BEND, Oregon – “ it is hoped by me’s worth the sound!” I kept Richard that is hearing Lewis that, with grand horns blaring inches from their mind, in that cinematic classic, “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” For longer than 13 hours, I drove the 2024 Lexus GX 550 Premium+ along California and Oregon highways at a steady 70 mph. Any quicker, and the wind noise would elevate from a roar that is constant booming. Maybe not because of the GX, brain you – it is interestingly peaceful for a package on wheels with mirrors shaped just like a hardcover book – but because of the full-roof roof that is accessory we requested be set up for my journey from Agoura Hills outside Los Angeles to Bend in main Oregon.
You install your very own crossbars or other racks (including the Yakima crossbars I possess) when I described in Part 1 of my GX outdoor adventure road trip story, the accessory rack ended up being necessary as the Premium and Luxury trim levels don’t include the Overtrail’s raised roof rails that let. We plumped for the $1,580 accessory “Roof Rack. while we could’ve required Lexus install the $440 cross club official accessory,” It would look a lot cooler, for starters, which I need certainly to imagine is why we so often see such racks which are full-roof Land Rover Defenders, Mercedes G 550s, and other luxury off-roaders. Relatedly, it seems like the sort of thing someone is likely to fit to their GX; attempting it out consequently seemed ideal for reporting purposes. I became also on a objective to make use of it for transporting a kayak that is rented in Bend, and it sure seemed like it might be more useful than plain-old crossbars.
But to know without a doubt, I asked the expert viewpoint of Danielle, the friendly employee of Bend Kayak School and Rentals (pictured left that is above that set me up by having a lovely yellowish tandem kayak and the straps needed seriously to make sure it remained atop the GX.
“So, I’m borrowing this vehicle. I happened to be wondering if that rack that is big there actually makes a difference for transporting and securing kayaks?” I asked as she secured the front strap onto the tow that is little that’s apparently simply under the right part regarding the bumper. It was understood by her had been most likely there; i did son’t.
“Oh yeah. All that surface that is extra is going to make it a lot more stable, and make it simpler to get up there,” Danielle reported to my relief. It had been worth the noise; it was!
Demonstrably, the GX is fairly a car that is tall in reality, it’s exactly as high as me at 6-foot-3. My dad is 6-foot-even, so we’re as near to a scenario that is best-case from some previous basketball players. Nevertheless, it was quite a hoist to have the tandem that is big down and later up here once again. Danielle is hardly cracking 5-feet, nonetheless, herself and the kayak up therefore she expertly used the door sills and doors to hoist. Perhaps not her first rode