Top five off-the-shelf 4x4 off-roaders

That 4WDs have gone a bit soft over the years and mostly become city-slicker SUVs is old news. But there remains a small subset of true, hard-core off-roaders that you can drive straight from the showroom to the Outback and not break a sweat.

What no-one likes to admit is that for all their simplicity, a stock-standard 4x4 from years ago was actually not very good at crawling over rough or slippery terrain, let alone very comfortable to ride in while doing so.

Locking diffs were almost unheard of, traction control was something that happened to you in hospital after a fall, and bull bars and snorkels were definitely not on the menu unless you went shopping in the aftermarket.

These days, those features – and more – are available either as standard equipment or by ticking a box on the genuine factory or dealer accessories list of many 4x4s.

Here we have put a stick in the sand to lay claim to what we reckon are the best out-of-the-box new 4x4s on the market.

Of course, none are truly expedition-capable off-road tourers as they roll off the showroom floor. All will need some degree of fettling to be totally reliable and hassle-free bush tourers.

Some still have strings attached that tether their Outback touring range, too, but these more than any other standard 4x4 have a better than even chance of going from city dealership to rough bush track – and back – without qualms.

The 2022 Jeep Wrangler in two-door Rubicon form is the most capable Jeep you can buy in Australia and one of the best off-the shelf 4x4s available anywhere factory-made for hard-core off-roading.

Why not the four-door Wrangler or the 2022 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon? Because these Jeeps with more weight and a much longer wheelbase are not quite as nimble as the shortie Wrangler.

Now the turbo-diesel model is no longer available, you can have just the 3.6-litre petrol V6. While this is a pretty good petrol engine, it can’t help but be thirsty in the bluff and heavy Wrangler, especially with the auto transmission’s wayward rations.

This thirst becomes obvious when driving off-road too, meaning that fuel range can be an issue, especially as the two-door has only a 66-litre tank (it’s 81 litres in the four-door)

Likewise, dipping into deep water can be a problem (as with almost anything standard without a snorkel), but the claimed wading depth of 760mm is not bad.

At least with its 209kW and 347Nm the 3.6 V6 offers an abundance of power and torque when on the road or off it.

Of course, driving the Wrangler on highways and in the city will not remind you of a nimble sporty hatchback. Quite the opposite, like most here, and a big part of that is the Jeep’s mud-terrain tyres.

Yet with its separate chassis, and coil-sprung live axles front and rear, there’s some basic off-road goodness promised right there. Then there’s the excellent off-road angles – 36.6 degrees approach, 26.6 degrees ramp-over and 31.5 degrees departure angle – and a fair ground clearance of 225mm.

Add to all this the locking diffs front and rear, front sway bar disconnect for better axle articulation, chunky off-road tyres and a really low set of low-ratio gears, and you have all the promise of a technically very competent 4x4.

2022 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon at a glance:
Price: $83,950 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.6-litre V6 petrol
Output: 209kW/347Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 235g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Three-star (ANCAP 2019)

Fresh off the boat and ready to flatten dunes at will is the biggest, baddest Ranger money can buy, the 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor.

With its 292kW/583Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, a new BorgWarner torque-on-demand dual-range 4x4 system, driver-adjustable Fox coil-over shocks, lockable front and rear diffs and off-road tyres, the Raptor is the kind of ute that would adapt to a desert crossing like a duck to water.

Like the Jeep, the Raptor petrol engine likes a drink when challenged with thirsty off-road work and so its remote expedition appeal is not quite as strong as if it were a diesel.

While it might slug down more fuel than a diesel thanks to its superb, supple long-travel suspension, it’ll likely get you across the mulga in half the time and with half the fatigue of a lesser 4x4.

As for water crossings, the Raptor is in good company in that it really needs a snorkel fitted to go wading through water with the confidence the engine won’t take a drink.

Yet it has a decent 272mm ground clearance, and with a 32-degree approach angle and 27-degree departure angle the Raptor is promising for crawling over rather into stuff off-road.

2022 Ford Ranger Raptor at a glance:
Price: $85,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: August 2022
Powertrain: 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol
Output: 292kW/583Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 262g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

The 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 might not offer the nuts-and-bolts simplicity of its iconic forebears, but it still oozes off-road capability.

Like some other hard-core off-roaders here, the Defender has become more boutique than basic – with a price to go with it.

With its car-like monocoque construction and riding on a double-wishbone front/integral-link rear suspension with coil springs, the D250 S has a 225mm ground clearance and wading depth of up to 850mm.

There’s a locking centre diff, locking rear diff and a six-mode terrain response system that offers rapid access to driving modes such as mud, rock and sand via a dial on the dash.

The air suspension pack adds $1309 to the bill and offers better clearance (290mm) that many will prefer, as well as slightly better off-road angles and 50mm more maximum wading depth.

Although the standard-issue Goodyear Wrangler Adventure A/T tyres (255/70R18) have deep grooves for extra off-road leverage, they are not perhaps the ideal off-road tyre.

2022 Land Rover Defender 90 D250 S at a glance:
Price: $97,450 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Check dealer stock
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo diesel
Output: 183kW/570Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 207g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

The 2022 Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior is a harder-core Navara off-roader out of the box, with much of the mods done locally by Premcar.

While a new SL Warrior version has just been announced (from $58,000, plus on-road costs), we’re plumping for the better-equipped PRO-4X Warrior here.

While you get much of the spicy off-road gear in the SL Warrior, you miss out on some underbody protection standard in PRO-4X Warrior and also some more routine stuff like rear parking sensors.

So the guts of what makes the Nissan Navara Warrior special is a Monroe suspension offering a 40mm lift in ground clearance and a bunch of bolt-on parts such as a new winch-compatible hoop-less bull bar with LED bar, laser-cut bash plate and 3mm underbody mild-steel protection plate.

The suspension upgrades include Monroe shocks and coil springs, larger and taller jounce bumpers and carryover Rosta 17-inch alloy wheels and Cooper Discoverer 275/70 all-terrain rubber.

The suspension changes produces a 40mm ground clearance lift to 260mm and a wider 1600mm track (+30mm) compared to the standard PRO-4X (but same as the previous Warrior).

Essentially, the Warrior takes the acceptable off-roader the Navara is, with its standard rear diff lock and great traction control system, and dials it up a notch, with better ability to cover rough ground at speed and less chance of damage when crawling over the rough stuff.

Mechanically, the twin-turbo diesel is no ground-breaking thing, but certainly a worthy cross-country expedition campaigner.

2022 Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior at a glance:
Price: $68,090/$70,590 manual/auto (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.3-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel
Output: 140kW/450Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual/seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.5/8.1L/100km manual/auto (ADR combined)
CO2: 197/213g/100km manual/auto (ADR combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2015)

How could you take any list of factory-standard bush-capable 4x4s seriously without the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series?

Unfortunately, even though we have included the trusty ’Cruiser, you can’t buy one – for now. The LC70 has become so popular in recent years that it is now on a stop-sale for a year. But once supplies free up you will be buying one of the best standard 4x4s available.

The basics look good: live axles front and rear, a snorkel as standard and a rear diff lock to cap it off.

Let there be no mistake that the LandCruiser is some kind of a retro retake of an old 4x4; this is the real deal. It is an old 4x4 that has been repowered and slightly reconfigured by Toyota for the sake of modernity, but that’s it.

So you get an ample dose of engine, road, tyre, wind noise, a ride that you won’t describe as limo-like and one of the widest turning circles in the business.

The LandCruiser 70 Series is seen everywhere in the bush for a reason; it is very good at traversing the terrain out there. So the LC76 is a superb off-roader but it’s also not too rough going when driving on-road.

The big V8 diesel engine is tractable, enthusiastic, and while not the most efficient thing in the world it’ll go far in the bush with its 130-litre tank. The manual change and clutch weighting is not sports car butter-smooth but you won’t find it a chore to use.

The old ’Cruiser might pitch side-to-side a lot on its live-axle suspension, but it is actually pretty stable and the ride is not as sharp or brittle as you might expect and there’s a decent 230mm of ground clearance.

This truck would only suit a masochist if purely used for the daily inner-city commute, but if you like to get out into the thick of the bush, the LC70 really makes a lot of sense.

2022 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series GXL Wagon at a glance:
Price: $72,175 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Check with dealer
Engine: 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel
Output: 151kW/430Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel: 10.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 248g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested