The best 4x4s and off-road cars – driven, rated and ranked

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads: these high-riders are capable on just about any surface

While SUVs dominate the new car sales charts these days, very few of them are proper 4x4s or off-roaders. Despite their raised ride heights and chunky body cladding, these machines favour high-street posing over climbing every mountain and fording every stream.
No, if you want to head out into the wilderness, then you need a fully-fledged 4×4 – a truly capable machine that will reach the parts other cars can’t. Designed from the outset to tackle the sort of terrain that would have Everest-hardened sherpas thinking twice, these machines don’t stop when the tough gets going.
So, which one is best? Well, that depends on your needs and budget. For instance, some models place great importance on mountain-goat agility at the expense of everything else, while others will happily wade into the rough stuff while ensuring its occupants remain in the lap of luxury. There are also hard-working pick-u