need 4x4 for Daily Commute and Light Off-Roading

[D60]

That said, if the vehicle can handle some light crawling over small obstacles, I’d love to explore off-roading occasionally. It’s not a priority, but having that capability would be a nice bonus. Appreciate your advice on this!

Then you want a 2-speed transfer case, period. People rarely understand the benefits of gear reduction, and how hard it is to try to rely solely on a torque converter for this. Plus, it will NEVER be the same -- torque converters still load up, load up, load up....then BAM you're either spinning tires or rocket forward and slam on the brakes.

A lever-operated t-case is a HUGE bonus for reliability, and Toyota has been REALLY good about that.

I personally hate AWD systems and will choose driver-selectable, part-time systems EVERY time. I want the control and I know how to drive it.

 

[SC Maintenance]

The Armada and Pathfinder have independant rear suspension - which has kept the Nissan off-road community away from them - but if thats OK with you, then there solid platforms. Certain years with certain problems but if you can avoid those you should be OK.

Xterra and Frontier are the prefered Nissan off-road platform's for harder off-roading and load carrying off road. Since you said mild trails - may not be needed. Also Xterra and Frontier are less $ than a 4Runner, but not by a lot anymore. The rest of the world is catching on unfortunately.

For daily driving in snow I would much prefer a true AWD setup like the previously mentioned Forester, etc. Much better gas mileage also. Everything is a trade off.

Maybe a Jeep GC. I had a WJ way back when, and it was quite good off road actually. Not sure about the newer ones. Reliability is sort of hit or miss it seems from my reading - again you have to be discerning about year and powertrain versions.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

What kind of car do you have now?

Thank you for the reply! I’m based in Ontario, where we get a fair amount of snow. My primary concern is having a vehicle that won’t get stuck on gravel or dirt roads, especially in snowy conditions. That’s the main reason I’m looking into a capable 4WD vehicle.

That said, if the vehicle can handle some light crawling over small obstacles, I’d love to explore off-roading occasionally. It’s not a priority, but having that capability would be a nice bonus. Appreciate your advice on this!

You don't need AWD or 4WD for that

Obviously you don't want to be stuck in a Mustang on summer tires, but just about any AWD will do, or even FWD with winter tires.

A Rav4 with all-weather tires or even crossover H/T tires will suffice. You might be able to get A/T tires, depending on what tire size your next car or crossover uses.

If you need something bigger, consider a Mazda5, Kia Rondo, or Chevy Orlando. There's also the Transit Connect.

You sound like a prime candidate for Subaru. The 2011+ Forester seems like a good fit for you. 2011 is when they switched to the good engine.

The big BOF SUV's don't have much room inside for their exterior size. For example, a Sequoia/LC/GX/Armada has less interior room than a Sienna. Also, the Sienna is available with AWD.

You could also import a TourX from the US (it wasn't sold in Canada, but US and Canadian standards are basically identical).

Indeed Subaru forester looks so good too, I was actually looking into the Armada, and I really like its size and presence. However, I’ve seen quite a few people on Facebook groups mentioning reliability issues, which has me a bit concerned. That’s making it hard to decide.

Do you have any insights on how reliable the Armada really is, especially for someone planning to use it in snow and occasional light off-roading? Would you recommend it, or should I consider something else in a similar size range? Thanks!

The Armada is not *quite* as good as a Toyota, but it's still good. There's Toyota, then Nissan, then American stuff, then Kia and the Euros. Kia only sold the Borrego in the US for a year, but they sold it for a few more years in Canada. They still make it for other markets, such as Korea. If you still insist on a large BOF SUV, Borregos are CHEAP