2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC vs 2021 Lexus GX

ost 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 North America), 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 the 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. Lexus continues to offer only the GX 460 model, with a single powertrain option, a standard four-wheel drive (4WD) drivetrain, and two pricing levels: base, or the Executive package.

The modern compact luxury SUV market is an embarrassment of riches. Shoppers have more options than ever before, and all of them are terrific vehicles. There’s the BMW X3, Audi Q5, Volvo XC60, Acura RDX, Alfa Romeo Stelvio, and even the newcomer Lincoln Corsair. Not to be left out of this dizzying list is one of the segment’s most popular options, the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLC.

While the X3 arguably kicked off the small luxury SUV craze, the bar was raised with the GLC’s predecessor, the GLK. But even the GLK felt like a stopgap compared to a fully realized vehicle like the GLC. It encapsulates everything that buyers are looking for in a compact luxury SUV—an upscale cabin, cutting-edge infotainment and safety technology, and driving dynamics that are equal parts athletic and comfortable. Many vehicles in the aforementioned list have some or all of these things, but few combine them all as elegantly as the GLC. Mercedes-Benz happily boasts the GLC is its best-seller, and with good reason. But should you count yourself among one of their customers? Read on to find out.