The Best 4x4s And Off-road Cars – Driven, Rated And Ranked

While SUV models dominate the new car sales charts these days, very few of them are proper 4x4s or off-roaders. Despite their raised ride heights and chunky body cladding, these machines favour high street posing over climbing every mountain and fording every stream.

No, if you want to head out into the wilderness, then you need a fully-fledged 4x4 - a truly capable machine that’ll reach the parts other cars can’t. Designed from the outset to tackle the sort of terrain that would have Mount Everest-hardened sherpas thinking twice, these machines don’t stop when the tough gets going.

So, which one is best? Well, that depends on your needs and budget. For instance, some models place great importance on mountain goat agility at the expense of everything else, while others will happily wade into the rough stuff while ensuring its occupants remain in the lap of luxury. There are also hard-working pick-up options and even go-anywhere estates.

Then there’s all the technical off-roader talk, such as breakover angles, wading depths and axle articulation, not to mention locking differentials and low-range gear ratios. Some models take a very analogue approach to tackling the rough stuff, while some let you sit back and let the electronics do the work.

Yet whatever your off-roading wants or needs, there's something in our top 10 topography-tamers that should suit your requirements and budget.