6 New Vehicles That Are Ready To Go Off-Roading Fresh Off The Lot
There are more than 4 million miles of roads and highways in the United States, and about a third of those are unpaved gravel or dirt roads. For drivers who live on one of those rough roads or wish to travel to places where there are no roads, the domestic vehicle market offers several capable options that can handle tough terrain with ease.
In decades past, off-road worthy vehicles were often ill-suited for highway driving, as many were noisy, difficult to handle, or simply offered subpar fuel mileage. Those days are gone, however, as there are currently many trucks and SUVs on the US market that can go seamlessly from a rocky trail to an interstate highway and back again with ease.
Here, we are taking a look at six currently available vehicles that can take you over the river and through the woods without modification while also providing the same comfort and safety features modern vehicle buyers are accustomed to.
Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro Off-Road
While Toyota's compact and efficient Corolla was the world's best-selling vehicle in 2022, the brand also has a well-established pedigree when it comes to producing rugged off-road capable vehicles like the Hilux, the 4Runner, and Land Cruiser SUVs. Toyota's signature pickup has been known as the Tacoma since 1995, and in 2015 Toyota introduced the TRD Pro Off-Road edition, which included 16-inch beadlock wheels with BF Goodrich all-terrain tires, special front springs with an added two inches of lift, and an electronically controlled locking rear axle.
Toyota only made 1,500 TRD Pro Tacomas that first year, but the Tacoma TRD Pro has become more common and refined since then while retaining its off-road chops. The 2023 model has a 1.5-inch lift in the front, a half-inch lift in the rear, and a 1/4-inch thick aluminum skid plate for protection.
Like the original Tacoma TRD Pro, the 2023 model comes standard with a locking rear differential and 16-inch wheels, although the BFG off-road rubber has been replaced by a set of Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires. The 2023 edition also includes Toyota's Multi-Terrain Select system, which adjusts engine and differential performance according to the surface and provides views of the trail from front, rear, and side-mounted cameras. In addition, every 2023 Tacoma includes highway-friendly safety features like radar-assisted adaptive cruise control, a lane departure warning system, and a pedestrian detection system with automatic braking.
Ford Bronco
The Ford Bronco was first introduced in 1966, discontinued in 1996, and revived in 2021. The current generation is available with Ford's Sasquatch package, which includes 17-inch beadlock-ready wheels with 35-inch tires and locking front and rear differentials. The 2023 Bronco can also be equipped with steel plates to protect the fuel tank and drivetrain and can handle hilly and rocky terrain with ease with its approach angle of 43.2 degrees, departure angle of 37.2 degrees, and breakover angle of 29 degrees.
The current model has nearly a foot of ground clearance and can safely cross water almost three feet deep. It also comes standard with a 12-inch infotainment screen and can be purchased with multiple hard or soft top options and removable doors. Two engines are available in the current Bronco, a 2.3L turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 300 horsepower and a twin-turbo 2.7L V6 that cranks out 330 hp. Both engines can be bolted to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and four-cylinder buyers can also opt for a seven-speed manual.
In Slashgear's review of the 2023 Ford Bronco Everglades we found that the SUV offered a stylish, capable trail experience, making it a good choice for anyone looking for a strong off-road vehicle.
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler nameplate debuted in 1987 when Chrysler bought the brand from American Motors and introduced the Wrangler as an evolution of the legendary CJ line. The CJ was an outgrowth of the military Jeeps first produced during World War II. While modern Wranglers bear little cosmetic similarity to those olive-drab military machines, they have kept the original Jeep's tradition of go-anywhere ruggedness alive and well through several generations of evolution and refinement.
The 2024 model year Wranglers are available in several submodels, including the trail-ready Rubicon, which comes with a steel front bumper with an integrated 8,000-pound Warn winch and full-float Dana rear axle. Wrangler buyers can choose from factory upgrade packages that include wheels up to 37 inches, as much as a 2.5-inch suspension lift, and a gear ratio as high as 4.56 to make slow-speed rock crawling a breeze. Finally, every Wrangler comes with a Jeep's Trail-Rated badge, meaning it can cross water up to 34 inches deep and has a minimum of 10 inches of ground clearance.
Honda Pilot TrailSport
Honda built its brand by selling millions of Accords and Civics but expanded its lineup by debuting the full-size Pilot crossover SUV in the 2003 model year. In 2022, the company introduced the TrailSport edition, although that first year the badge brought mostly cosmetic changes. However, the 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport added Continental TerrainContact all-terrain tires with a full-sized spare and boosted the ground clearance a full inch to 8.3 inches. Other improvements for 2023 included stronger skid plates and a higher capacity rear differential.
The 2024 edition comes with 18-inch wheels and a 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. It also features Honda's trademarked i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system, which automatically sends power to whichever of the four wheels has the most traction. The computer-controlled system can send as much as 70% of the torque from the Pilot TrailSport's 285 horsepower V6 engine to a single rear wheel in slippery situations.
The latest TrailSport also comes with Honda's TrailWatch camera system with a 9-inch screen and an adjustable drive system that allows the driver to choose between seven modes including towing, economy, trail, and sand.
Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek
Nissan introduced the Pathfinder SUV in 1985 and has updated it several times since. In 2019, Nissan issued a Rock Creek edition Pathfinder, but like the first Honda TrailSport, that version of the Rock Creek Pathfinder was more of a marketing gimmick than a true off-road upgrade. The Pathfinder's current generation — the fifth — debuted in 2022, and for the 2023 model year Nissan brought back the Rock Creek edition, but this time gave it some true trail-ready features.
2024 Rock Creek Pathfinders get 18-inch beadlock wheels with all-terrain tires, a 3.5L V6 capable of nearly 300 horsepower, and a nine-speed automatic transmission with manual mode and paddle shifters. There is also a dial that allows the driver to select from seven drive modes and an 8-inch touchscreen display that is linked to the surround-view camera system.
For when you're back in civilization again, the Pathfinder Rock Creek edition also has driver assistance systems like lane departure and blind spot warnings, pedestrian and rear cross-traffic detection alerts, and even a sway control feature to help make towing safer.
Land Rover Defender
Maurice Wilkes built the first Land Rover back in the 1940s, and since then the brand has produced and sold more than 4 million SUVs. The Defender nameplate was first attached to Land Rover 110 and 90 models in 1990, but the Defender was pulled from United States markets in 1997 in response to new safety regulations. The Defender remained available elsewhere until 2016 when it was discontinued worldwide until being revived four years later. Today, buyers in the United States can choose between three versions of the 2024 Defender: the 90, the 110, and the 130.
The two-door Defender 90 is most reminiscent of the older models. Its 101.9-inch wheelbase is about ten inches shorter than that of the four-door Defender 130, but all three versions of the 2024 model sit about a foot off of the ground with the help of the optional air suspension and are capable of crossing nearly three feet of water.
In SlashGear's first drive of this model, we wrote that "the Defender 90 is playfully indulgent in addition to being just plain capable." While it may not be the most practical family hauler on our list, it's still a great off-road vehicle you can drive right off the lot and onto the trail.