Off-roading can be a big part of owning a truck. If towing an hauling is the work function of a truck, hitting the dirt is the playful side. The aftermarket for off-road accessories is huge and includes everything like a mild suspension lift, larger wheels and tires, and armor for the underbody of your truck. The problem is, those upgrades often require large outlays of cash that many off-road enthusiasts simply don’t have all at once. Further more, you don’t always know who’ll be working on your truck when you drop it off. The good news is that manufacturers sometimes offer trucks that are quite off-road capable straight from the factory. Now you can finance your fun! That is why Nathan and Andre decided to take a look at the top 5 off-road worthy trucks available straight from the showroom floor. Let’s get started.
#5: Chevrolet Colorado with Trail Boss Package
While the Colorado Trail Boss is by no means a serious off-road rig, once you strip away the front chin spoiler and side steps it’s actually a pretty competent little truck. With a Z71 package as its foundation, the Trail Boss adds fender flares, side steps, a spray-in bed liner and divider, all-weather floor mats, and Goodyear Wrangler tires. We had a chance to put it up against a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Check it out here.
#4: Nissan Titan XD Pro-4x
When we had a chance to test the Titan XD Pro-4x up in the Rocky Mountains the combination of a heavy diesel engine and tires that weren’t suited for the snowy conditions prevented this truck from going very far up Gold Mine Hill. Andre had another chance to drive the truck off-road in the desert landscape of Arizona and the 5/8-truck did much better. With some better tires – and maybe even the gasoline V8 – the XD deserves another shot up the hill.
#3: Toyota Tacoma TRD-Pro
Toyota’s heritage in off-roading is extensive… the company recently signed accomplished Baja racer BJ Baldwin to drive a Tundra. The Tacoma TRD-Pro is the flagship ‘Taco for those who want to take their truck straight to the trail. At the Chicago Auto Show this year Toyota unveiled the 2017 TRD-Pro based on the new – or seriously refreshed, depending on how you look at it – third-gen Tacoma. Besides the electronic off-road features found on the TRD Off-Road such as hill start assist, crawl control, and traction control, suspension hardware for the truck includes FOX 2.5 Internal Bypass Coil-overs with TRD coil springs in the front providing a 1-inch lift, FOX 2.5 Internal Bypass Shocks with TRD Off-Road spec leaf springs in the rear, 2.5-inch diameter aluminum bodies, FOX patented Internal Bypass technology, Position-sensitive Damping, and Internal Floating Pistons (IFP).
#2: Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
The Raptor is still on hiatus. Technically, you cannot get it right now from the factory. However, there are plenty of the Raptors on the used market. The 2014 model went out of production seems like an eternity back, and the next generation 2017 Raptor is still several months away. Still, the Raptor is on the list because it is a very good desert runner or pre-runner. The truck can reach exceptional speeds on a dirt trail on in the dunes. Adding to that: our Raptor has proven to be one of the most rugged, reliable vehicles we’ve worked with. If Ford can stick to this successful formula, the 2017 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is bound to be a gem.
#1: Ram Power Wagon
There is no denying the Power Wagon’s off-road prowess, just check out this video. Based on a Ram 2500, the “P-Dub” (as only I call it) comes with Ram’s 6.4-liter HEMI V8 that makes 410 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of rotational goodness. With 4.10 axles in the front and rear, it rides on 17-inch forged-aluminum wheels with matte-black centers and 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires. According to Ram, the truck can ford 30 inches of water. As an added bonus, the PW received a cosmetic update for the 2017 model year and is the only truck to come standard with a 12,000-pound winch.
Bonus: Nissan Frontier Pro-4x
Two Nissans on the list!? No, we are not on the company’s payroll… the Frontier is actually a nice little off-road rig, albeit severely dated inside and out.
Check out the countdown below.
