What’s the Best New Overland Vehicle You Can Buy Today? Let’s Go In-Depth

By Patrick Rich - July 24, 2019

In 2013, my father passed at the age of 63 after a short and sudden struggle with what turned out to be ALS, or Lou Grehrig’s disease. I figured out then, that if I wanted to live life I had better not wait: No one is guaranteed a retirement. So I sold my beloved Forester XT 5 speed and bought my 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser the following summer. I put it straight to work on the white rim in Canyonlands, Utah. Since then, I’ve put about 90,000 miles on the old girl (311,000 and counting) and about 1/3rd of those on dirt. I discovered what many people before me had – that a vehicle plus a boundless horizon is freedom.

Yours truly exploring the maze district of Canyonlands NP

Whatever the motivation, overlanding has exploded in the last 6 years which is good for you. As people have rediscovered the joys of adventure travel for themselves, companies have scrambled to build, import and sell gear to meet that need. AT has a large collection of the best gear, upgrades and accessories for the overlander and we stand ready to equip your travels. More than that though, we get it. It’s not just a job for us, we are passionate car people who’ve found great joy in the hobby and want to bring you the best information possible to elevate your car life, from street to trail.

In that spirit we’ve compiled a buyers guide of suitable adventure machines with the intent to inform. We don’t sell cars and have no stake in your decision here. The idea here is simple – When you start looking for the gear, upgrades, accessories and add-ons to take you further and in more comfort, we’re confident you’ll find what you’re looking for with us and at the best price. With that covered, let’s get started! Below is a table of contents to jump around as needed.

Introduction to the Methodology

First and foremost, I didn’t drive all these cars, as I don’t have access or time personally. As a result, if you’re looking for comparisons based on driving feel or personal experience this isn’t that. The vehicles are ranked by their value, which comes from a score based on the merits of the vehicle in several categories divided by the MSRP. The merit score, explained in detail later on, and value score are listed alongside each vehicle in the list. What I’ve done is picked out specs and figures I think matter to the overland community at large based on my years of experience, and leaning heavily on people who are much more traveled than I am. This makes assumptions on what figures matter more than others to the overlander. That may not jibe with your priorities and you can judge for yourself what matters most to you. So, onto the list!

Top 10 Runners Up

• 2020 Jeep® Gladiator Rubicon
• 2019 Toyota® 4Runner TRD pro
• 2020 Jeep® Gladiator Sport S
• 2020® Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
• Nissan Frontier Pro-4X
• Toyota® Tacoma TRD Pro
• 2019 Ford Ranger FX4
• Chevrolet® Colorado Z71
• Toyota® 4Runner TRD Off-Road
• Toyota® Tacoma TRD Off-Road

Runners Up

Don’t see your vehicle on this list? Well obviously we can’t do EVERY vehicle on the market but there are quite a few that didn’t make the cut for a variety of reasons, mostly value. Check out the runners up here with their rank, their merit, and their value scores:

• 11 – Chevrolet Colorado Z71 Duramax 2.8 72/7.8
• 12 – Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 3.2 56/7.6
• 13 – Jeep Unlimited Rubicon 2.0 77/7.5
• 14 – Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 3.6 73/7.4
• 15 – Lexus GX460 82/6.9
• 16 – Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Duramax 2.8 73/6.8
• 17 – Nissan Armada SV 73/6.5
• 18 – Land Rover Discovery Sport 54/6.6
• 19 – Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 58/5.8
• 20 – Land Rover Discovery TD6 60/4.6
• 21 – Toyota Land Cruiser 85/4.3
• 22 – Infinti QX80 69/4.2
• 23 – Lexus LX570 82/4.2
• 24 – Mercedes-Benz G550 82/2.9
• 25 – Range Rover TD6 58/2.8

Scoring and Methodology

I’ve chosen 5 categories that I think are most important to an overland vehicle, and then weighted their importance in that mix. They are:

• Payload and capacity – 20%
• Fuel economy and Range – 10%
• Capability – 25%
• Longevity – 20%
• Reliability – 25%

These add up to a possible 100 points of merit alone. In each of these categories I break it down into very specific details and weigh those details in total. The numbers and detailed scoring is available here. From there I take the MSRP of the minimum build configuration that allows for the best overland options and divide that into the merit to create a value score of 1 to 10. 10 being the best value and 1 being the worst. Having both scores allows you to choose your vehicle based on its merits or getting the most for your money. NOTE: I didn’t include resale values. This is what you get for your money, not what it’s worth when you are done.

Conclusion

So what's the best choice for you? You’ll have to decide that yourself, but whatever you decide, be thankful to be spoiled for excellent choices that have never been more capable right from the factory. When you're ready to take it to the next level, be sure to check out all the great stuff you can add to your vehicle to take you there! See you on the trail.

*Disclosures: My current overland and daily driver is my Toyota Land Cruiser. I’ve got my feelings on the brand, though I’ve tried very hard to remove them from math. Is a Toyota the right choice for everyone? Certainly not and I will happily wheel with any make and model. **Information was accurate as of summer 2019 from manufacturer or 3rd party sources.