Best off‑road SUV: it depends who’s driving

Top off

You want the top off

The Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Bronco are the two SUVs with a top that comes off. The Wrangler runs solid axles front and rear, and its windshield folds down. The Willys trim comes from the factory with a locking rear axle and 33-inch mud-terrains.

The Bronco has an independent front suspension, roof panels that lift off and up to 35-inch tires with the Sasquatch package. Ford named a Bronco trim after the Outer Banks. Bronco vs. Wrangler.

In our lineup: the Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Bronco.

Seven or eight seats

You need room for the whole crew

Seven or eight seats means a full-size SUV. The Ford Expedition Tremor seats eight, the Nissan Armada PRO-4X seven or eight, and the Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro seven, and all three come with an electronic locking rear axle. The Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 uses a limited-slip rear instead of a locker. The full-size comparison.

Trail hardware

You want the most off-road gear

The Wrangler Rubicon locks front and rear on solid axles. The Bronco offers front and rear lockers too, and the Toyota Land Cruiser comes with full-time four-wheel drive and locking center and rear differentials on every trim.

Daily driver

It’s your everyday SUV

The Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road brings a locking rear axle, a Sand mode and Bilstein shocks to a fixed-roof SUV. The Land Cruiser shares its frame and hybrid, and its full-time four-wheel drive means you never have to think about shifting.

Cargo

You haul gear

Behind the back seat, the four-door Bronco holds 38 cubic feet and the four-door Wrangler 32. For more than that, a full-size SUV.

Bed

You’d rather have a pickup

The Jeep Gladiator is a Wrangler with a pickup bed and the only pickup with a top that comes off. Wrangler vs. Gladiator · Best off-road truck.

The Gladiator is in our lineup.

Electric

You’re thinking electric

The Jeep Recon, Rivian R2 and Scout Traveler are the new electric off-road SUVs. Recon vs. R2 vs. Scout Traveler.

Start here

Count the seats

Five seats opens up every SUV on this page. Seven or eight means a full-size SUV or a three-row 4Runner.

Then

Top on or top off

If the open air is the point, it’s the Wrangler or the Bronco. If you want a quieter fixed roof, look at the 4Runner, Land Cruiser or a full-size SUV.

Last

Drive your two finalists

Reading gets you to two. Half a day on the Carova beach and on North Carolina Highway 12, the two-lane road up the Outer Banks, picks one. Then your SUV is factory-ordered to your exact build at the No-Haggle Price. How it works.

What is the best off-road SUV?

It depends on how you will use it. For the top off, the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco. For seven or eight seats, a full-size SUV such as the Ford Expedition Tremor, Nissan Armada PRO-4X or Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro. For the most trail hardware, the Wrangler Rubicon or the Toyota Land Cruiser. For an everyday SUV that still goes off-road, the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road or the Land Cruiser.

Which SUVs have a removable top?

The Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Bronco. Both have removable doors, and the Wrangler’s windshield folds down.

Which off-road SUVs seat eight?

The Ford Expedition Tremor seats eight, and the Nissan Armada PRO-4X seats seven or eight. The Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro seats seven.