While many people still think of Lexus as a luxury sedan manufacturer, the company created the luxury crossover segment with its 1998 introduction of the RX 300. The company then introduced the LX full-size SUV flagship way back in 1995, and it's done well for the company, with multiple major design changes in that period. The latest appeared for the 2022 model year lineup. It's a big, heavy full-size SUV, which means that it has terrible gas mileage, so it's a logical step for the company to tap into parent Toyota's excellent hybrid technology. New for 2025, the 700h, the first hybrid LX vehicle in North America. It's still quite a drivetrain, though, a 3.4L twin-turbo V6 with full-time 4WD, delivering an impressive 457 horsepower.
Lexus offered me the chance to take the wheel of an off-road-ready "Overtrail" edition of the 2025 Lexus LX 700h for a week, and I immediately assented. I found it a remarkable luxury SUV that has a hefty pricetag - over $115,000 - but justifies its cost with a pampered interior and cushy drive experience that is about as far from a rugged trail vehicle as you can get. The vehicle they dropped off was in a rather drab Earth color, but the timing was perfect as we were hit with our first snowfall of the season:
It's downplayed a bit due to the snow, but that's a really big front grille design, almost reminiscent of a locomotive. The rest of the lines are functional enough; it's hard to have much design pizzazz when the vehicle is fundamentally a big box with a hood. The wheels are special for the Overtrail trim level: 18-inch alloy wheels with 33-inch all-terrain tires. There's also a running board to help people climb into the cabin (grandma will definitely need an assist).
The poor driving conditions only lasted a few days, during which I found the 700h to be reasonably sure-footed, though it did have a bit of slippage in one or two spots. This model weighs in at a substantial 6225 pounds (and they say EVs are heavy!) and offers an 8,000-pound towing capacity. Even without a trailer, it's no surprise that the 457 hp engine is thirsty, with the LX 700h delivering 19/22 miles per gallon, for an EPA aggregate fuel efficiency of 20 miles per gallon. Add a 5,000-pound trailer, and that's going to drop precipitously to around 10mpg. Not atypical for its class.
The drive experience itself was quite enjoyable as the vehicle has plenty of power to accelerate to highway speed or navigate around slower drivers. It's big and it's high up off the ground, so it's no surprise that the LX 700h Overtrail isn't a vehicle that hugs the road and offers a sportscar-like driving experience. It really isn't a sports car in any sense of the term. Instead, it offers a much more cushy, luxurious drive that emphasizes quiet and comfort over performance and agility. The 25-speaker Mark Levinson sound system is also quite delightful, pushing the meter at a whopping 2400 watts total output.
It's a big vehicle, so there's plenty of space for displays and controls, with it offering a main gauge display behind the steering wheel, a crisp 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and a separate climate control display. Not to worry, there are buttons and controls galore, possibly too many! Indeed, I never did figure out what the "Climate Concierge" button did, though I suspect it's just the Lexus version of the "AUTO" button on other climate controls.
You can get a sense of the width of the vehicle by the width of the center console. The 2025 Lexus LX 700h is 78.4 inches wide, only 6 inches wider than my Mazda CX-5, but it sure feels like more. That's enough that it wouldn't fit in my one-car garage, but it's likely most owners have at least a two-car garage, if not even more space for their vehicles.
Looking more closely at the center console, you can see that it's a comfortable layout, with traction control buttons on the left, a hybrid gearshift that offers an old-school shifter experience, Qi charging pad front and center, and seat heater and related controls, along with yet more device storage, behind the shifter. The armrest, just barely in the picture, opens up from a button on the driver's side as a single panel. Notice the wood finish on the sides of the center console. This wood finish repeats in other areas of the vehicle, too, including on the doors.
The climate control is where things get a bit complicated, with the overlap of physical buttons and on-screen display and controls. There were also times when the touchscreen seemed to be disabled, requiring that I use a specific button to change settings as desired. Having this as a separate display has the benefit of it always being visible, but does add some confusion to the overall user experience, with so many other manufacturers opting instead to have climate controls visible on the main infotainment screen. Speaking of which...
It's a beautiful 12.3-inch infotainment screen that fully supports wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. There's a lot of screen real estate, particularly helpful with map displays. Note also that on the left edge are buttons for Lexus controls in addition to the Apple-managed CarPlay shown above. It might not be a huge vertically oriented tablet slapped onto the dashboard, but it has plenty enough screen to display everything in a big and easily understood manner.
The main gauge display, particularly at night, looks fantastic. There's a lot of information shown, but the key data points, speed, gear, temperature gauges, and whatever you've opted to show on the left and right side screens (mine are audio playback on the left and directions on the right). In terms of fuel efficiency, note also that with 3/4 of a tank, it's estimating a range of 174 miles. In fact, its full range is estimated at over 350 miles, but that's hugely dependent on driving style. Apparently, I'm a bit heavy with acceleration. 😉
There are no surprises on the steering wheel control buttons, other than paddle shifters. Again, this is most assuredly not a sports car, but... I guess if you really want to pretend, you can.
As befits a full-size SUV, there's a lot of legroom for the second row passengers. This is plenty big enough to carry five adults (you probably want to stick with little people for the optional third row). Again, notice the faux wood panelling on the door.
The rear climate controls are some of the most featureful I've ever seen in an SUV. From seat warmers and coolers to every climate control that a passenger could possibly want, it's darn impressive. This adds up to a comfortable drive experience for rear seat passengers.
The middle seats are also a typical 60/40 split, but unusually, the 40% width seat is immediately behind the driver, as you can see herein:
I've folded down - and forward - the seat immediately behind the driver, which is a bit tricky to see with the tonneau cover. Lots of cargo space, however, perfect for lacrosse gear, snowboard paraphernalia, boxes from your latest Costco run, or even luggage as you head into the mountains.
All told, I quite enjoyed driving the LX 700h for a week in both poor and decent weather. It's a big full-size SUV, but it's all about comfort, with super comfy seats, a powerful (if slightly confusing) climate control system, a lovely audio system, and lots of safety features. It's ready to tow your vintage Airstream or waterskiing boat, as needed. But oh, that price tag. This is a spendy luxury SUV.
2025 Lexus LX 700h Overtrail 4WD with 3.4L twin-turbo V6 engine and 10-speed automatic transmission. BASE PRICE: $114,000. Options included: Premium Audio System, Overtrail 2-Row Package, Premium Paint. AS DRIVEN: $116,760.00.
Disclaimer: Lexus loaned me the LX 700h for a week in return for this candid write-up. This was originally published on PlanetDave.com with the title 2025 Lexus LX 700h Overtrail 4WD is a Big, Gorgeous SUV and is republished with permission.
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