Good on road and off road vehicles

[jamaldog87]

I like  going on long road trips and i am looking for  some ideas on good vehicles for highway use and light off-road(like driving up north on paved winter roads or prairie lands off road).  I am looking at the Honda element(very easy to clean and has many good points),  ford Escape,  and Subaru forester.  How much Ground Clearance do you need in a off-road vehicle,  can you get by with 2wd or do you need 4wd drive, and any other info would help.  These are cars in the next 5+ years i am going to try to get(i am working on finding a higher paying job) so i am looking for ideas and  into on this.

I used to drive a 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis and it worked well for driving on the beachs around here.

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

Isuzu Rodeo is an awesome On/Off road vehicle.

4x4 is a must IMO. Only dull headed city folk use 2wd out in the middle of no where. Same ones you see on the news whose bodies were discovered the following spring.

[GatCat]

To me, it's not a question of HOW much ground clearence you have, it's more of a point of keeping your usage within the capabilites of WHAT you are driving. In other words, whatever you are using, use common sense. ANY and ALL rigs can and do get stuck.
For what you describe, 4WD ( high and low range ) is nice, but not really needed. AWD ( all wheel drive, no low range ) like most cross-over rigs are, will do the job just fine, so long as you don't push things. Good tires go a long way, but most of all, common sense is what counts. With the price of fuel, lots of folks simply cannot justify a tradional 4WD ( big ) rig. You don't need a ton of money to have a useful rig. Even a 2WD older truck with a posi rear and good tires will do what you want. Put a conopy on the back, and you have sleeping/camping quarters for a weekend outing. If you can find a decent VW old model "bug", cutting into a baja bug will do very well, for not much money at all.
Any of the rigs you mentioned would serve you well, as would many others. If you are mostly into winter driving, use good tires, 2wd or 4wd, and you'll do fine.

[dks7895]

light off-road(like driving up north on paved winter roads or prairie lands off road).

Any of the vehicles you mention will handle this.  However, I wouldn't consider it "off-roading".  I had a 1998 Isuzu Trooper and that was the best balance of on-road grace and off-road grunt you could ask for.  Like GatCat said... tires can make all the difference. 

[Lloyd Smale]

jeep grand cherokee wrote the book on vehicles like that.

[Ron 1]

jeep grand cherokee wrote the book on vehicles like that.

 got to agree            rw

[mcwoodduck]

Hard to beat a Jeep.  Had two Cherokees. 
Remember 4 wheel drive does not mean you do not get stuck.  It means you get stuck way out in the woods!
my suggestion is to drive around in 2 wheel drive and if you get stuck use the 4X4 to get unstuck and go back.
Have had to have a bulldozer and a buddy come get me on different ocasions.  The bulldozer was needed for the Buick I was driving.
I think any of the SUV's from the last 20 years with either allwheel drive or comand 4X4 will work for what you want.  make sure the car is in good condition and you have safe tires.
Remember a leaking 4X4 is not a problem, when it stops leaking you're going to have a problem!  Keep your fluids topped off and cary spares when way out.

[jamaldog87]

OK, thanks all.  When i used to have my Mercury Grand Marquis  that thing on that soft beach sand did well, i guess that 5.0L V8 helped out a lot

I will save up and see what i can get in the next few years, if the earth is still here in 2012

[bobg]

  I didn't see Nissan mentioned. I had a 93 Nissan pickup that would go anywhere i wanted it to. Traded that for a 98 Pathfinder. Put the Pathfinder through snow deep enough you couldn't open the doors and off road through mud where a Cherokee owner wouldn't think of going.

[Bugflipper]

Just speaking in generalities, vehicles with full frames are better off road, vehicles with unibodies are better on road.
 I would rather have traction than ground clearance any day. There are too many of the new cross over vehicles that have open differentials. Combine that with abs traction control and you are looking to get into trouble pretty quick off road. If things get too rough and not enough clearance, you can always turn around and go back. IMHO a limited slip rear end is a must for off road.

[mcwoodduck]

  I didn't see Nissan mentioned. I had a 93 Nissan pickup that would go anywhere i wanted it to. Traded that for a 98 Pathfinder. Put the Pathfinder through snow deep enough you couldn't open the doors and off road through mud where a Cherokee owner wouldn't think of going.

When I had a Cherokee my father and a couple of my friends had Pathfinders in 1990.  They are great cars.  Going out to the farm I have had to push his pathfinder out of a few places I was able to get through.  I think it had more to do with the tires than the truck, but  dad's pathfinder did stop where my jeep went.  In first gear his pathfinder would climb steeper hills than the jeep with out applying the gas. Both were very little maintenance.  The older path finders had a belt that needed to be replaced at a certain milage or it would kill the engine, Dad found out the hard way. 

[bobg]

  I think you are right about the tires. The first thing i did on both of mine was swap out the tires that came on them. 

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

  I didn't see Nissan mentioned. I had a 93 Nissan pickup that would go anywhere i wanted it to. Traded that for a 98 Pathfinder. Put the Pathfinder through snow deep enough you couldn't open the doors and off road through mud where a Cherokee owner wouldn't think of going.

When I had a Cherokee my father and a couple of my friends had Pathfinders in 1990.  They are great cars.  Going out to the farm I have had to push his pathfinder out of a few places I was able to get through.  I think it had more to do with the tires than the truck, but  dad's pathfinder did stop where my jeep went.  In first gear his pathfinder would climb steeper hills than the jeep with out applying the gas. Both were very little maintenance.  The older path finders had a belt that needed to be replaced at a certain milage or it would kill the engine, Dad found out the hard way.

Those darn pathfinders have a chronic engine problem. I swear, every one i pull up next to, their upper end  "lifters" are cackling.

[bobg]

   Never had any cackling lifters in  mine.  8 years and over 100,000 miles and the only thing done was oil changes and new tires.

[mcwoodduck]

   Never had any cackling lifters in  mine.  8 years and over 100,000 miles and the only thing done was oil changes and new tires.

Check the destruction manual there is a timing belt you need, REPEAT need to change around 100K or replace the engine.

[Empty Quiver]

If you are traveling alone, 4x4 is VERY nice to have. If you have  a couple of you it is much less needed, have a good quality recovery strap and good places to attache it to your truckster. A limited slip differential, and more offroad capable tires will get you through a lot of snow or mud terrain. However you will be dirt trakin and making a real mess of the trail and will make no friends in the ECO community.

Technique will get you further than equipment many times. Northern snow is much more forgiving than southern snow. When the temps drop bumper deep snow isn't too bad, but 30 degree snow 5" deep will be a chore.

For what you describe I would choose clearance and high quality rubber over 4X4 and shoddy tires. There are plenty of 4X4's here in Mannysodas but by no means is it mandatory. The stuff you drag on the ground can be expensive, and it slows you down as good as the brakes. The truth is, most places you want to hunt and fish are paved to a parking area.

The more I think logically the more a trailered quad appeals to me. Use a good economical Element type vehicle all year. Come time, hook up a trailer with a >400 size quad and take that to the trail head or at least as far as you are comfortable and ride senseably to your destination. The savings on the extra drivetrain maintenance and fuel savings will offset the cost of the quad.

[Lloyd Smale]

you obviously dont live up here in snow country. Snows to the bumper in winter and muds to the bumper in the summer. Id bet 75 percent of the homes up here have at least one 4x4. Ive got 3.

[Empty Quiver]

you obviously dont live up here in snow country. Snows to the bumper in winter and muds to the bumper in the summer. Id bet 75 percent of the homes up here have at least one 4x4. Ive got 3.

Well I haven't done lake effect snow for a number of years. I do drive from Southern Mn. across US 2 to Williston, ND and Miles City, Mt once a week every week for the last three years. Add to that trip another 1600 miles throughout the upper midwest every week. I have encountered a couple snow drifts in my travels. I can assure you not everyone needs 4X4 to live up there.

Like you I have 2 4X4 vehicles, I would not be without them given a choice. But I don't live in Fl. with a notion of one day driving north on a hunting trip. Given that scenario I think the utility vehicle and a trailered ATV make the most sense. 10's of thousands of miles on Florida streets for every mile of north country genuine 4X4 travel?

Just looked you up Lloyd.  Munising, Mi. is certainly in the snow country, I used to make deliveries to your Holiday store there in town. When I saw the power co. trucks begin carrying snow shoes in September I knew it was time to change routes!

Opinions will vary, and like I said, I own two 4X4's but they are expensive to operate when a simple car will do the same job.

[Lloyd Smale]

one of those power company trucks were no doubt mine. I was a lead lineman up till about 3 years ago when i blew my back out and retired. Yes we allways had snowshoes on our trucks and used them often. Small world hey. I worked right there in the power co. office by the holiday store.

[jamaldog87]

We do have lots of water(it's raining today and i had to walk in 2 feet of standing water in the street) and  mud sides/heavily soil covered road(small dirt hill   tons of rain= lots of mud) and SAND!!!(they should call FL the sand state cause it everywhere and most times it stops most vehicles. When my dad 1st came here form omaha nebraska in 1982 in his 76'' firebird  he got caught in a sand pit when he tryed to cut across the highway. A trucker pull him out ).
 
But you guys are right about technique over equipment (i passed a H2 hummer stalled out in the middle of the rain covered road  from water and a Honda element made it thought).

[30-30man]

One thing to think about with any 4wd is that without a locking differential, most 4wds are actually 2wds.  Only one tire per axle has the power at one time. Most 4wd do not have a locking differential unless specified from the factory. A Subaru Forester with AWD will go anywhere you have business going. You really don't need a high and a low unless you are planning on pulling heavy loads.  The only time I've used 4low is when I was pulling trees out the yard and was too lazy to get the tractor.  4high works most of the time for the average muddy spot or washed out road. The Forester gets my vote.

[Lloyd Smale]

no doubt used to be the case but its been a long time since ive seen a 4x4 pickup without some kind of a posi rear end. I think there about standard at least in pickups now.

[30-30man]

I know most Dodge and Ford still are sold without the locking differentials unless specified.  I don't know about the Chevys.  My 2004 Dodge 4wd does not have locking differentials and it was an additional option with Dodge and Ford at the time. I bought what the dealer had on the lot. Most dealers didn't stock them because they knew most people didn't know the difference. It does alright for what I do, but locking differentials are not in every 4wd even now. Toyota is the only one that I know of that it is standard.

[Lloyd Smale]

 maybe its just up here the dealers know thats what sells but when i bought my last new truck in 06 i looked at chevs as thats usually what i buy. I didnt look at fords as i sorry fans but i wouldnt own one. I did look at the dodge rams too and i dont remember seeing any 4x4 pickups that didnt have a limited slip rear end. Used to be back in the days of straight axles that you could even buy a chev with a posi on both ends. Again thats why my recomendation of the jeep grand cherokee comes from. they have a system that is posi back and front. Used to be called quadratrack. I dont know what they call it now. About the only thing better is a jeep wrangler rubicon with air lockers. I guess bottom line is the original poster had to ask so hes not in an area that its really needed and probably wont take his new 30k vehicle into the mud and crud like i would anyway. About any 4x4 sport utility or pickup will do fine.

[Rex in OTZ]

I like  going on long road trips and i am looking for  some ideas on good vehicles for highway use and light off-road(like driving up north on paved winter roads or prairie lands off road). 
 
Id suggest keeping a eye on the catalitic converter shroud that is a excellent place for grass seeds to collect and eventually ignite causeing a converter fire a issue that goes all the way back to the late 1970's and early 1980's
there were 4 in my township in 3 years, two just to happen on gusty days and when they were finally put out had razed several thousand acres of pastures and fiels burnt some outbuildings and killd 40 head of cattle and untold wildlife.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=active&sa=X&ei=wzVATrPpA8SssQKuv5wC&ved=0CBgQvwUoAQ&q=prairie+fires+started+by+catalytic+converters&spell=1&biw=1003&bih=571

[1sourdough]

 For the guy who doesn't really need 4 WD but wants capabilities for the occasional outing there are still things you can do. A good set of tire chains can really help, the 'inverted V' type. I have a set & used them on several 2 WD trucks, they REALLY help. For Winter travel dedicated snow tires do wonders, Blizzacks & others are top rated. They wear faster than all season rubber but can be a real life saver.

   Yes, it's a minor pain to put your tire chains on, though I see plenty of 4X4's that hardly leave the pavement.

[yellowtail3]

Isuzu Rodeo is an awesome On/Off road vehicle.

4x4 is a must IMO. Only dull headed city folk use 2wd out in the middle of no where. Same ones you see on the news whose bodies were discovered the following spring.

I'll offer a diff view, one born of experience in my old Cherokee: what 4x4 really means, is that you can get you butt stuck a lot further from the road. I rarely went places that I KNEW would be impassable in 2wd, because... they'd be dicey in 4wd. The Cherokee was a great vehicle; I used it for an ATV!

That said... I like the Escape, I've driven one. If your off-roading isn't particularly challenging, taht or a Forester are nice. I like the Foresters from a few years back... not as keen on the new version.

[Ron 1]

i was amazed when i seen a geo tracker with 31 in. tires climb up and over a three ft. tall pile of downed trees then thru two and a half ft. deep mud  and it just keep going.  with the smooth undercarriage there is not much to get hung up on. i think that will be my next toy but will add a winch for peice of mind. oh and they can be found pretty cheep to sence they are considered thro aways.
 rw