What car to get with good clearance?

[BuckTurgidson]

Tacoma- it may be great for lots of people, but the new car would be for me to drive and I am not that comfortable with big cars, and doubt my husband would want to trade it for his Subaru.

I wonder if you're thinking of the Tundra, which is the full-size Toyota truck. The Tacoma is the mid-size.

[Herbert]

I am a Jeep fan. I was able to get a good enough price for my 04 TJ, which I bought way used and rebuilt, to trade up to an 015 JK without too much pain. It is a basic Wrangler Sport, with essentially no options except for a/c. I love the manual transmission. I realize that some prefer an automatic for off road because it provides more control -- you can have one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake if needed -- but I think the manual overall provides a more connected driving experience. And it's lighter and more durable than an automatic. I have made one modification. I pulled the stock head unit and dropped in a Pioneer 4100 NEX with Apple Car Play. It made my speakers come alive, and gave me Pandora with a really cool interface and a built-in GPS. I think it's got my wife's Audi Q5 beat in the sound department. When she rides with me, she'll plug in her iphone so she can get her own Pandora stations.

[aleugers]

I really liked my 2009 Xterra. It was great off-road and seemed to go anywhere without a problem. I also liked it around town, it has plenty of torque and a stiffer suspension so it seemed more of a car like ride compared to some 4x4's. Also smaller around the outside for easy parking.

As for the other question I think the most important parts off-road are 4 low and good transfer angles with clearance. A locking differential and full skid plates would be nice if you're going to push it a little bit more.

The most important to me is the stereo. You get plenty of time to sit in traffic.

[boleslav]

I copied some of the suggestions down, thanks
Forester Turbo would be great if it was made with a manual

Wrangler Sport- was looking into that, still have to figure out if we can sleep in it, provided the front seats are pulled all the way up.
Does it have a locking differential?

[Le Marmot]

Yeah, not drinking the Subaru Kool aid.

[Herbert]

Wrangler Sport- was looking into that, still have to figure out if we can sleep in it, provided the front seats are pulled all the way up.
Does it have a locking differential?

I am pretty sure you have to buy the pricier Rubicon to get the lockers, which also gets you a 4.1 front/rear axle ratio with a 5-speed manual. The Sport is standard with a 3.21 front/rear axle ratio, which you can upgrade to 3.73. I have the 3.73 with a 6-speed manual. I usually start in 2nd gear for around town driving. You can also get a 31" Duehler tire option on the Sport which gives you 9" of clearance. The back of the 2-door Sport is about 3 1/2' wide by about 3' long with the back seat folded up. If you remove the back seat and pull the front seats forward, the length goes to about 5 1/2'. You would have to buy the 4-door to get more.

[Scott P]

[painless4u2]

Perhaps Bill should rename this site:

Car and Hiker.jpg

[RETEP 1]

Yeah, not drinking the Subaru Kool aid.

Finally somebody with some sense on this thread! To each their own I guess but it's a full size truck for me! Plenty of room for my gear, friends, and a little space for the people who had to hike the 4wd road but can't make it back down!!!

[Point North]

Jeep is owned by Chrysler (ugh). Chrysler, in turn, is owned by Fiat.

Look at how Jeeps and Fiats rank in reliability on the chart above.

[Tony1]

I'll have the kool-aid, por favor.

I don't need to shave every possible vertical foot off a hike.

Compared to the Frontier I used to have, I'm definitely enjoying the savings in gas, more comfortable ride, and smaller size. I can still sleep comfortably in it, too.

We all have different needs. There might be one time per year where I actually used the truck to get somewhere the Subaru can't reach. Well worth the smaller car for me.

That Frontier was a damn good truck, though.

[Le Marmot]

Yeah, not drinking the Subaru Kool aid.

Finally somebody with some sense on this thread! To each their own I guess but it's a full size truck for me! Plenty of room for my gear, friends, and a little space for the people who had to hike the 4wd road but can't make it back down!!!

You got it! It's the set-up that works best for us; two people, three dogs and everything else needed to be comfortable camping at the trailhead. Why go through all that effort and be cramped and miserable?