Is 4WD necessary over AWD for "light off roading"? (rental, 2009)

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Thought I should add this: my family once owned a VW Beetle, the old round kind, and that little thing could go any where that it had clearance, or nearly had clearance. It was so light, it just bounced right over the ruts, rocks, or deep sand. We took it to Baja a lot.

You can't buy those any more. There might not even be any ancient ones left on the road. Anyway, I wouldn't have tried that car out in the forest because it didn't have enough clearance.

[MinInMT]

Update for anyone interested:

I guess you never know what life will throw at you! I wasn't sure I'd actually need a car for a little while, but I was told I absolutely had to get one if I wanted to go back to school, so here I am a few months later with an '06 Subaru Forester XT. Yes, I, like so many before me, jumped on the Subaru bandwagon for Montana's terrain and weather (and I swore I'd never drive one!). So far I'm loving Penny, and look forward to many more miles of adventures...

[beachmouse]

Keep enjoying your new ride!

I know Subaru is easy to mock at times, but they've got a specific niche they do very well.

[WyoNewk]

Hey, thanks for the update, MinInMT. We don't see that nearly often enough.

Glad to hear you're loving your "new" Subbie. I've owned a couple and have nothing bad to say about them. In fact, it's on my shortlist if/when I trade.

[KCZ]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

We get out in the woods frequently and drive on some forest service roads. We are not out 4-wheeling or mud bogging, but being pretty sensible. It's common to have to put it in 4WD at some point or another.

We pull a travel trailer with off road suspension with a big 4WD diesel pickup. It's also not rare to have to stop and help some person (notice how polite I am?) Who has tried to take a vehicle that is not suitable out where it shouldn't go. Often that is a little SUV that is intended to be used for city driving and only pretends to be a macho off road vehicle. Because, guess what. It doesn't really like to go in the deep snow, mud, or on rutted roads.

If you want to leave paved roads, you need a vehicle that is intended and designed to be driven off road.

If nothing else, you need high clearance and skid plates and a really good full size spare tire, not a donut or run flats.

No off road vehicle is going to ride like a luxury sedan. If it is intended to go off road, it will have a heavy suspension and it will ride like a truck and cost like a truck.

Did I mention how tired we get of having to help dig little suv's out or hooking them to a chain and pulling them out. It gets very tempting to just leave them to their fate.

This is the best post in this thread. You need 4WD, decent ground clearance (8+ inches), skid plates, tough suspension, a spare tire, and enough room to stow some tools, water, blankets, and other survival gear particularly if you're doing winter off-roading. A cute ute is not adequate to take far from civilization.

Keep your eyes open for a used Xterra.

[iknowftbll]

Originally Posted by MinInMT

Update for anyone interested:

I guess you never know what life will throw at you! I wasn't sure I'd actually need a car for a little while, but I was told I absolutely had to get one if I wanted to go back to school, so here I am a few months later with an '06 Subaru Forester XT. Yes, I, like so many before me, jumped on the Subaru bandwagon for Montana's terrain and weather (and I swore I'd never drive one!). So far I'm loving Penny, and look forward to many more miles of adventures...

That's awesome that you found what you were looking for. How many miles did it have on it? I know people who had 500k miles on a Subaru. That's getting into diesel motor territory!

I stumbled into this thread way behind the 8-ball, but when you updated and said $5k budget the first thing that jumped into my mind was a 1999-2002 or so 4Runner. In early May my wife and I decided we could no longer keep my Mustang and my lifestyle preferences have evolved greatly since buying that car. Because I didn't want a car payment to be a big line item on our budget I insisted we look first at options below $10k. We had a 2000 4Runner back when we first got married and got rid of it. It had about 145,000 miles on it at the time and it's a bit of a complex story as to why we got rid of it. Suffice to say it wasn't long before I regretted that decision.

When I started looking for a car the first thing I looked for was 4 door Tacomas but any of those that were under $10k were in rough shape or had 250,000+ miles on them. Those trucks hold their value something fierce and we agreed if our search for a cheap vehicle didn't work we'd consider upping the ante for a late model 4 door Tacoma.

The next thing I looked at were the 3rd gen 4Runners (1996-2002). I found several in the area for around $5k, some of them in pretty solid shape too. Unfortunately, they were either sold already (adds that were only a day old but the seller didn't take down) or the sellers didn't return my inquiries (one in particular the add was only an hour old when I contacted him and he never replied).

I found a couple in the $7-8k range too, one of which looked immaculate, priced at $8k, and only 73k miles on it. Problem was it was a little further away and would have required a little more planning to go see. I actually started working with that seller to arrange a meeting, but another option sprung up.

On a whim I also looked for Sequoias. I found a 2002 with 81k miles, also immaculate, and priced at $8900. The only thing I didn't like is it wasn't 4wd. My wife and I discussed it and she pointed out that since it is replacing a Mustang it's not like we've had 2 vehicles with 4wd this whole time and that it's still an upgrade. I can take it anywhere I took the Mustang and if I ever went anywhere the 4wd was needed I could take our other Sequoia. She preferred the larger vehicle for family reasons and we went ahead and got the Sequoia.

I realize OP has her car now, but that doesn't mean the thread is over. Other readers may have the same question or have additional experiences to add. I'm adding all this to say there's a lot of great vehicles out there for reasonable prices.

[SD4020]

The Subaru is an excellent choice. My parents, in their 80s, just bought a brand new Outback. Between the size, safety features and all wheel drive think it's an excellent choice.

You can't go wrong with a Subaru.

[JonahWicky]

I've owned many Subarus over the years, and I think you made a good choice. They are a bit of a compromise as far as heading out into the wilderness, but really good daily drivers in all kind of weather. It should last you for a while without a lot of maintenance headaches.

[sanspeur]

Originally Posted by MinInMT

Hello all!

I moved to Bozeman from Maryland/DC area this year for college, and was unfortunately unable to bring my car with me (well, looking back on it, fortunately - it *was* an '04 Chrysler Sebring Convertible...). When I return home in the summer, I am looking to purchase a 4WD SUV of some sort (NOT a truck - I'm not a fan of how they drive/size), and would like some input from people more experienced with 4WD. I'll try to keep it short!

The reason I say 4WD is because I absolutely love driving and exploring; backcountry scenic drives are a particular love of mine (bigskyfishing.com scenic drive section). I've never done any sort of off-roading, so I'm not entirely sure what it entails. I need a vehicle that will reliably get me through poor condition backcountry gravel or dirt roads - sometimes even 2-track dirt roads - Forest Service roads, etc., something that can handle potholes, ruts, rocks, washboard, mud, snow, whatever. I will use it to get to hikes or just to explore the rugged country. I want the clearance to be able to get up these roads while feeling safe. I don't plan on doing any crazy steep ascents, mostly because I'm still unfamiliar with western terrain (but I want to get familiar with it!), so I'm not sure about the need for low range, though I guess it can't hurt. Like I said before, I love driving, so I'd be doing it a lot. I also plan on driving this out with me (and possibly back in the summer sometimes) from DC to Bozeman and vice versa, a bit over 2,000 miles, so I want something that is relatively comfortable and *reliable.* My last car was horribly unreliable, so I want something I can count on this time. I'd also like something I can pack a few of my friends and their gear into, so cargo space is important to me.

I've been seriously falling for a 4th-gen Toyota 4Runner. The only thing that turns me off is the gas mileage, but if I want clearance and an exploration machine, I think it's a cost I just have to eat. I'm willing to pay for the gas because of how much I love driving (we all have things we're willing to spend a bit more on). Can anyone give me more info on this/any other options? How does the 4Runner drive (car vs truck)? Is it okay to take on long hauls home or around Montana/the west? What can I expect for gas mileage? How much should I expect to spend on one? I'm fortunate enough to have my parents help me with the cost, but I don't want to break their bank or mine. Keep in mind, broke college student

Thank you guys for reading my short novel. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

-Mindy

Check this out..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_MXK2nzt2Y

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by sanspeur

Check this out..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_MXK2nzt2Y

I bet that my wife's 2010 Rav4 V6 would go up that hill just like the Forester in the video. See, such videos are most times misleading or set-up for other vehicles to fail, except for the one being advertised. Yes, Subaru offers the best bang for the money relating to its AWD system, but it can be set to fail, too. For example, search for and watch, "Subaru versus rollers."

That said, people who want the best and relatively cheap traction, Subaru is the way to go. But a great majority of automobile drivers don't need full-time all wheel traction. Back to the 2010 Rav4 V6 4WD: this one has a 4X4 button on the dash that when pressed it locks the 4 wheels into 4WD. The four wheels remain engaged up to a speed of 25MPH, and past this speed the traction system automatically disengages and switches to normal AWD where the front wheels are engaged. This feature is handy when driving slowly though deep snow, or climbing a hill like the one shown in the video, or just when "crawling" over rocks and things like that on a dirt trail, or just when pulling a boat-loaded trailer out of the water (for example).

On the 2009 Forester there is a similar feature as the Rav4, except that instead of locking the four wheels, what it does is to disengage the traction control. This feature is useful when pulling a boat-loaded trailer out of the water, since it stops the Forester's rear end from fish tailing. A lot of people have no idea that the 2009 Forester allows them to lock all the wheels on 4x4 by disengaging the stability control. I have no idea of newer Subaru vehicles nor the Rav4, offer that feature. All I know is about the 2009 Forester, and the 2010 Rav4 V6.