When it comes to large luxury SUVs, the 2026 Toyota TX is the most affordable pick of the litter, starting at less than $60K US.

For the class, that really is considered affordable.

There is almost 100 cubic feet of cargo room when you fold both the third and second row of seats down. You should be able to average about 23 miles per gallon, which is decent for the class.

Plus, it is an imposing-looking vehicle, but in a good way.

For all intents and purposes, the Lexus TX is the Toyota Grand Highlander.  I know the big cheeses at Toyota Lexus don’t really want me to say that. Both vehicles are built on the same unibody platform.

This year’s TX350 (petrol only) and 500h (hybrid) come with a 2.4-liter turbo with just an inline-4-cylinder engine. The 350 offers 275 horses and the 500h hybrid offers 336 horses.

(There is also the 550h+, a plug-in hybrid, which has a 3.5-liter V6 engine offering 404 horses.)

To put just an inline-4-cylinder engine into a beast like the TX strikes me as a bit peculiar. Curb weight starts at 4,500 pounds and can go up to 5,400 pounds depending on trim and powertrain. Gross vehicle weight is closer to 6,000 pounds, or 3 tons.

As a result, the TX can sound and act like it is straining when trying to do anything more than a leisurely drive. You will need to get the plug-in hybrid 550h+ to get a V6 (the one I tested, as seen here), and those start at around $80K US.

Standard creature comforts include a panoramic roof, 14-inch touchscreen and 12.4-inch gauge cluster screen, power / heated front seats and the standard Lexus Safety system 3.0 (one of the best standard safety packages in the industry), which includes pedestrian detection, lane-tracing assist, lane-departure warning with steering assist and front / rear parking sensors.

To name a few.

The 2026 Lexus TX is a good choice for getting around town for those of you with dependents, however defined – but please make sure you have room to park it and pamper it.

Also, be sure to do your homework and, as always, be very clear (and honest) about what you want and need in a vehicle. When it’s Big and Beautiful, there is a fair amount of upkeep that is required. Just so you know……..

 Right now is a rough time all around the world for decent people like us.

It’s not just the cost of everything.  It’s also safety. And a whole lot of other human rights. It’s not enough to say Be Brave or Have a Plan. I don’t know what it will take. I wish I did but I don’t.

But at the very least, I will say this: Take care of yourself.

We need you to be the best that you can be. What does that mean? Only you can determine that but know this: whatever you decide is the correct answer.

See how simple that was? No multi-part manifesto for happiness. Just be yourself, and if possible, be out and proud about it.

If I have learned anything from being around as long as The Flintstones (almost to the day), it’s that I spent too much time not listening to my own inner-voice and instead believing the Caucasian voices who always said they knew better than me.

I needed to have trusted my Native American/Latino parents more than I did. All they wanted for me was to be healthy and happy. Nada más.

A long time ago, I could have hung that Mission Accomplished banner (as George W. Bush did) across the U.S. Navy aircraft where my father served and was denied a promotion by his commander who told him he did not trust someone with a name he could not pronounce.

Today, I want and need everyone to be themselves as best they can.  I know that’s not easy.  You have family and bosses and other constraints. I am aware that.

But you will not find true happiness by hiding (if you are).  You may accomplish a lot, sure, but if you deny yourself your true happiness, if your end comes suddenly and the world never realizes how much that red dress or that Disney Princess Bubble Wand truly meant to you, all the accolades in the world won’t mean crap because you won’t be able to hear them.

And they will still talk shite about you.