Off-roading is best done with a vehicle that has four-wheel drive, adequate ground clearance, and tires that are meant for this purpose. Going off the beaten path with a vehicle that is unprepared for the role in either condition, not to mention all the above, might mean you will have a bad time. Maybe not at first, but it will happen eventually.
In a pinch, some roads without asphalt can be driven on, and the same can be said about going over rough terrain. With someone helping you by spotting the place where you might get stuck or damage the vehicle, it can be done to a certain extent.
However, you should be aware of the risk of damaging the vehicle, and that is something that your insurance company might not be willing to pay for the repair if things go wrong.
With that behind us, the folks over at carwow went for an extreme test with 20-year-old luxury sedans. Instead of opting for an SUV or a full-on off-roader, the Brits decided to see if they could go off-roading in luxury, but on a budget.
To be specific, they set the budget at GBP 1,000, and each of the 20-year-old luxury sedans involved was acquired for that amount. With that kind of price, you can expect the review team to have no worries about affecting the resale value of the vehicles that were used.
For the task at hand, Mat Watson and his colleagues have selected a 2001 BMW 7 Series, a 2001 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and a 2000 Lexus LS. All three models come with rear-wheel drive, as well as an automatic gearbox. Two of them have pneumatic suspension, while the other only comes with electronically-adjustable shock absorbers.
With a ground clearance that is generally considered too low for off-roading, as well as other things that make these vehicles better at their intended purpose, some might be surprised to see what these sedans can do. Do not try to replicate this unless you can afford to pay for the damage sustained by your vehicle.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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