Be very careful recommending AWD, it is nice on wet roads but get off the road and into mud or get snow and it doesn't perform well at all. Think of the what if your evacuating and had to take a detour into the highway divider with AWD your going to get stuck.

Also a CRV is a small v6 powered unibody SUV which gets 20mpg. Full size v8 real 4x4 trucks with a strong frame and 3 times the cargo space get 20mpg. When you compromise and go with lack of cargo space and unibody you should gain something but the CRV has no advantages over another vehicle. Its a pretty poor design.

I dunno, it seems here in Oz a lot of them have a tendancy to break down quite a bit. The last outing I got taken on, two of the rovers ended up with broken rear diffs (apparently a weakness in the design). One of the first mods off-roaders do to their rovers is upgrade the axles and diffs. Another one got a punctured gas tank, which isn't necessarily a defect, but still makes you wonder why not a skid plate if they are gonna put the tank in that precarious a location.

Seemed like the rovers were suffering more calamities than the landcruisers and jeeps were over the same course. They also seemed to get stuck a lot more often in the mudholes.

Just an observation. Any vehicle can get broken quick enough if you push it beyond it's limits.

I think that comes down to the same vehicle being different in different parts of the world. The Same LR or TLC or Jeep in Europe is different than the one in the US and different than the one in Oz. Sometimes compromises have to be made to fit in different markets.

I couldn't agree more. When you see a Toyota LandCruiser in Africa or SE Asia, it is way different than the foo foo ones here in the States.

Something we observed last weekend might be interesting in this discussion. We were camping at a pretty primative site, and there was a combination dirt/sand/mud access road to get there, coupled with a small stream that had created a challenge to navigation. A little tributary that had decided to take the path of least resistance across the access road, created even more mud, nothing significant from a water perspective, but, it did create what seemed like a blend of mud/quicksand. Nice.

Several vehicles crossed over that muck, my Envoy in 4WD Low, also an old Jeep, an Expedition, Yukon, and 2 full size 4x4 pickups (F150 and another I can't recall).

Ok, so what did the recovery strap on my car get used for...

I dragged a Subaru station wagon out of the muck.

My buddy dragged one of those AWD mini SUV's out with his Expedition, I think it was the Honda version stuck, but, I saw that at a distance, it never came out to the campsite, it turned back.

Now, my wife drives one of those mini-Suv's, and they are great when you're on the road, in rain, snow, etc. The thing we noticed is that both of the vehicles that got stuck in the mud had 2 problems, minimal ground clearance (built on car style body), and relatively narrow tires. The narrow tires probably help in rain/snow on pavement, but, they are the kiss of death offroad in mud. I know that my Envoy has 245/65R17 M&S tires. Even that is modest, but, got through ok. The Subaru I yanked out had basically car tires on it that just made some nice narrow tracks in the mud, until the undercarriage reached the mud.

Like I said, my wife drives one of these AWD crossover SUV's, but, she stays, (I hope) on the road. I like them for driving around most of the time. In that environment, they really are great. If you think you might bug out to places that aren't as well maintained, things like ground clearance, wider track tires, and real 4WD Low can matter.

That may be true; then again, I wonder. Here in the U.S., the Land Rover as a brand has one of the very worst repair records of any make sold in this country. Repair RECORDS, as actually tracked by companies like J.D. Power and Consumer Reports, as opposed to mere opinions.

I find it hard to believe that the vehicles sold overseas could be so changed as to have a completely different reputation. There would seem to be a more logical explanation...

-=[ Grant ]=-

The overseas ones probably have a manual transmission so there is nothing to fail and the US model will have an automatic tuned for slow smooth shifts. The versions in the other countries probably have a simple diesel engine or gas with no emissions controls. The US models will have a gas engine with MFI, overhead cam, computer controlled, all sorts of smog and emissions controls. Then the US models will have power windows and locks and the overseas manual, the US version will have a fancy stereo with 18 speakers, the US version will need ABS, traction control and a bunch of other needless options to try to make up for lack of driver skill. The other country will have a lot less to fail. The one sold in the other countries will be better maintained with the owner doing maintenance as needed, the US model will be driven into a fast lube place when the owner isn't too busy and have some of its fluids partially drained as fast as possible and some more fluids dumped in by a part time employee who puts in "close enough" fluid.

I don't mean to lessen the importance of a well built 4x4 but I bet I've put more truly off-road miles on my honda accord than most people do on their 4x4's. The only two limitations, I couldn't go fast and I couldn't cross even moderate streams. In my opinion, how you drive is a lot more important than what you dive. Having said that, with a nice 4x4 nothing is funner than being able to go "through" something rather than having to go "around" it.

Part of my job is managing a fleet of business vehicles. This includes cars, suvs, and medium duty trucks.
I would strongly recommend a GM vehicle not only based on performance but also because they now have an AMAZING warranty! 100,000 mi. A traillblazer or tahoe (and they GMC versions) may be bigger than you need, they are the offroad capable suvs in the Gm lineup. The displacement on demand technology in GM suvs has made a tahoe able to get the same gas milage as other smaller suvs. They also can run on ethanol. As previously stated Explorers have become less and less of offroad vehicles. I have no experience with jeeps but have heard that they can either be great or plagued with problems.

- AWD is not the same as 4x4
- Light SUV = Light performance
- If it "rides like a truck, handles like a truck, it is a truck"

Customizing for survival:
- Sturdy Front Brush Guard/bull bar (protects the front of your car when in gridlock while evacuating)
- rear hitch caddy with a locking box (protects the rear of your vehicle and adds storage. Locking box is nice for security. Can lock extra gas up so it is not "borrowed".)
- lightly attached running boards (when "offroading" in a suv allowing non-essential items to tear away without damaging the vehicle is good).
- top luggage rack
- winch??? Ask yourself if you will need it.
- metal skid plate options
- Tires: Pavement or offroad?
- MAPS and GPS, Plan multiple routes

Then think about what can make your trip more comfortable.
-12 volt electric blanket and massage pad?

In a way, I agree with LED. I used to have a station wagon and it was fun for camping and going places. I spent many nights sleeping/camping in it. I still think a good station wagon is an asset for survival. Gas mileage, particularly, will be a plus.

You can add a luggage rack on the roof for bugging out and remove it if you wish when you arrive at your destination. A luggage rack on a station wagon can help you bug out without a trailer, which means FASTER bug-out.

And a station wagon is not a SUV or truck. No one will even guess you are a survivalist.

Obstacles ? Well there are obstacles to stop even the meanest of 4x4s. So a SUV isnt a guarantee that you wont get stuck or rolled over something when you are bugging out in a panick.

Plan ahead. And if you bug out early enough, chances are that 2wd station wagon will get you anywhere without a problem.