Two hours later, at the Mad Greek near Barstow, our bone-weary group makes the last meal stop of the trip. Over the three days, we've burned a staggering 300 gallons of gas, charging over 800 hard miles and thousands of feet in elevation. It's late, and though skin and nerves are raw, the debate rages as to which off-roader is best.As fearless and capable as the Land Rover proves to be, it's fundamentally hamstrung by its lack of true off-road hardware. Its carlike features, including smooth ride, excellent transmission, and 16.1-mpg fuel-economy average, receives oodles of praise, but poor ground clearance and the lack of low range raises eyebrows and nix it from at least one of our tests.
"The LR2 chassis feels surprisingly stout to me. On the sand, this is the champ. I've never had so much fun on the dunes," says Harwood, before turning up the heat. "But this is a car. I know it did well on the washboard, and Mark babied it up and over some obstacles, but it doesn't have the off-road prowess the Land Rover badge and name promise. And it's way too expensive."
Cost fells the mighty Hummer H3 Alpha as well; its as-tested price of $44,535 is more than $13,000 higher than the FJ Cruiser's and Xterra's. That money could buy a lot of gas, especially with the H3 Alpha's 12.1-mpg fuel economy-the worst in the group.
"Why on earth is this thing so damned expensive? It doesn't use a new engine, and the transmission is just as old-tech. When it comes to creature comforts, there are no redundant steering-wheel controls, no iPod jack, and the tire-monitoring system doesn't even specify which tire(s) are low. Feels like you're paying for a brand name," says Harwood.
Yet it's tough to put such a capable off roader in fourth. "The Alpha's V-8 brings the H3 to life. On the gravel-strewn trails, the Hummer muscles over and through everything in its path. Tough, strong and solid, this thing feels like it can handle anything; for confidence behind the wheel, the H3 is king," says Voehringer.
On paper, the Toyota FJ Cruiser is tough to beat. It's the most affordable, one of the best at the track, and returns the best fuel economy of the body-on-frame bunch: 15.5 mpg. Behind the wheel, it's smooth on the road and unstoppable off of it. It's a serious off-roader, but one marred by serious packaging flaws. Flip-out rear doors make second-row seat-loading difficult in tight situations.
"Perhaps the smoothest combination of software and traditional mechanicals to get the most-and most efficient-traction to the right wheel," says Williams. "It's handled everything we've thrown at it, but it's difficult to reconcile the interior and exterior designs. Looks great, but it's not functional. Visibility is restricted from almost every seat." After all, spotters are great when you're out on the trail, but you shouldn't need them in the Home Depot parking lot.