Thinking of Trading LC First Edition for LX 700h Overtrail

pnwlc250 · Wednesday at 1:43 PM

I wanted to reach out out to everyone here for some advice. I have an allocation and the opportunity to purchase a new 2025 Lexus 700h Overtrail. This would be a replacement for my 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser First Edition.

I have absolutely loved the Land Cruiser and it has given me nearly 15,000 trouble free miles. I purchased the Land Cruiser because I wanted an extremely reliable vehicle that was equally comfortable and capable on-road and off-road in the inland Pacific Northwest (eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, etc.). As I've mentioned in previous posts the only modification I have made to the vehicle is fitting it with LT275/65R18/E 123/120S RWL BFG KO3s, which are delivering excellent all around performance.

I don't have many complaints about the Land Cruiser, so you might be wondering why I'm even contemplating this change. What's intriguing to me is the opportunity to own the US Version of the Land Cruiser 300 series and hopefully what would be a heavy duty / hyper-reliable vehicle built to last 250K+ miles. I love the hybrid system in the Land Cruiser, and Lexus has appeared to deliver an even more robust / reliable power unit that's capable of functioning solely on the ICE in the event the hybrid system fails. I like the idea of having three locking differentials (center, front, & rear), although admittedly the front locker would probably be a seldom used feature but would be nice to have in extreme circumstances should they arise. I also really like the additional luxury that the LX 700h offers, but this isn't the primary reason for making the change although it would be welcome on long road trips.

The one thing that I don't love about the LX 700h is the exterior styling, specifically the front end (i.e., grill). I prefer the styling and resulting approach angle of the Land Cruiser by a wide margin.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

RideWithYanu · Wednesday at 1:52 PM

Triple lockers is the only thing appealing to me about the 300 over the 250. I think you’d find the 300 a much more posh driving and riding experience, if that’s important to you. I can think of many other meaningful differentiators.

Sugarloafer80 · Wednesday at 2:00 PM

Gonna get a pretty Lexus dirty ehh?? Make sure you are ok with an extra 500+++ lbs. Deal breaker for me. Things have gotten way too jumbo

EOD Guy · Wednesday at 2:33 PM

I've always stood by "It's your money, get whatever makes your smile biggest". I just can't get past the Lexus grill. I have two sister-in-laws that drive Lexus, they love them, they ride very nice........ but that grill is "no beano".

TimHerald · Wednesday at 3:20 PM

Agree about front end. I can’t get past it. Makes me think of a luxury town SUV where our LC’s look like trucks. The extra power and some amenities would be nice, but you have a lot of amenities in your truck as well. But again whatever makes you happiest. Both are obviously awesome vehicles.

Viktorv1961 · Wednesday at 3:51 PM

"front end (i.e., grill)" is a disaster! I wish they had a new Toyota Land Cruiser 300 series grill.

Thx_1158 · Wednesday at 4:03 PM

Viktorv1961 said:
"front end (i.e., grill)" is a disaster! I wish they had a new Toyota Land Cruiser 300 series grill.

Oh yeah. Lexus front ends are a disaster other than the GX. There are a few aftermarket bumpers but even those have a disclaimer that they must be installed by the bumper manufacture "due to complexity of install"

jbe2289 · Wednesday at 4:43 PM

It is really difficult to say on longevity as you pose. There's no reason the LC250 should be believed to not hold up or last as long as the LX700h. If anything, the Lexus has more to go wrong and certainly will be far more expensive to maintain and repair. Also, the LC250 has a backup starter and altinator too, doesn't it? Pretty sure I read that in the manual and the purpose of still having a battery separate from the traction battery.

dubel · Wednesday at 5:52 PM

Backup starter, yes; backup alternator it does not have. Agree the LC250 will have lower maintenance and repair costs.

Sugarloafer80 · Wednesday at 6:35 PM

Old good thing going for Lexus grille is BMW is now far more ugly with those swollen kidneys.....PATHETIC!! We call the new 7 series by code 10-42 which in CB lingo meant accident ahead.

Blue Bear · Wednesday at 7:56 PM

pnwlc250 said:
I wanted to reach out out to everyone here for some advice. I have an allocation and the opportunity to purchase a new 2025 Lexus 700h Overtrail. This would be a replacement for my 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser First Edition.

I have absolutely loved the Land Cruiser and it has given me nearly 15,000 trouble free miles. I purchased the Land Cruiser because I wanted an extremely reliable vehicle that was equally comfortable and capable on-road and off-road in the inland Pacific Northwest (eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, etc.). As I've mentioned in previous posts the only modification I have made to the vehicle is fitting it with LT275/65R18/E 123/120S RWL BFG KO3s, which are delivering excellent all around performance.

I don't have many complaints about the Land Cruiser, so you might be wondering why I'm even contemplating this change. What's intriguing to me is the opportunity to own the US Version of the Land Cruiser 300 series and hopefully what would be a heavy duty / hyper-reliable vehicle built to last 250K+ miles. I love the hybrid system in the Land Cruiser, and Lexus has appeared to deliver an even more robust / reliable power unit that's capable of functioning solely on the ICE in the event the hybrid system fails. I like the idea of having three locking differentials (center, front, & rear), although admittedly the front locker would probably be a seldom used feature but would be nice to have in extreme circumstances should they arise. I also really like the additional luxury that the LX 700h offers, but this isn't the primary reason for making the change although it would be welcome on long road trips.

The one thing that I don't love about the LX 700h is the exterior styling, specifically the front end (i.e., grill). I prefer the styling and resulting approach angle of the Land Cruiser by a wide margin.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

It doesn't really matter what we think...having said that...

The interior styling and electronics of the LX are a mish-mash of outdated tech. The cockpit of the LX is an unmitigated disaster compared to the LC. The LC has a significantly greater cargo volume (82 cu. ft.) than the LX (62.5 cu. ft.) according to Toyota (I find it hard to believe, but those are the numbers.)

i would not get married to the idea that you need a front locker. I've taken my LC on several trails in Colorado, including Mosquito Pass, and have yet to lose grip. I've only engaged the rear locker a few times and even then I don't think it was needed. And, the MTS system probably negates the need for a front locker in 95%+ of the situations. The only extreme circumstances I can think of involves some really tough trails with rock crawling - are you really going to take your $115K LX on those kinds of trails? Any kind of trails at all?

Agree 100% about the front end of the LC being superior! The spindle grill of the LX is an abomination and the creator should be put in timeout (that means you, Katsuhiko Inatomi!)

jay3253 · Thursday at 7:46 AM

Your money your choice. I think everyone can agree the from end is and always has been a disaster. If anyone is hung up on the design. The front clip of the LC300 I bet would bolt right on. If one has $115k for an LX they may have another $5k to import one and find out.

AlexGates · Thursday at 8:26 AM

I like the fact that the 700h will start and run even if the hybrid system goes down. Lexus grills are terrible, but the 700h is the least terrible of the bunch. There is an "earth" one driving around here, it looks good.

The interior dash is weird on the LX600/700, I know it was a ME request. Give me a Toyota 300h w/ our dash, two row*, and I would be all over it.

*The 5pax/2 row 700h's cargo area looks good, not like the 700h 3row/Sequoia (obviously) -or- the LC250/4R, they did a good job, didn't just slap a square battery box in. I suspect it is near impossible to find a 2 row. Not that it should matter, but I don't think I have seen one single LX600 (or the one 700h OT) being driven by a male lol.

The build and material quality on the LX is VERY good, but the interior needs an update. Toyota needs to bring over the LC300, I'd pay the 100K for it, if it was 2 row, hybrid or not, and had the LC250 dash. I don't think they planned (or plan) to, otherwise they would have called ours the LC Prado or LC 250, whatever.

shwazz714 · Thursday at 8:28 AM

The lc250 was my first variant of a Land Cruiser and suffice to say I am hooked.

The 250 fits my needs perfectly right now but at a later date when I have more $ I would love a “full size” LC. At that point I hope they fix the front end design of the lx or even better (but much less likely) bring the full size Toyota version back to the us.

jay3253 · Thursday at 8:40 AM

The last year of the $100k Land Cruiser, Toyota sold 1900 trucks. Everyone says they would pay that but when it comes down to it people didn't. Now if they bring the 70 series for $80k they could sell those all day long, until all the enthusiasts had one, there is no market after that.

jbe2289 · Thursday at 8:44 AM

jay3253 said:
The last year of the $100k Land Cruiser, Toyota sold 1900 trucks. Everyone says they would pay that but when it comes down to it people didn't. Now if they bring the 70 series for $80k they could sell those all day long, until all the enthusiasts had one, there is no market after that.

The current 70 series would be a great import in 30 years. But I don't suspect we’ll be in a place of importing much of anything by then.

D-mac · Thursday at 10:03 AM

I say if you can afford it go for the LX700h! I'm sure you will get a good price for your LC250 First Edition now, because another special edition has not been announced yet. The LX front grill styling isn't a big deal imo, aftermarket bumpers are available from Dissent, and there should be more once there is demand from LX700 owners.

pnwlc250 · Thursday at 11:30 PM

Well, I made the decision to stick with my Land Cruiser First Edition and gave up the allocation for the LX700h Overtrail.

After further reflection, I came to the conclusion that my interest in the LX700h Overtrail was mostly about the opportunity to own the available U.S. variant of the Land Cruiser 300.

While I very much appreciate the hyper-reliability and durability of the LX, the fact of the matter is my current Land Cruiser meets all my current needs and it has never let me down.

I truly appreciate the form and function of the Land Cruiser and, at least for the time being, am incredibly satisfied with it as a daily driver.

Thanks for the input and for indulging my momentary lapse of reason.