2020 Lexus GX vs 2021 Volvo XC40

Depending on who you ask, the modern SUV will continue to dominate the new-car market until it's the only type of vehicle on the road (except pickup trucks). That prediction makes sense; modern SUVs drive like cars, can get through most snowstorms, and have the cargo space to tackle most of what daily life throws at them. They are great all-around vehicles, but in trying to master everything, many have lost the specialization that made them noteworthy in the first place. In particular, many luxury SUVs have lost their off-road credibility.

There are exceptions to this trend, including upmarket trims of the Jeep Grand Cherokee as well as most of the Land Rover lineup. Another brand that bucks the trend is Lexus. Sure, the Lexus RX pretty much created the modern luxury crossover, but it gets sold right alongside the immensely capable Lexus LX and this vehicle: the 2020 Lexus GX.

You’ll be forgiven if you forgot the GX was still available. Lexus has updated the GX for 2020 with fresh styling to make it a bit more memorable. Still, beneath that new exterior is one of the oldest vehicles offered today, and as you’ll learn, that has its advantages.

Introduced for the 2019 model year, the Volvo XC40 enters 2021 with one major change—the addition of an all-electric powertrain option. The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge is the Swedish automaker’s first mass-market electric vehicle, in fact.

The Recharge will be sold alongside gasoline versions of the XC40, which carry over largely unchanged, and compete against small luxury crossovers like the Audi Q3, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, and Lexus UX. With its electric powertrain, the Recharge is a de facto Tesla Model Y competitor. It’s also priced similar to high-end versions of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, although the two electric crossovers have somewhat different philosophies.

In addition to that zero-emission powertrain, the Recharge gets an Android-based operating system, over-the-air (OTA) software update capability for all vehicle systems, and some updates to driver-assist tech. These changes don’t apply to gasoline 2021 XC40 models, but Volvo does plan to add the Android operating system to more vehicles in the future.

Since the Recharge is the main new thing for the 2021 XC40, that’s what we focused on for this review. While the gasoline XC40 is available in three trim levels—Momentum, R-Design, and Inscription—with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), the Recharge is only offered in a single trim level, with standard AWD.