2021 Jeep Wrangler vs 2021 Lexus GX

The Jeep Wrangler is an icon. Sports cars like the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette may often be described as icons, but they can’t hold a candle to the Wrangler’s bona fides. It harkens back to the original Willys Jeep and has evolved through the years to be an instantly recognizable fixture of the American motoring landscape.

What makes this all the more incredible is how the industry has changed through the years. The best-selling SUVs on the market are all based on car platforms, and emphasize efficiency and comfort. Yet the rugged, comparatively inefficient Wrangler, which also rides like a truck, is still popular.

Part of that comes from being different from everyone else, but another part is Jeep’s commitment to continually update the Wrangler to meet the demands of its buyers. The four-door 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited accomplishes both, by now offering a Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid (changing with the times) and a potent Hemi V8 (beating to its own drum). Both powertrains are exclusive to the four-door Wrangler; neither is available with the two-door Wrangler body style.

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.