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The Ultimate Factory 4x4 Shootout

In Search Of The Best Off-Road package

By Sean P. Holman, Photography by Evan Sears, Sean P. Holman

1st Place
2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Total Points: 81.46/100
Base Price: $30,495

Off-Road Package Contents: Lever-actuated part-time four-wheel drive, monotube shocks, LT255/70R17 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tires w/fullsize spare, cast-aluminum wheels, 4.10:1 gearing, electronic locking front and rear differentials, electronic disconnecting front sway bar, full skidplating, traction control, front and rear recovery points, 4:1 low range Rock-Trac T-Case.

It took a week of grueling off-pavement testing, but once again it was Jeep’s Wrangler that proved which company is king when it comes to making the best factory 4x4. Reading like an enthusiast’s wish list, the Rubicon is equipped with solid axles, coil springs, monotube shocks, front and rear electric lockers, and an electronic disconnecting front sway bar, which allows the flexy Wrangler to make quick work of any trail and at a price that was the second lowest in the test.

The 285hp 3.6L V-6 had no issue motivating the Wrangler up our hillclimb, but like the solid-axle Power Wagon, it did suffer from some axlehop, just nothing as violent as we saw in the big Ram. As a side note, the 3.6L absolutely screams, however all that high-rpm power comes at the expense of low-end torque, which is one of the few areas that could be improved on the Wrangler. Thankfully the manual transmission’s gears are spaced nicely, so finding the proper gear was never an issue. It also helped having a manual on the hill descent where an incredible 73.1:1 crawl ratio negated the need for an HDC system.

Using a zigzag line, the uber-maneuverable Wrangler easily conquered the stairsteps, picking off one ledge at a time. The short 95.4-inch wheelbase could sometime feel a little wonky for those who just got out of the 149-inch Power Wagon, but the adjustment was easy and the stability of the Wrangler was impressive for its short length.

When it came time to tame the rock garden, there wasn’t a vehicle more at home. The compliant suspension conformed to the boulder path and the low gearing allowed the Wrangler to just mosey along. Thanks to ground clearance, good skidplating, and rock rails, you never had to worry about placing the Wrangler perfectly. It has a margin of error built in that no other factory 4x4 can match.

During our testing, we rarely felt any electronic nannies try to take control away from the driver. The Wrangler is a driver’s machine and it is impossible to get behind the wheel and not have fun. If you’ve ever driven a Wrangler on the trail, you understand and if you haven’t, you’ll never know what you are missing.

With an unmatched mix of standard features, affordable price, and overall capability, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon comes out the winner of our first-ever off-road package shootout, making it the Ultimate Factory 4x4.

Hot: Price, maneuverable, go-anywhere capability
Not: Limited cargo room, light on low-end torque
Our Take: The best factory 4x4 available

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge

Points

Empirical Off-Road Package Content Vehicle Operation Trail Testing Total
Jeep Wrangler 20.21 21.83 18.17 21.25 81.46
Ford Raptor 17.29 21.44 20.48 20.38 79.59
Ram Power Wagon 18.33 23.46 20.19 17.50 79.48
Toyota Tacoma 17.08 17.31 16.06 17.88 68.33
Nissan Frontier 17.71 13.17 15.19 17.47 63.54
Toyota 4Runner 16.67 12.88 14.71 18.31 62.57
Nissan Xterra 16.88 12.98 15.38 9.13 54.37

By Sean P. Holman
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rubicon4wheeler
 I absolutely agree with your ranking order, but I would have liked to see how the Toyota FJ Cruiser Trail Teams Edition fared since it has some meaningful differences that distinguish it from the similar 4Runner.  I think the Raptor is most perfectly set up from the factory for its intended purpose, but the Power Wagon and Rubicon are both in dire need of larger-diameter tires, as both would perform significantly better with more ground clearance and traction.  From all appearances, Chrysler had this in mind when they designed both of these vehicles; each one is geared for and equipped with wheelwell clearance for significantly bigger rubber without any additional suspension/body lift.  It would be interesting to see how the performance of a Power Wagon with 315/70-R17’s and a Rubicon with 255/80-R17’s would improve over stock with no other mods to the vehicles.

The Xterra's unnecessary airbag deployment sure is a disappointment.  I hope the occupants weren't hurt!
JDTeeter
 You have no idea how happy this article made me.  I am sitting at home recovering from shoulder surgery and the mail man brought my new Fourwheeler magazine. and I read with glee your assessment of the Xterra.

You see, my surgery was the result of my side curtain airbags going off while crawling at 1 mph between two sets of ruts in 1st gear, 4x4 low range while high in the Panamint range. I had my elbow on the window sill, and hand on the wheel when it went off and tore my labral cartilage.  

Nissan downloaded my black box and said that the system worked as designed. They confirmed my speed as 1 mph,  but referred me to a section of my manual that says the they may go off during "extreme" moves.  I fail to see how something that I have done thousands of times in Toyotas, Jeeps, Troopers, Chevy pickups and International Scouts qualifies as extreme in a OffRoad Edition Xterra.

In any case they denied my warranty claim, denied my medical claim and basically told me I was either lying or an abusive driver.
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