Exploring the 2024 Lexus GX 550, Decoding Vehicle Window Stickers, and Celebrating the 2025 Dodge Durango R/T

2024 Lexus GX550 Car Review

Speaker 1 0:11

all right time now for this hour's car review . I had a chance to drive the 2024 lexus gx 550 . This is a new vehicle . Available trim levels include the 550 Premium , the Premium Plus , the Overtrail . I wrote down here Overtail , but that's not it , it's .

Speaker 1 0:35

Overtrail , the Luxury , with a Plus version for each of those . I had the Overtrail four-wheel drive . This is a standard SUV , Mars , Kind of like that thing that you were driving . You were thinking what is a standard SUV ? It's about the size of a Chevy Tahoe . It'll seat five , six or seven people . We did not have the third row . It had five seats in it and that's just fine with me . Don't cram that third row into a vehicle that size .

Speaker 1 1:01

It doesn't work , please don't uh , exterior changes from last model year , all new for 2024 . It looks so much like a land rover range rover it's scary , yeah , land rover styling cues um , very boxy , attractive design . Um , it's very different for lexus squared off wheel openings , flat nose , modern front end with modified lexus grill . Squared off rear lighting as well . What I liked about it ? The clamshell rear gate with the ability to open the top glass only . What could use improvement ? Nothing , we just need more of it or like it anyway .

Speaker 1 1:46

Interior highlights rugged design , styling . Uh , huge in-dash 14 inch infotainment screen . Uh , with a very likable operating system , and it is built into the dashboard . It doesn't sit up there like some add-on . Uh , comfortable and supportive , perforated leather seating , off-road capability plus luxury Cargo and trunk room plenty without that third row . What I liked ? The cool box in the center console . So if you've got something that you want to keep cool , a beverage that you want to keep cool , you open the center console lid and there's a little box in there . You hit the little button and ice coldness comes to it . What could use improvement ? Again , I don't get the third row version . The vehicle's just not big enough for a third row . I understand why they do it . Hey , we're going to make it anyway . It's not going to be that big of a deal . It's a young family , I guess .

Speaker 1 2:47

Engine a 3.4 liter twin turbo V6 that acts like a V8 . 349 horsepower , 479 pound feet of torque , making it truly off-roadable . 10-speed automatic transmission with a tow rating of four tons . Manufacturer is miles per gallon 15 in the city , 21 on the highway combined to 17 . I got 18 miles per gallon over 325.5 miles . What I liked about it ? The powertrain is well matched to its capability . Now , I personally did not go off-roading with this thing , nor would I , because I don't want to scratch it and I don't want to have to call those fine folks over there at Lexus and go well , I scratched it .

Speaker 2 3:34

Take it to Jason's shop .

Speaker 1 3:35

No , I'm not . No , I don't want to take it to any shop here . I got it , I'm doing the review . That's good enough for me . That's a good-looking vehicle , man , I'm telling you , riding handily , as I said . A body-on-frame architecture . What I liked about it , those 33-inch all-terrain tires , massive Steamrollers with lugs , is the way I look at it . Adaptive variable suspension on those 18-inch wheels is very nice as well .

Speaker 1 4:05

Now you can get into this for $62,900 . Prices tested is $71,620 , and it's pretty much loaded up Competitors Land Rover Defender 110 for $73,475 . That's their most popular vehicle , by the way . The Ford Bronco starts at $39,630 , and the Jeep Wrangler for $31,995 . Well , don , why are you doing it that way ? Because there really isn't a lot of competition in that particular style of vehicle . There just isn't . And I'm sure that there'll be more if they sell a lot of these things . And I'll tell you what , man , if I'm into that off-roading luxury thing , I'm seriously going to look at this . It's not going to be the land rover defender , no , it's a nice , nice . Mars even turned his nose up when I said that .

Speaker 3 4:54

You know I really like the ones I was in , but as far as an everyday thing , this .

Speaker 1 5:00

This could be an everyday thing easily yeah , yeah , I could see that so I'm a huge fan . I really like it a lot . I like the Lexus brand . I like the lineup . I like what they do with their vehicles . I'm not a huge fan of that . What do they call spindle grill ? It's just not my cup of tea . But they keep changing it up to make it different for particular model years .

Speaker 3 5:23

They're trying to find one you like .

Speaker 1 5:25

Yeah , and I do like the NX and I'm going to review that next week .

Speaker 1 5:31

So , anyway , that's my review of the 2024 Lexus GX550 . Hey , if you'd like to get in touch with us , shoot us an email . The address here is info at inwheeltimecom . We'll be back after this wwwinwheeltimecom . Time now for Jeff's feature of the day . Yeah , how to read a car window sticker ? Now , mars and I , we do it all the time because we get all of our information on the cars that we review from that window sticker . Well , not all of the information , but on that particular car , and it can be complicated because there's a lot of stuff on there .

Speaker 2 6:13

Absolutely , absolutely . Well . This is what we got . Let me bring it up for you and everybody can follow along at home . You don't need your in-wheel time decoder ring or anything . So how to read it ? Anyone who's actually shopped for a new car ? You look at the window sticker . That's the first thing you do . You look at the body . You look at the window sticker . Is that of information ? Well , there's 10 keys of interest on that sticker , so you got to keep this in mind when you're looking at it . There it is , follow along

Vehicle Window Sticker Information Overview

Speaker 2 6:37

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Speaker 2 6:37

The number one thing that we're going to look at today is the model information . This is where you find the basic model information of the vehicle . This section is usually located at the top , left or right of the sticker . It tells you the engine , transmission combination , exterior , interior color , year of the vehicle , the type of the vehicle it is , and you can check the window sticker to ensure that it is the right car that you're actually looking at . That would be the number one on the video . Correct , number one on the video . Now , this is an example of a 2021 Ford Expedition . So if you're a different kind of brand person , this is just the example we have . The number two on . This is the standard equipment .

Speaker 2 7:15

The section of the window sticker lists all the items featured that are included in the manufacturer's suggested retail price , or what they call the MSRP . Items listed here should be consistent with any of the vehicle's trim levels for that vehicle . These items are grouped into such categories as exterior , interior safety , security , comfort , convenience and mechanical performance . So that's what's in number two . The number three section move along over there the warranty information . This section lists the length of the vehicle's cars , bumper to bumper . In the powertrain warranties it's noted any roadside assistance packages from the manufacturer as well . Some new cars also come with free maintenance programs and that's where this coverage is also listed there for them . If you need more information about roadside information , you can go to Edmunds . They have a comprehensive warranty guide for roadside assistance .

Speaker 2 8:06

Number four , moving along , is the optional equipment . In this section you'll find the information of the vehicle's factory-installed options . Some car makers bundle them into packages like the SEs and the XLEs and all that other good stuff . Some offer an a la carte . It used to be in the old days . The a la carte was the way to go back in the 70s . That was cool because you could get all kinds of horsepower and all kinds of good things on that . So check that out . You want to compare it to make sure it's apples to apples on what you're looking for . The number five section on this is the pricing information . That's where you'll find the basic price of the vehicle . It breaks down of all the other options and the fees that you're going to pay for on the a la carte or the factory install .

Speaker 1 8:46

There's usually a bend over part of that as well . That's number 11 . We're not there yet , oh okay .

Speaker 2 8:51

Other items that would appear are the destination charges , cost of transportation and so on . Is there a gas guzzler tax Levied on cars with a combined MPG of 22.5 miles per gallon or less ? There's a consumption guzzler tax Incredible . So the total price of the vehicle is sometimes located there but often occupies its own space on the sticker . So the number six we have is the parts and content information . The vehicle manufacturing is offering a global process . In some cases the engine production , transmission , build and final assembly of the vehicle take place in different countries . The parts content section lists where the vehicle is assembled and the percentage of the US and Canadian parts it contains . This sample window sticker does not have the percentages but others do , for example purposes . We didn't put it on there , so for information about this you can also go to the National Highway Transportation Safety Board and look it up per that vehicle .

Speaker 2 9:49

Number seven we're moving along . The section shows the MSRP of the vehicle . Doesn't mean you have to pay that price , but it gives you a point of reference for negotiation . So look at that . Number eight fuel economy label . The fuel economy label , also the EPA label , gives you estimates of the vehicle's fuel efficiency . This block helps you compare the MPG or miles per gallon numbers on one car versus another , the combined MPG number is the most prominent and most important figure to note .

Speaker 2 10:18

Number nine is a QR code . All that does is tell you the stats . Everything that you're looking at on that sticker is in the QR code . So if you're technically able to do that , you can just go ahead and click that with your QR and bring all the information up . And lastly , the number 10 safety ratings . The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration tests the number of new vehicles every year and issues star ratings for the results . So if you've got one that you're into more higher safety than mileage and things that's the information you'll find with it and you can just move on and buy that car . I recommend a Buick , by the way .

Speaker 1 10:56

You used to recommend the Cadillac . I did .

Speaker 2 10:59

You still recommend Cadillac . I do recommend Cadillac . I just kind of not want to pay a price for just the name . So I get everything in my Buick that the Cadillac had .

Speaker 1 11:09

You know that Buick probably and I didn't look for it , but that Buick probably went down the same assembly line as the Cadillac .

Speaker 2 11:14

It has the same 2.0 liter turbo as the XT4 . And nobody would probably notice if you put a little V on it to make it go faster .

Speaker 1 11:26

Well , I put it upside down as an N . I'm thinking GNX , gnx . That would be the Buick with the supercharged engine .

Speaker 2 11:35

GSX GNX . Is it GSX , gsx , gnx ? Uh , that , that would be the , uh , the buick with the supercharged engine gsx gnx gsx , but I think the gnx was the really super high performance I'm gonna order it through pro-am do it .

Speaker 3 11:44

Yeah , there you go , john . What can you do for me on this deal ? I need that , you know .

Speaker 1 11:50

I think , think let's do the dodge .

Speaker 3 12:01

Durango review , mr mars had a chance to drive that do do to do and I was really surprised when the 2025 dodge durango showed up in the driveway . Uh , for one thing , I was pleasantly surprised that they're still building it . At least they've got , haven't lost everything . They've still got a little bit of performance in their vein somewhere . And this is the Dodge Durango . This is the 20th anniversary premium all-wheel drive version . Now there are 10 trim levels listed on this thing . I'm not going to go through all 10 of them . Take my word for it . We were the seventh from the bottom , so we were pretty well equipped , but not fully all the way up to the . It's a full-size three-row SUV . Now I say it that way because it's kind of a tweener . It's a small full-size or it's a big mid-size . I can't find anything on Stellantis that actually says what they categorize it as , but several places refer to it as it's full-size . Several refer to it as a mid-size .

Speaker 3 12:51

What did the window sticker say it don't , it don't , it don't .

Speaker 1 12:56

It , don't , it , don't it , don't play . I don't think that's proper English , but go ahead Anyway .

Speaker 3 13:02

So we're going to go with that Three-row SUV .

Speaker 1 13:04

Let me see your window sticker . Do you have it ?

Speaker 3 13:06

Yeah , okay , and it seats six people , so we had the six-person setting . Now , on the outside of it , you're going to find LED lighting all the way around , including the automatic headlights , auto-leveling headlights , which I really like the way some of this automatic stuff has gone and with the headlights it has the black trim package on it , including the roof rails and the badging , and it had the Hellcat-style performance hood , you know , with the end scoop and the air extractors , and it looked really good . And that's the first thing you think of is oh , it's Hellcat ? No , it's not . So it has multifunction fold-away mirrors . What does it got ?

Speaker 2 13:47

here Fine print .

Speaker 1 13:48

I can't read that Standard SUV Body on frame , I assume . So what is a standard ? Is that ?

Speaker 3 13:55

midsize .

Speaker 1 13:55

According to the government , it's a standard SUV . Well , it's probably a large SUV in the government size . Yeah .

Speaker 3 14:06

Yes , okay , I don't like this . I like the midsize , full-size , compact .

Speaker 1 14:12

They don't do it . No , they don't do it , though I know .

Speaker 3 14:14

Unless they're going to get into that . It depends on what the marketing people want it to be Subcompact , compact , that sort of thing .

Speaker 1 14:20

This is a standard . So a standard would be about the size of a Tahoe or a Suburban .

Speaker 3 14:26

See , to me those are full size . And if you look at some places , they call them full size . Well , this is a standard size . Okay , standard size . We're going to have to figure out what a standard size is , jeffrey .

Speaker 2 14:35

I'm holding the video , so go ahead so you're also .

Speaker 3 14:38

We also had uh , looks at the mirrors . We had the power sunroof , got a power lift gate on it and we were rolling on some special 20 by 10 brass monkey wheels . Now this brass monkey is a special , another special edition they come out with that .

Speaker 1 14:51

It's against the law . Brass monkey on the radio , you can't do that . Why ? Well , because it has other connotations . Oh , monkey shine well during the commercial .

Speaker 3 15:01

You can tell me what that is , but let's not go there now . So , and when we get to the inside of it , we had the SRT performance seats on it Because this is part of the SRT family . We had the premium industrial Premium instrument panel , which is 10.1 I can't read my own writing , well , you can't read 10.1 touchscreen with the Uconnect 5 system and it works really good . Like we've always talked about the Uconnect system . There's a couple of places and I think that's a problem with the screen to where you have to touch it a couple of times , but once it connects it really goes to it quick and I've always liked it .

Speaker 3 15:36

We had the heated and ventilated front seats . We had the second row captain's chairs , which is what makes it a six passenger , and the second row chairs are also heated . Uh , the third row is easier to get into with the captain's chairs because they fold up a lot better and they'll fold forward a whole lot easier to make it easier for the kiddos to get into the back . Then we had the 19 speaker hardened carmen uh , premium audio system with a subwoofer and it really sounded well . Of course , I like listening to the motor on it , so I didn't turn it up that much .

Speaker 1 16:05

What kind of music do you listen to , buffett ?

Speaker 3 16:07

A little bit of both Both . Both what ?

Speaker 1 16:10

Country and Western .

Speaker 3 16:13

You're the god Under the hood , speaking of which I need to go lay down . I was really glad they still have it , the 5.7 liter V8 Hemi . Now , this is not the Hellcat , although the Hellcat's still available for $25,000 . I guess they had some leftovers 360 horsepower , 390 pound-feet of torque .

Speaker 3 16:31

They forgot that they offered one and they just haven't gotten to kill it yet . Yeah , yeah , yeah , somebody snuck it out the door . It's got the 8-speed automatic . That's pretty well standard across all their vehicles . So it's got plenty of power and plenty of torque . So this thing is rated , with the tow package , to tow 8,700 pounds so you can tow your big RV , your big boat . It'll tow quite a bit . However , the EPA says in the city you should look for about 14 . On the highway about 22 . And combined 17 . Ta-da , ta-da , ta-da . I got 16 the week I was driving it . So I was pretty happy with that . But again , we're out on the highway

2025 Dodge Durango Performance Analysis

Speaker 3 17:09

quite a bit .

Speaker 3 17:09

And it does have the sport suspension and it's got several different modes . You have the sport mode , the track mode , the tow mode , the snow mode and it does come Holla mode , holla mode , holla mode . That's the snow mode and it does come mode this if you go to san antonio , it does have the flat run tires on it , which I was a little uh thinking I've never been a fan of flat runs , run , flat run , flats , damn . And uh , theoretically because , because they're always , they're always right theoretically and and I've never liked it .

Speaker 3 17:40

But with the suspension this thing's got , it's got a sport suspension on it , but you really don't notice that it's the run , flat tires , and so it's just a stiffer ride it is , but uh , you kind of , they kind of blend in , I guess , is what I'm saying . Uh , it is a heavier vehicle because it is a big suv . I think if you were out on a road course or something you'd really notice it . But driving around town , driving around on the highway , it's a very pleasant vehicle to drive . Other than you know you're in a little bit larger vehicle .

Speaker 1 18:10

I can't wait for Kimberly Schultz to listen to this . Kimberly , we love you . Never mind , I'm going to have to edit it a little bit .

Speaker 3 18:23

So the base model price on the Durango is $43,590 , which I didn't think was bad at all . The base trim price for the 20th anniversary premium all-wheel drive is , I mean , 20th anniversary is $54,495 . However , with some of the options that we had on here which there's a whole lot of them as far as the , there we go .

Speaker 3 18:41

Yeah , a bunch of things like break , black brake calipers . I thought was kind of strange , but it's part of the black trim package 72 460 dollars for the msrp , which , if you start looking across uh , some of the things again I looked I really didn't find anything in the mid-size suv that I thought compared to it because of the performance . But if you look at the kia telluride , it starts at $3,785 versus the Durango at $4,355 . Well , the Mazda CX-90 at $3,785 . However , if you step up and look at the little bit other side of it , the Chevy Tahoe , and consider it a standard vehicle , standard size SUV , well that thing's going to start at $60,000 versus the $43,000 . So to me it's kind of a tweener , but when you package the performance aspects to it , I personally think there's not much you're going to compare it to .

Speaker 1 19:27

So if you got the Hellcat motor in this thing , you're probably looking at close to $100,000 . I'm thinking that Probably so .

Speaker 3 19:34

Yeah , probably Another $20,000 tacked on it for the motor , if not more , they Another 20 tacked on it for the motor , if not more , they may give you a discount if you're buying the last Hellcats .

Speaker 2 19:42

And we talked about it earlier . What's the gas guzzler tax too ? Probably the Hellcat . Yeah , the Hellcat .

Speaker 3 19:48

Yep , probably so . Yes , as a matter of fact , I know there is , because I remember from the last time I had one , I was surprised that it was that much , considering it would get 20 miles to the gallon out on the highway . Ooh , okay , the problem is nobody drives it that way because they got their foot off it .

Speaker 2 20:03

Not in Nederland , no .

Speaker 3 20:05

Yeah , but anyway , that's the Dodge Durango 2025 .

Speaker 1 20:08

Thank you , and thank you Dodge Motor Company and Kimberly Schultz . We appreciate you , thank you .