HikeArizona.COM

Hi. I am opening up a can of worms here, but wanted to get people's thoughts and see what comes up.

I currently have a Subaru Forester and I like the MPG's and the SUV style. But it's not providing me much assurance when I get back onto some of those gnarly roads out there. The clearance is ok, but I simply need 4WD as opposed to AWD.

I wanted to hear people's thoughts on what works for them. Ideally am I looking for a super reliable (as in low maintenance) good MPG 4WD vehicle. If it were SUV style (meaning some sort of indoor situation to put my stuff) that would be good.

I of course know about Tacomas. But the flat bed isn't ideal for me and I wish the MPG's were a little higher. But that is definitely in consideration (especially if I could put a lid on it). If anyone knows of the best years to consider for reliability, that would be great.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I'm looking for something used so again if you know the optimum years for any specific suggestion, that would be helpful. And I'm not going to be able to afford a new Bronco... though on paper that seems like it could be the right car for all my needs.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

Look at the FJ cruiser. Very capable vehicle. Mileage will be abhorrent but it is a well mannered vehicle on and off road. Stay away from the 07 and maybe 08, I know my 07 had some frame issues. That being said I still put around 200K on it and beat the crap out of it, and got a lot of places with it and I never had to walk home. Used will still be expensive. I paid for my 2014 with about 60K on it almost what a new vehicle cost. Another plus but not for the buyer; they hold their value.

New Bronco? In white?

The best used vehicle is the one that was well maintained and that you can afford. Those two points alone will limit the choice for you.

I think if all I cared about was getting deep into areas that most can't, I would buy a 2 door Jeep Rubicon. I like the short wheelbase and stock features that really can't be beat right off the lot. The pedigree is tried and true. This assumes you can live with the MPG's which I don't care about. The Arizona backcountry is harder on vehicles than anyplace I have lived. I think any other choice would require some modifications to make me feel secure on class 5 AZ bumpass.

A good quality 4WD vehicle and good MPG don't exactly go together. With standard technologies, at best you can squeeze out 25 mpg, but if you start upgrading to bigger clearance and tires then you will end up below 20 mpg. The two most common vehicles I tend to see that match your SUV and very high reliability criteria are the 4runner and the Xterra. The FJ cruiser Letty recommends also meets these two criteria, but it stopped being made in 2018, though you could pick one up used. The FJ cruiser starts out around 19 mpg at stock, if I remember right.

Toyota has come out with a hybrid Rav4, which is 36-38 mpg, but I'm not convinced of it's 4wd qualifications yet as it looks to me like it has the same system as the highlander, but it may be worth looking into. There are some other hybrid SUVs out there. The only one I would think has good 4WD qualifications is the Ford Explorer hybrid. It only gets 27 MPG stock, and my experience with Fords is that it is only reliable to about 50000 miles and after that its reliability drops to where you will be walking home randomly once every year or so. But if you want 4WD I think that at 27 mpg, it's the best mpg you can possibly squeeze out.

FJ's last year in the US was 2014. I was lucky I got a clean one with relatively low mileage. I also own a 2 door Jeep Rubicon that is heavily modified but not as much as most. Again capable stock but didn't have the clearance for the really rough stuff. Jeep reliability versus Toyota is well known, Jeeps aren't. I have had good luck with mine though.
FJ good-- can easily sleep in it and haul stuff, great suspension, solid frame, the base 4wd comes with a rear locker ( which I think is indispensable in some situations)
FJ bad-- poor rear visibility, kinda bulky if you have to turn around in a tight spot, expensive.

Jeep good---can mod it if you have money, mods out the wazoo if you want, good base to start, the 2 door is more nimble than a 4 door and you can remove rear seat to get more haulage capability. Turning around on those tight cliffy mining roads can be a bear in a full size.
Jeep bad-- too much electronics now, too much that can go wrong in the back country, the Rubi is mega expensive and the Dana 44's aren't your grandmother's dana's, not that much stronger than the 30's and 35's.

The last thing is get good tires on whatever you get, at least an 8 ply with a 3 ply sidewall. It'll ride a bit rougher and maybe play badly with the gas mileage but if you get two flats 30 miles down a dirt road and you have one spare----

ive been waiting for the new Frontier. wanna feel out what the pro's say after a good testing.
too soon to tell. maybe by end of summer we'll have the answer.

Most true 4WD (as in low range/locker/limited slip, etc) are built body-on-frame; thus are heavy... which deters reasonable gas mileage. As do E rated tires, as Letty stated.
You may find a 4Runner (2005+ due to timing CHAIN vs. belt on the 6 cyl.) or Xterra to your liking, since you mention 'SUV style' .

The Arizona Trail Assoc Toyota 4Runner has 220k, with no maintenance issues other than wear items. It is a very comfortable vehicle that doubles as a rock crawler when needed. When I replace my F150 it will be with a 4Runner or Tundra. Toyota reliability is worth it for me. If I was starting over I'd have a lift put on it.

Sredfield wrote: ↑Mar 02 2021 6:40 pm ... When I replace my F150 ...

say it ain't so. But when you do, we must have a wake!

Maybe one last note--- if you get a vehicle with IFS you may have some problems getting a good FE alignment if you buy it or have it lifted. If the lift is small you should be ok. I had trouble with my 07 FJ when I lifted it getting a good alignment from a generic tire shop. I ended up "training" my normal shop; I went online to the FJ forum to get specs. They tried the normal way and it did not work. I brought them the specs and they used them and finally got it aligned. Another weakness of IFS versus straight axle but only if you decide to lift it out of specs.

Thread degradation warning; if they still make them I want the one when I turn 65. [ youtube video ]

I’d say to go with the newest/best condition 4Runner you can afford, and just accept that the fuel mileage is not going to be great. It’ll get you most places that you probably want to get to.

I’ve had two 4Runners and two Tundras, all 4wd, some lifted and some not, and had zero repairs with any of the four. The 4Runners have been the most all-around versatile and are enjoyable to drive. My first 4Runner (2016) got around 18-20 mpg overall, and my current one (2020) gets around 16-18 mpg, probably because of the lift. First Tundra Crewmax (2017) also got around 18-20 mpg, and it was almost exclusively highway miles. Too soon to tell on the current Tundra Crewmax (2021), but so far seems to be 17-18 mpg with the lift. Definitely not as friendly to drive around town as the 4Runner though.

SJFL wrote:I wanted to hear people's thoughts on what works for them.

I went through the same process you're going through, in the end I decided to avoid the big up front & long term costs of a more off-road capable vehicle and just keep driving my Subaru. With some modestly upgraded all terrain tires (plus driving like a grandma on really rough sections), its gotten me to nearly all the places I've ever wanted to go. And for the few harder-to-reach spots, parking short of the trailhead and mountain biking or hiking a few extra miles is usually an option.

toddak wrote:parking short of the trailhead and mountain biking or hiking a few 20 or 30 extra miles

There. Fixed it for ya!

@chumley
oh come on, that's just silly! I would never expect anyone to do more than 10 extra miles, 15 tops

I have a JK and 2nd gen Tacoma currently and they both serve their purpose. A 4runner is going to be similar to a Tacoma. I would say my Tacoma would get me to most of the places I want to go, but the Jeep will certainly do more. If I want to drive across 3 states I would prefer the Tacoma.

@AugustWest
Those miatas seem to be popular gambler cars.