What CAR is the best off roader?

"noise" (noise)
09/13/2014 at 12:10 • Filed to: offroad, questions, off road, not miata, maybe miata

Alright. Its time. Time to ask the BIG questions. The hard hitting questions. 60 minutes eat your heart out.

For those of you who don't know, I'm a Plant Pathologist. I go out to farms and sample, I run large plant breeding operations, I drive off to remote locations to look for slimy things, but more often than not I work in a lab. This leaves me with a predicament. Work trucks are great: I've had pickups old and new, a cherokee, and even got to drive a power wagon (59 i think?) for the forest service once. But work trucks are impractical and inefficient for my everyday life. I don't make a ton of money, I can only afford one vehicle, and to be realistic I like cars better.

So to cope with this I've done things in cars that would make any mechanic cringe. Horrible horrible strut destroying, gas tank scraping, exhaust removing things. Some cars do great, some do terrible. Kudos goes to my longest lived work car, a 94 escort wagon in blue. He was a trooper but succumbed to rust and his frame bent..

Like this but with 90% more rust

So as much as I loved that car, it was a terrible off roader. I got stuck, spun tires, it was bad. I'm sure there are some good ones, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , there are some !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , but what do you think?

What car is most capable off road? No SUVs, no trucks, no CUVs would make the list anyway.

DISCUSSION (34)

 > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:13

Take your pick.

Kinja'd!!!

Alex B >
09/13/2014 at 12:15

BRZ!

Boxer_4 > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:19

Impreza or Legacy, Forester or Outback if you want more ground clearance.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:19

Assuming you could find one of these...

Kinja'd!!!

Sweet Trav > Alex B
09/13/2014 at 12:20

I agree, with the exception of the BRZ. In this case RWD FTL.

Dubblewhopper > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:22

Any VW Bug from the 60's and 70's. There awesome in the snow here in Montana especially equipped with a stick.

FlimFlamMan > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:25

Kinja'd!!!

Any GD chassis Impreza will do great (doesn't have to be a WRX version either), IMHO. A slight lift makes it all the better.

PatBateman > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:30

For those with discerning tastes and the means to live life to the fullest:

Kinja'd!!!

FriskyDingo > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:33

The escort is a fine off-road vehicle, I also like the 90-93 honda accord.I can tell you chevy berettas dont do well, it took about 5 minutes before the oil pan had a huge hole in it on the same 'road' i took the accord.

Please excuse the music it was like 2006/7 and everyone was doing it

MultiplaOrgasms > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:34

Sprinter Carib, because not the obvious answer.

Kinja'd!!!

TheRallyStache > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:35

Get a Subaru. Any Subaru.

GhostZ > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:43

Kinja'd!!!

The government thinks so, and you should too. Lift it, give it big wheels, and you're good to go.

Unlike a land rover or other "big" car, the Willy's/CJ-5 is small and light enough that it probably go over a larger variety of terrain, without necessitating complex systems that could fail while off-road.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > noise
09/13/2014 at 12:49

Kinja'd!!!

I suppose a car from Avis, Budget, or any other rental agency would also work as well.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > noise
09/13/2014 at 13:13

Kinja'd!!!

V70 XC. Or, if for some reason you're not into wagons, the Outback came as a sedan:

Kinja'd!!!

YSI-what can brown do for you >
09/13/2014 at 13:34

The ones with manuals, cause those actually are for real AWD! None of that viscous coupling bull!

Tani Vickson > noise
09/13/2014 at 13:46

Kinja'd!!!

I'm like a broken record or something. Yes, the Citroën Ami. Because it's about 700 miles off the ground and weighs as much as a housefly.

jmart > noise
09/13/2014 at 15:01

Audi A4/A6 Allroad Wagon

Ahad > noise
09/13/2014 at 15:34

Most of the Toyota 4x4 line-up, Land Cruiser, FJ, Prado, Fortuner.....never saw Sequoia going off-road, IMO, FJ Cruiser

Dusty Ventures > noise
09/14/2014 at 01:03

Kinja'd!!!

My Outback has been on Jeep trails and has been the recce car for four rallies, including two of the roughest in the northeast. The only time it has ever been stopped or stuck was when I was driving a narrow, unplowed alleyway (10 inches of snow) and high centered it on the solid block of ice created by water pouring out of a broken gutter.

noise > Ahad
09/15/2014 at 13:36

would you consider those to be cars though?

noise > Tani Vickson
09/15/2014 at 13:36

solid reasoning, now how do I get one in upstate NY?

noise >
09/15/2014 at 13:38

Would a stock impreza or legacy really have the chops though? I feel like ground clearance becomes an issue quickly

noise > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
09/15/2014 at 13:38

yep

noise > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
09/15/2014 at 13:39

I've done horrible horrible things to rental hyundais

horrible

ever removed 50 feet of coiled barbed wire from a CV joint?

noise > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
09/15/2014 at 13:40