Finding the perfect off-road SUV to take you and your family on your daring adventures may leave you with a lot of questions. Due to their rising demands, automakers have introduced new adventure-worthy models with ever-evolving electrical modifications. From state-of-the-art hill descent control systems to mind-blowing air suspensions that guarantee a smooth ride, there are a plethora of things that you’ll need to weigh in before choosing a companion for your off-road escapades.
Adventure vehicles for the whole family
Some SUV owners love having power-hungry beasts that can go full-throttle on muddy roads, while others need an SUV with a spacious interior to carry any and all equipment the family might need on an off-road adventure. In this post, we are featuring some of the best off-road SUVs that are best suited for families that love outdoor adventures and want a car that can take them there.
Before you set out on your next adventure, check out this list of 16 emergency items to keep in your car, just in case!
6 SUVs for adventure-lovers
In this post, there are 6 awesome SUVs. First, the top 3 picks with lots of info about why they jump to the front of the line in terms of rugged, off-road capability. Then 3 more that you might not always think of when first looking for adventure-capable vehicles for your family, but you should.
The rising demand for family-oriented SUVs has increased the number of options in the market. With so many to choose from, it can be a little overwhelming to find the perfect adventure vehicle. Hopefully this list will help you narrow down your favorite options.
Top 3 off-road suv picks
The top 3 picks for the best adventure SUVs are the Toyota 4Runner, the Land Rover Defender, and the new Ford Bronco. Keep reading to get all the details and specs on these awesome SUVs.
#1 Toyota 4Runner
The Toyota 4Runner is one of the most capable off-road family SUVs on the market. Being a mid-size SUV, it boasts a powerful V6 engine with a sturdy body design, durable drivetrain, and a massive cabin.
Interior
On the inside, you get spacious front and back row seating with an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto as standard. A set of 15-JBL speakers with a built-in navigation system are available as options.
Built specifically for families, the 4 Runner features a spacious cabin with a standard seating of 5 and an additional third row.
The 4Runner also has a massive 47.2 cubic feet of boot space that can be extended to 89.7 cubic feet to fit all your adventure goodies.
Price
At present, the 4Runner is offered in 9 different versions starting from $37,480 for the base 2021 SR5 model. While the top-of-the-line TRD Pro is priced at $51,960.
Adventure capability
The TRD Off-Road is a dedicated off-road version of the 4Runner SUV. Made to conquer the trails it offers a 4.0L V6 engine coupled with a five-speed transmission. Toyota also gives the option to choose between rear-wheel, four-wheel, and all-wheel drive.
You can also manually select between two-speed transfer cases with a low-range setting. The additional KDSS suspension system reduces the overall body roll by freeing up wheel articulations. This improves the overall handling and provides better control both on-road and off-road.
The 4 Runner’s torquey 270 hp engine enables a towing capacity of 5000 pounds. And offers a fuel economy of 16 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway.
Safety
In terms of safety, other than the mandatory safety features you get a forward collision warning, automatic E-braking, adaptive cruise control lane keep assist and lane departure warning as standard.
Toyota 4Runner Standard features:
- Fog lights
- Heated Seats
- Multifunctional Steering wheel
- Heated Power Mirrors
- Power Windows
- Power Leather Seats
- 17-inch Alloy Wheels
- Dual-zone Climate Control
- Rear-view camera
- 8-inch infotainment Screen
- AM/FM Radio
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
- Bluetooth Connectivity with Hands-free calling
#2 Land Rover Defender
The Land Rover Defender is another contender in this list of best adventure SUVs. While the whole Land Rover lineup inherits the genes of proper sports utility vehicles. The Land Rover Defender owns the top position.
Adventure capability
To begin with, the Defender can handle 45 degrees of incline with a 38-degree approach and a 40-degree departure angle. Thanks to its low-range gearbox, it can take steep angles at a more controlled pace.
The 4×4 differential lock allows it to have better traction with controlled movements. Meaning with a Defender it’s hard to get stuck. The Defender’s advanced drive modes also allow users to automatically or manually adjust everything from the steering wheel to throttle response, giving drivers total freedom to adjust settings to their needs.
With 0-60 in 7.6 sec and claimed top speed of 119 mph for the smaller engine, the Defender performance is butter-smooth on regular roads. You can expect a standard 18 mpg city and 21 mpg highway.
Being a Land Rover, it also hosts a great amount of luxury features standard.
Where the Defender stands out most is the insane amount of driver-assist feature. The base model comes with features like hill launch assist, EPAS, low traction launch, electronic traction control, roll stability control, cornering brake control, hill descent control, etc.
While you also get features like emergency braking, 3D surround camera, lane keep assist, 360⁰ parking aid, traffic sign recognition and adaptive speed limiter, wade sensing (in case you want to take your car swimming?), cruise control and speed limiter, blind spot assist, and rear traffic monitor all as standard.
Making the Land Rover Defender an awesome on-and-off-road companion.
Trim options
Recently Land Rover has introduced the 2022 model with a bigger V8 engine as an option. Also for 2022 is a new XS trim on 110 models and an option for a bigger 11.4-inch infotainment screen. You also get a V8 Carpathian edition featuring a V8 with Carpathian grey paint and satin protective film.
The Defender in the US is available in two sizes, the two-door 90 model and 4 doors 110 models. While all variants of the Defender come in both sizes, the latest XS trim is only available in the 110 models. Both 90 and 110 models come standard with two-row seating, with third available as an option only on 110 models.
As standard, the Defender offers a 296 hp 2.0L 4-cylinder engine coupled with 8-speed automatic transmission. A 3.0L 6-cylinder engine is available on the X and X-Dynamic while the 5.0 V8 is offered in the dedicated V8 models.
Price
The Defender lineup starts with a base price of $47, 700 and max at $112,200 for the Carpathian edition.
Interior
Moving to the Cargo, the Defender 90 model has a standard cargo of 15.6 cubic feet extendable up to 58.3 cubic feet. As for the 110 models, the standard cargo space is increased to 34 cubic feet which can be extended to 78.8 cubic feet after folding down the second row seats.
The standard interior features include:
- Standard Leather Steering Wheel
- Two-zone Climate Control
- Rear Center Headrest
- Durable Rubber Cabin/cargo Flooring
- Footwell Lights
- Rear Reading Lights
- Assisted Tailgate
- 40:20:40 Fixed Rear Seats
- 8-way Heated Semi-powered Front Seats
- Center Console with Armrest
- Auto-dimming Interior Rear View Mirror
- Garage Door Opener (HomeLink®)
- Keyless Entry
- Wireless device charging with phone signal booster
As for the infotainment, you have:
- 6-speaker Sound System
- 10″ Touchscreen
- Analog Dials with Central TFT Display
- Android Auto™
- Apple CarPlay®
- Online Pack with Data Plan
- Pivi Pro
- Sirius XM™ Satellite Radio and HD Radio
#3 Ford Bronco
3rd on this list is the latest Ford Bronco. Sitting on the affordable side, the Bronco is an exceptional performing adventure SUV.
Price
Starting at $29, 995, the Bronco comes with two different turbo powerhouses offered on 7 different trim levels.
Bronco Trim options
Like the Defender, the new Bronco comes in both 2 and 4-door configurations with 4 wheel drivetrain and electronic locking differentials. The standard model features a 2.3L, 275 hp turbocharged engine married with a 7-speed manual transmission. A 10-speed automatic is also given to the advanced models.
Only the Wildtrack and First Edition of the Ford Bronco come with the 315 hp 2.7 L twin-turbo engine. Additionally, the Bronco has an independent front suspension with electronic locking front and rear diff. And sway-bar disconnect feature as an option.
The available Sasquatch package gets 17-inch Beadlock wheels with 35-inch mud-terrain tires, high clearance suspension, and fender flares, including position-sensing shock absorbers to boost its off-road capabilities.
Like all Fords, the Bronco is smooth on the road, with linear power delivery, responsive steering, and a soft suspension setup making the ride comfortable and confident. The interiors are also spacious in both 2 and 4 door configurations with a standard seating of 5.
Gas mileage
The smaller 2.3L engine offers 20/22 mpg city/highway fuel economy while the more refined V6 gets a rating of 17mpg in both city and highway.
Adventure capability
What sets the Bronco apart is the level of customization offered. Just like the wrangler, the Bronco has removable body panels, has options for soft/ hard roofs, frameless doors, space for GoPro mounts, etc. It also has the same towing capacity as the 2020 Jeep Wrangler rated at 3500 pounds.
The Bronco also has 5 G.O.A.T. modes tethered to different types of terrains including mud, sand, rock crawl, and Baja.
Interior
On the inside, we have two-row seating with marine-grade vinyl upholstery and rubberized flooring. The Bronco isn’t great in terms of quality but it does offer a good amount of comfort and convenience features like:
- Remote Keyless Access with Push-Button Start
- 8-inch Color LCD Instrument Panel
- Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking
- Sliding Visor Vanity Mirrors (Driver and Front Passenger)
- Terrain Management System (TMS) with 5 G.O.A.T. Modes
- Manual day/night rearview mirror
- Dual Smart Charging USB Ports
- Multi-functional Steering Wheel with cruise and audio controls
- Manual tilt and telescoping steering column
In terms of infotainment and connectivity, you get AM/FM stereo with 6 speakers, SYNC 4 – 8″ LCD Capacitive Touchscreen, AppLink with App Catalog, 911 Assist, Wireless Apple Carplay™ and Android Auto™ compatibility, SiriusXM Radio, and FordPass Connect.
Safety
Standard safety features like front and rear airbags, rollover sensor, child latch, tire pressure monitor, rear-view camera, and trailer sway control are also added to make the Ford Bronco a suitable family adventure SUV.
Other off-road family SUV options
Now that we’re through with the top 3 SUV picks for your off-road adventures, let’s look at some other cars that you might not always think about, but should check out.
#4 2021 Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler continues to impress with its arsenal of off-road features and an impressive build. It might not always be the first pick for family outings due to the relatively limited passenger and cargo space, but if you have a small family, this vehicle can take you almost anywhere you want to go. The manufacturing quality we get to witness in this beast is unparalleled; Jeep has truly set the bar very high for its competitors
Why it makes the list
This trail-rated 4X4 rugged off-roading vehicle can steer through virtually anything – whether it be rough mountains or snowy terrain, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler will easily find its way past everything. Boasting an impressive power of 285 HP and a massive 260 lb-ft torque, this jeep will help you navigate through your dauntless adventures. The high clearance and stout axles allow you to enjoy your adventures to the maximum without having to break the bank.
#5 Chevrolet Tahoe
The next vehicle on this list is the popular Chevrolet Tahoe. It is one of the most robust off-roaders available on the market. Unlike the 2021 Jeep Wrangler which is more focused on off-road adventures, this SUV offers a mix of performance and utility – perfect for both on-road and off-road adventures with the family.
What Makes Chevrolet Tahoe Stand Out
The spacious interior of this SUV makes it the perfect partner for your multi-day adventures. It has a lot of room for cargo and can bear weight up to 8600 lb. Its intuitive infotainment system and impressive powertrains make it a top-notch SUV for any adventure-loving group.
#6 Nissan Pathfinder
There are a lot of reasons to include Nissan Pathfinder in this list. Many experts think of this car only as a spacious family SUV, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. It has impressive performance levels and superior safety features that make it a worthy inclusion in this list of rugged SUVs.
The Best Features of the Nissan Pathfinder
The latest 2022 model of Nissan Pathfinder unarguably takes it up a notch up its predecessors. This SUV has a 3.5-liter V6 engine with an imposing power of 284HP. The new transmission system boosts this car’s towing capability. The prime feature of this SUV is that it can be upgraded to a 4WD system with a direct coupling that acts as AWD, capable of finding its footing in any weather.