The 6 Best Off-Road Vehicles You Can Buy Right Now

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1 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2

 

The Chevy Colorado is the newest entrant in the mid-size truck category, and they are taking it by storm by offering a number of special editions that will appeal to all types of buyers. They've got the only diesel available in a mid-size truck and it gets best in class 22 city/30 hwy. New for 2017 is an off-road specific truck called the Colorado ZR2. It's aimed squarely at the Tacoma TRD and Raptor crowd.

The ZR2 sports an upgraded suspension, wider wheelbase, locking front and rear differentials, as well as driver controlled traction control, which is vital for a true four-wheeler. The ZR2 will be available in all cab and engine configurations. Pricing and delivery dates have yet to be announced.

2  Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro

 

Toyota takes off-road capability seriously: From the first Land Cruisers to today's tough pickups, there has always been at least a handful of Toyotas that excel off the pavement. This year, Toyota has added a new TRD Pro option package to the 4Runner, Tacoma, and Tundra. Because of its size and flexy coil-link rear suspension, the may be the most capable of the bunch—and the best to drive on the street, too.Toyota's Trail package already comes with a locking rear differential and the company's excellent Crawl Control—essentially a cruise control for off road. With the TRD Pro package, the suspension is replaced with taller Eibach coils and remote reservoir Bilstein shocks. The new suspension allows for an extra inch of wheel travel at both ends. 

All this makes the $36,410 4Runner TRD Pro one stout four-wheeler for not a lot of dough.

3  Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Hard Rock Edition

When a collection of hardcore off-road-duty parts came together in the TJ version of the Jeep Wrangler in 2003, it was as if every four-wheeler's dream list of components had been built into Jeep's most capable platform. And for more than a decade since, the Wrangler Rubicon has been the benchmark 4WD SUV.

Today's Rubicon package adds hardware such as Dana 44 axles, a 4:1 transfer case for easy slow-speed crawling, and a swaybar disconnect system to free up the suspension when the Jeep needs additional suspension flex on the toughest trails. For 2015 there's a new Hard Rock version of the Rubicon that includes blacked-out trim, tough bumpers with removable end caps, red tow hooks and rock rails to protect the sides of body tub. Also for 2015, all Wranglers receive a new Torx tool kit that includes all the tools needed to remove roofs, doors, and those bumper cap ends.

 

4  Toyota Land Cruiser

ew nameplates are as synonymous with off-roading as the Land Cruiser. And as Toyota's flagship SUV has grown in size, price, and amenities, the company has been careful to retain the big ute's talents for slogging through rough terrain.
Like the off-road 4Runner, the Land Cruiser also comes with Crawl Control. There's even a system that, when activated, brakes the outside rear wheel to tighten the vehicles' turning circle on a narrow trail. That's smart. However, this tech, along with the luxury of the Land Cruiser, comes with a steep price tag. It starts at just under $80,000.

5  Ram Power Wagon

You may be looking at the most capable pickup truck available for 2015. Ram takes the Heavy Duty Ram truck's strengths, like its solid axles front and rear and coil-link suspension, and builds upon them for the Power Wagon. The suspension is slightly taller than a pedestrian Ram 2500. To increase articulation in the three-link front suspension, engineers developed a new high movement joint called Articulink. This joint allows more flex in the suspension to keep the tires on the ground in rough terrain. If that's not enough, simply press a button and the swaybar disconnects, freeing up more of the suspension.

The best bang for your buck would be the base Tradesman, which starts at just under $45,000. Remember, that money is also buying you a heavy-duty truck that can tow more than 10,000 pounds.

6  Ford Raptor

When the Ford Raptor debuted in 2010, it was so radical and so good at high-speed desert four-wheeling that no production truck or SUV could catch it. That's still the case today.

The stout 411-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 makes the Raptor so quick. But it's the suspension, wide track. and giant 35-inch tires that make this pickup so gifted in the dirt. The independent front and solid-axle rear suspension systems have been engineered to provide nearly a foot of wheel travel at each corner—double that of a normal pickup truck. That suspension remains supple at higher speeds thanks to the Fox Racing shocks. The Raptor might be Baja focused, but thanks to a locking rear differential and a Torsen limited-slip up front, the Raptor is nearly as capable for slow crawling as a Power Wagon.

So what's the bad news? There's an all-new F-150 for 2015 and the Raptor isn't part of the lineup—yet. We hear a new Raptor is coming. But if you want one of the originals, the time is now.