With so many people crammed into cities with nothing but concrete around them all week, getting away and going outdoors over the weekend has never been a more attractive option.
As a result, more and more people have been turning to trucks to take them and all their belongings to their destination of choice. Part of the adventure have become the off-road trails on the way to their destination of choice (or just hitting trails for the fun of it). But, in reality, many trucks were just never designed to go off-road like this and will fail miserably on even the tamest of mud trails.
So, here's a list of 10 pickup trucks that are pretty much useless off the tarmac, and 5 that are unstoppable off-road!
15 Useless: Honda Ridgeline
If you are just going to a campsite with a little dirt road on the way, the AWD Ridgeline will handle that just fine. The AWD is only really for snow and ice, so if you find a muddy road, you might have to consider re-routing. This "truck" is an urban warrior, and with its low ground clearance, it really does not pretend to be anything but that.
14 Useless: Ford Ranchero
Literally a car with a pickup bed, this classic truck was an early mover when it comes to trucks using a unibody platform, but it was certainly never designed with any overlanding in mind. Even some wet grass will get you in a world of trouble, especially the performance versions.
13 Useless: Chevrolet El Camino
This was Chevrolet's answer to the Ranchero, an answer that some might say that was rather comprehensive, outselling the Ranchero in its first year. This is another truck that won't have an answer to a muddy dirt road with all the power going to the light rear end and no ground clearance to speak of.
12 Useless: Chevrolet LUV
This truck might be a good example of successful badge engineering as it did rather well in the early years of production. With the very small underpowered 1.8-liter 4 cylinder, if you do happen to get into any trouble off-road, you're not going to be getting out of it!
11 Useless: Subaru BRAT
To this day, nobody really knows what sort of niche Subaru was looking to fill with the BRAT. If you want something a little different, this is certainly that! Although it has AWD, it is only meant to get you out of trouble in snow and ice. But off-road, the BRAT will only serve to get you further into trouble.
10 Useless: Ford Courier
Another example of some badge engineering, the Courier was also brought to America to fill a gap in the market. This is another good little workhorse that proved to be cheap to run and very reliable, but it won't cope very well with any work off the beaten track with minimal ground clearance and skinny tires.
9 Useless: Dodge Ram SRT-10
This high-performance pickup, with its Viper-derived V10, was designed for having fun, or hauling a load at hyper-speed! It was never intended to go off-road, and for good reason, as sometimes too much power is really a bad thing. It will get you into trouble a lot more than it will get you out of it (albeit with a wide grin on your face).
8 Useless: Mitsubishi Mighty Max 4x4
Another small pickup that really only really serves as a workhorse. For a 4x4, it has limited ground clearance and not-so-mighty turbo diesel engines. The gas engines had respectable power, but they also had poor ride quality and no power steering option.
7 Useless: Chevrolet S10 4x4
The Chevrolet S10 has a huge fan base. At a time of its release, it was the go-to light commercial vehicle. It is unfortunately another 4x4 with limited ground clearance (unless you get one with the ZR2 upgrade package) and will not be able to handle anything more than a light trail.
6 Useless: Dodge Rampage
While the "car with a truck bed" was all the rage, Dodge did what they could to get a piece of that pie. With middling performance and poor sales, it faded away quickly, it will also fade away once you get off the tarmac with zero power under the hood and wheels that can barely handle the tarmac.
5 Unstoppable: Toyota Land Cruiser Pickup
Having proven itself in a few wars, there is no denying how effective the vehicle is off-road. Still, it's the global first choice (for peace-keepers and warmongers alike) for a vehicle to reach the most remote regions due to its bulletproof reliability and incredible off-road ability.
4 Unstoppable: Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
When it comes to off-roading trucks, Toyota has had a remarkably old and successful history with its models. While the Tacoma is a perfectly capable off-roader on its own, the TRD (Toyota Racing Development) package puts it right at the top of the off-roading food chain. It has a 35-degree angle of approach and enhanced ground clearance, paired with a 278-hp V6 connected to all four wheels in a 4x4 configuration.
3 Unstoppable: Ford F-150 Raptor
There are a lot of really good 4x4's on the market today, able to tackle any hurdle you throw at them, but few can do that at the speeds the Raptor can achieve thanks to its insane 450-hp engine. Truly, there is no truck that can match the Raptor for sheer pace over almost any terrain.
2 Unstoppable: Land Rover Defender Pickup
With a grim reliability record in the past, this may be an option many would have laughed at in the past. However, the last versions have solid reliability coupled with unbelievable off-road performance. And thanks to a crazy 49-degree approach angle, you will have the confidence to really tackle anything!
1 Unstoppable: Dodge Power Wagon
This classic truck, it has to be said, is bare-bones! It has proven itself to be one of the best off-road vehicles out there. Although mightily heavy and rather slow, it will climb over any obstacle in its path with tank-like efficiency.