New Car Buyer's Guide: Five Best Off-Road 4x4s

The 2026 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon has quite a defined USP (unique selling point). It must offer off-road thrills with the ability to get just about anywhere and carry a load. Thankfully, it achieves the brief.

There’s also only one to recommend – the Rubicon. Jeep rationalised the range to just this top-spec grade, and it carries an $84,990 price tag – or $3000 less for the two-door ‘shorty’. And those prices ain’t too bad in comparison to something like the Ford Ranger Raptor, but the Jeep ‘only’ harnesses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine.

Sadly, there’s no Hemi V8 here, but the four-cylinder turbo (200kW/400Nm) that replaced the ancient petrol V6 is more efficient and much more tractable, consuming a claimed 9.7L/100km on average – but probably more if you use it in the way it’s intended.

Naturally, the ladder-frame chassis is built for bush bashing, as is the dual-range 4x4 system, twin diff locks and all-terrain tyres. Essentially, the Rubicon is a factory-fresh rock-crawler, one that doesn’t demand the expenses of aftermarket tinkering.

The cabin matches the exterior’s retro-style aesthetics. It isn’t only fun to look at, with Nappa leather upholstery adding a bit of luxe appeal, and the Uconnect 5 operating system ensures modern tech is accounted for within the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen.

However, the Wrangler doesn’t have an ANCAP safety rating and only garnered three stars the last time it was tested, back in 2019.

Running costs aren’t exorbitant, with five years (or 60,000km) of servicing averaging out to $399 per annum. It’s also covered by Jeep’s five-year/100,000-kilometre warranty – which could come in handy after repeated abuse on challenging trails.

2026 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon at a glance:
Price: $81,990 to $84,990 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol (200kW/400Nm)
Fuel: 9.7L/100km
Warranty: Five years/100,000 kilometres
Servicing: Five years of capped-price servicing ($1995)
Safety: Unrated 

If any vehicle epitomises the ‘work hard, play harder’ mentality, it’s the 2026 Ford Ranger Raptor. No, at $90,690 plus on-roads, it doesn’t come cheap, but the thrills cash cheques. And unlike the underpowered first generation, this one has petrol coursing through its twin-turbo V6 heart.

With 292kW/583Nm and a 10-speed automatic transmission, there’s little wonder it’ll cover the 0-100km/h dash in about 5.7 seconds – despite weighing more than 2.4 tonnes.

You pay the price in fuel economy, with an official rating of 11.5L/100km. Plus it also has a reduced 651kg maximum payload and a braked towing capacity of ‘just’ 2500kg, but golly gee it’s fun to drive.

On top of the standard full-time 4x4, it’s also equipped with the right gear to uphold the Baja-beating mentality. Adjustable Fox suspension, mechanical locking differentials front and rear, a coil-sprung Watts link rear end and off-road-focused BF Goodrich tyres all form part of the Raptor experience.

Inside there are a few Raptor details, but it’ll be familiar to any Ranger owner. Which isn’t a bad thing. The Raptor features a 12-inch infotainment screen running Ford’s SYNC (4A) operating system and a 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster. It’s also fitted with the Ranger’s safety suite, but the Raptor doesn’t share the same five-star ANCAP rating.

While Ford’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty isn’t groundbreaking, the fact the Raptor enjoys the same servicing cost as the more conventional Rangers is impressive. That means you’ll be up for $1595 for the first five years of garage visits with 12-month/15,000km intervals, which is very good value.

If you don’t require performance, there’s always the Ranger Super Duty, for which you can pay almost $100,000 for the privilege.

2026 Ford Ranger Raptor at a glance:
Price: $90,690 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo (292kW/583Nm)
Fuel: 8.4L/100km
Warranty: Five years/unlimited kilometres
Servicing: Five years of pre-paid servicing ($1596)
Safety: Not rated

Rightly or wrongly, Chinese brands are still dealing with the court of public opinion. And when it comes to acceptance, those with outdoorsy aspirations can be the hardest to crack. Yet the aptly named 2026 GWM Tank 300 is another option trying to flip the script.

It won’t break the bank either, with strong drive-away pricing ranging between $48K and $60K.

GWM is going about it the right way by packing the Tank 300 with all the required gear – especially with the addition of the turbo-diesel engine (135kW/480Nm). In high-spec Ultra guise it flaunts front and rear locking differentials, while low-range gearing is fitted to all variants as standard, regardless of the powertrain.

The diesel is down on power compared to the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol hybrid’s combined outputs (255kW/648Nm), but the diesel is more efficient at a claimed average of 7.8L/100km. The plug-in hybrid Hi4-T is better than both in both metrics, offering 300kW/750Nm, fuel consumption of 1.9L/100km and up to 115km of electric range.

We’ve proven the Tank 300 is a capable package, defying its relative lack of ground clearance (224mm) and tarmac-centric Michelin Primacy tyres to be very handy on tough tracks.

The cabin isn’t lacking features or tech despite the low price point and the quality is reasonable, too. It has a five-star ANCAP safety rating and, thankfully, the active systems have been recalibrated since its launch… a further tweak wouldn’t hurt.

Interestingly, the Tank is gaining traction in the off-road aftermarket space too. So, tricking-up your Tank 300 into something even more hardcore isn’t out of the question.

2026 GWM Tank 300 at a glance:
Price: $47,990 to $59,990 (drive-away)
Engines: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol (162kW/380Nm, 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (135kW/480Nm); 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol hybrid (255kW/648Nm), 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol electric (300kW/750Nm)
Fuel: 1.9 to 8.4L/100km
Warranty: Seven years/unlimited kilometres
Servicing: Five years of capped-price servicing ($4245 to $4445)
Safety: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

The loveable 2026 Suzuki Jimny could only ever score a call-up in this category. Why, you ask? Well, while it is surprisingly capable off-road for its diminutive dimensions, the pint-size Suzuki doesn’t really shine on road.

Still, it manages to match a happy-go-lucky attitude with genuine rough-and-tumble capability. And it doesn’t cost the earth, with prices ranging between $31,990 and $36,490 (before ORCs) depending on the body style. Three- and five-door (branded XL) options are available.

The naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine (75kW/130Nm) delivers meagre response and is linked to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. However, the Jimny is a lightweight (1075-1210kg), which helps the fuel economy – Suzuki’s claimed averages are less than 7.0L/100km.

The dual-range 4x4 system and 210mm of ground clearance affords the Jimny tenacious off-road ability. It also enjoys usable approach, departure and breakover angles. Delve into the aftermarket and there are myriad options to beef up its trail rating – we’d suggest all-terrain tyres as the first port of call.

Opting for the XL reaps rewards, with the additional 340mm in overall length and wheelbase liberating back-seat space. Cargo capacity is tight in either version, and don’t expect too many niceties inside. Thankfully, wireless smartphone mirroring is one of the few basic tech inclusions.

The Jimny no longer holds an ANCAP safety rating, although it only garnered three stars when it was tested in 2019. Suzuki’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty applies, while servicing averages out to $453 per annum for the first five years or 75,000km.

2026 Suzuki Jimny at a glance:
Price: $31,990 to $36,490 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (75kW/130Nm)
Fuel: 6.4L to 6.9L/100km
Warranty: Five years/unlimited kilometres
Servicing: Five years of capped-price servicing ($2265)
Safety: Unrated

Few models reach untouchable status, but the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is an example of the rarified breed. The fact it still sells in full-bodied numbers despite its price tag is proof its popularity isn’t waning. 

Still, Toyota isn’t afraid to mix up the formula.

The 300 Series dropped the much-loved V8 for a 3.3-litre twin-turbo-diesel V6, yet with 227kW/700Nm, there shouldn’t be cause for concern. It’ll still tow a braked maximum of 3500kg and ‘sip’ 8.9L/100km – not bad considering the vehicle’s 2.6-tonne mass.

It’s smooth operator on tarmac for a ladder-frame vehicle, yet it shines off-road, with the halo GR Sport nabbing front and rear locking differentials to complement the dual-range, full-time 4x4 system and 245mm of ground clearance. A hybrid version is also available with the same hardware and capabilities, albeit more punch.

The cabin doesn’t quite match Lexus levels of plush at the top of the range despite nudging $150,000 plus on-road costs, but there’s plenty of space with either five- or seven-seat arrangements, the former offering a huge boot.

While the 300 Series is covered by an industry standard warranty, the servicing intervals are abnormally short at just six months/10,000km (whichever comes first). And with each visit capped at $450, that figure grows to $4500 across five years or 100,000km.

For those thinking a full-fat LandCruiser’s an expensive, the Prado offers a lower point of entry without losing much off-road capability. That said, it only comes with the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine from the HiLux.

2026 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series at a glance:
Price: $99,340 to $147,910 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel (227kW/700Nm)
Fuel: 8.9L/100km
Warranty: Five years/unlimited kilometres
Servicing: Five years of pre-paid servicing ($450)
Safety: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

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