Longtravel Car?

[carsonc1974]

I think a fleet of baja bugs would be so cool, I love those.

Did they ever make a 4x4 vw thing?

Nope, not that I'm aware of... only air cooled Vw with 4x4(with any sort of real number produced) that I'm aware of are the synchro buses. Even then, the demand a pretty penny!

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[RogueJeepr]

A 2014 Cherokee .

 

[Stephen]

A 2014 Cherokee .

We laugh at this, but it's pretty much exactly what he is looking for. That or the Renegade, which would be my choice as it looks about 100 times better than the CheroCar.

 

[Coco]

I was going to say Subaru, but looks like it has been covered already but if I per say was to get one, it would have to be a WRX, or STI.

 

[MattL]

They do make a low range version for the suby but they are hard to get into the states.
What about something like a ford escape

 

[cuban b]

This thread is about the 2014 cherokee. Who knows if it will be reliable, but it will be more reliable than an amc eagle. I still don't understand the hate for the cherokee.

goofy, capable car = AMC eagle and some subarus

 

[sixstringsteve]

Does a ford escape have a t-case? I think these would fit the bill nicely. MPG is a bit low though.

The cherocar isn't cheap yet, and we don't know how reliable it is. Maybe in 10 years we'll have a better idea. But yes, the cherocar does tick a lot of the boxes. What are the real-world MPG numbers on these (not EPA estimates)?

 

[sixstringsteve]

I was going to say Subaru, but looks like it has been covered already but if I per say was to get one, it would have to be a WRX, or STI.

The bummer about the imprezas is that their ground clearance is pretty minimal. For a graded, smooth dirt road they'd be a riot. I'd be worried about clearance with roads like the road up to Dutchman Flat in AF Canyon.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Answering my own questions here.

Does a ford escape have a t-case? I think these would fit the bill nicely. MPG is a bit low though.

Nope, no t-case. ~ 23 mpg on Fuelly.com

What are the real-world MPG numbers on these (not EPA estimates)?

Looks like an average of about 21.5 MPG on fuelly.com

 

[TurboMinivan]

A late-model Subaru really is the closest vehicle to your ideal. Subaru even refers to their lifted models as having a "long travel" suspension which, while not equal to a Raptor, will outperform just about any other stock comparable vehicle. This will hit virtually all nine of your original criteria, and you may be able to finagle one or two of your 'huge plus' criteria as well.

BTW: in the real world, lifted Subarus have outstanding ground clearance; they offer more than your Tacoma back when it was stock (or virtually any other solid axle vehicle) because the independent diffs are tucked up so high into the body. Kneel down behind one some time--you'll be amazed.

 

[sixstringsteve]

a trip report of the white rim trail in a subaru.

http://backcountrypost.com/forum/threads/white-rim-in-a-wagon.2898/#post-33924

 

[sixstringsteve]

I think a 4-door geo tracker/suzuki sidekick would fit the bill, except that they have gutless motors that aren't super reliable long-term. If there were a good/easy motor swap for those, I think that could be a good option. 4-lo, 4 doors, 30 mpg, cheap, ifs, and easy to fit 31's on with a small OME lift.

 

[Skylinerider]

I've always liked the sedan version of the Subaru outback. They sit higher than a normal car, and I've always thought they could be a fun vehicle with some all terrains thrown on them.

 

[Greg]

I've always liked the sedan version of the Subaru outback. They sit higher than a normal car, and I've always thought they could be a fun vehicle with some all terrains thrown on them.

x2

There are lifts out there for Subi's, I think a lifted Legacy sedan would be pretty fun for Winter driving & mild dirt roads.

 

[skeptic]

I'm a bit late to the thread... My first thought was the AMC Eagle, it seems to be a perfect fit. Beyond that, I think pretty much any AWD/4WD CUV (crossover) will hit most or all your requirements. Jeep and Subaru both have a few options that would probably work well, but even something like a Chevy Equinox sounds like a good fit. Depending on how cheap you are talking, you might need to go much older than the recent explosion of CUV options - that probably means something like an old Subaru which has been mentioned several times.

 

[gahi]

x2

There are lifts out there for Subi's, I think a lifted Legacy sedan would be pretty fun for Winter driving & mild dirt roads.

This is my buddies car, its a blast. Has a low range trans in it imported from AUS, Limited slip rear diff, I think 4.11 gears. 28" tires. Lift is done using different subaru struts and springs, but there are aftermarket lifts. We took it through Lockhart, and it did pretty well in the rough section. It really shines on high speed dirts roads though.

 

[Kiel]

that's awesome, too bad it look like it takes a beating with approach and departure angles

 

[sixstringsteve]

That's sweet. I'll bet it's a blast on smoother dirt roads. I think if I could get low-range in a lifted subaru + a limited slip, that'd be a fantastic setup.

 

[gahi]

Lift is from common parts.
The limited slip is a common part.
The low range is a little more rare. But it is doable. They pop up on ebay from time to time. He found his through subaru forums and had it shipped from western Australia. Also has the factory Hi-Lo shifter and console cover so you cant even tell anything was changed.

His build thread http://dirtyimpreza.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24416&page=4

 

[Cascadia]

That's sweet. I'll bet it's a blast on smoother dirt roads. I think if I could get low-range in a lifted subaru + a limited slip, that'd be a fantastic setup.

My sti is limited slip with an adjustable selectable rear locker.