2023 GX Interior

When you step into a Lexus, you expect to be wowed, but the GX's advanced age leaves a lot to be desired. The build quality is top-notch, and the choice of materials around the cabin is nice, but it's far from a modern space. Although the cabin is roomy, passenger space dwindles quite quickly as you move back through the rows. The front seats are soft, but lack high levels of adjustment, and the body-on-frame design severely limits second- and third-row legroom. There is a limited amount of standard cargo space, which can be enlarged by folding down the third- or second-row seats. However, power-folding third-row seats are only standard on the Luxury trim.

2023 GX Interior Photos

Seating and Interior Space

As we've found in previous reviews, the GX's cabin is by no means small, but with three rows of seats squeezed in, there isn't as much passenger room as you'd expect. The cabin can accommodate seven as standard, reduced to six if you get the optional second-row captain's chairs. Those up front won't be complaining, though, with plenty of head- and legroom to spare. But, move back a row, and you will already notice a significant decrease in legroom, while the third-row seats can accommodate only smaller children comfortably. Getting in and out is pretty par for the course for a three-row SUV; the first two rows are quite accessible, but gaining access to the third row requires some contortion. Across every trim level, ten-way power front seats come standard, although they only gain heating and ventilation from the Premium upwards. At this level, the rear outboard seats gain heating, too. Forward visibility is excellent, thanks to a high driving position and a large windshield, but the length of the SUV and the many seating appointments can create rear and side blind spots, so you will be thankful for the standard blind-spot alert and parking sensors.

2023 Lexus GX Interior Dimensions:

Interior Colors and Materials

Upscale materials come standard regardless of the trim you choose, but the GX 460 and Premium each get NuLuxe synthetic leather upholstery instead of the real deal. The entry-level 460's seats can be trimmed in Ecru or Black NuLuxe, paired with Linear Espresso wood trim. If you want access to Sepia or Rioja Red upholstery, you have to upgrade to the Premium, which also changes the trim to Gray Sapele wood with aluminum.

The Black Line Edition's leatherette is Boulder Gray with light-gray stitching and it gets Open Pore Black Ash wood trim in the interior and on the steering wheel. The top-of-the-range Luxury model comes upholstered in semi-aniline leather, but the color palette and trim carry over from the Premium. The Luxury and Black Line SE also boast a heated wood and leather-trimmed steering wheel, a feature that's optional on the Premium. Build quality is excellent across the board, resulting in a well-insulated cabin that won't rattle even as you brave the rough terrain of the great outdoors.

2023 GX Trunk and Cargo Space

Despite its size, the Lexus GX doesn't boast a particularly spacious trunk, at least, not with all the seats in place. Behind the third-row seats, only 11.6 cubic feet of cargo space is provided. While you could technically make do with this for standard errands around town, you will often be wishing you had extra space. Luckily, the third row of seats folds down in a 50/50 split to open up 46.7 cubic feet. This is more than enough space for daily use and could easily swallow up the luggage of the remaining five passengers without too much fuss. The second-row seats can be folded down, too, in a 40/20/40-split if you need even more space. With all the seats down, the rear of the GX creates a 64.7-cubic-foot cargo hold capable of stowing some small items of furniture.

Small-item storage around the cabin isn't lacking, with a standard glove compartment supplemented by a moderately sized cubby beneath the center console armrest. Each of the four door pockets is deep and spacious, easily accommodating water battles and more. A pair of cupholders are provided for each of the three rows of seats.

2023 Lexus GX Trunk and Cargo Space Photos

2023 GX Infotainment and Features

Features

Every Lexus GX comes equipped with a rearview camera, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and Lexus Safety System+, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, and pre-collision avoidance with pedestrian detection. The base model gets dual-zone climate control, while the other trims get tri-zone climate control. Ten-way power front seats with memory are standard, but they are heated and ventilated from the Premium upwards, while the rear outboard seats gain heating, too. All trims receive power-folding and heated exterior mirrors, as well as Intuitive Parking Assist with front and rear parking sensors. The standard NuLuxe leatherette upholstery is upgraded to semi-aniline leather on the Luxury, which also adds power-folding third-row seats and a cargo area tonneau cover. Keyless entry and ignition, along with a power moonroof are standard across the range. The top-tier model can also be outfitted with a panoramic-view monitor and a multi-terrain monitor, but these two features are standard on the Black Line SE.

Infotainment

The infotainment suite centers around a 10.3-inch touchscreen. The screen and whole operating system are new since last year, and it's utterly revolutionary compared to units of old. Modern features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, along with Amazon Alexa integration, navigation, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi capability, dynamic voice commands, and SiriusXM. Quaintly, a CD player remains, lest we forget the true age of the GX. The Premium can be optioned with a more premium 17-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound system, but this is standard on the Luxury from this year. We recommend dusting off the old CD collection to see what it's capable of sounding like with a lossless input. The standard sound system makes use of nine speakers. Four USB ports are provided as standard to help keep your smart devices connected and charged.