Results
Test Structure
Category... Ranked Highest
Ride & Drive... (50% of total points)
Urban/Highway... Jeep Grand Cherokee
High-Speed Dirt & Gravel... Jeep Grand Cherokee
Sand & Mud... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Rockcrawling... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Hillclimbing Jeep Wrangler Moab
Overall Jeep Wrangler Moab
Empirical (25% of total points)
Torque/Weight Ratio... Ram 1500
1⁄4-mile Acceleration... Jeep Grand Cherokee
60-0 Braking... Jeep Grand Cherokee
Load-Carrying Capacity... Ram 1500
Fuel Economy Jeep Wrangler Moab
Price As Tested... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Overall (tie)... Jeep Grand Cherokee Jeep Wrangler Moab
Mechanical (10% of total points)
Engine’s Avail. Power... Ram 1500
Transmission... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Transfer Case... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Steering... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Brakes... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Suspension... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Overall... Jeep Wrangler Moab
4-wheeling Attributes (5% of total points)
Clearance... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Protection... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Recovery... Jeep Grand Cherokee
Overall... Jeep Wrangler Moab
Interior (5% of total points)
Ergonomics... Jeep Grand Cherokee
Appearance, Fit &... Finish Jeep Grand Cherokee
Perceived Noise Level (NVH)... Ram 1500
Overall... Jeep Grand Cherokee
Exterior (5% of total points)
Body Styling... Jeep Grand Cherokee
Cargo Ram... 1500
Fit & Finish... Jeep Grand Cherokee
Overall Jeep... Grand Cherokee
Previous 4x4 of the year winners
2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon JK (3.6L V-6)
2011 Land Rover LR4 HSE
2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor (5.4L V-8)
2009 Suzuki Equator Crew Cab RMZ-4
2008 Toyota Land Cruiser
2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon JK (3.8L V-6)
2006 Dodge Ram 1500 TRX4
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee (IFS)
2004 Volkswagen Touareg V-8
2003 Lexus GX 470
2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee (4.7 HO V-8)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee (5-speed automatic)
2000 Toyota Tundra
1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee (4.7 V-8 Limited)
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee (5.9 V-8 Limited)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sport TJ
1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee (w/ center diff lock)
1995 Dodge Ram (2500 V-10 longbed Club Cab)
1994 Dodge Ram (1500 V-8 shortbed regular cab)
1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee
1992 Chevrolet Blazer (fullsize)
1991 Dodge Dakota
1990 Nissan Pathfinder (4-door)
1989 Toyota pickup
1988 Jeep Cherokee (4.0 engine)
1987 Nissan Pathfinder (2-door)
1986 Ford Ranger
1985 Isuzu Trooper II
1984 Jeep Cherokee (2.8 engine)
1983 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer
Returning Champ
Wrangler Repeats as 4x4 of the Year
If you bring a knife to a gun fight you’ll probably lose, but if you bring a knife to a spoon fight you’ll probably win. This year’s 4x4 of the Year winner is a really good knife. It works better than the rest and looks the part. While the Ram truck fulfills the needs of a buyer looking to haul and commute, and the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is a great asphalt and dirt road machine, the Wrangler Moab is truly a better 4x4.
The Wrangler Moab gives the driver a fun vehicle for almost every off-road terrain and at a price nearly $10,000 less than the competition. The bumpers and rock sliders protect it from rocks and other off-road hazards. The short-wheelbase coil-sprung suspension is nimble and great for technical four-wheeling. Visibility is on par with the Grand Cherokee (and way better than the Ram), but the smaller size and better traction of the Wrangler allows you to put it in places the Trailhawk wouldn’t go.
It really boggles our mind that no other manufacturer has decided to compete with the Wrangler. With the basic design, simple styling, and rugged drivetrain, it’s no wonder the Wranglers are breaking sales records. Jeep keeps offering more and more unique packages, whether in paint schemes, tire and wheel choices, or short-run special editions, Jeep seems to make a fresh new Wrangler for just about every taste.
The Moab is a great step up from a base model Wrangler, but we would like to see one with fewer accessories if possible to bring the price down. Maybe just bumpers, sliders, and a rear locker—no leather, navigation, fancy wheels, or bulging hood. Just meat and potatoes, hold the garnish. In fact, this Jeep Moab is very similar to many of the trails in Moab, Utah, which look extreme, but with the great sandstone traction they really aren’t that bad.
We have no doubt the Moab Wranglers will sell, and for many it will be the perfect 4x4. We may complain about gearing and too much fancy stuff, but the fact is it’s perfect for the average Jeeper and way better than what most of us grew up thinking a Jeep offered. The single rear locker brings both off-road performance and challenge without making the Jeep a point-and-shoot crawler nor a floundering trail clogger. The interior upgrades are really nice to have, even if they seem over the top for an open-topped Jeep. And all said and done, it just upholds the heritage as a fun, capable, no-nonsense (OK, maybe a little nonsense) 4x4—and that is why it won.