Head to head

Lexus GX 470 vs Land Cruiser 100 Series

Buy the 100 Series if you need room for a family, a usable third row, more clearance and the tougher heavy-duty truck. Buy the GX 470 if you want the same V8 in a smaller, lighter, cheaper package that fits tighter trails and burns a little less fuel.

The short answer

Buy the Lexus GX 470 if

you want the 2UZ-FE V8 and a five-speed in every year, a shorter, narrower truck for tight trails, slightly better mileage and the lower price

Buy the Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series if

you carry a family or tow often, want 33-inch tires without a lift, more ground clearance, conventional springs, or a 1998–99 truck with the factory rear locker

Side by side

	LEXUS GX 470	TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 100 SERIES
Years (US)	2003–09	1998–2007
Platform	J120 (Prado 120), mid-size	J100, full-size
Engine	4.7 V8 2UZ-FE: 235 hp / 320 lb-ft; 270 hp VVT-i ('05); 263 hp (SAE, '06+)	4.7 V8 2UZ-FE: 230 hp / 320 lb-ft; 235 hp ('03); 275 hp / 332 lb-ft VVT-i ('06–07)
Transmission	5-spd auto (A750F)	4-spd A343F; 5-spd A750F from 2003
4WD	Full-time, lockable helical LSD center diff	Full-time HF2A, lockable center diff
Suspension	Coilover IFS; 4-link solid rear on air springs; KDSS optional (late '04 on)	Torsion-bar IFS; solid rear on coils (AHC on some late trucks)
Factory lockers	None (A-TRAC)	Rear optional 1998–99 only; A-TRAC from 2000
Wheelbase	109.8 in	112.2 in
Ground clearance	8.3 in	9.8 in ('05)
Approach / departure	31° / 25°	—
Towing	5,000 lb; 6,500 lb from mid-2004	5,500 lb ('99); 6,500 lb (2002–06)
Fuel economy	EPA 14 city / 18 hwy ('07), premium	12 city / 16 hwy ('05)
Wheel bolt pattern	6 x 139.7 (6 x 5.5 in)	5 x 150
Biggest tire, no lift	265/70R17 or 255/75R17 (≈31.5 in)	285/75R16 or 285/65R18 (≈33 in)
Typical prices now	$12k–25k driver; $28k–42k excellent	$15k–36k driver; $40k–65k excellent
Best years	No consensus; mid-2004 on for the 6,500-lb hitch	2003–07 (five-speed)

Two sizes of Land Cruiser

The GX 470 is a Prado 120, the mid-size Land Cruiser North America never got with a Toyota badge. The 100 Series is the full-size Land Cruiser, and its Lexus twin is the LX 470, which sat above the GX in the showroom. Both have the same 4.7-liter 2UZ-FE V8, a ladder frame, independent front suspension, a live rear axle and full-time 4WD with a lockable center differential.

The details differ more than the spec sheet suggests. The 100 has a 112.2-inch wheelbase to the GX's 109.8, torsion bars up front rather than coilovers, coil springs at the back where the GX has air springs, and a 5 x 150 mm wheel pattern where the GX uses 6 x 139.7 mm. It's also several hundred pounds heavier. Every GX got the five-speed automatic; the 100 waited until 2003 for it.

Off-road

The 100 starts with more of the things that matter: 9.8 inches of ground clearance in KBB's figures against 8.3 for the GX, and room for 33-inch tires (285/75R16 or 285/65R18) on stock suspension where the GX tops out at about 31.5 inches. It's also the only one of the two with a factory axle locker, though only on 1998–99 trucks, which also have the weaker two-pinion front differential. On IH8MUD, one member's verdict is that the 100's major advantage 'is in heavy duty use'.

The GX fights back with size and hardware. It's shorter and narrower, which is why forum members choosing between them pick it for tighter trails, and Lexus quotes 31° approach and 25° departure. Its center differential is a lockable helical limited-slip unit, and KDSS was optional from late in the 2004 model year to free up the anti-roll bars for articulation. Neither truck has an axle locker after 1999, so both rely on A-TRAC. As another IH8MUD member put it, 'offroad they are so similar suspension wise, other than weight they are the same.'

On-road and daily use

The GX is lighter, and with the five-speed in every year it feels it; one IH8MUD member who compared them said it has 'considerably more pep'. It's also a little more economical. The EPA rates a 2007 GX at 14 city and 18 highway on premium, and KBB lists 12 and 16 for a 2005 Land Cruiser. Both were rated to tow 6,500 lb (the GX from its mid-2004 hitch upgrade, the 100 for 2002–06), but one IH8MUD member points out that the Land Cruiser platform's longer wheelbase and extra weight make it better at towing larger trailers.

The 100 is the family truck. Owners in both IH8MUD and Expedition Portal threads describe the GX as narrow inside and call its third row 'a joke' or 'useless for actual humans', while the 100 is wider and, one owner says, 'really stable at speed'. Some owners prefer the GX's side-hinged rear door, though one IH8MUD member warns that 'the size and swingout are more of an issue than you might think at first.'

Reliability and what breaks

The shared engine means shared chores. Both need the 2UZ-FE timing belt and water pump every 90,000 miles, and Engine Builder classes the belt-driven Toyota V8s as interference engines, so an unknown belt is a gamble. A tick at cold start can be a cracked exhaust manifold on either truck, or a spark plug working loose on the 100. Both were covered by the side curtain airbag recall (NHTSA 16V-065), and the later VVT-i engines in both have a secondary air-injection system that owners warn is expensive to fix.

After that, the lists split. The GX adds leaking rear air springs and worn-out compressors, aging steering racks, a dashboard warranty program for 2003–08 trucks, and the original passenger-side front differential support on 2003–early 2005 trucks, which GXOR warns can fail badly. The 100 adds brittle plastic heater-hose tees, worn starter contacts, cracked lower wishbones on trucks driven hard onto the bump stops, and the 1998–99 two-pinion front diff. Salt-belt frame rust is the first thing to check on either.

Modifying

The GX's parts bin is the 4th-gen 4Runner's, and it leans on that: Metal Tech 4x4's rear coil conversion kit is listed for both, and owners routinely borrow 4Runner parts, tire-fitment data and forum knowledge. Icon systems sold by Metal Tech, ToyTec kits and Old Man Emu BP-51 coilovers are the common lifts, though ARB doesn't list the GX as an approved application. Getting to 33s (285/70R17 or 255/80R17) usually means 2–3 inches of lift and some fender-liner trimming.

The 100 shares nearly all its armor and drivetrain parts with the LX 470, from suppliers such as Slee Off-Road, Cruiser Outfitters and Metal Tech. Old Man Emu torsion bars, rear coils and shocks give about 1.5 inches, and the torsion-bar adjusters set front height. With 2–3 inches of lift, 315/75R16s fit but rub at full compression. ARB Air Lockers are the usual way to add lockers to a 2000-on truck. Nothing interchanges at the wheels: the GX's 6 x 139.7 mm pattern and the 100's 5 x 150 mm don't match.

Buying one now

The GX is the cheaper way into a V8 Land Cruiser. Bring a Trailer's GX 470 sales from January 2025 to October 2026 ran from $4,400 to $41,750, with a median of $20,000 and drivers at about $12,000–25,000. The 100 has climbed: recent drivers sell for about $15,000–36,000, and clean, low-mile, documented trucks for $40,000–65,000.

There's no consensus best year for the GX 470, so buy on rust, timing-belt records, the air suspension, the steering rack and the manifolds; a mid-2004-on truck has the 6,500-lb hitch. For the 100, owners point to 2003–07 for the five-speed, and if you plan to wheel hard, remember that the 1998–99 trucks' two-pinion front diff is the one most often reported broken. On either, ask for the timing-belt receipt first.

Questions, answered

Is the GX 470 a small Land Cruiser?

Yes. It's a Land Cruiser Prado 120 with Lexus trim, built at Tahara. The 100 Series is the full-size Land Cruiser above it, and the Lexus version of the 100 is the LX 470, not the GX.

Do they have the same engine?

Both use the 4.7-liter 2UZ-FE V8 with a timing belt due every 90,000 miles. The GX made 235 hp at launch and 270 hp with VVT-i from 2005 (restated as 263 hp from 2006). The 100 made 230 hp, then 235 hp from 2003 and 275 hp with VVT-i on 2006–07 trucks.

Does either one have a locker?

Both have a lockable center differential. Only the 100 offered a factory rear locker, and only on 1998–99 trucks. The GX 470 never had axle lockers, and both rely on A-TRAC traction control on later trucks.

Will GX 470 wheels fit a 100 Series?

No. The GX 470 uses a 6 x 139.7 mm (6 x 5.5 in) bolt pattern, and the 100 Series uses 5 x 150 mm with M14 x 1.5 studs.

Which is better for towing?

On paper they tie at 6,500 lb (GX 470 from mid-2004, 100 Series for 2002–06). One IH8MUD member points out that the Land Cruiser platform's longer wheelbase and extra weight make it better for larger trailers.

Which has the more usable third row?

The 100. Owners on IH8MUD and Expedition Portal describe the GX 470's third row as 'a joke' or 'useless for actual humans', and the 100 is wider inside.

The full guides

Sources