Getting away and enjoying the outdoors is attractive for most people, especially those who spend their time crammed into cities with nothing but concrete. To handle the outdoors without issues, people are turning to trucks to take them and their luggage to any destination.
Off-road trails make part of the adventure, and some people might opt to use them on their way to the destination. However, in reality, most trucks were never designed to go off-road, with many failing miserably on the tamest muddy trails.
10 Honda Ridgeline
The Ridgeline will handle just fine if you plan to go to a campsite using little dirt roads. Its all-wheel-drive system is good only with snow and ice. However, if you encountered a muddy road, you would have to consider rerouting.
Like most trucks on this list, the Honda Ridgeline has low ground clearance, making it a great urban warrior. Most users consider the Ridgeline as a truck with car-like handling. However, its handling and roomy cabin aren’t enough to tackle off-road obstacles.
9 Hummer H2 SUT
Hummer trucks are a misunderstood bunch. They are slow, big, cheaply made, have bad fuel economy, and aren’t good at off-roading. However, the trucks were popular among celebrities in the 2000s because of their road presence.
The SUT was Hummer’s idea of a pickup truck. It had all the same characteristics of a Hummer, the only difference being the open load area at the back. The area was ridiculously small, making it irrelevant as a work truck. The SUT was the last truck you would want as an off-roader.
8 Chevrolet S10
The S10 was a compact pickup truck produced by Chevrolet from 1981 to 2004. The latest iteration of the S10 featured a five-passenger crew cab body with a V6 engine, standard four-wheel drive, and standard anti-lock brakes.
The first models of the S10 had a huge fan base, making them the go-to light commercial vehicles. However, the S10 had limited ground clearance, making it suitable only for light trails. Besides its off-road shortcomings, it was a reliable option for most people, but was later discontinued to make way for the larger Colorado.
7 Subaru Baja
The Baja was based on the Subaru Outback and a replacement for the Subaru Brat. It was only in production from 2003 to 2006 and was one of the models that didn’t sell well for the company. This attempt at a pickup truck promised great off-road capabilities.
For such a competitive vehicle space, the Baja could not deliver like the F-150. For starters, the Baja had low ground clearance, making it a disaster off-road. It also had a small bed and less towing and hauling power for a truck.
6 Cadillac Escalade EXT
The EXT was a weird union between the Chevrolet Avalanche and the Escalade. This weird-looking truck was a luxury iteration from Cadillac meant to rival the Chevrolet Avalanche and Lincoln Blackwood. Because of its misplaced priorities, the EXT couldn’t be a great workhorse or luxury truck.
Like the Blackwood, the EXT was also one of the worst-selling cars in the US. It was later discontinued in 2013 because clients could opt for the Escalade for luxury and the F-150 for a capable workhorse.
5 Lincoln Blackwood
Lincoln created the Blackwood as a luxury pickup truck in 2002. The Blackwood was derived from Lincoln’s Navigator and Ford’s F-150, and it was one of Lincoln’s biggest flops. The truck was available with a 5.4-liter V8 capable of producing 300 hp and 355 lb-ft of torque.
It was also available in only one trim, with all Lincoln features as standard. Besides being a fancier version of the F-150 Crew Cab, the Blackwood wasn’t available with an all-wheel drive system, making it a useless truck off-road. It also had an enclosed back area lined with carpet, making it seem like a wannabe pickup truck.
4 Mercedes-Benz X Class
The introduction of the X Class was Mercedes’ way of trying to diversify their commercial vehicle sales. With this, they could reduce the company’s dependency on the Sprinter van. The X Class made its debut in 2017 in South Africa.
It was a luxury, high-priced pickup truck with no right to be taken off-road. Like most options on this list, the X Class didn’t have a true four-wheel drive system. Besides, anyone who wanted a reliable workhorse was better off with the Nissan Navara from which the X Class was copied.
3 Dodge Ram SRT 10
The SRT-10 might be one of the best pickup trucks of all time. It was created as a sports pickup truck that could annihilate sports cars and supercars on a straight line and the track. The Ram SRT-10 had subtle exterior details to suggest the beast lying within.
Under the hood, the SRT-10 had Dodge Viper’s 8.3-liter V10 and lowered suspension. The suspension helped the truck get the most out of the engine by ensuring it could accelerate to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. Its lowered suspension also made it an awful option for an off-road truck.
2 GMC Syclone
Produced in 1991 by GMC, the Syclone was a high-performance version of the company’s Sonoma truck. It was the quickest production truck in 1991, with its turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 producing 280 hp and 350 lb-ft. When new, the Syclone could manage a 4.3 seconds 0 to 60 mph run and a 13.4-second quarter-mile sprint.
The GMC Sonoma was the best option if you loved the look of the Syclone and wanted a good workhorse. The Syclone had lowered suspension that immediately made it unusable off-road. Besides, it featured mad styling that was never meant to be taken off-road.
1 Ford SVT F-150 Lightning
Fitting a supercharged 5.4-liter V8 into a truck is a recipe that made Ford stand out with the SVT F-150 Lightning. The pickup produced 380 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque, allowing it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds.
The Lightning was a truck for someone who wanted a sleek sleeper that could challenge some powerful sports cars. This made the SVT F-150 a great track and drag weapon. Unlike the standard F-150, the SVT F-150 wasn’t a great workhorse due to its lowered suspension.