OFF ROAD VEHICLES

There is a hierarchy among off road style vehicles.  The really tough ones that go on safari or into the Outback, the Rubicon Trail, or in some mud bog are usually 4-wheel drive.  They use a system that you have to shift into in order for all your wheels to do their work of gaining traction against the earth beneath. Those same vehicles usually have solid axles like a full size pickup truck that make off-roading better but give you an uncomfortable ride on the highway.  Land Rovers and Jeep Wranglers fall into this category. They often have full frames that run the entire length of the vehicle.

When you say that your BMW or Mercedes is 4-wheel drive, and many of them are including their passenger cars, you really mean ALL-wheel-drive.  The system is on all the time to all four wheels to some degree determined by computer, according to which wheel needs traction. It is instantaneous.  They usually have independent suspension to all four wheels without an axle that runs from one side of the vehicle to another. They are often unibody construction without a full steel frame underneath.  SUVs and passenger cars like the German, Japanese, and Korean brands are usually All-wheel-drive (AWD).  They are considered inferior off road but offer a smoother bounce-free highway experience.

Most of us would prefer the latter because we seldom really go off road and our traction needs are related to snow (not a problem in Florida usually) wet weather, and accidentally getting off the pavement into the sandy or muddy shoulder of the road.  We spend most of our time on city streets and highways where "Going up the side of a mountain" traction is not a priority.   Yet, we see lots of Jeep Wranglers everywhere.  They are real off road vehicles, especially if additionally equipped with oversize tires and wheels with aggressive tread patterns. Predictably, they ride poorly on the highway even with their 4-wheel drive (4WD) systems disengaged.   On top of that, the short wheelbase ones with two doors can wander all over the highway at the expense of maneuverability in tight places.  When well equipped, JEEP applies a "TRAIL RATED" badge to the front fender.  It means that you can safely go out on the trail or back woods and will probably be able to get out of most low traction conditions.  Some folks say that it just entitles you to get stuck in more inaccessible places.

Even with all that, and owning a Mercedes GLK-350 SUV with All-wheel-drive, considered by the in-crowd of 4-wheel-drivers to be "MALL RATED" or instead of an off-roader, pejoratively referred to as a SOFT-roader, I still am lusting for a Wrangler.  Why?  They just look cool and remind me of my childhood and the TV show Rat Patrol. Practicality be damned.

The lesson here...in so many situations in life, we collect data, learn all there is to know about our options, and make choices from our hearts and souls that make no sense.  Think of other areas in life that we do this.  It is a common occurrence.