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Lexus GXOR is a conceptual offering to the overlanding crowd

To the surprise of just about everyone, large numbers of overlanders have adopted the Lexus GX. The reasons for that are apparent after looking under the surface: Toyota reskinned the Land Cruiser Prado — a slightly smaller version of the venerable Land Cruiser, sold in overseas markets — to create the GX. The result is an intensely capable off-road platform decked out with a bouquet of luxury trimmings. In tribute to the GX's following, and as a way to celebrate the Toyota FJ Summit happening in Ouray, Colorado, right now, Lexus commissioned the GXOR concept. The initialism comes from the overlanding community, the "OR" standing for "offroad" on web sites and in photos and as a Twitter hashtag. This truck's so well equipped for trekking continents, however, that Lexus might have expanded the full meaning of GXOR to "Gone eXtremely Off Road."  The first move to up the rugged quotient is always wheels and tires. Lexus swapped the stock suspension for Icon Vehicle Dynamics shocks with remote reservoirs and a 2.5-inch lift, reinforcing the setup with billet control arms and delta joints. The wheels are 18-inch F-Sport units wrapped in 275/70 (33-inch) General Grabber X3s. When the inevitable hits come, CBI frame sliders and full underbody armor protect the chassis. When situations go all the way south, a Warn 9.5 XPS winch hides behind a custom CBI front bumper, Maxtrax recovery boards stand by on the Eezi-Awn K9 roof rack, and an Icom HAM radio is ready to call for recovery from locals or advice from an operator in Argentina. Other conveniences include a Safari snorkel, 50-inch Rigid light bar, and an Overland Solar 160-watt panel. The cargo area's been turned into a larder and closet thanks to the National Luna fridge/freezer combo sitting atop the Goose Gear custom drawers. Since it appears the GXOR driver might never wish to return, there's more storage in Alu-boxes up top, and a Patriot Campers X1H trailer provides close gear support. The Patriot's a home on wheels, starting at about $52,000 U.S., packed with features like a remote-controlled, electronically-deployed tent, a twin-burner stove, gas hot water system and 40-gallon tank, and more drawers. But because even that's not enough, Lexus fitted the trailer with matching F-Sport wheels and a Redarc Tow-Pro brake controller. If you're near Ouray, the GXOR will be on display and on the trails from now until Sunday, July 21.

Car owners getting more irritated with their repair experiences, study says

The J.D. Power U.S. Customer Service Index Study (CSI) is a barometer of a vehicle owner's happiness with the service experience. While it wasn't all bad in the 2023 study, the overall owner satisfaction score dropped. This year's tally of 846 out of 1,000 is two points down from 2022, the 43-year-old study's first decline in more than 28 years, and one point down from 2021. However, the overall score remains well up from the pre-pandemic scores of 821 in 2018 and 837 in 2020. The study claims the stumbling block is the horde of BEV launches. The flood into the new energy space has created a recall rate among EVs that's more than double the rate for ICE vehicles. Furthermore, dealership service department knowledge of EVs isn't on par with internal combustion engine expertise, leaving EV owners less satisfied with service advisors compared to ICE owners. Chris Sutton, VP of automotive retail at J.D. Power, said, "As training programs for service advisors and technicians evolve, EV service quality and customer experience must address both the vehicle and the unique customer needs. The EV segment has the potential to spur massive convenience improvements in how customers service their vehicles — but weÂ’re not seeing the benefits yet." Matters are slightly worse for all owners, though, with labor and parts shortages contributing to longer wait times for service appointments. The CSI study surveys owners and lessees of one- to three-year-old vehicles to gauge their happiness with service at franchised dealer or aftermarket service facilities for maintenance or repair work. The criteria in order of importance are service quality (32%); service advisor (19%); vehicle pick-up (19%); service facility (15%); and service initiation (15%). Lexus retains the top spot for luxury brands, giving it three wins in four years. The Japanese automaker won in 2020 as well, its run interrupted by Porsche in 2021. Cadillac, Infiniti and Acura complete the luxury top 5.  For mass-market cars, Mitsubishi wins again after a victory in 2021 and falling to fourth last year. It's followed by Mazda, Buick, Subaru and Mini.  Considering the different service needs and service experience of different body styles, the study has broken results out by segment for the first time. Lexus earned a second victory thanks to winning the premium SUV segment, and Mitsubishi earned a second victory by winning the mass-market SUV/minivan category.

Lexus goes from land yachts to water yachts with this boat concept

Just this week, Lexus unveiled its fully redesigned flagship, the LS sedan. But the term "flagship" seems a bit misplaced now that Lexus has revealed an actual ship. Well, the Lexus Sport Yacht may be a bit small to be called a ship, but it's as close as many automakers will get. According to Toyota, the idea for the boat came about when the company's CEO, Akio Toyoda, was trying out one of the marine division's new yachts that use Toyota diesel engines. He wanted to see what a sporty, luxury yacht using Lexus design would be like. At his behest, the Toyota Marine Department and Lexus got to work on the concept you see here. More than a clay model, this is a fully-functional nautical machine. The Lexus Sport Yacht was constructed from carbon fiber by Marquis-Carver Yacht Group in Wisconsin, and has a pair of V8 engines shared with the Lexus RC F (and GS F, and LC500). You can even see through the clear engine compartment cover that they share the same bright blue-painted intake manifolds. Compared with the automotive applications, each engine makes a bit less power at 440 horsepower. When you have two of them, though, that becomes less important. Together the engines' roughly 880 horsepower can propel the boat to a top speed of 49 mph. The Lexus Sport Yacht comes complete with many luxury amenities. There's seating for eight on the deck. Two of those seats fold out from either side of the captain's chair "for very special guests." The captain also has access to a pair of touchscreens, a small one in the wheel and a massive one ahead of it for instruments and other information. Down below, the forward passenger cabin is loaded with leather, wood, air conditioning, a table, and sofa seating for six. The yacht's galley has a sink, refrigerator, and stove, and the bathroom comes complete with a shower. Don't expect to see the yacht on sale anytime soon, since this is just a concept at the moment. That being said, luxury automakers, including Aston Martin and Mercedes, have started competing in the yacht market. And while Toyota's marine division hasn't built a pleasure boat since the Epic line, it probably wouldn't be too difficult for the company to start building this Lexus. Related Video: