Best 'bad weather' vehicle?

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But it's Africa after all ;-)

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For civil encounters ;-)
 
I've taken my Toyota FJ through rocks and sand and mud and snow and ice. Its done most excellent. It has good ground clearance. The ride quaility is less than ideal... (A little stiff.) And it gets uncomfortable after 8 hour trips...

It get 15-22mpg
 
I drive a 1998 Jeep Cherokee. Everything is stock except I put in an extra leaf in the rear and new springs in the front. I can get myself out of anything even without a winch (which I plan on adding this summer).
 
4X4 Toyota FJ, is whats getting me through the snow with ice and snow underneath right now.
It's as slick as anything I've drove in 2wd won't move out our lane, my FJ goes right through it without any problem.
 
Aside from the obvious choices like the various and sundry Jeeps, Hummers, Mercedes G Wagens, larger Land Rovers and Toyota Cruiser/Lexus LX models, a couple of other good choices would be any vehicle built on the common Porsche Cayenne/ VW Touareg/Audi Q7 series chassis and the previous generation ladder frame Mercedes M class. I have also heard good things about some of the older Mitsubishis and Subarus. As for the previous posters comments about driving 4WD vehicles in 4 wheel mode onthe road, any vehicle that is sold as AWD as opposed to 4WD has a full time system suitable for driving on the road without any damage. All of the current German vehicles, Rovers and the manual transmission Toyota FJ use this type of system. The automatic FJ Cruiser uses a traditional shifting 4WD system, which would make me gravitate toward the manual model. With that said, if you are looking for a car as opposed to a truck, you can't beat the Audi Quattro models.
 
Any good 4wd pickup or SUV should work fine. Personally I would want one with a two-speed transfer case and you should be aware that a lot of SUVs don't have those; I'm not sure about AWD vehicles but I would think that's the case with most of them as well. Since you're in Kentucky deep snow isn't something you have to contend with often so you can get by with lower ground clearance. As others have said having the right tires is important. Most of the "all season" tires are pretty worthless in real winter conditions, though of course there are exceptions.

I've owned an Isuzu Rodeo and currently drive a F250 and both went through anything I wanted them to.

I also agree with the suggestion to put some weight in the back of your Dakota, it will make a big difference.
 
I used to own a '76 Cherokee with a 400 and Quadratrac and it was a badass fourwheeler. The planned obsolescence sucked, though. Jeep has always had a problem with wearing out at 100K.

I have owned 4 TLCs, a 68 and a 74 FJ40, a 66 FJ 45 pck up and a 74 FJ 50 station wagon, they were all outstanding vehicles.

I have had Ford Chevy, Dodge and International 4 X 4 P/Us.

I currently have a Ford Ranger (for the gas mileage) with the off road package and it is a beast in FWD. The 4L V6 has plenty of power, the limited slip package puts old time 4X4s to shame, and even with 4:11 gears it get better than 20 mpg on the highway. It is rated for 1260lb bedload which is as much as I need at this point. I have had it piled above the back window with firewood with no problems.
 
The best 4wd that I've owned was a '74 Ford 3/4 ton fleetside,that thing was an animal.Second best is the Powerwagons from '74 to about 1980,I've still got 2 of these,one is a fulltime PA mountain truck,the other,I'm thinking about putting back on the road,I used to use that one for plowing,it built some pretty impressive snowbanks.:DRight now I'm driving a '96 S10 and it works good,it's independent suspension on the front,so it still rides pretty good,it's got 275,000 miles on it but the body is starting to go.Ground clearance sucks but it's already gone up the mountain a couple times to rescue the Powerwagon.Are you in eastern Kentucky or the western part?The reason I ask is,I know there is a difference in terrain from one end of the state to the other.There have been a lot of good vehicles mentioned,a lot will depend on your financial situation but if it were me,I'd never own a brand new one unless it was my only vehicle but then you'll probably never go where I try to with a 4wd either.:D
 
Put some weight (sandbags, metal plates, railroad ties, etc.) in rear of the bed. We had a 2wd, half-ton pickup in the U.P. of Michigan and the weight made a difference in the snow and ice, without any understeer.
 
Put some weight (sandbags, metal plates, railroad ties, etc.) in rear of the bed.
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That's a terrible idea. Where's all that stuff going if you get into a head-on accident?!?
 
Back prior to getting old enough to get my pennies from Social Security, I was a trucker. I owned and operated my own tractor while pulling the company trailers, so have seen some extremely enlightening sights.
During the "Blizzard of 96", I was unfortunate enough to be caught up in that, and pulling double trailers. Several days after the initial storm, I made it into Harrisburg, Pa, delivered my trailers, and was promptly dispatched to Rochestor, NY. Made that delivery, then was wakened in the middle of the night by dispatch calling me at the motel to tell me they had a trip leaving ASAP for Norfolk, ., and I needed to get moving rapidly, as the weather was getting much worse.
Hooked up,started rolling, and it took a total legal driving period of almost 9 hours to get around Allentown, Washington. DC. What stands out so strong in my memory was the fact a full 90% of the vehicles in the median or ditch was four wheel drive. Far too many folks think with a 4 wd, they can go anywhere, and soon find this is not so. Maybe things like ground clearance, tire tread make some differences, but someonw who knows what he is doing can and will just keep putting along, not fast, but keeping some sort of forward momentum. I have never owned a 4 wd, but in times past, was able to go places I had no business going with a old VW Combi van with the rear mounted engine. BUT, I had to use some sense as well.
 
Bob W said:
That's a terrible idea. Where's all that stuff going if you get into a head-on accident?!?
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I'm not so sure about the rr ties and metal but sandbags are a pretty regular thing up here,they even sell bags full of sand,called tube sand at a few stores around here.
 
beau5278 said:
I'm not so sure about the rr ties and metal but sandbags are a pretty regular thing up here,they even sell bags full of sand,called tube sand at a few stores around here.
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Yeah, the sandbags are very common here. I've used them for several years. (But I filled mine with gravel, not sand - didn't have any around)
 
I don't think sandbags are dangerous, nor simply filling the bed with snow. But metal plates and railroad ties?
 
I learned to drive in a 91 Camaro with an open dif and lousy BFG tires. Now I'm in a lousy 89 Firebird with some wicked Yokahama snow tires. Works just fine in the Michigan winter.
 
Toyota FJ Cruiser? It's pretty tight inside though...

Hummer H3? Very nice. I've ridden in both and I bet those could hold up.
 
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