Photo: TOP-5 frame SUVs on the Ukrainian market (stellantisnorthamerica.com) Author: Konstantin Shirokun
Frame cars have quietly moved into the category of gourmet cars – and at the same time, they all retained a whole range of useful features that are not available to owners of cars with more modern architecture. At least, this applies to SUVs.
Read about the five most durable all-terrain vehicles in the RBC-Ukraine article.
Jeep Wrangler
A worthy descendant of the founder of the genre of frame SUVs in the ninth generation – that's what the current Wrangler is. And today it is a car, among all the others, the closest to its distant ancestor Willys MB. Most of the efforts spent by the designers of the “Wrangler” are aimed at overcoming off-road conditions, and a minimum of attention was left for comfort. Therefore, the car is brutal not only in appearance, but also on the move, but for this it is loved by hundreds of thousands of fans around the world. In addition to outstanding geometric cross-country ability, the car has a powerful off-road arsenal: all-wheel drive with a reduction gear, locking front and rear center differentials, a special off-road mode and a descent control system. Only one engine is provided – a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. An interesting highlight that few can boast of these days is that the Wrangler has versions with a folding and removable roof, and all the cars can easily have their doors removed to look as much like their glorious ancestor from the distant 1940s as possible.
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport
Another car, behind the wheel of which you feel more like a traveler-discoverer than a man of the 21st century, who goes to work in the office. The strong and durable chassis is not very comfortable on uneven asphalt, but it is indifferent to any country roads, snow drifts and dirt. The engine can only be diesel, but there are two of them – a V6 and an inline six, both do not work very comfortably, but they are distinguished by a decent torque. The transmission is only an automatic 8-speed (!), but its all-wheel drive part can be chosen from several options. And with all its internal brutality, the “Pajero Sport” has a very elegant appearance and a richly equipped, well-designed interior.
Suzuki Jimny
Appearances are deceptive: this sullen baby will actually give odds to any crossover, the solid axles alone are worth something. Plus 4×4 drive with a rigid connection of the front and adult ground clearance of 210 mm. Adult behavior on the road and where there is none – energy-intensive, suspended on four springs chassis withstands harsh behavior and severe imperfections of the surface under the wheels. Only one engine is available, and do not look at the fact that this “gasoline” has a modest 1.5 liters of volume – the car itself is also not very big (3.6 m long) and not heavy. You can choose a complete set with a manual gearbox, there is also a full-fledged automatic to choose from. A serious drawback of the car is the limited space in the body, especially in the rear and especially when the rear seat is not folded. But let us remember that the Jimny was initially announced as a compact class car and no one promised that it would be a roomy van for businessmen or a van for a large family.
Toyota Land Cruiser 300
A classic thing that symbolizes a combination of comfort (or luxury?), safety, dynamics and high cross-country ability. And Land Cruiser is also a status symbol, and the presence of a frame here works not so much for cross-country ability and endurance (although all this is also present), but for additional comfort in the cabin. Under the hood there can be one of two turbocharged V-shaped sixes – gasoline or diesel. The output of both is such that this full-size 7-seater car accelerates to the first hundred like a sports electric car (6.8 s).
Off-road, the driver of the “three hundred” has a choice of several preset driving modes, a ground clearance of 230 mm, a locking of up to three differentials, a proprietary stabilization system to combat rolls. There is a system that shows the driver in real time the road under the car and around it – and which automatically assesses the quality of the surface and selects the appropriate driving mode. Finally, the luxury car overcomes water obstacles up to 700 mm deep.
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
The younger brother of the big Land Cruiser, which has only smaller dimensions and a reserve of luxury – even the technical platform is the same as the “three hundred”. The newest version of Prado turned out to be more comfortable on uneven surfaces, which is in principle not easy to do with such dimensions, weight and off-road orientation. The engine can be gasoline (2.4 l) or diesel (2.8 l), the gearbox of the “Prado” is only automatic, and the transmission as a whole is only all-wheel drive. Moreover, the 4×4 mode is constant, which adds safety on slippery roads, including during everyday trips around the city. For heavy soils, Prado has a standard locking of two differentials – central and rear interwheel, and the proprietary off-road cruise control will facilitate off-road driving. The interior turned out to be solid and not cheap, where the designers did not skimp on a rich set of mechanical buttons and switches.
In brief
It should be acknowledged that SUVs with no worse characteristics are also among cars without a separate frame under the body. Nevertheless, it is with it that an all-terrain vehicle is the most logical and rational. It is not for nothing that in this group today we see not some kind of trendy new products, but respected models with a history of several decades – and some even more than half a century.
In preparing this article, materials from AutoBild and Autocentre were used.
Let us recall that RBC-Ukraine recently reported what is better for a car: a canopy, a garage or a parking lot.