I’m talking normal 4*4s, no bowler wildcats. And I’m meaning for driving in various dodgy conditions like mud, sand and deep snow.

You’d struggle to beat a standard spec defender 90 or a Range Rover IME

I use a L200, I hate the bloody thing but it seems to go where a Landrover goes.

BMW X6 for sure.

See – I’ve driven all of those mentioned above and thought that none of them even came close to a landcruiser in terms of offroad ability.

Must admit if I was buying one personally I’d go for a Toyota Hilux

Would be a 90 for me, 60 years of offroading history means Land Rover must know a thing or two about it by now.

lol at X6 and anything Pickup related!

For purely offroad use probably be a Landrover Defender or similar. If you actually want to use it as a normal vehicle too then I would be looking at a Nissan Patrol, newer Disco, any Rangerover or perhaps one of the earlier Landcruisers (before they got stupidly big).

Unimog FTW.

Nissan qashqai

Is the Qashqai a serious suggestion? Most of them are front wheel drive and not much ground clearance.

My Ford Ranger pickup has managed to go over and through everything I’ve tried in it.

To be honest the tyres are as important as the vehicle and make the difference between an embarrassing failure vs success.

It depends if you’re buying new or not. 2nd hand wise, if it’s to be utiliarian the Defenders are hard to beat or on a budget Nissan Patrol/Isuzu Trooper.
For a bit more luxury the Land Cruiser is awesome

Old man had a Hilux surf. Really very very capable off road with the right wheels and tyres & very reliable.

Just got rid of it for a 5yr old X5 and 2 set of wheels and tyres (one summer/ motorway and the other winter snow and ice). He realised that this will be the end of proper off road but it’s a car that my mum will be prepared to drive and is comfortable enough that it would be vehicle of choice for long journeys when the chance of getting caught out are stronger. They live at height in the highlands in a spot that got cut off for about 10 days in Jan so it makes sense for them and their needs (as an on road 4X4) although I can’t see the point of them for most.

Mercedes G wagon
Land Rover Defender

An old 40 series Landcrusier

Lada Niva

G-wagon is definately up there as it has coils and difflocks as standard.

Defender, some Landcruisers and Wrangler just behind.

rangerover and disco lost it when they mounted the spare wheel under the rear bumper.

Edric do you mean the Lada Cossack?

got towed up a gert **** off hill today by an amazon – watched rav 4s get stuck on it …

this landcruiser amazon just came out and tore up the road at about 50 mph in a flurry of snow and me sliding from side to side like a sledge behind it – didnt even notice me ….

boys a propper legend round here … amazon with snow tires , chains , winch – if he gets stuck im sure even a tractor wont help !

looking at a defender atm – was quoted 250 quid to insure it !

Edric do you mean the Lada Cossack?

That as well .I think the Cossack was a tarted up version

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2010/07/18/122285/Lada-Niva-back-on-sale-in-UK.htm

Second what someone said about tyres. Did a 4by4 day recently where all the discoverys (older shape) were effortlessly beaten by a suzuki vitara with newer tyres than they had on.

The Vitara is actually suprisingly good offroad (I know, I have one!). But yes, any 4×4 with proper good tyres will be better than a top notch machine on rubbish rubber.

The best one by far is the one that avoided running me over today after I fell off in front of it.

good call.

Not sure if a mog is a mainstream 4×4.

The best 4×4 is one that is driven by a competent driver despite what tyres are on it in my opinion (as a trained driver and i did some stuff in soft mud conditions in a Nissan terrano on road tyres that I swore to the instructor was not possible but having been shown the techniques accomplished them).
Its horses for courses when it comes to what you want, luxury-Range Rover. Sheer rugged ability Land Rover Defender 90. Combination Land Cruiser Amazon. Affordability and will cope with the vast majority of situations but slightly agricultural interior Maverick or Terrano.
Small car-Fiat Panda.

Panda 4×4 for lightness, HiLux or Landy 90 for a big boy’s toy.

Panda = Cheapness
Defender = Awesomeness
Disco/RR = Awesomeness + comfort
Volvo/Audi 4×4 estates = Awesomeness + comfort + road ability + no eco-mentalists annoying you.
Anything else is just wrong.

The most capable is the Landcruiser, I worked in Morocco, Libya and all down through west africa, it is bar far the best, in that it will keep going and going and is simlpe to fix on the rare occasion something goes wrong.

If it is for carrying a load then the Hilux, choice of african war lords everywhere.

The Defender is a great 4×4 but there has been a simple flaws which they haven’t fixed in 50 years, but it will get you wherever you need to go.

My Bongo 4×4 on Snow tyres.

Ground clearance will ultimately let it down, but it’s simply awesome in the snow – far exceeding my expectations of a 2 ton automatic campervan. As good as my Allroad was despite having a far inferior 4×4 drivetrain, and no ESP etc.

Surprised that Hora or Surf_Mat haven’t been along yet to give us THE definitive answer….

Steyr-Puch Halflinger.
Only little but unstoppable.

Unimog and LR 90 also good choices.

Of if the ‘mog is too weedy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk1_L137Okc

Most suggestions of the Defenders being the best off roader are wrong IMO. They used to be. One thing separated the defender fron the best, modern traction control systems. Not much can beat the Disco / Range Rover or Landcruiser type vehicles.
BMW x5 / x6? Errr nope. Not designed for the mud, massive low profile road tyres don’t work too well. Not see the Jeremy Clarkson video where an x5 couldn’t even get up a wet grassy field.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC0bW-k340c&feature=fvsr

Descent car, rubbish tyres.

For what use?

My wife has a Freelander 1, does everything we need:
day-to-day commuting
easy to park
pulling box and 2 horses
takes 4 bikes
+30mpg (auto TD)
2.4m lengths, inside
never had a snow/ice problem
hill descent

Yes, other 4×4’s will cross the Sahara/Artic – but aren’t needing this ability.

Disco’s are good, one passed us a few years ago climbing the steps at Roych Clough on the Pennine Bridleway. Quite as nothing, just cruised up.

For car 4×4’s the panda seems to be pretty good. Or a 5dr impreza with low ratio box – very useful as a BMW recovery vehicle or pulling large DAF vans up snow inclines.

Used the hill descent button for the first time today in my RR Vogue and it was very impressive. Have been dozens of stranded cars around these parts these last few days and I am ashamed to say I have smugly cruised past gripping my heated steering wheel! The wife has a CR-V and the Rangey just nails it in the snow and ice despite being on road orientated 20″ wheels. Love it!

ive been a passenger in a hummer h1 when offroading and that was incredible in deep mud that everything else was getting stuck in and having to get a tow out of – by the h1. even managed to get the front wheels up a vertical wall to about 6 foot off the ground! But it is just so big and ungainly compared to the others so if i was needing an offroader then i’d go down the g wagen, defender, wrangler or landcruiser route.

G-Wagen,
+axle diff locks, Panzer tank build quaility

– v.heavy, they sink into bogs/peat v quickly, expensive for parts, very little axle articulation hence why they had difflocks, 4×2 non permanent 4wd drivetrain, rust on rear light panels, heater motors fail often, massive price new and 2nd hand

Toy LC,
+awesome engines (4.2 straight6), reliable, good parts back up/support thru Africa/Mid/Far east

– v.heavy, 4×2 non permanent 4wd drivetrain, heavy on fuel, rust on bodywork

Defender 90/110
+massive axle articulation, light(ish) weight, cheap parts, aluminium bodywork, permanent 4wd drivetrain
-perceived reliability, rust issues on chassis/bulkhead, can be under powered in certain conditions, interior ergonomics can be an issue for some people.

Best offroad is a Defender. end of, especially with an ARB difflock fitted. Maybe not best overall but it depends what your requirements are.

Many of my family are members of a 4×4 club, and if you look at the trials results for the last god knows hom many years its the light weight, nimble Suzuki SJ410’s (samuri’s) and the newer Suzuki Jimnys that are winning the trials. They’re not perticually fashonable or butch, nor do they have the same pulling capacity, but if your just interested in all out ability to cross terain, they’re winning the competitions. Jimnys are a lot cheaper to fuel and tax too.

+1 Lada Niva/Cossack, I had one and it was excellent. Beyond that the only other 4X4 I’ve driven, apart from Quattros and Synchros, was a Range Rover at their test track/jungle and it was simply AWESOME.