Toyota
Adventure is in right now. Nearly every crossover on the market offers an off-road appearance package with extra cladding, a nearly imperceptibly lifted suspension and knobbly all-terrain tires. Most of them will get you to your cottage, outdoor campsite or slightly out-of-the-way swimming hole without incident. But if you’re embarking on a true adventure into the wilderness (or taking on a robust trail), you need a proper off-road vehicle.
You don’t need to borrow Kanye’s Sherp ATV. But you need a truck or SUV designed to handle the rough stuff. Often that will be a body-on-frame vehicle, but not always. Here are 20 of our favorites.
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We can’t wait to see what Toyota does with the next-generation Tacoma, which could go hybrid and all-electric. But the current generation remains rugged, dependable and charming (unless you’re driving it on the highway).
- Best Off-Road Trim: TRD Pro
- Horsepower: 278
- Torque: 265 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 9.4 in
- Fuel Economy: 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $27,250
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The Wrangler descends from the Jeep CJs, which were the original off-roaders. It sticks to tradition with a solid axle. But you can now get virtually any Wrangler you’d want from a Hemi V8-powered monstrosity to a plug-in hybrid with more than 20 miles of EV range.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Rubicon 4xe
- Horsepower: 375
- Torque: 470 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 10.8 in
- Fuel Economy: 20 mpg combined, 22 miles EV range
- Starting MSRP: $31,195
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Ford went all in to challenge the Wrangler with the new Bronco. And they may have built the better all-around vehicle if you’re driving on the road. You can’t get a road-legal V8 or a hybrid Bronco yet. But you can get a Bronco Raptor.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Badlands
- Horsepower: 310
- Torque: 410 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 11.5 in
- Fuel Economy: 17 mpg city, 18 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $31,300
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What would a four-door Jeep Wrangler look like as a truck? Meet the Jeep Gladiator, which has the convenience of a truck bed but still lets you remove the top and doors. It can’t clear every obstacle the Wrangler can with its longer wheelbase, but it remains very formidable.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Rubicon
- Horsepower: 285
- Torque: 260 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 11.6 in
- Fuel Economy: 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $38,775
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The Grand Cherokee is a unibody crossover. But it’s still a Jeep. And unlike the body-on-frame Wagoneer models, the Grand Cherokee is tough and nimble enough to earn Jeep’s coveted Trail Rated badge in certain trims. The Trailhawk is the off-road specialist.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Trailhawk
- Horsepower: 375
- Torque: 470 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 11.3 in
- Fuel Economy: 23 mpg, 26 miles EV range
- Starting MSRP: $41,530
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Chevy decided not to come after the Wrangler and bestowed the Blazer nameplate on a road-going crossover. But Chevy still offers the ZR2 version of its Colorado midsize pickup, which is all-new for 2023 with a revamped powertrain and a new Desert Boss Package.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Desert Boss Package
- Horsepower: 310
- Torque: 430 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 10.7 in
- Fuel Economy: 18 mpg city, 22 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: TBD
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Land Rover had to kill off the vintage Defender line for emissions reasons. But the new swankier, unibody Defender remains a supremely capable off-roader and, unlike the past generations, it’s nice to drive on-road too.
- Best Off-Road Trim: 75th Edition
- Horsepower: 518
- Torque: 461 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 11.5 in
- Fuel Economy: 14 mpg city, 19 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $53,500
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The Lexus GX — known as the smaller, cheaper Toyota Land Cruiser Prado in other markets — is ancient. 2023 will be the current generation’s 14th year on sale. It’s an old-school, naturally-aspirated V8-powered Toyota truck beneath the Lexus veneer — though a new generation is on the way.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Off-Road Package
- Horsepower: 301
- Torque: 329 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 8.1 in
- Fuel Economy: 15 mpg city, 19 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $57,575
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The GMC Canyon had been somewhat of an afterthought. But the new model is getting a new AT4X trim, the GMC answer to the ZR2. It comes with 33-inch maximum traction tires, a three-inch suspension lift, front and rear e-lockers, a heavy-duty skid plate, rock sliders and 430 lb-ft of torque. It also has Terrain, Off-Road and Baja drive modes.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Canyon AT4X
- Horsepower: 310
- Torque: 430 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 10.7 in
- Fuel Economy: TBD
- Starting MSRP: $63,350
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The Chevrolet Tahoe is a family hauler. But it’s still a proper truck. And the Z71 off-roading version comes with some helpful hardware like a front skid plate, recovery hooks, all-terrain tires and a mechanical limited-slip differential.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Z71
- Horsepower: 420
- Torque: 460 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 10 in
- Fuel Economy: 15 mpg city, 20 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $66,095
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2023 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2
Chevy has thus far declined to chase Ford and Ram into the 700-hp land of the dinosaurs. But they did add a top-of-the-line ZR2 version with a two-inch lift, chunkier 33-inch MT tires, Multimatic DSSV dampers and locking front and rear differentials.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Silverado ZR2
- Horsepower: 420 hp
- Torque: 460 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 11.2 in
- Fuel Economy: 14 mpg city, 17 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $70,100
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There are many three-row SUVs out there. Few of them can deliver more than 800 hp and 900 lb-ft of torque without using a drop of gas, hike up to nearly 15 inches of ground clearance and carry five toddlers in car seats like the Rivian R1S.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Adventure Package
- Horsepower: 835
- Torque: 908 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 14.9 in
- Electric Range: 316 mi
- Starting MSRP: $72,500
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The Rivian R1T was our GP100 Game Changer in 2021. It can go anywhere a pickup could conceivably go off-road — easily. It can accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds. And adventures were always on the mind, whether it was the gear tunnel behind the rear seats that can fit a camp kitchen or the new Camp Mode.
- Best Off-Road Trim: R1T Adventure
- Horsepower: 835 hp
- Torque: 908 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 14.9 in
- Fuel Economy: 314 miles
- Starting MSRP: $73,000
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The Ford F-150 Raptor profoundly changed the truck world and the off-roading one. It’s still crazy quick, with more than a foot of suspension travel on both axles. You can now order one on 37-inch tires from the factory. And, yes, Ford responded to Ram with a 700-horsepower V8 in the Raptor R.
- Best Off-Road Trim: F-150 Raptor R
- Horsepower: 700
- Torque: 640 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 13.1 in
- Fuel Economy: 15 mpg city, 18 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $76,775
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2023 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X
GMC added a new Sierra 1500 AT4X trim for the 2023 mid-cycle refresh. It gets Multimatic DSSV dampers, front and rear e-lockers, enhanced underbody protection and one-pedal driving in 4-low. Need a little more steel armor? Check out the AEV edition.
- Best Off-Road Trim: AEV Edition
- Horsepower: 420
- Torque: 460 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 11.1 in
- Fuel Economy: 14 mpg city, 17 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $80,200
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Ram challenged Ford’s supertruck hegemony with the 702 hp 1500 TRX. It can accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than four seconds with launch control. It weighs 6,400 lbs. It earns ten mpg in city driving. You’ll have to level up closer to $100,000 to get all the modern conveniences. The Sandblast Edition adds beadlock wheels.
- Best Off-Road Trim: TRX Sandblast Edition
- Horsepower: 702 hp
- Torque: 650 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 11.8 in
- Fuel Economy: 10 mpg city, 14 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $83,890
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We did not get the new J300 Toyota Land Cruiser in America. But we still get its fancier TNGA-F platform sibling, the Lexus LX 600. The LX 600 looks and sounds fancy — and it is. But it’s still an inveterate Toyota truck underneath. We’d opt for the Premium trim for off-roading, which adds the Adaptive Variable Suspension but keeps the smaller wheels.
- Best Off-Road Trim: LX 600 Premium
- Horsepower: 409 hp
- Torque: 479 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 8.9 in
- Fuel Economy: 17 mpg city, 22 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $89,160
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The new Hummer is an electric car. But it’s even more audacious than the original. This 9,000-plus pound behemoth can accelerate from 0-60 mph like a Porsche, hike up to nearly 16 inches of ground clearance and even walk sideways. The only problem is finding a trail that will fit it.
- Best Off-Road Trim: Hummer EV SUT
- Horsepower: 1,000
- Torque: 1,200 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 15.9 in
- Fuel Economy: 329 miles
- Starting MSRP: ~$100,000
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The Mercedes G-Wagen is supremely impressive at everything except conserving fuel. And demand from G-Wagen customers — most of whom will never scratch the surface of what the truck can do — is insatiable, even with the base price now a staggering $140,000. If you’re fretting about the G-Wagen’s future, don’t. Mercedes is building an electric one and building out an entire G sub-brand.
- Best Off-Road Trim: G63
- Horsepower: 577
- Torque: 627 lb-ft
- Ground Clearance: 9.38 in
- Fuel Economy: 17 mpg city, 19 mpg highway
- Starting MSRP: $139,900
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