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Walk Around

The Lexus GX 470 looks big and brawny. It doesn't seem excessively long on the outside, but it does look tall, especially from the rear, in part because of the vertically oriented tail lamps and other design cues. From the rear it looks tippy, which is unfortunate because it's anything but.

The GX 470 shares its basic five-door body shell with the Toyota 4Runner. Unique rear quarters give the Lexus a different visual personality, however. It looks cleaner and more contemporary, a bit more like a tall station wagon compared to the carefully calculated rugged-truck look of the 4Runner. Unique grilles and bumpers distinguish the two vehicles and give them their respective Lexus and Toyota identities, but a more careful examination reveals that they are more alike than different.

Details add visual richness to the GX 470. These include its peaky hood and grille combination, along with its nicely integrated body-colored bumpers, fender flares and side moldings. Massive headlamps and those complex, high-mounted tail lamps define its corners.

Of the trim changes made for 2008, the new dark-metallic finish on the grille seems to make the least difference. More noticeable is the darker finish on the wheels, which somehow makes the spokes look slimmer. Turning down the brightness on the wheels has allowed Lexus to turn it up on the door handles and roof rack without making the GX look over-decorated. The overall change is subtle, and whether or not it's an improvement is a matter of personal preference. The new taillights are contoured the same as before, but the formerly orange portion at the top has been replaced by a small clear window for reverse and turn-signal functions.