Best 4WD options in Australia

The popularity of 4X4s/4x4s/4WDs/4wds/off-roaders/whatever you want to call them has grown tremendously in the past 10 to 15 years and these vehicles regularly top national sales charts and they’re everywhere on our roads and bush tracks.

4WD utes and wagons used to be quite tractor-like in most aspects of their behaviour (ride and handling), as well as the wrong side of basic in terms of comfort, features and safety, but they now offer people high levels of all of those things.

Off-road vehicles joined the mainstream many moons ago because, as well as serving as proven workhorses on job sites, properties, mine sites and for rural and suburban families, they offer an elevated driving position with plenty of visibility, ample room inside for people and their things, a load height which makes it easier for parents to load their kids and groceries into the vehicle, as well as the perception of increased safety while on the move because 4WDs generally feel bigger and sturdier than a ‘normal’ passenger car.

But, more importantly, 4WD wagons and utes of all sizes offer something aspirational – they have become strong symbols of go-anywhere freedom.

They offer the driver and passengers the opportunity to experience the thrills and excitement of undiscovered locations, because 4WDs will take you to the type of out-of-the-way destinations that 2WD vehicles can’t reach.

So there’s that.

The type of people who buy 4WDs? Everyone. Off-roaders are being sold to, and driven by, people in every walk of life, in every community: tradesmen and women, daily commuters, weekend warriors, soccer mums and dads, tourers, grey nomads, you name it…

Different vehicles suit different people and vehicle comparisons are only of true value when they compare like for like – and we have plenty of those kinds of comparisons in out Adventure Guide and throughout carsguide.com.au so have a good ol’ gander at those.

So, let’s crack on. Here’s our list of the best 4x4s in Australia. Be aware: there are overlaps in this list and some vehicles are highlighted more than once, simply because they crossover a few categories.

But don’t needlessly get upset, put your outrage to good use and feel free to comment with your suggestions.

Note: This yarn is about 4WDs, not AWDs or 2WDs, and also only ICE (internal-combustion engne) vehicles, not EVs or hybrids – I’ll do those yarns soon enough, so stay up to date with my features.

SUV

An SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) is an all-encompassing term not limited to denoting 4WDs, but if you’re in the market for a 4WD SUV in Australia, you’re spoilt for choice.

For their size, comfort, refinement, equipment levels as well as off-road capability then the Ford Everest, Nissan Patrol and LandCruiser 300 Series should be at the top of your shopping list.

These are all proven daily drivers and 4WD adventure machines – they’re also pretty handy carrying and towing loads.

The Everest is fine with a V6 (184kW and 600Nm) or with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine (154kW and 500Nm), the Patrol is gung-ho with a 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine (298kW and 560Nm), and the 300 Series, with its 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel engine onboard (227kW and 700Nm), is the most powerful diesel LandCruiser ever.

Another option is to check out the second-hand market for older Patrols and LandCruisers.

Small

The field for best small 4WD in Australia is, ahem, a small one – well, compared to other market segments anyway.

And in this size-challenged segment the Jimny rules, specifically the five-door Jimny XL. It has the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the three-door (producing 75kW and 130Nm) and it has a part-time four-wheel drive system with high- and low-range, and off-road traction control.

The Jimny XL is still very much a Jimny, just stretched, and so it punts along simply because it is so small and light, even in XL guise.

It’s ordinary on-road, it’s on the wrong side of small – especially in terms of cargo-carrying ability – and it’s still an exercise in driver-adaptability because it’s basic, bouncy and requires a lot of effort to keep it driving in a straight line.

But it’s a whole of fun.

As is the two-door Wrangler Rubicon. Along with vehicles such as Suzuki’s Jimny and Toyota’s LandCruiser 70 Series, the short-wheelbase Rubicon occupies a thin market niche within a niche.

This is a purpose-built hardcore body-on-frame 4WD with very few concessions to comfort, safety or common sense. The beloved V6 petrol engine has recently been dropped and replaced by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine (200kW, 9.0kW less than the V6, and 400Nm, 53Nm more than the V6) but both engines work well in this two-door four-seat Jeep Wrangler, which is only available in top-spec Rubicon guise.

This Jeep is a vehicle with limited focus, but this specialised and well-equipped off-roader has a legion of fans who believe it's more than worth it.

Medium

The best mid-size 4WD in Australia is what many of us would describe as 'a hot button topic'.

The Toyota LandCruiser Prado has recently been rebooted but the previous generation – with a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (150kW and 500Nm) and full-time four-wheel drive with high- and low-range – was no slouch on- or off-road.

The 2025 Prado has the previous-gen’s diesel engine albeit now with a 48-volt 'V-Active' system, comprising a motor generator, 48-volt battery and DC/DC converter, all designed to improve driveability, performance, fuel efficiency and noise, vibration and harshness levels.

Even though the new Prado sits on the same platform as the 300 Series, I’m still going to put the Prado in here as a mid-size champ. Cry me a river…

Elsewhere in the mid-size segment, look at what still represents an appealing budget buy: the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. This is a proven touring vehicle, more than reasonable as a daily driver and it’s a very effective 4WD.

The Pajero Sport has a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine (133kW and 430Nm) and an eight-speed automatic transmission but one of the major points of difference some variants in the range have with rivals is 'Super Select II' 4WD, a system that adds an extra element of safety and sure-footedness to your driving experience.

You can switch from 2H into 4H (four-wheel drive, high-range) to give you the best traction possible in any traction-compromised situation.

There's no risk of transmission wind-up when 4H is engaged in a Super Select II-equipped Pajero Sport because the centre diff remains open.

Then turn the dial to 4HLc (four-wheel drive, high-range, locked centre diff) and you're ready to take on more difficult terrain but at lower speeds, because the centre diff is no longer open.

For even more difficult terrain than high-range 4WD territory, turn the dial to 4LLc (four-wheel drive, low-range, locked centre diff) and the Pajero Sport has the opportunity to excel in low-speed, low-range four-wheel driving.

It has a rear diff lock, which is engaged/disengaged via a button in front of the shifter and this further helps you to comfortably maintain safe forward momentum.

Family

The best family 4WD is a wide open field with numerous contenders across a variety of trim levels and price-tags, and competition is increasingly fierce… but I warned you there’d be overlaps.

The new Y63 Nissan Patrol is due in Australia before the end of 2025 but, in the meantime, the current V8 Patrol is well worth scrutinising.

The current Patrol line-up is powered by a 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine (298kW and 560Nm) and that’s matched to a seven-speed automatic transmission.

Nissan’s 4WD wagon deserves your attention because it’s big and roomy, nice to drive and very capable off-road.

The Ford Everest, powered by a V6 (184kW and 600Nm) or 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine (154kW and 500Nm) – both matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission – is refined, well-equipped and comfortable. It makes a very decent daily driver, is capable off-road and has plenty of potential as a 4WD touring vehicle.

The Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series has a 3.3-litre, twin-turbo V6 diesel (producing 227kW and 700Nm) and a 10-speed automatic transmission.

This Cruiser may have strayed outside of legacy territory – in terms of reliance on tech and some questions about reliability – but it still has plenty of potential as a spacious daily driver, people-mover and touring vehicle.

Ute

Picking the best 4x4 ute is a quest for the ages and arguments about this get pretty heated around the campfire. Heated.

The Toyota HiLux has been around for donkey’s years but it’s most recent iteration has a 2.8-litre, turbo-diesel, four-cylinder engine (150kW and 500Nm) and that’s matched to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Toyota and its rabidly loyal fanbase perpetuated the HiLux’s 'unbreakable' tag, but there’s little – nothing? – to dispel that reputation as this ute has proven near-bulletproof through the years of its existence.

Though it’s lost a step in terms of toughness in recent years due to its increasing cityfication, the HiLux is still the go-to workhorse for many tradespeople and you’ll see a lot of them every weekend in the bush or on the beach somewhere.

Yep, another Toyota.

The LandCruiser 79 Series is, for now, still available with the 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 (151kW and 430Nm) and five-speed manual gearbox combination, but the introduction of the new 2.8L four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine (150kW and 500Nm) and six-speed automatic transmission into the line-up has been the biggest news of recent years.

Either way it has plenty of low-down torque, part-time 4WD (with a 44:1 crawl ratio), and, depending on the spec, front and rear diff locks.

With a spartan interior, very basic levels of comfort, no refinement or creature comfort and absolutely no vanity mirror on the driver’s sun visor, the 79 Series is a hard-edged vehicular dinosaur in a world of marshmallow-soft frappuccino-sipping pretenders – and 79 Series fans prefer it that way.

The Ford Ranger is at the more civilised end of the ute segment and it has long been the standard against which all other dual-cab utes are measured. It’s refined (for a ute), comfortable and capable, and makes a great platform as an on- and off-road touring vehicle.

The Ranger – with either a 3.2-litre, five-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine (147kW/470Nm) a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, twin-turbo diesel engine (157kW/500Nm), or the new 3.0-litre, V6 turbo-diesel engine (184kW/600Nm) – is a solid and nice-driving unit.

Towing

The best 4x4 for towing depends on what you want to tow. The vehicle that can only tow a small box trailer is a little bit different to something that can tow a mega yacht.

Most large 4WD wagons and dual-cab 4WD utes in Australia are legally allowed to tow 3500kg (braked) – and the best of those are the Nissan Patrol and Toyota LandCruiser – but if you’re looking to lug bigger loads around – horse floats, carnival rides, shipping containers full of gold bars – you’ll have to look to the big US utes on the market. Think Ram, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F trucks and the like.

For your reference, the Ram 2500 Laramie and the Ram 3500 Laramie both have a braked towing capacity of 8000kg; the others can tow 4500kg (braked).

When vehicles have towing capacities that large they handle their load-lugging duties with consummate ease – as if the burden’s not even there – and that’s the undeniable appeal of these behemoths.

For towing, bigger is better.

Most Reliable

This is even more of a contentious issue than all of the others because your opinion of what is reliable depends wholly on your experience.

If you’re talking about the best touring 4x4, the most reliable 4x4 Australia, or the best 4WD to travel around Australia, then you’ll get a thousand different answers from a thousand different people.

Some people love old-school 4WDs – think 60 or 80 Series LandCruisers, Series I, II or III Land Rovers, GQ Patrols, and their ilk – because, as the theory goes, if one of those vehicles breaks down in the bush then chances are you can fix it yourself and/or find a part for it somewhere nearby.

Some people love a contemporary 4WD with all of the high-tech frippery that goes along with it.

Only one car company’s name is regularly uttered with reverence when discussion turns to the topic of reliability and that’s Toyota.

Sure, the brand has lost some of its legendary lustre in terms of reputation in recent years, but the LandCruiser still deserves a place near the top, if not at the top, in this section.

Off-Road

If we’re talking pure, straight-out-of-the-showroom off-road capability for the best off-road 4x4 in Australia, you’d have to throw all of your focus on something like the 70 Series LandCruiser, the Ford Ranger Raptor or the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

For details on the 70 Series (in particular the 79), head back up to the ‘Utes’ section.

The Raptor is the Ford Ranger line-up’s high-end, high-performance ute. The latest iteration, the 3.0-litre V6 petrol Raptor (292kW and 583Nm), is an impressive five-seat dual-cab unit – punchy off the mark, smooth and refined at highway speeds and overall it offers a controlled and comfortable driving experience.

It has a 10-speed automatic transmission, full-time 4WD, electronic rear diff lock, off-road-suited long-travel Fox suspension and 285/70 R17 BF Goodrich K02 all-terrain tyres.

But the Raptor with the 2.0-litre 'Bi-Turbo' diesel engine (156kW and 500Nm) is no slouch either.

The Rubicon, as mentioned earlier, is the Jeep Wrangler line-up’s top-spec hardcore off-roader: a purpose-built body-on-frame 4WD with on-demand four-wheel drive (with high- and low-range gearing), live axles front and rear, as well as front and rear locking differentials, a swaybar disconnect and BFGoodrich Mud Terrain tyres (255/75 R17).

It now has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine (200kW, 9.0kW less than the previous V6, and 400Nm, 53Nm more than the V6) and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

All Rounder

If you’re talking about the absolute best 4WD in Australia, then there is no alternative, it has to be the… Lada Niva.

Only joking.

The best 4WD all-rounder is a tough nut to crack because it could be pretty much any of the vehicles I’ve listed above, but this is my yarn so I’m cracking the bugger.

The Nissan Patrol Warrior is the best 4WD all-rounder available in Australia because it offers the best of all possible worlds. It’s refined, spacious, comfortable and it’s as much at home on the toughest of off-road terrain as it is cruising on the highway or towing a caravan.

This Warrior has the Patrol line-up’s 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine (298kW and 560Nm) – and that’s matched to a seven-speed automatic transmission.

It has upgraded Aussie-tuned suspension, a swaybar disconnect system for greater wheel articulation while 4WDing, a Warrior-specific wheel-and-tyre package, and tough-as-nails underbody protection.

It also has a bi-modal exhaust system, and a 48kg increase in payload over the Ti on which it’s based (to 736kg).

It’s very capable off-road – even though its off-road traction control system could do with a tweak – and this Warrior is a genuine 4WD all-rounder.