First Drive: 2010 Lexus GX 460

Lexus has redesigned the GX's interior, using new colors throughout plus a new wood color on the door and dash. The overall look of the center stack and center console area is cleaner and more elegant than before. All of the controls are easy to use, and liberal use of sound deadening material makes the cabin pleasantly quiet. The standard audio has nine speakers and an in-dash six-disc CD changer, USB/iPod port, and XM satellite radio; a 17-speaker, 7.1 channel Mark Levinson system is available, as is a rear entertainment system. Navigation is optional, and Lexus offers three-zone climate control. Front seats come standard with heat and ventilation, and both are 10-way power adjustable. The second row can manually slide to make it easier to get into or out of the third row; it also reclines and folds and heated seats are optional. The third row is now standard equipment, and for the first time, is a power-fold row. Most interior dimensions have gone down slightly, but legroom has improved in the second row. In the third row, despite the fact that you're sitting over the rear axle (which keeps your knees high), legroom has gotten a lot better. Cargo volume is lower than last year, but that's mainly because you can no longer remove the fold-flat third row. Folding the seventh and eighth seats is a snap; just push the buttons on the D-pillar to lower both, or you can lower them independently.

The GX boasts several standard safety features: 10 airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, EBD, brake assist, stability control, traction control, hill-start assist, downhill assist, a backup camera, and tire-pressure monitoring. Intelligent high beams come with the premium model, and other available safety options include dynamic radar cruise control and lane departure alert.