Help choosing the right vehicle

[Overwatch21]

You keep hanging on the front locker when in reality so few people actually have any real use for it. You are just starting out to explore and get in to off roading so the chances of you getting in to a situation where a front locker is any benefit is slim and none, especially with these traction based systems on the front end these days picking up the slack. I personally would rather take a rear locker and front limited slip/electronic traction system over a front locker in any vehicle that isn't a dedicated trail rig and shares DD and road trip duty.

Don't get me wrong, the Colorado is the top choice of mid size vehicles for a reason and I wouldn't have any question of the reliability of GM. They are known to have robust and long lasting drivetrains, interior quality over the years has been questionable but the meat and potatoes will last you a very long time.

Best you can do is be realistic of what you plan to use it for and test them all as you have. The rear seats of the midsize while only offering a few more inches than a full size crew cab is much more comfortable with the recline of the seats. We are a tall family and fit fine in the Canyon we have. Now the rear seat isn't long road trip worthy with full size adults front and rear especially on the taller side, but they work great for teens, kids and shorter trips while getting the benefits of a smaller and more efficient vehicle that fits everywhere. Also the GM twins can be had in a crew cab long bed trim (only route to go IMO if needing more room than an extended cab).

Tyler

True, a front locker isn't needed. I used to do some off-roading in a Subaru and my dads old Wrangler. My thinking was a front locker allows you to go slow over things which ultimately is less wear and tear on the truck overall. The crawl control type feature found in the Tacoma/Tremor do work very well.

 

[spectre6000]

No idea where you live, but up here (mountains above Denver) that locker comes in tremendously handy. I was recently driving my daughter around (just getting out of the house), and she threw up after some switchbacks. I pulled over on the nearest flattish shoulderish area, cleaned it up, and then realized I was stuck in some deep snow. 4WD, still stuck. Locked rear, still stuck. Locked front, and we're off. No drama. Lockers give you control where fancy brake based traction control trickery is very much out of your hands. In more general off road conditions, knowing when and how to use it keeps stresses low on everything else, and that makes the whole thing more "reliable".

 

[Overwatch21]

No idea where you live, but up here (mountains above Denver) that locker comes in tremendously handy. I was recently driving my daughter around (just getting out of the house), and she threw up after some switchbacks. I pulled over on the nearest flattish shoulderish area, cleaned it up, and then realized I was stuck in some deep snow. 4WD, still stuck. Locked rear, still stuck. Locked front, and we're off. No drama. Lockers give you control where fancy brake based traction control trickery is very much out of your hands. In more general off road conditions, knowing when and how to use it keeps stresses low on everything else, and that makes the whole thing more "reliable".

I have not had a vehicle with a front locker, but from everything I've read that makes total sense.

However, the systems found in Toyota/Ford do seem to work very well.

 

[Grassland]

Is the new frontier out of the running?

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I'm in the market looking at several vehicles. I need/want it for hauling things now and then for different house projects and off-roading/overlanding.

So far I've narrowed it down to the following vehicles:

4Runner TRD Off-Road
Colorado ZR2
Ford Ranger FX-4/Tremor
Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

The Jeep lacks the hauling ability, excels off-road. Reliability is questionable. All are great in their own way.

Honda Ridgeline meets all your stated needs and gets better MPG than the trucks you listed.

 

[calicamper]

Is the new frontier out of the running?

Good point think TFL did a quick in person walk around of a pre production one recently. My guess due to Nissan company drama and huge losses its going to be a tad short in various comparables but likely the most affordable and probably decent 4x4 capabilities.

 

[Todd780]

My guess due to Nissan company drama and huge losses its going to be a tad short in various comparables but likely the most affordable and probably decent 4x4 capabilities.

Kind of like all their vehicles lately?

 

[calicamper]

Kind of like all their vehicles lately?

Its sad to see that company implode like that. All our Nissan/Infinity dealers have closed up or become used car lots around here. They have designed some great engines over the years but dang they are a disaster today.

 

[Todd780]

Its sad to see that company implode like that. All our Nissan/Infinity dealers have closed up or become used car lots around here. They have designed some great engines over the years but dang they are a disaster today.

Oh wow. I don't see a whole lot of newer ones driving around. But have not heard of dealerships closing around here.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Its sad to see that company implode like that. All our Nissan/Infinity dealers have closed up or become used car lots around here. They have designed some great engines over the years but dang they are a disaster today.

My wife had a 2014 Altima.... Great car and took a massive beating in an accident while keeping my wife injury free. To replace it we got a 2016 Altima...which ended up having a pretty serious problem: if you were stopped for any amount of time, sometimes the gas peddle wouldn't work....as in you would press it and nothing would happen. Nissan tried 4 times (claimed they couldn't recreate the problem) to find the problem and then we got sick of it and traded it in on a CPO Fusion Hybrid- which cost less to buy, insure, and gets almost 2x the fuel economy... Plus it has a better warrenty.

At one time Inhad a 2001 Frontier and a 2002 Xterra. Both were great trucks and didn't give me any problems over a couple of years of ownership.

 

[Overwatch21]

Stock Ranger FX-4 on a Jeep trail. Not bad at all. Quite good surprisingly.

2019 Ford Ranger Off-Road Test - Broken Arrow Trail Sedona, AZ - YouTube

 

[jbaucom]

A stock FX4 or Chevy Z71, driven well, is a lot more capable than most give them credit for. Chevy Z71s just need their air dams removed before heading off road; it improves front clearance a lot.

 

[Overwatch21]

Rather than include the ZR2 simply because of the front locker, I'm going to get the vehicle that is the best for me overall and just add an ARB front air locker. That solves my problem. With the 8 speed automatic in the ZR2 being an issue (despite the fluid change from Chevy), I'd rather opt for another brand and install the front ARB locker. With that said I'm heavily leaning towards the Ranger.

 

[jbaucom]

If you get the Ranger with the FX4 package, you get Ford's Terrain Management system, which has different settings for types of terrain (sand/mud/snow, etc) that changes how the traction control responds on all four wheels when in 4WD. It really gets a lot of praise from owners. You probably won't need to add an aftermarket front locker with Terrain Management, but if you discover through use that the lack of front locker is limiting you, it can always be added. Advanced 4 wheel traction control can be amazing, especially combined with a rear locker. The front traction control limited slip won't adversely impact steering the way a locked front differential will.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The parts to put a front locker in a Ranger now exist in the Bronco... I bet they will be crossing over to the Ranger in the future.

Personally I have never had a locker. A tight limited slip has worked so far for me.