Previous 4x4 of the year winners2004 Volkswagen Touareg V-82003 Lexus GX 4702002 Jeep Grand Cherokee (4.7 HO V-8)2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee (five-speed auto transmission)2000 Toyota Tundra1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee (4.7 V-8 Limited)1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee (5.9 V-8 Limited)1997 Jeep Wrangler Sport1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee (with center diff lock)1995 Dodge Ram (2500 V-10 longbed Club Cab)1994 Dodge Ram (1500 V-8 shortbed regular cab)1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee1992 Chevrolet Blazer (fullsize)1991 Dodge Dakota1990 Nissan Pathfinder (four-door)1989 Toyota pickup1988 Jeep Cherokee (4.0 engine)1987 Nissan Pathfinder (two-door)1986 Ford Ranger1985 Isuzu Trooper II1984 Jeep Cherokee (2.8 engine)1983 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer
Test Structure
| CATEGORY | RANKED
HIGHEST |
| Ride & Drive (30% of total points) |
| Urban | Grand Cherokee |
| Highway | Grand Cherokee |
| High Speed Dirt & Gravel | Tacoma |
| Sand | Grand Cherokee |
| Rockcrawling | Wrangler Rubicon |
| nHillclimbing | Wrangler Rubicon |
| Braking Quality | Grand Cherokee |
| Overall | Grand Cherokee |
| Empirical (25% of total points) |
| Torque/Weight Ratio | Grand Cherokee |
| 11/44-mile Acceleration | Grand Cherokee |
| 60-0 Braking | LR3 |
| Load-carrying Capacity | Power Wagon |
| nMiles Per Gallon | Liberty |
| Price As Tested | Frontier |
| Overall | Frontier |
| Mechanical (25% of total points) |
| Engine's Available Power | Grand Cherokee |
| Transmission | Grand Cherokee |
| 4WD/Low-range Engage | Wrangler Rubicon |
| Steering | Grand Cherokee |
| nFit and Finish | Power Wagon |
| Drivetrain Performance | LR3 |
| Overall | Grand Cherokee |
| Interior (10% of total points) |
| Ergonomics | Grand Cherokee |
| nAppearance, Fit and Finish | Grand Cherokee |
| Appointments | Grand Cherokee |
| nPerceived Noise Level | Grand Cherokee |
| Overall | Grand Cherokee |
| Exterior (10% of total points) |
| Body Styling | Power Wagon |
| Cargo | Power Wagon |
| Four-wheeling Attributes | Power Wagon |
| Fit and Finish | Grand Cherokee |
| Overall | Power Wagon |