If you are going off road, you need an off road vehicle. Subaru’s are not recommended for off road, neither are most SUV’s. Off road vehicles come with a penalty of a harsh and noisy ride the rest of the time.
Right after buying my 2014 Legacy, I stopped in a parking lot and just happened to park with one rear wheel on a patch of ice. When I went to leave, that wheel just spun and the car did not want to move. I was disappointed to say the least, this was a brand new car. TC was on.
Very few of today’s vehicles are legit off road and those that are, are not as econmical. Muddy roads are not, off road. Any car based SUV with good clearance and skid plates can do it fine. For off road, the entire vehicle needs to be set up to take on stumps, rocks and deep water. These vehicles gave terrible underneath aerodynamics. So it doesn’t sound like you need a 4 Runner or a Nissan Xterra.
I live off road ( when the road washed out, we chain sawed trees down to drive throught the woods to get home before we fixed the road permanently. We still take trips through the woods via old skidder trails along with a little rock climbing and stream fording ) so we need low range gearing. I don’t think you do.
But, if you are serious about going in tough situations and are willing to forgo economy, consider a reliable 4 Runner, xterra or a crew cab four wheel drive truck ( my first choice) get any vehicle with all terrain tires…they are a must for any AWD or fiur wd vehicle you want for on road and off road. AT tires are a must
Otherwise, Hinda Pilot, Highlander, Forester etc crowd will do fine.
I might go for a 4Runner, given what the OP wants to do with it.
As long as OP gets that if they want a legit off roader with reliability, they can kiss good fuel economy good buy. There are other questions about load and number of people too. The other option is to wait till the new Tacoma comes out with a new motor that should equal the motors in car based SUV models and averag in the low twenties, which is darn good. A new model 2016 crew cab will be much cheaper then a 4Runner. It will use the variation of the 3.5 in the highlander which is much more efficient then the 4Runner motor.
I think OP will not be planning any off-roading with a legally blind husband.
LOL! I’m not THAT serious of an off-roader. Just don’t want to get stuck on any muddy or sandy or snowy roads is all. And want it high enough off the ground that I don’t bottom out when pulling into a steep driveway. If the Forester can do all that, or the Honda CR-V, or Hyundai Tucson, then those might be well worth looking at! Since I’m NOT off-road climbing on/off boulders, stumps, through DEEP water and such, maybe an AWD (vs 4WD) is worth looking at!
Just how often do you travel muddy: sandy: or snowy roads ? FWD will cover most conditions and the ones it won’t you should stay home anyway. I don’t recommend vehicles but I am fond of the KIA SOUL for the warranty and value.
Staying home is fine if…you are at home to begin with. What do you do if conditions change unexpectedly while on a trip in the winter time or travel unpaved roads…find a Bates motel and hunker down with every unpredictable snow flake ? AWD and all terrain tires give you security you need if you want to occasionally go over poor roads when bad weather is unexpected. FWd even with the best of tires is best left to paved roads, a couple inches of snow and mud with about the same depth.
Looking for a vehicle to do a little off roading. @kbass60606
This is why you get varied responses including the 4Runner. When you use the term" off road" it means just that. No roads. Otherwise it seems, you really mean off pavement which generally are dirt roads of varying conditions.
Let me repeat. AWD is your best option but the right tires are just as important. You need AT, all terrain tires ( not to be confused with all season tires) if you anticipate off pavement use. . Your most reliable least expensive options then include RAVs, CRVs, Foresters, Hyundai and the like. AT tires are fine on road but give you the added security of more aggressive tread at the expense of slightly reduced gas mileage and a little more noise during highway travel.
Driving off paved roads in snow or mud in all season tires not AT is like going hiking in dress shoes. You need a good set of hiking shoes which also work both pavement and hiking in worse conditions on unpaved roads. You need AT tires. We live on a dirt road and most people here who don’t want to get stuck even with their AWD vehicles, use AT tires or snow tires in the winter. All season tires are absolutly useless on unpaved roads and winter and or mudd conditions, regardless of the drive train.
While taking a friend home on his spring mud road, I was able to easily negotiate the muddy road with AT tires while still in 2wd on my 4wd truck. His AWD SUV with all season tires is practically useless when the mud is a factor. .
One young single mother who must do health home care lives on our dirt road and must get out to other equally difficult places as well as get her son to school everyday. Our road is as steep, unpaved snow covered all winter and a real pain in the neck for a mile and a half. She has as 2014 Outback with All Terrain tires. She never has a problem. The 2.5 Outback offers more room then the Firester and rides better if you must also drive distances daily. She switches over to all season tires during dry summer months. She choose AT tires over snow tires because she does a lot of paved road travel too. AT tires give up ice traction to snow tires but can be just as good otherwise. Pkus, you can use them year round if need be.
Keith ,I would be disappointed too,some of the old full time systems worked better then that,next time just try goosing the brakes slightly to get everything working and I hear some bad things about traction control,I guess its like ABS,on the average better,but still not a complete substitute for proper driving technique.
I was thinking the other day about how much money could be saved on a modern car,if not for all the mandated things the gov’t requires(I still loathe those face bombs called air bags-I’m waiting for the replacement for my Dodge Dakota and hoping nothing hits me in the frontend before the air bag is replaced.
If you have never had back pain you might get the Rav4. It gets 20 to 22 MPG in local driving except in a Maine winter when it goes to 18. I have the 2013 XLE.