extra-cost features, which is unusual for a luxury brand. Every version comes with radar cruise control and lane centering, plus a gigantic 14-inch touchscreen that takes up the entire center of the dash to run its myriad tech features.

Its cabin seems to be designed more for fingertips than eyeballs. It looks very simple and understated in pictures, almost like the sparse, thrifty, minimalistic style of a new Volkswagen more than an old-fashioned, tufted-leather luxury car.

In real life, though, the TX feels and smells spectacular, with rattle-free construction and supple materials in all the right spots.

Pricing starts at $55,050 for the base TX 350. The hybrid version, which comes with the spirited F-Sport Performance treatment, starts at $69,350. Finally, the plug-in 550h+ Hybrid model tops the lineup at $78,050.

At A Glance

What was tested? 2024 Lexus TX 350 ($53,700). Options: None. Price as tested (including $1,350 destination charge): $55,050
Wheelbase: 116.1 in.
Length: 203.2 in.
Width: 78.4 in.
Height: 70.1 in.
Engine: 2.4-liter turbocharged four cylinder (275 hp, 317 lbs.-ft.)
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel economy: 21 city, 27 highway

Ratings

Style: 9
Performance: 5
Price: 7
Handling: 6
Ride: 9
Comfort: 9
Quality: 9
Overall: 7

Why buy it?

The TX is a new kind of SUV from Lexus. It’s large and spacious inside, and its car-like unibody construction means it handles better and burns less gas than Lexus’ previous truck-based SUVs.

Posted in Lexus

A Fresh Camry

Posted on by Derek Price
Cargazing
By Derek Price

It’s no secret that sedan sales have been tanking in America as buyers crave crossovers and SUVs.

Ford famously dropped sedans entirely from its lineup in recent years, and Chevrolet appears to be following suit after whittling its four-door-family-car lineup down to a single aging model, the Malibu.

Some writers are predicting the demise of the traditional sedan entirely. If there’s only one left standing at the end of the carnage, though, I think it will be this one: the Toyota Camry.

The Camry is one of the rare sedans that still enjoys strong sales in the modern era. Around 290,000 copies were purchased last year, enough to continue its reign as the best-selling sedan in America with no sign of letting up.

With an all-new generation of the Camry being released for 2025 — making it one of the few sedans receiving a major investment these days — one has to wonder exactly what Toyota would do, if anything, to turn the tides.

Would it make the Camry look tougher to woo some SUV buyers? Would it make a special off-road version or offer a roof rack on top?

Fortunately, after Toyota released pictures and details of the new model in recent weeks, we now know the answer is a resounding “no.” The 2025 Camry is more of the same, just — if you believe the press release — better.

 

Toyota’s new-generation Camry will look very different when it hits America’s highways as a 2025 model.

There are some big changes coming to it. For starters, every single version is going to come with a hybrid powertrain. It’s also making all-wheel drive (AWD) available on every grade, an obvious nod to those SUV buyers who need traction in all kinds of weather.

A 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine will be paired with two electric motors to create a combined 225 horsepower. AWD versions get a bit more power with 232 horses.

Based on pictures, this ninth-generation Camry should turn heads with its sleek new design. While this car built its reputation on frugality, dependability and staid styling in the 1980s and ‘90s, it’s gotten more outlandish in recent years. The new 2025 model isn’t as wild looking as the outgoing generation, to my eyes, but is trim and sleek in the vein of a handsome sports sedan.

Inside, this new generation seems to take a bigger break from tradition.

I’ll go out on a limb — well, maybe not much of a limb — and say this is the best-looking cabin a Camry has ever had. It’s airy, modern and even sleeker than the body. It also appears to be centered around the driver, the kind of design that could easily be penned for a new sports car, albeit a roomy one.

And yes, you can get the cockpit in red.

 

A red interior will be available on sporty grades of the 2025 Camry.

Granted, after decades of beige-on-beige blandness, the Camry doesn’t face a high hurdle to top its best-looking interior. Historically its buyers have been more interested in how it holds up over time, including that all-important sense of solidity and tight construction that makes a Toyota buyer feel borderline smug.

Having only seen it in pictures, I can’t vouch for whether the cabin’s feel matches the snazzy look. I can only hope that it lives up to this car’s reputation for being built to survive a nuclear apocalypse without developing a squeak or rattle.

It should be no surprise that the new Camry also participates in the Great Touchscreen Wars of the 2020s. This new version comes with a standard 8-inch screen at the lower end and 12.3 inches on higher-end trims.

Other standard features include wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with both kinds of USB charging ports, Type A and Type C. There are three up front and two in back.

Pricing and fuel economy have not been announced. Expect both those numbers to arrive closer to its release date, which should be sometime this spring, Toyota says.

At A Glance

Expected price: Not announced yet
Power: 2.5-liter gasoline engine and two electric motors (combined 225 hp)
Standard wheels: 18 inches
Screen size: 8 inches (LE and SE), 12.3 inches (XLE and XSE)
Expected release: Spring 2024
Fuel economy: Not rated yet

PREDICTED RATINGS
Style: 9
Performance: 6
Price: 8
Handling: 7
Ride: 8
Comfort: 9
Quality: 9
Overall: 8

Why buy it?
An all-new design brings a fresh perspective to America’s best-selling sedan. Every new-generation Camry will be a hybrid, and its interior is the best this car has ever looked.

Posted in Toyota

Chevy Announces New SUVs

Posted on by Derek Price
Cargazing
By Derek Price

Looking into America’s automotive crystal ball for the year to come, one thing is clear.

Not everyone will be switching to electric vehicles.

While General Motors likes to brag about its significant investment in EVs, it’s also continuing to pour money into developing the next generation of full-size trucks and SUVs that will create most of its profit for the foreseeable future.

That includes dropping $500 million into the Arlington, Texas, assembly plant where GM builds its biggest Chevy and GMC vehicles.

It won’t be long before drivers can see the fruits from this investment hitting the highways. Chevrolet announced recently that all-new versions of the Tahoe and Suburban will be released later this year as 2025 models.

Some of the changes are predictable, including visual updates that make the new SUVs look a lot fresher inside and out.

The cabin is designed to more closely mimic a European luxury sedan. It looks very contemporary and comes with more soft-touch materials than before, plus new piano black and chrome trim choices.

In the never-ending battle for touch-screen-size supremacy, these new SUVs up the ante with 17.7 inches.

 

Chevrolet has redesigned its full-size SUVs for 2025, including the Tahoe RST, shown here.

Outside, Chevy’s big SUVs get a redesigned grille with new signature lighting, including lighting animations on the Premier and High Country trims that give owners a flashy welcome when they arrive to the vehicle at night.
“Ride and handling enhancements” are another no-brainer update for a new model, but I’ll wait to pass judgement until I can feel it for myself.

To me, the biggest tech surprise is the addition of what Chevy calls Connected Cameras.

For years, 360-degree video cameras have been the norm on high-end vehicles to help when parking or backing up, giving the driver a bird’s-eye view of the vehicle’s surroundings.

Connected Cameras take this idea two steps further.

One, this feature lets you log in and view what the cameras are seeing remotely like an online security camera for your car. You could check who’s snooping around your car, or creepily spy on valets or teenage drivers.

Two, it can record events like crashes or thefts. That makes sense considering the widespread, pragmatic adoption of dash cams in many parts of the world to record car wrecks, which are sometimes intentionally cause by scammers or unintentionally caused by idiots.

 

A new cabin design makes the 2025 Tahoe and Suburban look more like European luxury cars on the inside, including a massive integrated 17.7-inch touchscreen.

With Connected Cameras, you can have a visual record of exactly what happened from your vehicle’s perspective.

At launch, Chevrolet says the Tahoe and Suburban will be available with two gasoline engines. A 5.3-liter V8 remains the standard engine, delivering 355 horsepower. Buyers can also opt for a 6.2-liter V8 that makes 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque.

The bigger V8 is standard on the High Country model and optional on the RST, Z71 and Premier trims.

Even more enticing, Chevrolet announced that a new 3.0-liter Duramax turbocharged diesel engine will be available with 10 percent more horsepower than current models. It will be available on all trims, including the Z71.

GM is vague about when the new diesel will be available, simply saying it will be “later in production.” If you want your 2025 SUV early, it will need to be the gasoline versions for now.

While pricing for the all-new models has not been announced, in all likelihood it will be a bit higher than the 2024 SUVs. Right now, the Tahoe starts at $56,200, while the bigger Suburban is priced from $59,200.

 

At A Glance

Expected price: Not announced yet
Engine: 5.3-liter V8 (355 hp, 383 lbs.-ft.)
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS
Wheel size: 18-24 inches
Fuel capacity: 24 gallons
Payload: 1,834 lbs.
Trailering: 8,400 lbs.

Predicted Ratings

Style: 8
Performance: 9
Price: 5
Handling: 6
Ride: 8
Comfort: 8
Quality: 7
Overall: 8

Why buy it?

A fresh look and new features bring the Tahoe and Suburban into the next generation. A massive touchscreen and new technology, including Connected Cameras, are among a long list of upgrades.

Posted in Chevrolet

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