2004 Four Wheeler of the Year

Once again, it's time for our annual Four Wheeler of the Year comparison test, the purpose of which is to learn which one of our contenders is the one we would most want to recommend to you. To get invited to this competition, a vehicle must be either all-new or significantly revised from the previous year to affect its performance on or off the road. This means that vehicles with only cosmetic or interior changes are not invited to compete, but those with significant changes, such as increased horsepower, different suspension systems, the addition of lockers and so on, do qualify for our little soiree.

So we sent out our invitations, and a fascinating bunch of rigs showed up ready for battle. On hand were the Isuzu Ascender, Isuzu Axiom, Dodge Durango, Nissan Pathfinder Armada, Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg and Lexus GX 470. One of the important things we learned was that as a whole, SUVs are becoming more car-like. This proved to be good in some cases and bad in others. To get the dirt--literally and figuratively--on how every vehicle fared, read on.