In 2010, during our first look at the revised Lexus GX460, we likened the mid-size luxe-UV to a woolly mammoth. Surely, we pronounced, the wave of lighter, unibody crossovers with independent suspensions and more carlike driving characteristics?like the brand?s own RX and NX­?soon would relegate traditional truck-based body-on-frame SUVs such as the GX to a rarely traveled corner of a dusty museum. Well, snap. Last year, the GX460 was the Lexus brand?s third-best-selling SUV (even though the Lexus lineup had only four SUVs). In calendar year 2015, it gathered more buyers than the Audi Q7, Volvo XC90, Infiniti QX80, Land Rover LR4, and Range Rover Sport, and it nearly kept pace with the Mercedes-Benz GL. However, the Acura MDX, BMW X5, and the combined Mercedes-Benz M-class/GLE all outsold the Lexus by a ratio of more than two to one. It has certainly outlasted just about all of its mid-size, truck-based peers. Add in booming sales of other examples of the larger breed?Escalades, Navigators, and such?and the expected demise of the traditional body-on-frame SUV has been slower than anticipated. Blame cheap gasoline. READ MORE ??
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