4x4 reviews
Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:07 am
So, because of the last few jobs i've had, i've gotten the opportunity to sample the off road capabilities of various off road vehicles. I'm bored, so i figured i'd throw out some opinions. All vehicles were stock with knobby tires, and i have at least 50 hours driving each on dirt roads. I don't have much tech knowlege, so im not gonna put anything like that.
MT
2000 dodge ram quad cab 5.3 - pretty sweet truck. Turning radius of a small battleship is its main weakness, good power, appearantly good 4wd system, and an excellent solid feel. This truck has the best feedback in the brake and steering wheel of anything ive driven, and the benefits offroad are considerable. I could tell what the chunk of dirt under the wheels was by just wiggling the steering wheel, and could go faster on quality dirt roads because the brakes were predictable and consistent. Nice interior too, even if the radio was a piece of crap.
2001 chevrolet s10 - nice getting to the dirt road, horrible once you were there. The pushbutton low range is a nice gimmick, but more than once was i stuck because a front and rear wheel lost traction and were spinning merrily. Embarrassing and annoying. Ground clearance wasn't that great, although the big tires helped a bit.
1990 subaru legacy - I'll just throw this in so it's somewhat scoob related. Simple fact is, it doesn't go wheelin' like anything else im listing. It could go just about anywhere else the s10 could, but the s10 sucked too. Main problem is a lack of ground clearance; it gets hung up on broadbaseddips/whoopdedoos where any of the others could cruise on by. Falling off a considerably smaller rock means a shot to the chassis, and the chassis gets deformed a lot more easily than a body-on-frame vehicle. In marginal traction at speed, it shines though, edging out the s10 for the best vehicle on rilled or slick surfaces.
1997 dodge dakota - wierd thing to say, but the gear ratios suck. The gap between 2nd and 3rd must be huge, or something. It wheeled much better than the s10, aside from seeming to hang up the rear bumper a lot (if they make a longbed model, this was one). It was pretty softly suspended, which seems to work on these 4x4s. The brakes felt darn good, but the steering left something to be desired. Only about 20 hours in it.
AT
2004 silverado quad cab - great clearance, horrible pedal/steering wheel feel (good god that brake pedal sucks) barge-like turning circle. This thing seems to reward the experienced, you have to know where your wheels are, and then it will go anywhere. The hood and shape don't allow for much visability, and the controls dont tell you shit. I suspect that the suspension is relatively much firmer than the chassis- it chatters and bumps and squeeks like crazy. Annoying and kind of wierd.
1996 ford bronco - my favorite 4x4. Sure, the POS has a shitty radio and the ac is busted and the taillights work sometimes and the idiot girl who is your coworker has beaten the shit out of the bodywork, but man can it climb. Feel for the controls is decent, the turning radius is possibly better than the scoob, and it tackles rilled fast roads pretty darn well, maybe better if the interior wasn't falling apart. Ours had a 351, and it was never lacking for power. Keep in mind the vehicle im talking about only had 45k on it. Oh, and it had the most acceptable AT in it too.
MT
2000 dodge ram quad cab 5.3 - pretty sweet truck. Turning radius of a small battleship is its main weakness, good power, appearantly good 4wd system, and an excellent solid feel. This truck has the best feedback in the brake and steering wheel of anything ive driven, and the benefits offroad are considerable. I could tell what the chunk of dirt under the wheels was by just wiggling the steering wheel, and could go faster on quality dirt roads because the brakes were predictable and consistent. Nice interior too, even if the radio was a piece of crap.
2001 chevrolet s10 - nice getting to the dirt road, horrible once you were there. The pushbutton low range is a nice gimmick, but more than once was i stuck because a front and rear wheel lost traction and were spinning merrily. Embarrassing and annoying. Ground clearance wasn't that great, although the big tires helped a bit.
1990 subaru legacy - I'll just throw this in so it's somewhat scoob related. Simple fact is, it doesn't go wheelin' like anything else im listing. It could go just about anywhere else the s10 could, but the s10 sucked too. Main problem is a lack of ground clearance; it gets hung up on broadbaseddips/whoopdedoos where any of the others could cruise on by. Falling off a considerably smaller rock means a shot to the chassis, and the chassis gets deformed a lot more easily than a body-on-frame vehicle. In marginal traction at speed, it shines though, edging out the s10 for the best vehicle on rilled or slick surfaces.
1997 dodge dakota - wierd thing to say, but the gear ratios suck. The gap between 2nd and 3rd must be huge, or something. It wheeled much better than the s10, aside from seeming to hang up the rear bumper a lot (if they make a longbed model, this was one). It was pretty softly suspended, which seems to work on these 4x4s. The brakes felt darn good, but the steering left something to be desired. Only about 20 hours in it.
AT
2004 silverado quad cab - great clearance, horrible pedal/steering wheel feel (good god that brake pedal sucks) barge-like turning circle. This thing seems to reward the experienced, you have to know where your wheels are, and then it will go anywhere. The hood and shape don't allow for much visability, and the controls dont tell you shit. I suspect that the suspension is relatively much firmer than the chassis- it chatters and bumps and squeeks like crazy. Annoying and kind of wierd.
1996 ford bronco - my favorite 4x4. Sure, the POS has a shitty radio and the ac is busted and the taillights work sometimes and the idiot girl who is your coworker has beaten the shit out of the bodywork, but man can it climb. Feel for the controls is decent, the turning radius is possibly better than the scoob, and it tackles rilled fast roads pretty darn well, maybe better if the interior wasn't falling apart. Ours had a 351, and it was never lacking for power. Keep in mind the vehicle im talking about only had 45k on it. Oh, and it had the most acceptable AT in it too.