2021 Hyundai Tucson vs 2021 Lexus GX

It’s no secret that small SUVs are among the most popular new-car segments. You see them everywhere on the road today. Automakers put a lot of pressure on themselves to continually offer the latest and greatest. But that also means even the not-so-new are still terrific vehicles and provide a great value.

Case in point: the 2021 Hyundai Tucson. The current generation of this compact SUV was introduced for the 2016 model year, and this 2021 edition represents the final model year before a new generation is ushered in. So why go with the older model? Because Hyundai has loaded it up with plenty of tech and safety features and it is offered at a competitive price.

Most modern SUVs are really car-based crossovers—lifted station wagons, or minivans without the sliding doors. That’s not the case with the 2021 Lexus GX 460.

Like the mythical Loch Ness Monster, the GX is a creature that time forgot. It’s one of the last SUVs with truck-like body-on-frame construction and true off-road capability. That’s because the GX is actually a rebadged Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (a smaller version of the iconic Toyota Land Cruiser not sold in the United States), and is related to the Toyota 4Runner. It’s also genuinely old: the current generation dates back to the 2010 model year, and Lexus has kept it in production with some updates of styling and tech over the years.

That makes the GX a fairly odd proposition on the new-car market. It has the off-road capability, not as a lifestyle statement, but because that’s what was still expected of SUVs when it was launched. The GX sits between the RX and LX in Lexus’ lineup but has little direct competition. Its only real rival is the much newer Land Rover Discovery.

For the 2021 model year, the GX gets some minor updates, including a new Premium Plus Package, and acoustic front side glass. Lexus continues to offer only the GX 460 model, with a single powertrain option, standard four-wheel drive (4WD), and three trim levels: base, Premium, and Luxury. Our test car was the midlevel Premium version.