10 4X4 Crossovers that Perform Well Off-Road

Many shoppers looking for trail-friendly vehicles start with body-on-frame SUVs. It’s a wise choice, but there are also a number of 4X4 crossovers that perform well off-road. In fact, most of Jeep’s “Trail-Rated” SUVs — all but the Wrangler line — are technically crossovers. That means they were built using the same sort of unibody construction as a car, with the frame and key body parts designed as a single unit.

Nor is Jeep the only company that can put bona fide off-road capability into a crossover-style package. You can confidently leave the beaten path in capable choices from high-end luxury brands, too, along with entries from other mainstream names. All of them can also be surprisingly civilized when you return to the pavement. Here are 10 crossovers that perform well off-road.

We could probably include every Jeep crossover on a list of 10 crossovers that perform well off-road, but we’ve limited ourselves to the entry model and the range-topper. This way you get an idea of the breadth of the Jeep lineup, plus a wider range of non-Jeep alternatives.

We’ll start with the 2019 Jeep Renegade. The mighty mite of the Jeep roster, the Renegade is available in a Trailhawk trim that’s equipped with standard four-wheel drive and 8.7 inches of ground clearance. And if you meet up with rocks or tree branches at a higher altitude, the vehicle’s 8.1 inches of wheel articulation and robust skid plates can help you climb over them.

Subaru is another brand that’s known for building 4X4 crossovers that perform well off-road, so we’ll be double-dipping here as well. For starters, the company pushes the envelope this year with the all-new 2019 Subaru Forester.

This redesigned compact crossover is billed as the most capable Forester ever, and it backs up that boasting with standard active torque vectoring, Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive system, and 8.7 inches of ground clearance. For tougher trails, all trims above the base model add standard hill-descent control and an X-Mode drive system. That latter technology lets you choose a dedicated setting for off-road driving. The three highest trim levels rely on a dual-mode setup with specific settings for Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud.

We’ve got one more brand on our list with a pair of 4X4 crossovers that perform well off-road. It’s Land Rover, a company with its own long-standing reputation for extreme off-road performance.

Consider the 2019 Land Rover Discovery. Yes, it can show off luxury cues like handcrafted wood veneers and climate-controlled massage-function seats. But the Discovery can also take advantage of an optional air-suspension for 11.1 inches of ground clearance and the ability to wade through nearly 3 feet of water. To handle the rough stuff, you can order the Discovery with a four-wheel drive system that combines a two-speed transfer case and a rear active locking differential. High-tech assistance is available from Land Rover’s Terrain Response drive system and All Terrain Progress Control.

If you’re shopping for mainstream 4X4 crossovers that perform well off-road, you may want to test-drive the brand-new 2019 Toyota RAV4. To be exact, you’ll want to check out the aptly named Adventure trim.

Riding on 8.6 inches of ground clearance, the RAV4 Adventure model comes with Dynamic Torque Vectoring All-Wheel Drive. A standard Multi-Terrain Select drive system also lets you dial in unique performance characteristics for mud, sand, dirt, rocks, and snow. Additionally, this trim level offers both hill-start assistance and hill-descent control. One ensures you don’t roll back when you take your foot off the brake on an incline, and the other provides a confident trip down the hill in a forward direction, automatically engaging the brakes so you don’t descend too quickly.

Larger 4X4 crossovers that perform well off-road include the all-new 2020 Ford Explorer. One of the most popular mid-size entries on the market, the 2020 Explorer has been completely redesigned with a strong focus on improved trail manners.

One important upgrade is the Explorer’s latest Terrain Management System. You can leverage up to seven driving modes with that technology. Among them: separate settings for “trail” and “slippery” conditions, along with modes specifically for deep snow and sand. Each has its own animated graphics with the Explorer’s optional digital instrument panel. Ford also offers more power for any driving situations. An optional 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine can belt out 365 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque — or 400 horses and 415 pound-feet of torque for the track-capable Explorer ST.

VW can also satisfy your demand for 4X4 crossovers that perform well off-road. The Volkswagen Tiguan was actually redesigned in 2018 with exactly that in mind. Even the front and rear bumpers of the Tiguan were reshaped to make it easier for the vehicle to maneuver on tough terrain.

Further examples can be found in the Tiguan’s electronic stability control and its anti-lock brakes, as both systems are programmed to take into account trail driving. Separate driving modes for snow and off-road conditions can fine-tune the Tiguan’s capabilities while bolstering its trail cred with hill-start assist and hill-descent control. You don’t have to take our word for it, either, as the Tiguan has topped a number of off-road crossover comparos.

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE is newly redesigned with more technology than ever before — including some that can boost its rugged off-road capability. One highlight is its sophisticated E-Active Body Control suspension. With this innovation on the typical air suspension, you can adjust the ride height at all four wheels individually.

Mercedes also provides trail-specific functions with its next-gen infotainment system. For instance, you can view off-road displays that are incorporated into the GLE’s digital instrument cluster or head-up display. In terms of hardware, the 2020 GLE welcomes the automaker’s newest fully variable 4Matic four-wheel drive system. It can distribute power from the front to the back axles so that either set of wheels can benefit from 100 percent of the vehicle’s torque.

There are some 4X4 crossovers that perform well off-road but may never get the chance. We’re thinking about vehicles like the 2019 Land Rover Range Rover, with its $90,000 MSRP. You may not want to risk that kind of investment by roving too far off the asphalt.

Yet this full-size flagship can be ordered ready for action. Opt for the available air suspension and you can increase ground clearance to 11.6 inches. That can carry you over large obstacles and through up to 35.4 inches of water. When things are especially slippery, the Low Traction Launch system can get you moving without spinning your wheels. Then the All-Terrain Progress Control keeps you going, like low-speed trail-friendly cruise control.

Subaru is firmly committed to selling 4X4 crossovers that perform well off-road. As a result, vehicles like the 2019 Subaru Outback are adventure-ready right out of the box. The Outback rides 8.7 inches above the ground, allowing it to tackle uneven terrain, and symmetrical all-wheel drive and the X-Mode drive system are both standard.

X-Mode helps the Outback remain sure-footed in slick situations, thanks to its ability to control wheel-spin at all four corners individually. The same system also works to manage the Outback’s descent on steep hills. Meanwhile, to manage torque distribution from side to side, Active Torque Vectoring is standard. It works by braking the inside wheels when you’re turning, so the outside set can travel around the corner faster.

As we mentioned, Jeep has a lot of 4X4 crossovers that perform well off-road, but we close out today’s list with the brand’s most luxurious option. The 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee can be dressed up with Nappa leather, open-pore wood trim, climate-controlled seats, and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon sound system.

However, you can also take that stuff with you when you go off-road, since Jeep offers the Grand Cherokee in a Trailhawk trim. The Trailhawk is a past winner of Four Wheeler magazine’s “SUV of the Year” award, and it earns that honor with standard gear like Jeep’s Selec-Terrain multimode drive system, an air suspension — for almost 11 inches of ground clearance — and a four-wheel-drive system with an electronic limited-slip rear differential.