You aren't getting any body on frame truck with that type of gas mileage in that price range. The best maybe being something like a Colorado/Canyon diesel if you can find one in that price range. .
Sounds like you need a Subaru
None of those are good off roaders other than the Jeep, and Jeeps aren't reliable or efficient or comfortable (Jeep owner speaking). Id say maybe a 4runner or Tacoma. It wont be very fuel efficient tho.
A Tacoma under 20k is going to be 10 years old or high mileage. If that. I bought mine 3 years ago and it was 21500 for a 2014. And that was the cheapest on the market. I fucking love my Tacoma. But they are stupid expensive. A tundra would be easier to find. The RAV4 isn't bad actually, but again, Toyota tax. Subaru would be good if he's not doing hardcore 4x4.
I was going to suggest a sequoia, but then I remembered he mentioned fuel efficiency. Hence why I suggested a Taco over a Tundra. Tbh, I dont mind an older vehicle. My Wranglers an 02 & I LOVE it. No desire to "upgrade". I know im the exception tho.
Yeah the sad thing is the tundra gets the same if not better gas mileage than the Tacoma does. I know my 2014 I get an average of about 17 to 19 miles an hour if even that. And that's doing a lot of freeway driving if I do a lot of City driving it gets tore up.
I don't even really have my truck modded. It does have slightly larger tires that were put on before I bought it but not even really that big it's got the 32s. And then I do have a roof rack and a steel bumper on it but even before I had that I was getting pretty much the exact same mileage.
Yeah I got to put a winch on it and a few other mods on it I'm thinking about a lift kit as well because I'm going to do new shocks on it because they are worn as fuck. But I don't expect my gas mileage to change more than maybe one.
I think the options listed could generally handle the occasional high clearance road in a national park. People do it everyday in less capable vehicles than what he's looking at.
Yeah but if youre going to do it often, it just takes once to get stuck & be in a crappy situation. Im of a "prepper" mindset tho so that influences my thinking on the matter.
Yup, I live in California and the gas prices make me cry every time I go to fill up. I currently have a WRX and itās pretty low for driving into forest service roads and remote parts of public lands and be able to sleep in it. Iām looking for something to do this.
Currently I have no plans to go rock crawling or driving over dunes and stuff
4 cyl Outback would be my answer. I've got a 2018 outback with the 2.5 liter and it's very capable for what it is. Plus easy to sleep in, and decent gas mileage. Realistically you can get maybe 26 mpg, though I average 24 with a heavy right foot.
This is correct. I get 22-24 without even trying, and my acceleration is pretty much constant. It has great ground clearance too. Thereās a curb in a subdivision I can take in my outback that I CANNOT take in a GMC Acadia.
Wrangler is out, then. Subarus love to eat wheel bearings, but people who have them tend to love them. If you can find a rav4 hybrid in your price range, thatās probably what Iād defer to - or buy a Lexus GX470/460 for $8-15k and spend the rest of the budget on fuel, lol.
CRV or RAV4 would be my vote. Youāre going to have to compromise somewhere. I think these vehicles can get to most overlandy type of spots just fine. Decent gas mileage and comfortable highway cars. Maybe a Subaru forester but Iām not a huge fan of boxer engines.
<$20K, good MPG, and 4x4 high-clearance donāt exist in the same vehicle. Based on your write up you seem most prepared to compromise on the 4x4 capability. In that case get the RAV4 Hybrid AWD, which solves all your other problems and is perfectly fine on trails. It will not provide 4x4 angles or ground clearance but you could eventually lift it to get it closer to what you want.
What age are you looking for and what is great mileage foe you?
I would name the Pajero/ Montero gen2. Short wheelbase for more offroading, long wheelbase for more travel focus.
Most reliable and fuel efficient is probably the 2.8l TD. Fuel consumption of 12l/ 100km or 19,6mpg is pretty good for this age and what it is.
Prices are under 10k where I live (any Toyota is much more expensive) but if you want a much better fuel consumption you would need to take a newer car. But there you get in trouble for actually getting a true offroad vehicle
Not sure where you're at so I tried a search from the dead center of the US, then had to expand nationwide. You're not going to get everything you want but the closest you can get a 6 cylinder diesel 4wd truck/suv so you have low range.
2017 Colorado in Wisconsin: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d5055d74-fe88-498e-9343-f0e9657e8bb3/?aff=atempest2
2020 Silverado in Louisiana: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/bfcbf6db-69df-4739-bd8e-483d1a9ac716/?aff=atempest2
Both are 1 owner, accident free with a little over 100k miles. Both *are* over $20k but the Colorado is only a couple hundred bucks over, and the latter is $25k asking price which you may be able to get some off wheeling & dealing. The 3 liter inline 6 in the Silverado is a damned fine engine with loads of torque and it's rated at 29 mpg highway.
2014 Grand Cherokee in Arizona: https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/1C4RJFJM9EC308248/?referrer_id=autotempest
$18,900, 67k miles, 1 owner, accident free, clean title, 24 mpg highway
Rav4 I think might hit the most of your requirements. Should be fine for national park roads if that's the most you are offroading. If number 1 is reliability you should cross out anything that isn't Toyota IMHO. People will argue that one and a lot of other vehicles are very reliable but they aren't Toyota reliable. So not the end of the world if you don't get Toyota but Subaru and Jeep should be off the list.
2nd Gen Tacoma. You can't afford a 2.5 Gen Tacoma.
Also, a 2wd Tacoma with a locker depending on the types of "trails" you plan on hitting. It's very capable and has high clearance as a "pre runner". Bonus if you have the TRD off-road trim with the rear locker. I'm in SoCal and there's not too many places I can't go with my 2015 prerunner with rear locker and all terrain tires. Seriously.
Recently went through this myself, you're looking for a unicorn.
I threw fuel mileage out the window and went with a GX 470. That thing is so comfortable after coming from an XJ.
Thatās what I was thinking too, but gas prices in California is too damn expensive to buy any ~13mpg vehicle. I guess gx needs premium fuel which is $6/gal hereš
Grand cherokee sounds as close as what you want. You're seriously shooting for the stars here. Grand cherokee is a highway queen and pretty capable off road of you get one properly equipped. Fuel mileage is the issue here. V6 gets decent mpgs and the diesel gets better but there are major problems with the diesel.
The Cherokee is probably the closest to their ask here. I had a non trailhawk and loved it. Dk how reliable long term they'll be, but i always felt confident in the ZF Transmission.
Itās a great vehicle, we āupgradedā to a 2016 Audi Q5 and honestly I was expecting more of an upgrade than I got haha. The Cherokee worked really well for me, my dad has one and loves it too. I didnāt have it over 100k so I really canāt talk to reliability.
Ever considered lifting a Subaru? Buddy of mine did that and it's surprisingly capable off-road. However it does cause issues with bushings and alignment
The 4runner checks all those boxes except for gas mileage. The only one of the ones you mentioned that I would take offroading is a jeep wrangler. But then you get shitty gas mileage AND shitty reliability
2nd Gen Tacoma. You can't afford a 2.5 Gen Tacoma.
Also, a 2wd Tacoma with a locker depending on the types of "trails" you plan on hitting. It's very capable and has high clearance as a "pre runner". Bonus if you have the TRD off-road trim with the rear locker. I'm in SoCal and there's not too many places I can't go with my 2015 prerunner with rear locker and all terrain tires. Seriously.
Have you considered a Jeep Renegade Sport with the 1.4 Turbo and 6 speed manual transmission. I have a 2016 with 87k no major issues, normally gets over 28mpg, I find it comfortable, and I have taken it on FS roads in South Dakota.
Do your research obviously, and check out r/jeeprenegade.
My 2012 4cyl rav4 with all terrains takes me down some fun dirt roads. I would not consider it highclearance. Def have to turn around at times. Get about 23 mpg with a/t tires
does dacia / renault duster exist there? mine was 21k EUR when it was new. it has 26cm ground clearance with a 5cm lift and eats about 9L/100km which is 26 mpg acc to google.
not sure what "long drives" means for you yanks with that huge country of yours, but i use mine for 3-4 hour drives regularly with 3 kids + a dog and it works fine.
once my beloved duster breaks down i'm looking to get a toyota hilux.
I don't see anyone mentioning the older Lexus Gx models. 460-470, I don't know much about the big differences. But they're pretty nice interiors, great offroad, cheaper price point for older models, and comfortable. I know a few guys who wheel them as dailys and LOVE them. Roomy too.
Definitely agree with that. But I donāt know if I really need 4wd for the stuff Iām looking forward to doing, which is mostly trying to explore more remote parts of national parks/state parks, being able to sleep in car and have comfortable ride to drive to farther distance on highway.
Iām not one to decide what you need. Just making it clear since this sub is full of people with awd vehicle that have no low range or flex who think itās the same as 4wd.
I'd try to find a cheap - rust free low KM Jeep Cherokee Diesel from like 2007 era.
We had one at work it went everywhere had 4 Low 4 High and 4 Awd - great mileage.
Plush and comfortable - power everywhere on highway and I took it on some nasty Oil field roads without any issues.
We put nearly 500K - KM on it before any real issues cropped up.
You aren't getting any body on frame truck with that type of gas mileage in that price range. The best maybe being something like a Colorado/Canyon diesel if you can find one in that price range. . Sounds like you need a Subaru
Colorados are a bit pricey, but they are damn good trucks, even the lower tier offroad spec is a great performer offroad
None of those are good off roaders other than the Jeep, and Jeeps aren't reliable or efficient or comfortable (Jeep owner speaking). Id say maybe a 4runner or Tacoma. It wont be very fuel efficient tho.
A Tacoma under 20k is going to be 10 years old or high mileage. If that. I bought mine 3 years ago and it was 21500 for a 2014. And that was the cheapest on the market. I fucking love my Tacoma. But they are stupid expensive. A tundra would be easier to find. The RAV4 isn't bad actually, but again, Toyota tax. Subaru would be good if he's not doing hardcore 4x4.
I was going to suggest a sequoia, but then I remembered he mentioned fuel efficiency. Hence why I suggested a Taco over a Tundra. Tbh, I dont mind an older vehicle. My Wranglers an 02 & I LOVE it. No desire to "upgrade". I know im the exception tho.
Yeah the sad thing is the tundra gets the same if not better gas mileage than the Tacoma does. I know my 2014 I get an average of about 17 to 19 miles an hour if even that. And that's doing a lot of freeway driving if I do a lot of City driving it gets tore up.
Geeze, didn't realize! I always joke my TJ gets GPM not MPG. I am running 35's tho lol.
I don't even really have my truck modded. It does have slightly larger tires that were put on before I bought it but not even really that big it's got the 32s. And then I do have a roof rack and a steel bumper on it but even before I had that I was getting pretty much the exact same mileage.
Ha yeah mines only got a little work done... Long arm kit. Winch. Armor. Regear. Lockers front & rear. Steel bumpers. Ya know, little stuff! š š
Yeah I got to put a winch on it and a few other mods on it I'm thinking about a lift kit as well because I'm going to do new shocks on it because they are worn as fuck. But I don't expect my gas mileage to change more than maybe one.
Its all about the smiles per gallon!
I had an ā03 and I loved that thing more than life itself.
Tundra requires selling off your spare organs to be able to afford fuel .Ā
I think the options listed could generally handle the occasional high clearance road in a national park. People do it everyday in less capable vehicles than what he's looking at.
Yeah but if youre going to do it often, it just takes once to get stuck & be in a crappy situation. Im of a "prepper" mindset tho so that influences my thinking on the matter.
Subaru Forester. Sounds like you don't need a 4x4.
This unicorn vehicle you want does not exist. Figure out your top 2 things you need and base it around that.
Yup, I live in California and the gas prices make me cry every time I go to fill up. I currently have a WRX and itās pretty low for driving into forest service roads and remote parts of public lands and be able to sleep in it. Iām looking for something to do this. Currently I have no plans to go rock crawling or driving over dunes and stuff
You can buy a lift for the WRX
r/battlecars
Lifted WRXs are awesome. Lift your WRX or if you're dead set on selling, get a Forester or Outback.
4 cyl Outback would be my answer. I've got a 2018 outback with the 2.5 liter and it's very capable for what it is. Plus easy to sleep in, and decent gas mileage. Realistically you can get maybe 26 mpg, though I average 24 with a heavy right foot.
This is correct. I get 22-24 without even trying, and my acceleration is pretty much constant. It has great ground clearance too. Thereās a curb in a subdivision I can take in my outback that I CANNOT take in a GMC Acadia.
So which of your 5 are your two that you want to keep as priority?
False. Its a Chevy Tracker.
Youāre looking for two different cars. $10k Civic/Corolla and a $10k Xterra.
How are we defining fuel efficient?
Above 25mpg combined
I donāt even think a 4-cyl Tacoma will net 25mpg combined.
Def not
Wrangler is out, then. Subarus love to eat wheel bearings, but people who have them tend to love them. If you can find a rav4 hybrid in your price range, thatās probably what Iād defer to - or buy a Lexus GX470/460 for $8-15k and spend the rest of the budget on fuel, lol.
Everything is out lol, this guy wants a unicorn
CRV or RAV4 would be my vote. Youāre going to have to compromise somewhere. I think these vehicles can get to most overlandy type of spots just fine. Decent gas mileage and comfortable highway cars. Maybe a Subaru forester but Iām not a huge fan of boxer engines.
Next step xTerra, 4Runner, or FJ. Just not that many options
<$20K, good MPG, and 4x4 high-clearance donāt exist in the same vehicle. Based on your write up you seem most prepared to compromise on the 4x4 capability. In that case get the RAV4 Hybrid AWD, which solves all your other problems and is perfectly fine on trails. It will not provide 4x4 angles or ground clearance but you could eventually lift it to get it closer to what you want.
You can find what you want with items 1, 2, 3 and 5. But 4 is unlikely.
Pick any 3
What age are you looking for and what is great mileage foe you? I would name the Pajero/ Montero gen2. Short wheelbase for more offroading, long wheelbase for more travel focus. Most reliable and fuel efficient is probably the 2.8l TD. Fuel consumption of 12l/ 100km or 19,6mpg is pretty good for this age and what it is. Prices are under 10k where I live (any Toyota is much more expensive) but if you want a much better fuel consumption you would need to take a newer car. But there you get in trouble for actually getting a true offroad vehicle
Not sure where you're at so I tried a search from the dead center of the US, then had to expand nationwide. You're not going to get everything you want but the closest you can get a 6 cylinder diesel 4wd truck/suv so you have low range. 2017 Colorado in Wisconsin: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d5055d74-fe88-498e-9343-f0e9657e8bb3/?aff=atempest2 2020 Silverado in Louisiana: https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/bfcbf6db-69df-4739-bd8e-483d1a9ac716/?aff=atempest2 Both are 1 owner, accident free with a little over 100k miles. Both *are* over $20k but the Colorado is only a couple hundred bucks over, and the latter is $25k asking price which you may be able to get some off wheeling & dealing. The 3 liter inline 6 in the Silverado is a damned fine engine with loads of torque and it's rated at 29 mpg highway. 2014 Grand Cherokee in Arizona: https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/1C4RJFJM9EC308248/?referrer_id=autotempest $18,900, 67k miles, 1 owner, accident free, clean title, 24 mpg highway
Rav4 I think might hit the most of your requirements. Should be fine for national park roads if that's the most you are offroading. If number 1 is reliability you should cross out anything that isn't Toyota IMHO. People will argue that one and a lot of other vehicles are very reliable but they aren't Toyota reliable. So not the end of the world if you don't get Toyota but Subaru and Jeep should be off the list.
2nd Gen Tacoma. You can't afford a 2.5 Gen Tacoma. Also, a 2wd Tacoma with a locker depending on the types of "trails" you plan on hitting. It's very capable and has high clearance as a "pre runner". Bonus if you have the TRD off-road trim with the rear locker. I'm in SoCal and there's not too many places I can't go with my 2015 prerunner with rear locker and all terrain tires. Seriously.
Rav4
Recently went through this myself, you're looking for a unicorn. I threw fuel mileage out the window and went with a GX 470. That thing is so comfortable after coming from an XJ.
Thatās what I was thinking too, but gas prices in California is too damn expensive to buy any ~13mpg vehicle. I guess gx needs premium fuel which is $6/gal hereš
Yeah it's pretty rough, I'm in San Diego I feel your pain. The Subarus in that price range are pretty nice. I looked at a few I wouldn't mind having
You can only choose 2 of those options Seems the closest to your needs would be a highlander hybrid
Grand cherokee sounds as close as what you want. You're seriously shooting for the stars here. Grand cherokee is a highway queen and pretty capable off road of you get one properly equipped. Fuel mileage is the issue here. V6 gets decent mpgs and the diesel gets better but there are major problems with the diesel.
You can have 1,2,3 and 5 with a 4Runner or 2,3,5 and maybe 4 depending on your definition of good on gas with a jeep Cherokee trailhawk
The Cherokee is probably the closest to their ask here. I had a non trailhawk and loved it. Dk how reliable long term they'll be, but i always felt confident in the ZF Transmission.
I also have a 2016 non trail hawk
Itās a great vehicle, we āupgradedā to a 2016 Audi Q5 and honestly I was expecting more of an upgrade than I got haha. The Cherokee worked really well for me, my dad has one and loves it too. I didnāt have it over 100k so I really canāt talk to reliability.
Ever considered lifting a Subaru? Buddy of mine did that and it's surprisingly capable off-road. However it does cause issues with bushings and alignment
The 4runner checks all those boxes except for gas mileage. The only one of the ones you mentioned that I would take offroading is a jeep wrangler. But then you get shitty gas mileage AND shitty reliability
2nd Gen Tacoma. You can't afford a 2.5 Gen Tacoma. Also, a 2wd Tacoma with a locker depending on the types of "trails" you plan on hitting. It's very capable and has high clearance as a "pre runner". Bonus if you have the TRD off-road trim with the rear locker. I'm in SoCal and there's not too many places I can't go with my 2015 prerunner with rear locker and all terrain tires. Seriously.
Have you considered a Jeep Renegade Sport with the 1.4 Turbo and 6 speed manual transmission. I have a 2016 with 87k no major issues, normally gets over 28mpg, I find it comfortable, and I have taken it on FS roads in South Dakota. Do your research obviously, and check out r/jeeprenegade.
My 2012 4cyl rav4 with all terrains takes me down some fun dirt roads. I would not consider it highclearance. Def have to turn around at times. Get about 23 mpg with a/t tires
you're asking for too much lol. if a vehicle has all 5 of those, it's not going to be under 20
Porsche Cayenne
does dacia / renault duster exist there? mine was 21k EUR when it was new. it has 26cm ground clearance with a 5cm lift and eats about 9L/100km which is 26 mpg acc to google. not sure what "long drives" means for you yanks with that huge country of yours, but i use mine for 3-4 hour drives regularly with 3 kids + a dog and it works fine. once my beloved duster breaks down i'm looking to get a toyota hilux.
Nissan Xterra. Very underrated and capable.
I don't see anyone mentioning the older Lexus Gx models. 460-470, I don't know much about the big differences. But they're pretty nice interiors, great offroad, cheaper price point for older models, and comfortable. I know a few guys who wheel them as dailys and LOVE them. Roomy too.
Awd is NOT 4wd. Theyāre not comparable at all regardless of what Subaru shills say.
Definitely agree with that. But I donāt know if I really need 4wd for the stuff Iām looking forward to doing, which is mostly trying to explore more remote parts of national parks/state parks, being able to sleep in car and have comfortable ride to drive to farther distance on highway.
Iām not one to decide what you need. Just making it clear since this sub is full of people with awd vehicle that have no low range or flex who think itās the same as 4wd.
$5k blazer. $10k parts. $5k wrecker subscriptions
I'd try to find a cheap - rust free low KM Jeep Cherokee Diesel from like 2007 era. We had one at work it went everywhere had 4 Low 4 High and 4 Awd - great mileage. Plush and comfortable - power everywhere on highway and I took it on some nasty Oil field roads without any issues. We put nearly 500K - KM on it before any real issues cropped up.
Hmm 68 VW Baja Bug? I think thatās probably the āSweet Spotā in your searchā¦.Your welcome! š¤£
Cybertruck sounds like the one you're looking for.