These off-road SUVs meet their match in the snow.
Winter is not easy on any vehicle. After all, these off-road SUVs are anything but light-on-their toes to begin with. In this video, we find out just how capable they are by taking them into a recent Colorado snowstorm. This frigid challenge will test the three iconic off-roaders with grip, traction control and – in one case, reliability.
Each vehicle brings its own personality to the mountains. The 2021 Nissan Armada is a comfy, capable machine that could use a proper set of winter tires in this environment. Nissan Armada (“Patrol” overseas), has a fairly basic four-wheel drive system, but it seems to work well in snow-mode, despite the street-biased rubber. The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser is the off-road brute of the bunch. It has a mix of old-school components and high-tech off-road aids. It’s the most expensive – by far. The 2020 Land Rover Defender is the high-tech tour de force with an ungodly amount of technology. In theory, it should have the most sophisticated off-road system of the bunch.
2021 Nissan Armada SL Midnight Edition
Only s week after its introduction, Nissan was kind enough to send us their 2021 Nissan Armada – which has received extensive design upgrades. The front and rear clip are all-new, and the interior has received some upgrades as well. What returns is the 4.6-liter V8 that makes 400 horsepower and 413 lb-ft of torque. At least, if you run it on premium fuel. On normal, it manages just 390 horsepower and 394 lb-ft. It comes with a seven-speed automatic transmission. This big boy is the special “Midnight Edition” which blacks everything out and gives you massive 20-inch wheels.
Prices are TBD; however, the outgoing 2020 Nissan Armada undercut the competition by several thousand dollars. Check out the full review for the new Armada over on TFLtruck.com.
2020 Land Rover Defender (Yes, our third one)
Our saga with the Defender continues, and if you’ve tuned in to our past Defender stories, you’ll find that this is our third attempt. The 2020 Land Rover Defender we are now using has a turbocharged 395 horsepower inline-six that makes 406 lb-ft of torque. It’s a mild hybrid that’s hooked up to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The sheer amount of technology in this vehicle is staggering, with almost every sensor, camera and actuator you could possibly ask for. It has serious off-road potential, despite being a unibody vehicle with a four-wheel independent suspension.
2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition
There is no doubt about the Toyota Land Crusier‘s pedigree on every continent. It is solid, reliable, luxurious and incredibly capable. We don’t know what will happen with the next Land Cruiser. A new one is coming, but it may not come to the United States. With that being said, it IS huge and heavy. In the snow, it has a big fight on its hands. This Land Cruiser comes with a 5.7-liter V-8 engine that generates 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It also comes with a standard Full-time four-wheel drive system with advance off-road settings.
Our “Heritage Edition” gives us unique touches and deletes the third-row seat.
These behemoth off-road SUVs have a difficult task ahead of them. Can Roman, Tommy and Blaze safely make it down from the mountain? Watch and find out!
