I live full time in a 32' travel trailer, just over 8K loaded. I tow with a 2017 Chevy Express extended cargo van, 2500 with the 6 liter, wish it was the 6.6 Duramax. While towing I always run in manual mode, it's all about control and confidence, I also very seldom ever tow over 65 MPH, I'm not in any hurry to get anyplace. Towing over 62 mph really drinks the fuel.
..towing that much with a gasser and trying to keep up with the nascar wannabes loons on the highway will only get you from one gas station to the next.....😅
Does your van have a transmission temperature gauge? I always get a little nervous manually shifting thinking I’ll put more heat into the transmission than I’d like.
@@Joe-hz1nw actually, in a lot of cases, manually holding the transmission in one particular gear keeps temps lower than if you allow the transmission to shift back and forth.
I didn't see the struggle really at all, even you two kept saying that's not bad at all except for the downhill braking. For an SUV it did great and you two were having a casual conversation with very low noise level and Andre was doing the Ol three fingers on each hand holding on to the steering wheel. For anybody who wants the GX to offroad and load it up with whatever you want and attach your overland trailer, this is going to be the setup. If you tow max 7k and 700-800 tongue weight now and then or on flat land and you are golden. If i was towing 9k regularly this is NOT the vehicle. I personally would have a 3/4 ton.
I was a little surprised to see it could not hold 60 mph with that TTV6 though. That thing should have had no issue, especially on such a cool day. It didn’t seem like any of the temperatures were high but he had it floored and dropped down to 50.
@@ThreeDogsTwoCatsAndAWife TFL tested a 2013 F150 Ecoboost back in the day with an 11,000 lb trailer and still did it in like 7:30. That was back when F150’s weighted 6000+ lbs and only had 420 ft-lbs. No way should the gx550 been slowing to 50 mph unless the pcm was cutting power
The Ike is a pretty tough test that doesn't apply to 99% of people who are towing a trailer so if it'll handle it there pretty well then I'd say it would handle that weight at lower elevations and shorter climbs. Still, pretty impressive for what it is I think. A transmission tune would probably help a lot.
A small thing to be sure- but that tiny hitch area, and the pin UNDER the car might be a real deal breaker. The pin would get filthy down there, and its sideways orientation seems to prevent the pin cover from latching onto the plug and holding it in place.
I'm so tired of the manufacturers putting these ludicrously high towing numbers on vehicles. They're all guilty. Can the vehicle do it? Yes. Can it do it regularly without destroying the drivetrain? Probably not. If you're going to regularly tow a trailer weighing 9000 lbs, get something built on a 3/4 ton chassis or larger.
@@gregkelly2145 I have no qualms with the methods they use. Maximum is the maximum and to me of course it’s reasonable that going to the maximum probably isn’t the best idea to be doing regularly.
Ya, 9000 lbs is a lot for that size of vehicle. I did not know Toyota stretched for a towing capacity crown with this new GX. But like other small trucks that reach for big numbers, just because you could doesn't mean you should.
Honestly, both my GX460 and LX570 handle my 5500 lb travel trailer better than my 2014 Supercrew 6.5’ bed max tow F150 did. They are not as powerful, but handling and stability they are very solid. The F150 needed Bilstein shocks, air bags and a Hellwig rear sway bar to even be comparable.
@@pathunter7003 Those beefy KDSS sway bars on the GX and the AHC hydraulic suspension on the LX make them very stable and well controlled. The LX is insanely good because it auto load levels and then you can set the shocks to stiffen up in Sport + mode and the trailer is literally along for the ride. You can’t even feel it. I imagine this GX is similar
@@pathunter7003 I’m sure they Half assed setting up the wdh. My GX squatted too though, they are just too close to level from the factory to not squat some. Doesnt mean it doesn’t handle the trailer decently
It doesn’t seem like it really did that poorly. With 3.55 or 3.73 gears it probably does closer to 8 minutes. But I do agree they need to revise the hitch setup and move the 7 pin connector to a better position.
This was not a gearing issue, it could have easily downshift another gear or two, but instead the thing was sitting at like 3200 rpm with his foot on the floor. I think the PCM was cutting power due to the altitude. Depending on the size of the turbos, they may not be able to compensate for a 30% loss in air density. I know my 2014 3.5L Ecoboost would start to limit torque around 6000’ of elevation and limited it more as you went up higher
This is why you should have kept the zgrenadier longer than a month. Apparently it is very good at towing. Harry’s Garage towed a covered car trailer containing a Jaguar sportscar with it.
This should have done much better than it did going uphill. IDK what was going on, but a turbo'd 349hp/479 ft-lbs should have been way more than enough to move the trailer up the hill at 60mph. It seems to act really funny and be cutting a lot of power because it was just sitting at 3600 rpm when he had his foot on the floor. It really didnt even try to downshift. Then when it finally did it only downshifted to 4200 rpm.
You need to have a TFL World's Toughest Cowboy Test, where you two see what vehicles you can sit inside of with your cowboy hats and not hit the ceiling.
Digging the new wheels and tires on the Buhanka at 10:10 /s. But for real, I can’t wait to see that build finished, that thing is gonna make for such rad family rig! More Buhanka content please.
With a 3.4 liter, I'd like to see tow/haul mode bring the rpm to 6000+ rpm to try to maximize the engine braking and keep the brakes safe for stopping.
It has paddle shifters - you just tap the downshift and it will stay in the selected gear until the engine braking load decreases (ie, when you're back on flat road). The gearbox also learns over time that you use engine braking and begins applying it automatically. How do I know this? I own one and tow with it.
If it is the hybrid iforce max it should do regen braking. Also, I think it just doesn’t have enough displacement for engine braking to be good enough for the weight.
Mr. Truck, 8:05 just hit "lap" and we'll see the actual number and you still can keep your stopwatch for the whole run. If you deem the acceleration time to be a real test, showing us a running stopwatch is pretty useless. :) Additionally, it would make sense to replace that "8min perfect run" with more of a rating if the vehicle could keep up the speed. The timer easily gets thwarted by little bit of traffic.
When towing, you are not supposed to max out the numbers. Towing should be about 70% of max towing capacity. Good to see it made it almost maxed out at an uncommon towing place with very high altitudes and hills. No Lexus owner will tow that much on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Maybe once or twice in the full ownership if need it with an rv or boat.
This thing did pretty damn good for what it is. I guarantee the old GX460 would have been much worse (obvious its not even rated for 8500 pounds). Would be very curious to know what temp the transmission peaked at during the GX550's uphill run.
I was honestly expecting more out of this motor and powertrain. These TTV6 generally have power to spare and only really get tripped up when its really hot outside. It was only 58F in this video. Anybody remember back in 2013 when they took the F150 Limited Ecoboost up the ike with a 10000 lb trailer, 3 dudes in the truck and ran a time of 7:36? That was with the old Ecoboost with only 420 ft-lbs and a 6 speed transmission and still did it pretty effortlessly. Thats kinda what I would expect here, but something was up, it was clearly cutting a substantial amount of power and torque. 350hp should be more than enough to hold 60mph on this climb. TBH, it makes me happy I bought my LX570 instead of waiting for a GX550. I love me a TTV6, I owned an Ecoboost F150 for 9 years, but if the TTV6 is not going to perform better at high elevation than a V8, why bother?
350hp is not enough to hold 60mph on this climb, you are wrong there. Talking about 14,000lb or something in that range... no, not at all, especially not with NA but not even with the turbos. 350 NA at this elevation is more like 275. 350 with turbo is better but still only 350 at best. The low temps don't help much, it's about shedding heat and shedding it into thin air isn't as efficient. I'd say 60mph on this climb requires 60hp/ton and I doubt I'd be far off. Aerodynamics makes a small difference at the lighter end and the high-profile end. Gearing can make a big difference, in terms of transmission ratios, that's why nine- and ten-speed autos really are better. Torque is basically irrelevant except when converted through specific gearing.
@@GlennC789 is that why a 260hp ram Ecodiesel and the 355hp Silverado 5.3l NA v8 were both able to pull similar weight trailers up this hill faster? And why a 6000 lb 365hp F150 Ecoboost(which I talked about in the post you responded to) pulled at 10,000 lb trailer with 4 people in the cab faster than 65 mph? That 15 hp power difference allowed it to tow an extra 2000 lbs, 15 mph faster?
@@Jay-me7gw 260hp, I don't believe it, I'd need a link or maybe there was a typo there. Maybe 355hp could do it, but are you sure it was as heavily loaded? It seems to me barely possible, but maybe... I drive this stretch frequently for what it's worth and have for decades, so I've sort of paid attention to what types of speeds different vehicles can keep up. It's changed a LOT over the years and it's interesting to see.
I see why they're doing that weight -- to see how it lives up to its towing-capacity specs -- but personally I don't like to tow at capacity or even close to it. My mid-size truck is rated at 7000lbs, but I probably won't tow anythign heavier than 4500-5000lbs with it -- I like having that extra cushion. It's easier on my truck (less wear & tear) and easier-handling on the hwy. -- BR
That's a very interesting way you have the straps around the tires! Not at all how the manufactures recommend. 10 and 2 pulling straight down. And those bar graph "gauges" for temps , etc are really cheap for a vehicle that pricey. IMHO.
They are trying to cram a lot of crap into a very short vehicle. They dont have a lot of options. The trailer hitch itself isnt even a separate unit, its integrated into the rearmost frame cross member like the 200 series was.
@@Jay-me7gw they could have easily hade the opening/removable cover wider to accommodate the hooks not being obstructed and had the harness mounted facing the rear, even if it had to be visible.
@@jeffkashat4625 Did they have integrated hitches in the rear cross member that would block the wires from passing through the rear bumper? No. They are bolt on hitches that hang down below the bumper.
I wouldn’t tow anywhere near 9k lbs with anything less than a 3/4 ton diesel. 9k is a lot of weight and if your going to pull that kind of weight you need to be experienced and absolutely not be attempting to do it in a midsize SUV
@13:41 it looks like the GX is a lot lower in the rear than it is in the front. Is this because of rear squat and the weight-distributing hitch needs more adjustment, or just an optical illusion based on how the GX is built?
Are you using Premium gas like the manual and gas tank says??? That’s the only way to get the max torque and HP when towing as stated on the owners manual.
Haven’t watched yet but isn’t it reasonable to suggest a vehicle towing its maximum limit up one of the toughest highway elevation changes would make it up fine but perhaps “struggle” a bit doing so?
Toyota 5.7 v8 makes 381 and 400 torque. Naturally aspirated 3.5 v6 makes 301 hp and 295 torque ’m a little confused about the power ratings. How does a twin turbo 3.4 v6 only make 49 more hp and 79 more Torque than the current 3.5 v6 found. Wouldn’t having twin turbo make 100 hp and torque more. How exactly has downsizing engines and slapping on turbo charges making a car more efficient? When it ps engines are generating less hp from previous generations on a heavier vehicle adding twin turbo. You’re going to get the same gas mileage as v8 with less performance.
IDK. That might have been historically true but this new motor/transmission combo opens the door. The previous GX460 kinda sucked for towing. I owned one for 4 years and towed a 5000 lb trailer for probably 2000 miles. Replaced it with a 5.7L LX570 which does a MUCH better job but still not as strong as my 2014 F150 Ecoboost was. There is a significant amount of people on IH8MUD that use their 200 series for towing good sized travel trailers so I can see this filling the same roll. Offroad capable, medium sized suv with towing capability, which really does not exist in the market anywhere else
A lot of offroaders tow trailers to an offroading destination -- Moab, Ouray -- then offroad their tow vehicle. I'm looking at this new GX to tow an Airstream, get to the destination then offroad it.
Wouldn’t a V8 Defender be a better option? Heck, the I6 is a mild hybrid and can tow just over 8k lbs. More luxury, better off road chops, more fun…more reliable engine too.
Wow, first time you had to break your rule on letting the vehicle think for itself on the downhill! Best to play it safe like you did and not cook the brakes.
TY TFL for doing this test. I know you said these SUVs don't pull in the same views and you might actually not make money on it. But doing it anyways is why we appreciate TFL!
Most of those plastic covers have sound insulation on the back side. Modern ICE engines are noisy and these covers help to make them quieter. Try taking the cover of any modern vehicle off and look at the back of it.
It's not strange at all to anybody else that Lexus increased the towing capacity by a thousand pounds after they had already manufactured it, tested it and rated it? Seems like Lexus is just throwing numbers at it to be more competitive, even though it obviously is not happy with that weight.
Its always been stated to be 9k since I first heard. Toyota has been following the SAE J2807 towing standard on all of their trucks and SUV's since 2012 I think.
@@Montana270 Whether Toyota told us the whole truth about what was actually causing the failures is debatable, but I don't think they are continuing to pump out bad motors because they isn't going to make their situation any better.
@craigquann main thing you utilize when towing a trailer is the actual trailer brakes. Why would you try to haul 9k lbs with vehicle brakes and engine brake only. True trailer towing people utilize the trailer brakes
@calvintaylor1075 you're misunderstanding. They have a brake controller. But when he's talking about braking he's referring to the engines ability to control the vehicle and load without having to rely on the actual brakes. That's the point of the test. Overuse of the actual brakes can cause failure/fade and loss of control. That's how big rigs do it and why mountain passes have runaway ramps for emergency brake failure.
@calvintaylor1075 but for a more direct answer to your previous question. They either use the built-in brake controller if the vehicle has one. Or they have a wireless controller that's plug and play for vehicles without. I'm sure if you watch some of the older videos (obviously not the full size trucks) they'll mention it as it's a sponsor. Might even be listed on their site if that's something you would want for your own vehicle.
@@fl_atv_riders4455 that was the 3.5 that had machining debris in it that’s fixed already doesn’t count for the new gx plus ram has all the problems you want and they will never get solved
The gauges are terrible. Digital speedo in the middle of a low-rez tach? Gosh I hope this can be customized to something you’d expect to see on an $80,000 Lexus.
the gx550 with kdss are not rated for 9,000 lbs, you guys actually over loaded it. the rating for this truck would be around 7,800 lbs. that being said, it seems to be lacking a little power heading up the hill, and that probably wouldn't have made a differnce if you had the model with the higher rating.
Because it wasnt making 479 ft-lbs. The GX550 spec sheet from Toyota says it makes 479 from 2000 to 3600 rpm. At 3600 rpm(which it was at when andre said he had it floored) it would be making 330 hp if it were making 479 ft-lbs which is more than it would need to maintain 60mph. But it wasn't maintaining 60mph. I figure it was making about 250 or 260hp since it was about as slow as a 260hp Ram Ecodiesel towing a similar trailer.
It's ideal if you do a lot of off-road time. That's really what the base Land Cruiser 250 was designed around and the plug location is the same. I just used a short jumper cable on my 4Runner.
Considering the powertrain in this thing, I dont really find it that impressive. Sure it is if you are comparing to a 4.6L GX460(which I owned an towed with), but any other V8 or TTV6 truck can pull this hill at 60mph with a 9000 lb trailer. This motor should have had power to spare. Shit, TFL tested the 5.3L Chevy and 5.7L Tundra with 9000 lb trailers and both were faster despite not having turbos to help them out at high elevation.
@@Yesitsqk It has nothing to do with racing. This isn't an 18 wheeler with 2000+ ft-lbs of torque and max HP at 1900 rpm that can casually cruise at low RPM. Try towing a travel trailer into a 40 mph headwind in Wyoming with an underpower SUV. It sucks! Spinning the motor at 4000 rpm for hours on end while you are stuck going 55 mph when 18 wheelers are blowing by you doing 70+ because they don't wanna get stuck in Wyoming when the gates are shut. You should know all about that. I've watched enough of these IKE videos to know where the GX is falling in terms of performance and this is not that impressive considering the powertrain. These turbo 6's should have power to spare on the IKE, which is why they are so awesome. They always have had power to spare.
( www.weigh-safe.com/TFL ) Check out these smart, lightweight and heavy duty hitches!
No discount code?
I live full time in a 32' travel trailer, just over 8K loaded. I tow with a 2017 Chevy Express extended cargo van, 2500 with the 6 liter, wish it was the 6.6 Duramax.
While towing I always run in manual mode, it's all about control and confidence, I also very seldom ever tow over 65 MPH, I'm not in any hurry to get anyplace. Towing over 62 mph really drinks the fuel.
..towing that much with a gasser and trying to keep up with the nascar wannabes loons on the highway will only get you from one gas station to the next.....😅
The chevy express HD vans do a great job towing!
Does your van have a transmission temperature gauge? I always get a little nervous manually shifting thinking I’ll put more heat into the transmission than I’d like.
@@Joe-hz1nw actually, in a lot of cases, manually holding the transmission in one particular gear keeps temps lower than if you allow the transmission to shift back and forth.
@@91CavGT5 that’s interesting I didn’t know that. Thanks for the education.
Wow! Andre just casually dropping the “I’m LS swapping my Russian van” on us…
He did actually us if he should do it a while ago. The answer was a resounding yes so I'm glad he's going ahead with it.
700r4 is for 350
We better watch every Ike video to see the progress on the swap 😂
Those things are the dumbest looking pos
I didn't see the struggle really at all, even you two kept saying that's not bad at all except for the downhill braking. For an SUV it did great and you two were having a casual conversation with very low noise level and Andre was doing the Ol three fingers on each hand holding on to the steering wheel. For anybody who wants the GX to offroad and load it up with whatever you want and attach your overland trailer, this is going to be the setup. If you tow max 7k and 700-800 tongue weight now and then or on flat land and you are golden. If i was towing 9k regularly this is NOT the vehicle. I personally would have a 3/4 ton.
I was a little surprised to see it could not hold 60 mph with that TTV6 though. That thing should have had no issue, especially on such a cool day. It didn’t seem like any of the temperatures were high but he had it floored and dropped down to 50.
Ford Expedition with an extremely similar engine would have had zero trouble maintaining the speed limit, and not at full throttle either.
@@tylermacconnell217that’s pretty interesting, considering the motor is in a bigger, heavier body. Wonder if the 10sp transmission benefits the Expo?
@@ThreeDogsTwoCatsAndAWife TFL tested a 2013 F150 Ecoboost back in the day with an 11,000 lb trailer and still did it in like 7:30. That was back when F150’s weighted 6000+ lbs and only had 420 ft-lbs.
No way should the gx550 been slowing to 50 mph unless the pcm was cutting power
@@Jay-me7gw I agree….but that’s why I think gearing is an issue. The engine specs out fine…transmission or transaxle might be the problem.
The Ike is a pretty tough test that doesn't apply to 99% of people who are towing a trailer so if it'll handle it there pretty well then I'd say it would handle that weight at lower elevations and shorter climbs. Still, pretty impressive for what it is I think. A transmission tune would probably help a lot.
A small thing to be sure- but that tiny hitch area, and the pin UNDER the car might be a real deal breaker. The pin would get filthy down there, and its sideways orientation seems to prevent the pin cover from latching onto the plug and holding it in place.
Thanks for running this test for potential buyers!!!
I'm so tired of the manufacturers putting these ludicrously high towing numbers on vehicles. They're all guilty. Can the vehicle do it? Yes. Can it do it regularly without destroying the drivetrain? Probably not. If you're going to regularly tow a trailer weighing 9000 lbs, get something built on a 3/4 ton chassis or larger.
Toyota doesn't play games like the domestics. They will tow the full rating all day every day.
@@gregkelly2145 I have no qualms with the methods they use. Maximum is the maximum and to me of course it’s reasonable that going to the maximum probably isn’t the best idea to be doing regularly.
Also if you max out the towing you can not carry anything in the truck or suv due to the tongue weight .
Europeans have been doing the optimistic tow rating thing for a while, these should all be fine
@@MrJcjet it will certainly decrease the life of the vehicle significantly.
Take It Up The Toaster Then We’ll See Because That’s An Off Roader That Can Tow Stuff!!! Great Video Thank You 🙏
The adjustment screw does not adjust tongue weight. It adjusts the weight distribution.
A lot of squat. Carolina rake.
Ya, 9000 lbs is a lot for that size of vehicle. I did not know Toyota stretched for a towing capacity crown with this new GX. But like other small trucks that reach for big numbers, just because you could doesn't mean you should.
Honestly, both my GX460 and LX570 handle my 5500 lb travel trailer better than my 2014 Supercrew 6.5’ bed max tow F150 did. They are not as powerful, but handling and stability they are very solid. The F150 needed Bilstein shocks, air bags and a Hellwig rear sway bar to even be comparable.
@@Jay-me7gw interesting opinion
@@pathunter7003 Those beefy KDSS sway bars on the GX and the AHC hydraulic suspension on the LX make them very stable and well controlled. The LX is insanely good because it auto load levels and then you can set the shocks to stiffen up in Sport + mode and the trailer is literally along for the ride. You can’t even feel it.
I imagine this GX is similar
@@Jay-me7gw it looks as if this GX isn’t similar, sagging in the rear like it is with this trailer and using a WDH too
@@pathunter7003 I’m sure they Half assed setting up the wdh. My GX squatted too though, they are just too close to level from the factory to not squat some. Doesnt mean it doesn’t handle the trailer decently
And the really cool thing is that GX will be getting a new engine.
lol imagine towing 9k and then your main bearings go kaput
@@Jonny2by4 I don't think 2024/25 have been recalled?
It doesn’t seem like it really did that poorly. With 3.55 or 3.73 gears it probably does closer to 8 minutes. But I do agree they need to revise the hitch setup and move the 7 pin connector to a better position.
This was not a gearing issue, it could have easily downshift another gear or two, but instead the thing was sitting at like 3200 rpm with his foot on the floor.
I think the PCM was cutting power due to the altitude. Depending on the size of the turbos, they may not be able to compensate for a 30% loss in air density. I know my 2014 3.5L Ecoboost would start to limit torque around 6000’ of elevation and limited it more as you went up higher
Mr. Truck, asking Andre, you still have this thing 😅
We need a series on the Van LS swap😯
This is why you should have kept the zgrenadier longer than a month. Apparently it is very good at towing. Harry’s Garage towed a covered car trailer containing a Jaguar sportscar with it.
This should have done much better than it did going uphill. IDK what was going on, but a turbo'd 349hp/479 ft-lbs should have been way more than enough to move the trailer up the hill at 60mph. It seems to act really funny and be cutting a lot of power because it was just sitting at 3600 rpm when he had his foot on the floor. It really didnt even try to downshift. Then when it finally did it only downshifted to 4200 rpm.
Christopher Walken at 4:51
LMAO- that's great.
lol holy caaoww
He was in the back seat to get closer to the payload rating. 😂
Great test! NOw, put this truck through the TFL Toaster! Yeah! 🙂
You need to have a TFL World's Toughest Cowboy Test, where you two see what vehicles you can sit inside of with your cowboy hats and not hit the ceiling.
New F150 is one of those thankfully
Hey the new 2025 Ram 1500 we tested does have more head room than before. We'll show it when we put the new Hurricane against my new F150 Coyote.
Digging the new wheels and tires on the Buhanka at 10:10 /s. But for real, I can’t wait to see that build finished, that thing is gonna make for such rad family rig! More Buhanka content please.
With a 3.4 liter, I'd like to see tow/haul mode bring the rpm to 6000+ rpm to try to maximize the engine braking and keep the brakes safe for stopping.
It has paddle shifters - you just tap the downshift and it will stay in the selected gear until the engine braking load decreases (ie, when you're back on flat road). The gearbox also learns over time that you use engine braking and begins applying it automatically. How do I know this? I own one and tow with it.
If it is the hybrid iforce max it should do regen braking.
Also, I think it just doesn’t have enough displacement for engine braking to be good enough for the weight.
It's not hybrid
The GX550 doesn’t come in hybrid form, at least not yet.
Best review of this product on the web! Thank you.
always a treat to see mr. truck back again.
Thanks
Great video guys. You always nail it.
Thanks
The time to 60 mph was more like 14.7. He started at 33 and took him about 3-4 seconds for it to downshift and get to 35.
Have you gotten it’s engine change recall done yet?
Mr. Truck, 8:05 just hit "lap" and we'll see the actual number and you still can keep your stopwatch for the whole run. If you deem the acceleration time to be a real test, showing us a running stopwatch is pretty useless. :)
Additionally, it would make sense to replace that "8min perfect run" with more of a rating if the vehicle could keep up the speed. The timer easily gets thwarted by little bit of traffic.
I have those same mirrors on my FJ Cruiser. They aren’t the best for towing a camper but they get the job done for me. Small trailer.
When towing, you are not supposed to max out the numbers. Towing should be about 70% of max towing capacity. Good to see it made it almost maxed out at an uncommon towing place with very high altitudes and hills. No Lexus owner will tow that much on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Maybe once or twice in the full ownership if need it with an rv or boat.
This thing did pretty damn good for what it is. I guarantee the old GX460 would have been much worse (obvious its not even rated for 8500 pounds). Would be very curious to know what temp the transmission peaked at during the GX550's uphill run.
Andre figured how to get cruise control on his truck
I would rather see an offroad video of the GX.
I was honestly expecting more out of this motor and powertrain. These TTV6 generally have power to spare and only really get tripped up when its really hot outside. It was only 58F in this video.
Anybody remember back in 2013 when they took the F150 Limited Ecoboost up the ike with a 10000 lb trailer, 3 dudes in the truck and ran a time of 7:36? That was with the old Ecoboost with only 420 ft-lbs and a 6 speed transmission and still did it pretty effortlessly. Thats kinda what I would expect here, but something was up, it was clearly cutting a substantial amount of power and torque. 350hp should be more than enough to hold 60mph on this climb.
TBH, it makes me happy I bought my LX570 instead of waiting for a GX550. I love me a TTV6, I owned an Ecoboost F150 for 9 years, but if the TTV6 is not going to perform better at high elevation than a V8, why bother?
350hp is not enough to hold 60mph on this climb, you are wrong there. Talking about 14,000lb or something in that range... no, not at all, especially not with NA but not even with the turbos. 350 NA at this elevation is more like 275. 350 with turbo is better but still only 350 at best. The low temps don't help much, it's about shedding heat and shedding it into thin air isn't as efficient. I'd say 60mph on this climb requires 60hp/ton and I doubt I'd be far off. Aerodynamics makes a small difference at the lighter end and the high-profile end. Gearing can make a big difference, in terms of transmission ratios, that's why nine- and ten-speed autos really are better. Torque is basically irrelevant except when converted through specific gearing.
@@GlennC789 is that why a 260hp ram Ecodiesel and the 355hp Silverado 5.3l NA v8 were both able to pull similar weight trailers up this hill faster?
And why a 6000 lb 365hp F150 Ecoboost(which I talked about in the post you responded to) pulled at 10,000 lb trailer with 4 people in the cab faster than 65 mph? That 15 hp power difference allowed it to tow an extra 2000 lbs, 15 mph faster?
@@Jay-me7gw 260hp, I don't believe it, I'd need a link or maybe there was a typo there. Maybe 355hp could do it, but are you sure it was as heavily loaded? It seems to me barely possible, but maybe... I drive this stretch frequently for what it's worth and have for decades, so I've sort of paid attention to what types of speeds different vehicles can keep up. It's changed a LOT over the years and it's interesting to see.
Huh. Guess you decided you were mistaken.
Is the downshift count fair when comparing 5 speed vs 6 speed vs 10 speed vs 18 speed?
TikTok mirror! That’s a good one!
“I wouldn’t do this test without this hitch” yeah ok Andre.
😂this channel is getting a bit silly
I wouldn't go over 7500 with that vehicle, regardless of the rating.
Agree. Doing too much for that small-ish frame. They’re doing full size truck towing on that little guy.
I see why they're doing that weight -- to see how it lives up to its towing-capacity specs -- but personally I don't like to tow at capacity or even close to it. My mid-size truck is rated at 7000lbs, but I probably won't tow anythign heavier than 4500-5000lbs with it -- I like having that extra cushion. It's easier on my truck (less wear & tear) and easier-handling on the hwy.
-- BR
I’d probs push it to 7503, just to live dangerous
@@ThreeDogsTwoCatsAndAWifethe J250 Land Cruiser/GX550 actually has the same frame as the J300 Land Cruiser/LX600
@@patrickmartin3322 whattt? Why does it look smaller? The last series was a full size SUV. This doesn’t look full size. Looks like…..the Prado?
I think it would be interesting if you retook the ike gauntlet and the towing torture test (which failed it) instilling beforehand a Banks Power Kit.
That's a very interesting way you have the straps around the tires! Not at all how the manufactures recommend. 10 and 2 pulling straight down. And those bar graph "gauges" for temps , etc are really cheap for a vehicle that pricey. IMHO.
love the look of the new GX
Mr. Truck looking lean and mean these days.
Weight loss is very important for health and longevity
Ozempic and Mounjaro are modern scientific marvels.
Unlike Andre. 😀
Looks the same to me
@@pryme2013 😂😂😂
Lexus needs to work on the orientation of hitch hook and connector, that’s just stupid.
They are trying to cram a lot of crap into a very short vehicle. They dont have a lot of options. The trailer hitch itself isnt even a separate unit, its integrated into the rearmost frame cross member like the 200 series was.
@@Jay-me7gw they could have easily hade the opening/removable cover wider to accommodate the hooks not being obstructed and had the harness mounted facing the rear, even if it had to be visible.
@@jeffkashat4625 If they faced the connector backwards it would have to be exposed below the bumper and would easily take damage offroad.
@@Jay-me7gw never was an issue on any wrangler, gladiator, or any other off road vehicle/suv I’ve ever owned but ok…
@@jeffkashat4625 Did they have integrated hitches in the rear cross member that would block the wires from passing through the rear bumper?
No. They are bolt on hitches that hang down below the bumper.
I wouldn’t tow anywhere near 9k lbs with anything less than a 3/4 ton diesel. 9k is a lot of weight and if your going to pull that kind of weight you need to be experienced and absolutely not be attempting to do it in a midsize SUV
@13:41 it looks like the GX is a lot lower in the rear than it is in the front. Is this because of rear squat and the weight-distributing hitch needs more adjustment, or just an optical illusion based on how the GX is built?
Are you using Premium gas like the manual and gas tank says??? That’s the only way to get the max torque and HP when towing as stated on the owners manual.
My Bronco does not have vertically oriented side view mirrors. They not huge towing mirrors but they are not vertical.
What about doing the uphill in sport mode with different suvs and trucks
LS swapped buchanka is going to be wild. can't wait to see it. :)
Love the yellow chevy. Bring back non boring car colors.
Haven’t watched yet but isn’t it reasonable to suggest a vehicle towing its maximum limit up one of the toughest highway elevation changes would make it up fine but perhaps “struggle” a bit doing so?
It “struggled “ going downhill also even with choosing gears
Never thought I would say this, but I think the Tahoe may be better long term!
No doubt. Hands down
Laughable
Any updates on Lexus menu trailer setting? Which trailer settings did you change?
Customizable gauge cluster for more specifics.
With that much payload I could bring my ex mother in law and one of her sisters.
🤣 i can loan you a couple of sisters if needed, you'll need to bring lunch also
@@99unclebob ...i just want one....my arms can only grab so much ......mass😅😁
Ha and bummer too!
Gonna need a support semi to bring the meals though
Love your car video
test it up on the toaster nice work
The 3.4tt aka ticking time bomb
So, why did Toyota give the new GX a Max Tow rating of over 9k pounds? That seems to be way to high of a max tow for a midsized luxury SUV.
curious what the front wheel well height measurements are before & after hitching up the trailer...
Toyota 5.7 v8 makes 381 and 400 torque. Naturally aspirated 3.5 v6 makes 301 hp and 295 torque ’m a little confused about the power ratings. How does a twin turbo 3.4 v6 only make 49 more hp and 79 more Torque than the current 3.5 v6 found. Wouldn’t having twin turbo make 100 hp and torque more. How exactly has downsizing engines and slapping on turbo charges making a car more efficient? When it ps engines are generating less hp from previous generations on a heavier vehicle adding twin turbo. You’re going to get the same gas mileage as v8 with less performance.
Other Toyota models make more power with the same engine. I’d say it’s a reliability and durability issue?
No discount code for Weight Safe? No discount me no buy product.
I'm sure they're heartbroken. 😅
Good to see you are using Tow Haul mode, but most people would be using Cruise Control until downshifting fails to rein in speed.
The cruise control in the GX automatically applies the brakes instead of downshifting, as will basically all other cars with radar cruise control.
What happened to the five star raking system? Did I miss something?
They didn't do it, I was looking for that too
Didn't they only do that when doing like a showdown for the best towing truck?
I’m sure the Venn diagram of GX buyers and people who want to tow 9000 pounds barely overlaps.
IDK. That might have been historically true but this new motor/transmission combo opens the door. The previous GX460 kinda sucked for towing. I owned one for 4 years and towed a 5000 lb trailer for probably 2000 miles. Replaced it with a 5.7L LX570 which does a MUCH better job but still not as strong as my 2014 F150 Ecoboost was.
There is a significant amount of people on IH8MUD that use their 200 series for towing good sized travel trailers so I can see this filling the same roll. Offroad capable, medium sized suv with towing capability, which really does not exist in the market anywhere else
A lot of offroaders tow trailers to an offroading destination -- Moab, Ouray -- then offroad their tow vehicle. I'm looking at this new GX to tow an Airstream, get to the destination then offroad it.
Wouldn’t a V8 Defender be a better option? Heck, the I6 is a mild hybrid and can tow just over 8k lbs. More luxury, better off road chops, more fun…more reliable engine too.
@@bonusb2924 in theory, no, if this engine performed like other TT V6’s but it appears to just perform like a V8 at altitude
@@Jay-me7gw only one way to find out! ;) Have they run this test with the P400??
Random question but Eog Black edition or aev prospector xl?
Wow, first time you had to break your rule on letting the vehicle think for itself on the downhill!
Best to play it safe like you did and not cook the brakes.
What’s up with the cheap looking vinyl between the steering column and the gauge cluster? Looks like crap.
The Ike Gauntlet a truly easy towing route. And you guys know it.
3:58 5700 rpm redline??? That seems really low
Why, its a turbo'd V6? They dont need to rev.
What's the name of the song in the beginning?
I'd like to see this go up the tfl toaster.
So glad to have a new Ike video - they are the best of TFL
thanks
Mr Truck!! Glad to see you! The Ike just ain't the same without you!!
Thanks
Been waiting for this
Struggled the whole way, plus you guys weren't fair, take it up the same one you took the other trucks😂😂😂😂
Yes!!!! LS swap in the Buhanka!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And lock those diffs Andre Smirnoff!!
I wanna see this do the extreme route you've been taking the trucks on
TY TFL for doing this test. I know you said these SUVs don't pull in the same views and you might actually not make money on it. But doing it anyways is why we appreciate TFL!
"Mister Truck, feast your eyes on this big plastic cover!". lol. I've never understood this, why are they afraid to let us see the engine?
Yes, plastic is a European thing
Most of those plastic covers have sound insulation on the back side. Modern ICE engines are noisy and these covers help to make them quieter. Try taking the cover of any modern vehicle off and look at the back of it.
I love how you say “ceyamper”….😂👍
It's not strange at all to anybody else that Lexus increased the towing capacity by a thousand pounds after they had already manufactured it, tested it and rated it?
Seems like Lexus is just throwing numbers at it to be more competitive, even though it obviously is not happy with that weight.
What do you mean by after they tested and rated it?
Its always been stated to be 9k since I first heard.
Toyota has been following the SAE J2807 towing standard on all of their trucks and SUV's since 2012 I think.
Yes I can …. Yes I can … maybe
Do not like the look of the instrument cluster and that bag above the steering column looks sloppy.
Anyone else see the new Land Cruiser at 11:38?
Yes we saw
Is this powered by the same engine that's been blowing up regularly in the new Tundra's?
Yes but they didnt start building these until after they fixed the manufacturing issue.
I really am skeptical they actually fixed it
@@Montana270 Whether Toyota told us the whole truth about what was actually causing the failures is debatable, but I don't think they are continuing to pump out bad motors because they isn't going to make their situation any better.
Westcot makes a lift kit already and people are putting 37’s on lol
I like the truck videos!
What brake controller are you running and what number do you have it on. You said the braking wasnt great but didnt show a controller or the output .
They're talk about engine 'braking'. Not the actual brakes.
@craigquann main thing you utilize when towing a trailer is the actual trailer brakes. Why would you try to haul 9k lbs with vehicle brakes and engine brake only. True trailer towing people utilize the trailer brakes
@calvintaylor1075 you're misunderstanding. They have a brake controller. But when he's talking about braking he's referring to the engines ability to control the vehicle and load without having to rely on the actual brakes. That's the point of the test. Overuse of the actual brakes can cause failure/fade and loss of control. That's how big rigs do it and why mountain passes have runaway ramps for emergency brake failure.
@@craigquann gotcha , that makes sense now
@calvintaylor1075 but for a more direct answer to your previous question. They either use the built-in brake controller if the vehicle has one. Or they have a wireless controller that's plug and play for vehicles without. I'm sure if you watch some of the older videos (obviously not the full size trucks) they'll mention it as it's a sponsor. Might even be listed on their site if that's something you would want for your own vehicle.
What about the transmission? What were the temperatures?
That little "5" in the instrument cluster told you that you were in 5th gear on the uphill climb, but it is hard to see.
Tow it up the same road you took the Ram up, I bet it gets towed back down.
Lol I hope you ain’t saying a ram is tougher than this lol
😂😂shiddd... i doubt it
By far tougher!!!@@jamiemagdeleyns9152
Did everyone already forget the 100,000+ toyotas/ lexus recalled due to engine failure.
@@fl_atv_riders4455 that was the 3.5 that had machining debris in it that’s fixed already doesn’t count for the new gx plus ram has all the problems you want and they will never get solved
Andrey u should swap the two with your Colorado and repeat the same test.
The gauges are terrible. Digital speedo in the middle of a low-rez tach? Gosh I hope this can be customized to something you’d expect to see on an $80,000 Lexus.
the gx550 with kdss are not rated for 9,000 lbs, you guys actually over loaded it. the rating for this truck would be around 7,800 lbs. that being said, it seems to be lacking a little power heading up the hill, and that probably wouldn't have made a differnce if you had the model with the higher rating.
If this engine makes 479lb ft of torque at 2000rpms. Why does it still rev up up past 4000rpms at some points?
Because it wasnt making 479 ft-lbs. The GX550 spec sheet from Toyota says it makes 479 from 2000 to 3600 rpm. At 3600 rpm(which it was at when andre said he had it floored) it would be making 330 hp if it were making 479 ft-lbs which is more than it would need to maintain 60mph. But it wasn't maintaining 60mph. I figure it was making about 250 or 260hp since it was about as slow as a 260hp Ram Ecodiesel towing a similar trailer.
Right off the bat----ALTITUDE will affect your towing weight for a vehicle......at sea level the range probably works. Think TFL would know that.
Ford is the only one that does this, as per the owners manual.
700r4 behind and LS? The engine better stay stock.
Come on Toyota! Hate the trailer connection location, that’s the same location on the 4Runner.
It's ideal if you do a lot of off-road time. That's really what the base Land Cruiser 250 was designed around and the plug location is the same. I just used a short jumper cable on my 4Runner.
That’s freaking impressive non the less
Considering the powertrain in this thing, I dont really find it that impressive. Sure it is if you are comparing to a 4.6L GX460(which I owned an towed with), but any other V8 or TTV6 truck can pull this hill at 60mph with a 9000 lb trailer. This motor should have had power to spare. Shit, TFL tested the 5.3L Chevy and 5.7L Tundra with 9000 lb trailers and both were faster despite not having turbos to help them out at high elevation.
@@Jay-me7gw tell me why it’s a race to the top of the hill?
I drive an 18 wheel rig and loaded down it’s never a race to the top
@@Yesitsqk It has nothing to do with racing. This isn't an 18 wheeler with 2000+ ft-lbs of torque and max HP at 1900 rpm that can casually cruise at low RPM.
Try towing a travel trailer into a 40 mph headwind in Wyoming with an underpower SUV. It sucks! Spinning the motor at 4000 rpm for hours on end while you are stuck going 55 mph when 18 wheelers are blowing by you doing 70+ because they don't wanna get stuck in Wyoming when the gates are shut. You should know all about that.
I've watched enough of these IKE videos to know where the GX is falling in terms of performance and this is not that impressive considering the powertrain. These turbo 6's should have power to spare on the IKE, which is why they are so awesome. They always have had power to spare.