Best vehicle for 4wd trailheads

[pleiades]

I have a stock Forester (2014 with the 2.5). It feels like an angry, underpowered sewing machine on some passes, but oh well. I put Falken A/T tires on and haven’t encountered any issues. I think most of the trailheads are about picking lines.

[two lunches]

I haven't browsed for a used car in over 3 years (and much longer for an offroad worthy car) and am wondering what legitimately competes with the Subaru Forester in terms of pretty decent off-road ability while still getting very good MPG and not costing >$30,000?

off-road ability v. MPGs-- long story short, you can pick one or the other but you won't find something that's made for offroad driving that also delivers 40+MPG. when i say vehicles made for offroad use, i mean Wranglers, 4Runners, FJs, Broncos, Xterras- actual Sport Utility Vehicles: shorter wheelbases, higher clearance, has a transfer case (true 4x4), rougher/sturdier suspension systems, slower and torquier than the average soccer-mom grocery-getter.

that said, a RAV4 hybrid or a Forester is a great compromise. neither are explicitly designed for trails, but both are more than off-road capable. i trust Toyota more than Subaru but you're definitely on the right track with either- the Colorado Benchmark, "is it Subaruable?" or "just hard enough to keep the Subarus out" exists for a reason. and as always- driver skill matters as much (and sometimes more) than what you're driving.

happy shopping and happy trails!

[HikerGuy]

I haven't browsed for a used car in over 3 years (and much longer for an offroad worthy car) and am wondering what legitimately competes with the Subaru Forester in terms of pretty decent off-road ability while still getting very good MPG and not costing >$30,000?

off-road ability v. MPGs-- long story short, you can pick one or the other but you won't find something that's made for offroad driving that also delivers 40+MPG. when i say vehicles made for offroad use, i mean Wranglers, 4Runners, FJs, Broncos, Xterras- actual Sport Utility Vehicles: shorter wheelbases, higher clearance, has a transfer case (true 4x4), rougher/sturdier suspension systems, slower and torquier than the average soccer-mom grocery-getter.

that said, a RAV4 hybrid or a Forester is a great compromise. neither are explicitly designed for trails, but both are more than off-road capable. i trust Toyota more than Subaru but you're definitely on the right track with either- the Colorado Benchmark, "is it Subaruable?" or "just hard enough to keep the Subarus out" exists for a reason. and as always- driver skill matters as much (and sometimes more) than what you're driving.

happy shopping and happy trails!

Great summary. Also, tires! Make sure to put some all-terrain tires on your AWD vehicle. They will offer better traction and rock protection. I mostly drive a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe. I had a set of Yokohama Geolander A/T tires that were pretty good, but they wore out quickly. I put on a set of BFGoodrich Trail Terrain T/A tires this year and they are fantastic so far.

[two lunches]

Great summary. Also, tires! Make sure to put some all-terrain tires on your AWD vehicle. They will offer better traction and rock protection. I mostly drive a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe. I had a set of Yokohama Geolander A/T tires that were pretty good, but they wore out quickly. I put on a set of BFGoodrich Trail Terrain T/A tires this year and they are fantastic so far.

loved my BFG KO2s (way more than the KOs) but i am a Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac convert- they're better on ice/snow. i'm not a fan of the Falken Wildpeaks but they also have a cult following, so they can't be total crap. the Cooper Discoverers are also a fine choice

anything All Terrain is better than an All Season tire- highway tires should stay on pavement unless you're itching to change a tire offroad... spoiler alert: it's less fun than it sounds.

[Dave B]

anything All Terrain is better than an All Season tire- highway tires should stay on pavement unless you're itching to change a tire offroad... spoiler alert: it's less fun than it sounds.

Agree with this, in addition to A/T tires, which can still get trashed, it's good to have a better jack (and wider/stouter baseplate) than the standard issue bottle jack. You don't need a hi-lift, especially if you don't have proper jack points (rotopax adorned bro-verlanders can you hear me?), but you def need something better than what comes with your car.

[Skimo95]

anything All Terrain is better than an All Season tire- highway tires should stay on pavement unless you're itching to change a tire offroad... spoiler alert: it's less fun than it sounds.

Agree with this, in addition to A/T tires, which can still get trashed, it's good to have a better jack (and wider/stouter baseplate) than the standard issue bottle jack. You don't need a hi-lift, especially if you don't have proper jack points (rotopax adorned bro-verlanders can you hear me?), but you def need something better than what comes with your car.

A tire or two ago, I was running LE2 all seasons with a 2WD vehicle. No problems going to Nellie Creek etc. I do agree with the advice given.