Lexus NX 350h Overtrail vs Jeep Wrangler Rubicon: Pick Your Persona

If you were to compare two expensive SUVs, both having two live axles, I don’t think you can imagine a pairing that is further apart - the Lexus NX 350h Overtrail and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. One is a delicately crafted and charmingly packaged delicacy that is meant to be consumed with grace and class. The other is as big as a three-course meal and stuffed with many spicy ingredients that your soul will be salivating for. So, why did we pit these two together? Apart from being priced similarly and having the SUV badge, these two products do not have much in common…or so it appears.

Lexus NX 350h Overtrail vs Jeep Wrangler Rubicon: Design Comparison

The design of the Wrangler is simple to summarise. It is a classic American SUV with boxy proportions, butch bumpers, simple surfaces, and big wheels. Thanks to many Indian brands trying to replicate this iconic silhouette in their own vehicles, the Rubicon is easily recognisable. However, the downside of this familiarisation is that this expensive and original product might actually be mistaken for its cheap imitators. I will say, however, that the more utilitarian construction of the Rubicon does make it feel less premium than the amount you put down at the showroom. While some of the metal panels have been made so as to counter any small love taps during your off-road excursions, aspects like the gap between the plastic bumper and the fender and the rear camera poking through the rear wheel cover do look a bit shoddy.

Coming to the Overtrail, it has the classic Lexus design cues like the large spindle grille up-front, the boomerang-shaped DRLs housed in sleek headlights and some curves that make you go “Ooh la la!” The Overtrail edition that we had, comes in a Moon Desert colour which looks appropriate for the dusty planes. The colour actually proved to be helpful as the Overtrail looked relatively clean after our off-road excursion, thanks to the colour being very similar to the dust we were kicking up. You also get a lot of black bits strewn across the SUV. The front bumper, side cladding, wheel arches and roof rails are all painted black and go well with the colour. Even the alloy wheels are fully black, adding a nice contrast to the whole colour scheme. Another thing to note is that Lexus has fitted smaller 18-inch wheels onto the Overtrail as opposed to 20-inch units on the other models. Even though both vehicles look menacing on the road and have a nice presence, the Overtrail, despite the changes looks a little too posh for an off-road setting.

Lexus NX 350h Overtrail vs Jeep Wrangler Rubicon: Interior Features & Quality

A major plus point of the Overtrail, over the Rubicon, is the cabin experience. Being a luxury SUV it has all the bells and whistles you would expect. Plush seating, a glorious 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, soft-touch surfaces, and powered front seats - the Overtrail has it all. There are also a large number of storage spaces around the cabin, something that you miss in its American rival. The doors in the Rubicon have nets which are only good for holding onto papers or cleaning cloths.

To its credit, the Rubicon does not actually feel as utilitarian as one would expect. There is a 12.3-inch touchscreen with all the connectivity options and decent touch response. What I really did like was the presence of physical controls on the dashboard. From the air conditioning controls to the volume dial to the differential lock, everything has its own button or switch that you can fiddle with. It is a very old-school approach and one that I dearly adore. The Lexus, on the other hand, expects you to use the gigantic 14-inch touchscreen for most of the functions. Mercifully, the screen is tilted towards the driver so operation is slightly easier. Yes, the fact that it does not have a conventional homescreen did annoy me and I was also surprised to find out that it did not support wireless Android Auto. The Overtrail features the e-latch door handles seen on other models of the NX and they are rather intuitive to operate.

Needless to say, I did have a much better time being cocooned in the plush cabin of the Overtrail than in the Rubicon. Both SUVs offer good seating and space but the Overtrail feels more upmarket. If noise isolation, technology and storage spaces are a key requirement for you, you will have the same opinion as me.

Lexus NX 350h Overtrail vs Jeep Wrangler Rubicon: Road Performance

As soon as you switch from driving one of these cars to the other, you will be in for a huge shock. It does not matter whether you drive the Overtrail first or the Rubicon, the difference in character really comes out when you get behind the wheel. Since I drove the Overtrail first, I was treated to a smooth driver, as one would expect. The 2.5-litre engine is mostly effortless in its operation and the hybrid powertrain enables EV-only propulsion as well. The SUV was usually smart enough to engage the EV mode if you left it to its own devices. However, there is a dedicated EV button, should you want to trundle along silently at a time of your choosing (given that there is enough charge in the battery). Even when you are doing highway speeds, there is little to no noise inside the cabin as the sound damping is brilliant. Smash cut to being in the Rubicon and it is totally loud! From the engine noise to the sound of wind clashing against this beast, you hear everything and more. Even the way this engine breathes feels different. Now, you might think that this makes the Rubicon unflattering. Well, I thought so too…until my colleague pointed out the visible grin on my face as I wrestled this 2-tonne beast for control. There is a charm to this mad behaviour. Driving the Rubicon felt like hanging on to the reins of a wild horse that was rushing across a vast and green hinterland.

There is no doubt that the Overtrail feels much better to drive on the road, especially through twisty sections. It holds its line surprisingly well and does not show any hint of uncertainty, even when the cabin has three people inside (I was accompanied by my camera crew for this quick test). However, the abundance of control also takes away from some of the silliness of the vehicle. You have to work really hard if you want to intentionally kick the tail out, something that the Rubicon had no problem doing. While both vehicles have plenty of grunt, the Rubicon does feel significantly more floaty past 80km/h while the Lexus has no trouble maintaining the highest possible legal speeds for extended periods of time. Also, every time I hit the brakes on the Rubicon, I felt like I was stepping on Spongebob Squarepants. The brake pedal felt mushy and the bite was also not sufficient, especially when you are going fast. In comparison, the brakes on the NX were close to perfect. Unlike many expensive cars, they were not too grabby, the feedback was progressive and the brakes did not lack bite either.

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The 2.0-litre, turbocharged engine in the Wrangler seemed to have more lag than the 2.5-litre unit in the Lexus. I was expecting the Overtrail to be a lot more lethargic, considering it is paired with a CVT. The CVT rubberband effect, while present, is not as significant unless you are absolutely pushing the car. However, the lag you feel when you mash the pedal in the Rubicon is noticeable for sure. The turbo takes its sweet time to spool and deliver the punch that your heart hungers for. Sadly, in most cases, by the time the serving of power arrives, you have run out of time. 

Lexus NX 350h Overtrail vs Jeep Wrangler Rubicon: Off-road Test

The tables turn drastically in favour of the Rubicon the moment you get down and dirty. Surprising, I know! First of all, the suspension makes light work of obstacles, even if it throws you around a little bit. Then we come to those wide 255/75 tyres I mentioned earlier. They provide traction for days! You can do most of the trails in two-wheel drive mode. But when things do get really rough, you can put all four wheels to work. As expected, you get 4H and 4L modes and there is also the ability to lock the differential on both axles or only on the front. An example of seeing the differential in action was when I was trying to reverse up a somewhat steep incline with a lot of loose sand. Yes, other 4x4 vehicles could also do it but they would have had to build a bit of momentum to get up. But the Wrangler did it from a standstill! That, my dear reader, is the power of a true off-road SUV, one with a legacy of many decades. It even managed to go up a steeper incline, the nose facing the right way this time, while displacing a lot of the sand along the way.

The Overtrail, on the other hand, was not able to achieve the gigantic feats of the Rubicon. However, to its credit, it did manage to take on more than what we had initially anticipated. “This prim and proper Japanese gent will not be too comfortable here”, I thought, looking at the Overtrail as it stood at the edge of the tarmac, tipping its nose ever so slightly towards the rougher side of life. But guess what, it managed to get through a lot. The minimum ground clearance of 185mm is enough to safely clear bumpy roads and deep ditches while the all-wheel-drive system takes care of traction troubles. You do not have to run your brain at a thousand calculations per second, trying to figure out what mode should you be in. The changes that come with the Overtrail feel like a small serving of wasabi along with the sushi, to help make things tastier. What stops the Overtrail from taking on more gruesome obstacles are the approach and departure angles, which are nowhere near as good as the Rubicon’s. So, you do think twice before taking on some of the bigger obstacles and possibly even back out for fear of breaking something. A plus side of the more mundane construction of the Jeep is the fact that you do not have to worry as much about damaging the exterior.

Lexus NX 350h Overtrail vs Jeep Wrangler Rubicon: Final Thoughts

As I said before, this is not exactly a comparison, it was a test to see which flavour my taste buds favour more. A lot of automotive purchases are governed by what resonates with your spirit and satisfies the hunger in your heart. Despite the vastly different nature of the Overtrail and the Wrangler, it was also interesting to see the amount of overlap there is between the two.

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The Overtrail, for example, did more rough work than I had expected it to. It was gliding over the gravel traps and sailing through the sand. So, if you are not the kind of person who regularly goes dune bashing on weekends, the Lexus can actually be a better pick as it will also keep your family happier. The Rubicon, on the other hand, was mad fun off the road and a bag of laughter when on the tarmac too. You could easily use it for daily commutes as it does not feel as cumbersome to take around town. Just be careful of your throttle inputs or you will see your wallet draining faster than the fuel tank. If you were to ask me, my taste buds like the sushi with a twang of wasabi. But boy does a good cheeseburger make me salivate. I guess I just need to develop a bigger appetite!