Best vehicle for 4wd trailheads

[ltlFish99]

I have had 3 pathfinders and all of them were great.
I had 1 xterra and the main issue was it's to small in the back to sleep in comfortably.
I currently have a Durango and it's great. Huge in the back for sleeping and/or lots of cargo space.

[BlakeBikes]

I have a 2006 Pilot, and I'd definitely reccomend it as it's super reliable and has great clearance. They're roomy enough to comfortably sleep in so thats a plus as well.

[highpilgrim]

Jeep Liberty.

Accept no substitute.

[Cruiser]

I was an hour from owning a Pinzgauer 712 6x6 and then the seller got cold feet. Had the cash in hand and the trailer hooked to the truck, ready to go pick it up. This was about 4 years ago and the pain of losing that deal still cuts like a knife. Damn...

[aholle88]

I’ve taken my Impreza to almost every trailhead except Como, Leadking, and upper YBB. Much happier at the gas station than the big SUVs too.

I also once saw a Mini (the off road edition) at the upper Music trailhead, and a Crosstek at Leadking.

Point being, you don’t NEED a big SUV or off road vehicle for most any trailhead really. Will it be easier? Sure. But it’s actually kind of fun to take the smaller vehicles, just have to be mindful of tire placement and go slower.

[jrs1965]

Ram 1500 5.7 with a topper. (AKA: Ernest Hemi) It's a 4x4 hotel room on wheels. Super comfy to sleep in the back. Pups love the back seat deck. Pulls the camper to the beach in Cali. Only trailhead to thwart it was Lake Como Road. This is actually my third variant. The first one was a 4.7 which didn't do so well when I had upgraded to a larger camper. Ram #2 didn't do so well when it hit an elk at 70 mph. ABS and the size of the truck saved my life...

Ram 1500 5.7 (1 of 1).jpg (211.32 KiB) Viewed 3596 times

Edit: In contrast, here's what Ram #2 had looked like after hitting the elk. Walked away with a dislocated thumb from the airbag deployment.

Elk.jpg (56.75 KiB) Viewed 3561 times

[AlexeyD]

I’ve taken my Impreza to almost every trailhead except Como, Leadking, and upper YBB. Much happier at the gas station than the big SUVs too.

Yep. If we go by this list, I'd describe it like this:

-Up to 3/6: wouldn't think twice to take a Subaru
-4/6: would take a Subaru, but might think twice about it
-for the only 6/6 on the list, unless you have a true crawler you're walking.

So really, when we're talking about the "subaru-plus" category of trucks and SUVs, we're talking about a more comfortable experience for that 4/6 type category of roads. Granted, this is only true if we only consider the very limited number of roads on this list, but still something to consider.

don't listen to me, though, I just bought a Tacoma last year...

[Iguru]

My slightly modified 2001 Jeep Cherokee (3 in. lift), has gotten me to all 14er trailheads except 1. I had to stop at Jaws 1 on lake Como road due to lack of locking diff(s).
A stock Cherokee is pretty capable too. Sleeps pretty comfortably in the back also. I'm 5'11".
Of course, they are only available used now. The new Cherokee I can't comment on.

[Alpine Guy]

AlexeyD - thanks for posting that list. There is so much good info on this site I've hardly even scratched the surface. But I've got to question Rockdale as a 6. I've been there in my wife's Subaru Legacy (no visible damage allowed) and my 2WD Tacoma with no problems. Seems out of character with the others.

[HikerGuy]

AlexeyD - thanks for posting that list. There is so much good info on this site I've hardly even scratched the surface. But I've got to question Rockdale as a 6. I've been there in my wife's Subaru Legacy (no visible damage allowed) and my 2WD Tacoma with no problems. Seems out of character with the others.

I think most refer to Rockdale as going up to Clohesy Lake.

[Alpine Guy]

That would make more sense. I've been up there in a Nissan 4WD pickup and it is rough.

[cottonmountaineering]

Ram 1500 5.7 with a topper. (AKA: Ernest Hemi) It's a 4x4 hotel room on wheels. Super comfy to sleep in the back. Pups love the back seat deck. Pulls the camper to the beach in Cali. Only trailhead to thwart it was Lake Como Road. This is actually my third variant. The first one was a 4.7 which didn't do so well when I had upgraded to a larger camper. Ram #2 didn't do so well when it hit an elk at 70 mph. ABS and the size of the truck saved my life...

Ram 1500 5.7 (1 of 1).jpg

Edit: In contrast, here's what Ram #2 had looked like after hitting the elk. Walked away with a dislocated thumb from the airbag deployment.

Elk.jpg

A subaru forester is probably better than a dodge ram off road, especially for colorado where having a short wheelbase is useful. Rams also seem to litter their plastic air dams when they bottom out on rocks hahaha

19 Forester
Min. road clearance 8.7 in.
Angle of approach 22.9 deg.
Angle of departure 24.6 deg.
Ramp breakover angle 19.6 deg.

19 ram
Approach Angle, degrees 18.9
Departure Angle, degrees 25.0
Ramp Breakover Angle Without Skid Plate, degrees 19.9
Ramp Breakover Angle With Skid Plate, degrees — 17.8
Ground Clearance Without Skid Plate 8.7