10 Of The Best New Off-Road Vehicles For Adventure Seekers
There are now more ways to conquer the wilderness than ever for off-road enthusiasts. Trucks like the Ram 1500 TRX let drivers fly over sand dunes with trophy truck-style speed, but many consider the slow and steady nature of rock crawling the optimal way to spend time off-road. Then there are also drivers who'd rather not experience the outdoors in all its muddy, sandy glory but rather keep things civilized from behind the wheel of a luxury all-terrain SUV.
No matter which camp you're in, one thing's for sure — there's so much choice on the market right now that you can afford to be picky. There is, unfortunately, one catch. No matter whether you're hunting for the reassurance of a well-established nameplate or trying out one of the segment's many newer entries, many of the most popular models come with waitlists. However, these 10 top picks are all well worth holding out for.
Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro
Toyota has taken the old mantra of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" to the extreme with the 4Runner. It is, by modern SUV standards, ancient — the current generation has been in production since 2009, with only small updates made since then. It might not be as refined or as efficient as most other SUVs on the market, but it makes up for it by being very good indeed off the asphalt, especially in TRD Pro form.
The TRD Pro trim gets beefier 17-inch wheels, upgraded suspension, and a skid plate, among other perks. The V6 engine is on the sluggish side, but with Toyota's famed build quality, it should provide many years and hundreds of thousands of miles of service without complaint.
Perhaps more so than some of the other vehicles here, the 4Runner TRD Pro is best only for drivers who do a significant portion of their driving off-road. Its on-road manners aren't up to scratch compared to what else is out there, but its continued sales success proves that there are plenty of buyers waiting to snap one up anyway. The 4Runner is also one of the best SUVs on the market for holding its resale value, so buyers should see more of their initial investment back when it's time to upgrade.
Land Rover Defender
The new generation of the Land Rover Defender has evolved considerably from the farmer-friendly workhorse it used to be, but its off-road chops remain unchanged. It was first unveiled in 110 form, with the smaller 90 reaching dealerships shortly afterward. The most recent addition to the new Defender family is the extended wheelbase 130. While any variant is a solid choice for off-road adventures, it's the middle child of the family, the Defender 110, that strikes the best balance between asking price and interior spaciousness.
It's safe to assume that the closest most new Defenders will get to off-roading is if their drivers clip a curb on the way out of the grocery store parking lot, but nonetheless, it's capable of much more. Off-road newbies will appreciate the Auto terrain detect feature, which automatically adjusts the Defender's settings depending on what it detects underneath it, while almost every option can be manually adjusted for more experienced drivers. Approach, departure, and breakover angles sit at 38, 40, and 28 degrees, respectively, while a center differential and locking rear differential help ensure optimal performance on surfaces like sand and ice.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Its six-figure starting price might put it out of reach of most enthusiasts, but the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is still one of the most capable off-roaders on the market. The current generation of the SUV debuted in 2018 and, despite looking similar to its predecessor, was thoroughly revised underneath. One thing that didn't change was its ability to deal with all kinds of terrain — its approach and departure angles of 31 and 30 degrees respectively were a degree improved over the old generation, as was the breakover angle of 26 degrees.
Maximum fording depth also increased to 27.6 inches, and on certain surfaces, the new G-Class can climb slopes of up to 100% gradient. Unlike many modern SUVs, which have switched to unibody construction, the G-Class has also retained its ladder frame. It might be more commonly seen on the streets of Los Angeles than the trails of Moab, but the G-Class is still up there with the best of them when it comes to all-terrain capability.
Ford Bronco Raptor
The regular Bronco is already a capable SUV off-road, but for maximum all-terrain chops, it's the Bronco Raptor that's the obvious choice. It's significantly wider than a standard Bronco, with huge tires that help it clamber over obstacles that, at first glance, look too big to conquer. It's not just capable at low speeds either — the Raptor's party trick is that it's able to blaze trails through the desert at speeds that would leave other SUVs requiring a tow home.
Our test vehicle took jumps at 60 mph without missing a beat, with the long-travel suspension keeping the ride surprisingly comfortable too. The added toughness of the Raptor means it loses some of its on-road manners compared to the standard Bronco, and so really it will require its owner to spend a significant amount of time off the asphalt to make it worth the additional cash. However, for high-speed desert jaunts, it's up there with the very best in the class.
Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
The Wrangler remains, to many, the quintessential modern American off-roader. There's a reason that they've remained perennial favorites over the years even with an increasing number of SUV competitors: for the money, it's tough to get anything quite as good as chewing up trails, at least from the factory. Like many of the best off-roaders, however, they're not so great when covering highway miles or when stuck in urban traffic.
SlashGear drove a selection of 2024 Wrangler Rubicons through Utah and can confirm that they're just as capable as ever, from the hairy-chested 392 to the sensible 4xe hybrid. Which one to pick will largely vary on exactly how a buyer intends to use their Jeep -– we weren't sold on the idea of having a 392 as a daily driver –- but no matter the powertrain under the hood, a Wrangler is sure to be all the off-roader most people will ever need.
Ram 1500 TRX
The Ram 1500 TRX is set to be killed off after 2024, although the truck maker has hinted that an eventual replacement is in the works. For now, though, it remains a formidable off-road option, with its 702 horsepower Hellcat engine making it faster than a pickup has any right to be. The 2024 truck gets a range of new available colors and a revised interior, but mechanically, it's the same as the 2023 model.
It's safe to say that such a powerful truck will be overkill for most off-road enthusiasts, but some would argue that in this case, you can't have too much of a good thing. The 2024 TRX is also reportedly significantly pricier than the 2023 model, although even with some optional extras, it still works out cheaper than buying Ford's similarly powerful F-150 Raptor R.
Even with the bump in cost, the Ram is sure to attract plenty of buyers, so anyone who wants one before they're gone had better reserve a build slot sooner rather than later.
Toyota Land Cruiser
After a few years away, the Toyota Land Cruiser is coming back to the U.S. for the 2024 model year. It's packed with new features including a hybrid powertrain comprising a 2.4L gas four-cylinder paired with an electric motor and a new design that draws inspiration from Land Cruiser generations of decades past. Toyota says it's just as good off-road as ever, with added features like a disconnecting front stabilizer bar and revised suspension for improved handling.
It's also pitched as being more affordable than before, with the base 1958 trim set for an MSRP in the mid-$50,000 range. That would put it close in price to the 4Runner TRD Pro but with the added benefit of a more modern interior and better on-road driving manners. Two further trims have been announced, the mid-range trim being simply called Land Cruiser and the range-topping variant dubbed the First Edition. There are no exact details on pricing for either of the two trims for now, but the First Edition includes extras like rock rails and a front skid plate as standard.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2 Bison
The 2023 ZR2 Bison gets some additional upgrades over the regular ZR2 to turn it into Chevy's flagship off-road truck, although those additions are not like performance-focused improvements seen on rivals from Ford or Ram. Instead, the Bison's added extras are mainly focused on durability, with steel skid plates covering all the most vulnerable parts of the truck to ensure an extra layer of protection against unseen rocks on the trail. The 420 horsepower V8 from the standard ZR2 is unaltered, as is the suspension and transmission.
The Bison might not deliver the dune-jumping performance of a Raptor or a TRX, but the extra armoring should make it more resilient to scrapes than either of them. However, buyers pay a significant premium for the toughened truck — at nearly $8,000 more than the standard ZR2, it's only the most serious off-road adventurers that will be able to justify forking out the extra cash.
Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
Jeep's Gladiator pickup is, like many of the brand's other models, an excellent off-roader, with much of its trail-conquering capability ported over from the related Wrangler. A 3.6L V6 is standard, with 285 horses on tap. Unfortunately, there's no 392 option, with Jeep's CEO telling Motor Authority in an interview that the lower production volume of the pickup meant it wasn't financially viable to make higher-powered versions. Even without the meatier mill though, it's still a top all-terrain pick.
It can also tow up to 7,700 lb, making it a more versatile option than a Wrangler, although its ride on the asphalt is still a way off what the best in the segment can manage. Not that most buyers will mind -– this is a Jeep and was therefore built to do Jeep things and not highway cruises. Prices start around $40,000 for the most affordable version of the Gladiator and rise into the mid-$50,000 bracket for top-spec trims, but any trim is still going to be highly capable on trails.
Ford F-150 Raptor R
The Ram TRX might be going away after 2024, but Ford recently unveiled a truck to take its place on the desert runner throne. The F-150 Raptor R packs a supercharged 5.2L V8 making 700 horsepower, and the results are predictably wild. The truck is designed to be thrashed around the dunes, and during our time with it, we made sure to do exactly that. Not that anyone could use it for anything less -– at roughly $26,000 more than a standard Raptor, it's too steep an investment to leave as a pavement queen.
While the truck is still highly capable off the asphalt at more everyday speeds, the Raptor R is for drivers who prefer their off-road adventures to be conducted with adrenaline-pumping rapidity. Its on-road manners are largely irrelevant, as no one spending six figures on a factory-built trophy truck should be considering using it as their daily driver. It's better to keep the Raptor R in its natural environment, pounding away at sand dunes and not highway miles.