Best Jeeps for Overland Travel

[Steve321]

What's everyones thoughts on which Jeep is the best for Overland Travel? There are so many different models.

I've read a few articles saying good things about the Gladiator - but I don't see the upside of having a pickup bed in a vehicle you intend to live out of.

I currently have an LX470 - are there any Jeeps comparable in internal size and comfort to those?

I'm not into rock-crawling, but I want a vehicle that has a decent level of off-roading capability just so I can get to campsites I might want to explore.

Note: I am not wedded to the idea of a Jeep - I'm just trying to determine if there are any worth considering. I will want a new rig at some point, and the Grenadier is not available yet!

Edit - decent payload is important to me too!

 

[TexasTJ]

What’s wrong with your 470? It’s a good option. But the Gladiator sport With Max tow will get you the most payload form a Jeep.

 

[Steve321]

What’s wrong with your 470? It’s a good option. But the Gladiator sport With Max tow will get you the most payload form a Jeep.

I like my LX470 - it's just incredibly sluggish (almost dangerously so). To be fair, it came with some massive tires on it that I think are adversely impacting it's performance.

It's fun to think about getting a new more modern rig if I start using it for extended travel. I may not buy anytime soon, just exploring what might make for good options.

 

[W0lfpack91]

The benifits of the jeep are the solid axles offroad but without a long arm kit they ride like ass on pavement. If you are just doing basic overlanding and dirt roads usually having a wrangler is overkill and wasted money. The Gladiator is useless for serious offroad their wheelbase is way too long and the departure angle will get hung on even mild ledges, its main advantage is the ability to be used as a very capable base camp rig. My opinion is 98% of jeep owners have no need for a jeep, their needs are usually better met with other comparable SUVs.

My advice would be if the sluggish performance is your biggest concern contact a company like Yukon talk with a sales rep about re-gearing. Give them the tire size and your overall maximum weight with all the gear, if you need to find out your weight (this is for USA) go to any truck stop with a CAT scale put one axle on each pad tell them you need weight for pad 1 and pad 2 costs $12.00 and will show weight for each axle and combined gross.

But with the tire size and weight Yukon or any gear company can recomend a new gearset that will get your performance back to stock or even slightly better.

 

[Charles R]

I'll second what W0lfpack says. For anything short of rock crawling, I feel your Lexus is better than anything Jeep offers.

 

[TexasTJ]

☝ THIS.

 

[W0lfpack91]

Also something to keep in mind if you are still interested in a newer vehicle is keep an eye on ford with the new Bronco 4 door. That is shaping up to be a good tradeoff for people who enjoy the wrangler experience but still want a decent driver that is also quite capable.

 

[Dan Grec]

If you're looking to build a vehicle you can actually live out of, I genuinely think it's extremely hard to beat the 4 door Wrangler with the Ursa Minor popup.

It's a complete game changer.

-Dan

 

[kga1978]

Since you're not into rock crawling, the WK2 for sure (if you want a Jeep) - it's a great platform and very compliant on-road while being capable enough off-road. Get the hemi and it's far from "sluggish". I'd suggest looking at the Trailhawk with all options + hemi - given how things are going, you can probably get 8k - 9k off MSRP. Then look to build it up a little using Chief Products and you'll have a great overlander!

For me, this has been the best platform by far - taking it to the desert and the Sierra here in California often and never run into any issues or stuff that outmatched its capabilities.

If you spend most of your time on dirt, sure, the Wrangler will be a much better choice - but you're going to regret that choice as you hit tarmac...

 

[shays4me]

I’m pretty biased toward a jk four door as well. I’ve got an Ursa Minor top on it and I’m loving it! I’m sleeping in it tonight as I type this. The only real downside to the jk or jl platform is the load rating. You have to select your components carefully. As for the gladiator, I would be really tempted to buy one if I were in the market. I’d get a diesel and a pop top camper for the bed.

 

[Chorky]

I’m pretty biased toward a jk four door as well. I’ve got an Ursa Minor top on it and I’m loving it! I’m sleeping in it tonight as I type this. The only real downside to the jk or jl platform is the load rating. You have to select your components carefully. As for the gladiator, I would be really tempted to buy one if I were in the market. I’d get a diesel and a pop top camper for the bed.

After trying a couple different configurations myself I also think the diesel gladiator is the best 'all around' option. jack of all, master of none. but like others say, depends on what you want. in some cases, maybe a motorhome is best, just for sake of discussion.

 

[AggieOE]

What are your thoughts on 4Runners? A Grand Cherokee? Or another Lexus? Wranglers are great and all but quite different. As such... we usually take our 4Runner on longer trips where rock crawling isn't the destination.

 

[Kingfish]

I recently made the move from JKU to a WK2 Trailhawk. I loved my JKU but wanted something new, something with more power, more luxury, better all around handling & more modern tech. Sure I am sacrificing some off-road prowess but the amount of time I do spend off-road compared to on, means the WK2 is a better fit for me. Plus I have a little one now and her seat fits far better in the back compared to the JKU. I'll be adding rock sliders, front bumper and a Gobi rack which will give me everything I need. I couldn't be happier with the switch. Now if I sell the wife's Outback next year, I may pick up a new JLU just to have that Wrangler Rubicon option. But we will see what next year brings. Given your checklist, if the 470 isn't doing it for you, I think a Trailhawk would be worth looking at.

I looked at the 4Runner but it is seriously lacking in the technology department and refinement that I wanted. Very capable off-road with decent towing but outdated transmission and overall package. For the money, the Trailhawk was a clear choice for me.

 

[4x4tripping]

The LX470 is fine for overlanding. Did use the big brother Landcruiser 200 (near LX570) to cross africa and travelling south america.

The Jeep is lighter, what helps if you plan serious offroad (at weekends, for extended he is to heavy again)

Any car can be used for overlanding - if we look what that small beatle did ;-) Transafrica, Panamericana and more...

Mit VW Käfer und Wohnwagen auf Weltreise

Weltreise mit dem Wohnwagen - es gibt einige Beispiele...

www.4x4tripping.com

 

[alanymarce]

When we bought our current vehicle we tested the Wrangler range (including the Rubicon) - didn't have the internal space we wanted, and (more importantly) the highway ride was poor. We drove to Quebec City in a Wrangler shortly afterwards and this confirmed our opinion.

I've owned three Jeeps - 1994 Cherokee 4.0L, 1997 Cherokee 3.7L, and a 1998 Cherokee 2.8D. All three were more than capable in standard form of "overlanding" and "offroading" - we took the first from Texas to Europe and covered 165,000 Km in it. The second and third were driven only in Europe and were fine. We also drove a Grand Cherokee the first 1225 Km of the Trans-Canada Highway (westbound) in winter, and it did a good job for us. I suspect (as others have noted) that the key question is "Best for what?". If you want to drive to Deadhorse and stay mainly on highways then I'd stick with the vehicle you have, or perhaps go for a Grand Cherokee if it's spacious enough. If you want to spend more time on unsurfaced roads and exploring a little "off road" then I think I'd still stay with the LX470.

PS: we ended up with a Montero - capable of going everywhere we've wanted to go, comfortable, and spacious.