Everyone should own a 4WD! Here's why off-roaders like a Toyota Prado, Isuzu MU-X, Nissan Patrol and more should be the vehicle of choice for Australians | Opinion

Everyone should own a four-wheel drive (4WD).

There I’ve said it – and, yes, I’m biased.

I grew up around 4WDs – on farms and on countless family beach-camping trips – and for the past 23 years I’ve spent the lion’s share of my professional life in and around 4WDs – testing, off-roading, towing, camping etc – as well as many personal trips around the world and, of course, here in Australia.

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I know how useful they are, for work and play, because I’ve experienced life with them.

Out of all of the vehicles available on the market today, a 4WD simply makes the most sense as a great all-purpose vehicle because it can be big and tough and it has a drivetrain, mechanical and suspension set-up engineered to pretty much get you anywhere you want to go.

Everyone should own a 4WD – and I’m about to explain why.

A 4WD is your ticket to adventure, being cool, having a blissful relationship and enjoying a perfect life.

4WDs are fun

A 4WD is your ticket to adventure, being cool, having a blissful relationship and enjoying a perfect life – at least that’s what vehicle marketers, macho YouTubers and hip Insta stars would have you believe.

Well, the ‘adventure’ bit is true, but the other stuff is entirely up to you.

All-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles are great and capable of tackling light off-roading – think: well-maintained gravel roads and dirt tracks in dry conditions – and they’re engineered to handle wet and/or slippery surfaces (bitumen, dirt or gravel) better than two-wheel-drive (2WD) cars, but a 4WD is your absolute best bet when it comes to off-roading.

In basic terms, a 4WD in the traditional sense has a transfer case with high- and low-range 4WD, as well as larger and grippier tyres, more ground clearance and more wheel travel than a conventional 2WD or AWD car. Hopefully, your 4WD also has locking diffs.

All-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles are great and capable of tackling light off-roading.

Don’t forget: 4WDs have such sophisticated driver-asst aids nowadays – such as off-road traction control, hill descent control and crawl control (like cruise control but for low-speed 4WDing) – that even a novice 4WDer can look and feel like an off-road expert.

But mostly a 4WD’s off-road appeal and capability all boils down to the fact that it has the gearing, torque, grip, wheel articulation, and underbody protection needed to tackle legitimate off-roading.

And those in-built mechanical and engineering attributes make 4WDs a whole lot of fun because they give the driver and passengers the ability to drive (legal) tracks and to reach places people may otherwise not be able to reach using any other ground-based transport.

If it’s off the beaten track, a 4WD is capable of getting you to where you want to go. All you need is a well-maintained 4WD, food and water, a tent and a sense of adventure.

The rest is frippery.

4WDs are practical

Think about it: a 4WD has a mystical, magical quality about it that few other cars have. As well as being a capable off-road vehicle, a 4WD has other appealing qualities.

A 4WD is engineered to cope with the worst life can throw at it. It’s been built to withstand off-road punishment so it stands to reason that a 4WD’s exterior is built to cop a knock from the odd runaway shopping trolley, and its interior is able to cope with kids’ yoghurt spillages and ice cream droppages.

A 4WD is big, sturdy and offers the driver and passengers a real sense of comfort, safety and security. A 4WD gives the driver a high driving position, ample visibility, and an inherent feeling of being in control at all times on the road. Why do you think so many families opt for a 4WD these days?

A 4WD gives the driver a high driving position, ample visibility, and an inherent feeling of being in control at all times on the road.

A 4WD is roomy, so, as well as people and dogs, it’s able to carry a lot of gear (groceries, camping stuff, sporting equipment). Some 4WDs have seven or eight seats, so there’s the opportunity to transport even more people.

A 4WD is also able to tow: trailers, caravans, boats, horse floats, you name it a 4WD can tow anything up to a 3500kg maximum – bigger US-style pick-ups etc. can legally tow even more of a load than that.

Be aware: if you have a 4WD and it also happens to be a ute, you’ll be the first person all of your family, extended family and your mates call when they’re moving house.

What I reckon

There you go: 4WDs help you to win friends and influence people, not to mention get you admiring looks from strangers, and make you the most popular person within a 100km radius of where you reside.

Not really, but a 4WD makes perfect sense as an all-purpose vehicle for everyone because it’s fun, practical and capable of awesome off-road adventures.

And, let’s face it, what else are you going to drive in a zombie apocalypse?