2024 Mudfest Picks the Best SUVs and Pickups

20 SUVs and pickups. 20 automotive writers. One grand prize winner. Now in its 30th year, Mudfest is a two-day competition put on by the Northwest Automotive Writers Association. Held at The Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, WA, NWAPA members judge on and off-road capability, value, features, cargo room, efficiency and technology. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Thanks to The Ridge Motorsports Park, Alderbrook Lodge and Spa, member of NWAPA, and all of the manufacturers reps that traveled to Shelton, WA.
Also, special thanks to the staff of Page One and DriveShop, Aaron Hansen, Erin Kemp, John Vincent, Nik Miles and Jim Redden for their hours of volunteer time.
And a shout out to Martin Campbell, Tom Frisch and Doug Berger for additional photography
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About Tom: Tom Voelk is an award-winning automotive contributor to The New York Times. His podcast was the first to win an Emmy Award (and he's won for photography, editing, producing and reporting).
00:00 Mudfest SUV and Pickup Of The Year Competition
1:10 How the Competition Works
2:23 Last Year’s Winners
3:42 Day 1
4:20 On-Road Course
4:56 Pickups
6:35 Luxury SUV
7:39 2-Row Family SUV
9:48 3-Row Family SUV
11:47 Day 2 Off-Road Course
13:10 Off-Road Capability
14:57 Electric Vehicle Off-Roading
15:56 Surprises
17:48 2024 Mudfest Winners
19:30 Special Thanks

[@JeniferOleta]

This has to be the best way to review these cars. Has any vehicle ever failed to complete any of these courses? Awesome video!

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Nope. Last year a shoulder gave way and left a vehicle seriously tilted. Wasn't the vehicles fault.

[@Novilicious]

The GX is my all time favorite SUV…so yes, you got it right!!! Such a good and comprehensive review. Never stop doing these!!!

[@RichardJoashTan]

And my personal favorite is the Kia EV9 GT Line.

[@lloydswartz7354]

That big piece of plastic beat real 4x4s oh my

[@OldThomMerton]

At least a million subscribers! Looking forward to seeing 200k soon. Great job as usual, Tom, and Mudfest makes me miss the Peninsula.

[@charlesrogers8420]

There is absolutely no advantage to an EV off road vehicle.

[@lloydswartz7354]

Plenty of disadvantages. Ok so they do not belong off road

[@trevoC132]

Theres a huge advantage... if you run out of gas without a can, you're effed.... with an EV, you can plug in a solar charger and wait 7 years for it to give you enough charge to just drive out of there.

[@myauctionaddictionestatesa7451]

@@trevoC132 You have a point 🤣

[@CaptDnaDonut]

I doubt I'll ever be taking my little Mustang Mach-E 🦄 too far off road, but I do very much enjoy watching the Mudfest videos.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

I'll be driving the Rally model soon.

[@CaptDnaDonut]

@@DrivenCarReviews 😃. That should be a good video.

[@acemacgruber6593]

Pretty soon we’ll have the best 2 1/2 ton EV winner.

[@derick-smith]

I've been watching you for years and today I just picked up my first UHD monitor. You really do go the extra mile (car pun only partially intended) in video quality! I truly appreciate the content and the wisdom you've shared for so many years. Cheers to many more!

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Thanks! Others will look better. I had to upscale some of the material because I messed up on some settings on a new camera.

[@georgeg.7124]

Nice review. Always fun to watch these Mudfest vids.

[@Motorheaddoc]

Would have been nice to see Rivian there

[@DrivenCarReviews]

I agree. Pretty sure it was asked.

[@g7003041]

😂 yet Toyota Tacoma trying to price itself like a high end / luxury brand compared others😊

[@joeybaggy4118]

You da man Tommy V.!! Thank you as always for the outstanding video/info!

[@PickensDon]

Love this contest and your vids!!

[@lawdog516]

That was a fun video, thanks Tom

[@JDelta87]

The Ridge is such a nice track. Your annual Mudfest coverage is always carefully crafted proper amounts of b-roll and commentary. Nice work, Tom!

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Wish I could drive the main track more. Mudfest is a beast to cover but I love the event.

[@ModernCowboy78]

I knew it would be the Lexus.

[@redmusichouse]

Love these yearly mudfest specials!

[@ronarmfield913]

Have a Lexus overtrail + on order expected in early June,can’t wait .

[@rickmontelongo4230]

Nice good choice I own a 2021 4Runner TRD off road premium best Overlanding vehicle ever built quality Japan has pride in building cars and trucks we don’t anymore 🤷‍♂️

[@paulm6481]

The problem with eV off reading is if that battery pack gets damaged, he vehicle is totaled. Lexus IS a good choice for overall winner. Next best is Taco. Then Wrangler.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

The problem with ICE off-roading is, prang the drivetrain and the vehicle is totaled.

[@RichardJoashTan]

Not me, the best overall choice is the Kia EV9 GT Line, Mitsubishi is second and Lexus in third.

[@paulm6481]

@@DrivenCarReviews Keep us with times DriveCarREviews. A battery replacement costs half or more than half an EV's cost. If a differential is broken, a tranmission line or transmisson is broken, we are talking at most 1/10th the cost of a new ICE vehicle.

[@davep2945]

@@DrivenCarReviews Sorry, just not true. You'd have to blow an engine and transmission for that to happen. Stop pretending that EV's have no issues and they must be defended at all costs. Agenda pushing makes for poor policy. The bigger problem with EV off roading though is really that if you are actually deep into the woods and run low on electricity no one can bring you a spare ten gallons to get you home.

[@MegaRetr]

Love these yearly mudfest specials)

[@plemieux84]

I have the Outlander PHEV and it’s a great option. Love ours. 1500 miles between fill ups on average. Hover around 77 mpg.

[@TinLeadHammer]

Is this the one that does not work below 20F ?

[@plemieux84]

@@TinLeadHammer Haven’t heard about that. I live in the US southeast so it will rarely see subfreezing temps.

[@LetMeCook86]

You the man, Tom!

[@michaelgarvin8621]

Great review and video 👍👍

[@RG-ct6qz]

Feminine energy.

[@RichardJoashTan]

Glad that the Kia EV9 GT Line is my personal favorite; that is why I will buy it.

[@anthonypagano6384]

Where is the ford bronco raptor and Land Rover Defender and Mercedes Benz g Class and Toyota 4 runner and kia Seltos and Land Rover Range Rover sport and BMW x5 and Jeep Grand Cherokee and Mazda CX90 and Toyota grand highlander and Nissan Pathfinder and Chevrolet Traverse and Lexus lx and ford Explorer etc

[@anirudh0000]

The manufacturers chose not to send them

[@mejestic124]

Dude, you are not listening

[@kiariemk]

My dream job, driving different cars all day!

[@french0103]

Absolutely 🔥 🔥

[@JarmelSingsKaraoke]

🔥🔥🔥

[@madflava909]

Tom, my Mom happened by while I was watching and she said she believes you about the course being rougher because she’s never seen your hair so disheveled! 😆 Loyal fans, you’re the best!

[@Mspikes]

I’m a big fan of these reviews, but this one in particular has a many more moving shots in it than previous ones. So many that it became difficult for me to enjoy it watching on my TV. I’m not prone to motion sickness - but I had to stop it about halfway through as I was getting dizzy from the continuous pans, action cam shots, and in-car while moving shots that were cut together in quick succession. Not sure if I’m the only one that had this reaction (and I’m a video shooter and editor myself), but thought I’d offer the critique.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Sorry to make you car sick. It must be the nature of this video, lots of vehicles, lots of action, lots of info to cram into a reasonable amount of time (the first draft was five minutes longer).

[@bliglum]

The restyled Colorado looks a bit Tacoma'ish. Don't blame it, Taco's are both beloved, and handsomely styled.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

You mean the new Tacoma looks like the Colorado that's been out for a while now?

[@bliglum]

@@DrivenCarReviews I was thinking it looked more like the last gen Taco. But all three look quite similar.

[@RadoDani]

EVs in the nature are even quieter when you run out of battery 😂

[@gw8405]

The winners seems to be in complete contrast to the runner up. Weird. Test criteria is ambiguous at best and so are the results.

[@cvillalobos27]

Is the IPAD test going to be a permanent feature? The more brake power the further the device will fly into the floor or the windshield of the vehicle tested. Great video as usual.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Ha! A standardized test that's been staring me in the face for years.

[@cvillalobos27]

@@DrivenCarReviews lovely complement to the Tee Pee test

[@davep2945]

It's always interesting to see most car review channels taking anything with AWD and trying to use it like heavily modified Jeep and then complaining it's not a heavily modified Jeep. The first owner of any of these vehicles is almost never going to put them at serious risk of damage off road and these buyers are all the manufacturer cares about. So they aren't going to build Billy Bob his dream off road rig for $10,000 even though he keeps complaining in the comments about how they should build him something that he would never use for a tenth of the price it would actually cost to build if the manufacturer gave it to him at cost. On the flip side as you approach the extremes of what can be done in a factory ready off roader there is no doubt the Jeep Rubicon is still the king and those that think their Tacoma is have never really been to those extremes. The Lexus is a great all rounder especially for the typical buyer who will never get it dirty but it's not near the equal of the Jeep or the Grenadier, Raptor, or ZR2 when truly serious off road work is required. But then it will never have to be. By the way. You should not mislead people into buying the Chevy version of the Bison Colorado. Buy the ZR2 instead. It's the exact same truck mechanically with Chevy's own lift and bump stops added by AEV as any dealer or good home mechanic could do and a few of AEV's over priced bumpers and skids. AEV engineers nothing mechanically for this particular version and is basically a glorified 4 wheel parts install shop. On AEV's actual factory version which is sold by them you do get a couple of worthwhile mechanical changes for roughly the same price as Chevy's but it's still not a good value. The Plain Jane ZR2 is though.

[@rapide12345]

Outlander all day everyday.

[@joshharrison1160]

you don't see a lot of Mitsubishi out there. am i the only one surprised by their award ?

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Very small dealer network doesn't help. I was one of many writers that was pleasantly surprised. The face could be a little... softer.

[@MrRaitzi]

They made mistake not launching not yet in Europe. Would have won lot more publicity.

[@DrivenCarReviews]

You realize that Mitsubishi won last year right? This year it was a runner-up. Just making sure.

[@MrRaitzi]

@@DrivenCarReviews yes. I watched the whole video. Good job BTW.

[@joshharrison1160]

@@DrivenCarReviews thanks for the clarification. i'm still surprised given that i see so few of these on the road.

[@ebg1222]

As soon as I saw a mitsubishi win, I knew this wasn't legit

[@rapide12345]

RWD Biased S-AWC with twin electric motors, won top 10 interiors of 2021, named the safest SUV on the market for the year 2023 by U.S News, built in Japan, one of the most smoothest plug in hybrid system in its class, proven PHEV system, and it has brake vectoring AYC system, I can say it's a well deserved winner (2023).

[@pinkipipe]

Lexus 👍

[@jonasdelossantos627]

The Best SUV: chevy suburban The best pick up: dodge ram trx

[@paulelledge8977]

No Defender?

[@DrivenCarReviews]

Nope. 1:11

[@paulelledge8977]

@@DrivenCarReviews bummer

[@2URLex]

Haha Lexus above all. Let the haters hate

[@harrytej]

WTH is GV80 Doing here

[@TJDST4]

Doin' work.

[@beexiong2995]

The Mitsubishi outlander being the top? Lol yeah right in real world its the worst plugin hybrid ev in its class with the lowest range and weakest

[@rapide12345]

Lowest range? Are you sure? The Outlander has one of the highest EV range in its class, has the most smoothest transition in its class, has the best power split and AWD system in its class, how is that the worst?

[@rapide12345]

The Outlander's combined EV power is 248HP and 332lb-ft, the Hyundai and Kia PHEV only has a 90HP E-Motor and has a shorter EV range, how is the Outlander the weakest? Also in its class the Outlander is the 2nd quickest PHEV behind the RAV4 Prime, the Outlander PHEV is RWD biased compared to the FWD biased RAV4, the Outlander is even made in Japan.

[@greggb681]

🥱

[@pizzaearthpancakesandother2549]

When I think of Mudfest I picture a bunch of Floridamen driving swampbuggies and drinking malt liquor. Kind of the opposite of a group of liberal journalistas in Wa State sipping Chardonnay and toasting our electric future Post Script: My mudda was a mudder. No really she was

[@gtiguy9629]

And yet nobody wants/ will trust opinion 1. And forget about opinion 2 its price tag is so high it can’t even smell its own mouthwash. 🤣

[@RichardJoashTan]

and 3. I will buy a fully loaded Kia EV9 GT Line anyway.

[@Deatomizer]

I think with the issues people are having with the Tacos, is should be called the Crapoma

[@texanfournow]

Mitsubishi? Really??

[@myauctionaddictionestatesa7451]

Would you believe I have a rock crawling monster of a Mitsubishi? A 1996 with 38" tires and SAS. My how far Mitsubishi continues to fall trying to compete with cheapo cross overs.

[@texanfournow]

@@myauctionaddictionestatesa7451 I believe it. There are any number of 90s esp. JDM that I would gladly drive, like an Evo, FTO, or Galant Type II. If could only get my hands on a Jackie Chan Special Edition Evo! Sadly, the company is just a shadow of its former self. There was a time when the local Mitsu dealer was selling two Mirages for the price of one! I guess one was a mirage...

[@TinLeadHammer]

Have American highways been bombed into unpassable ruins since the 1950s? As if the shift from trains to cars was not bad enough, the shift from reasonably-sized cars to all-roaders is idiotic in a country like the U.S. It would make sense somewhere in Central America or Africa, then again a cheap and simple car like Renault 4 proved to do just fine. I hope to see a review of something more sensible on this channel.

[@TJDST4]

The roads haven't been bombed. We just refuse to maintain them because "it's too expensive".

[@alstoningramjr]

S. Korea? Uh, no

[@RichardJoashTan]

And I am glad that I will buy a fully loaded Kia EV9 GT Line.

[@bradniemann13]

The Gx550 is NOT on the same platform as the tacoma…. Wrong. And who the fk picks rubicon e and a Mitsubishi as the winners. This ‘mud’ fest is laughable

[@DrivenCarReviews]

GX550 and Tacoma are on the same TNGA-F platform. I agree on the Rubicon though, not a family vehicle.

[@rickmontelongo4230]

Toyota Lexus everything else garbage we need to have better quality control Japan has pride in building vehicles. These guy are full of it they don’t know shit about cars

[@BBlackmen]

Sing I know you guys must have this category a little bit mixed up when you said a three-row SUV and you said the Mitsubishi Outlander we have legalized marijuana in Washington and obviously you guys are smoking it because there is no third row in that vehicle there's a penalty seat in that vehicle but that is not a third row

[@lloydswartz7354]

Have to smoking something for a modern mits to win anything

[@BBlackmen]

You guy's must be smoking the Good weed. How many people actually buy a Mitsubishi Outlander I can count on one hand the number of times that I have seen one so America is not agreeing with what you guys have decided as the winner

[@TJDST4]

Just because **you** haven't seen many on the road doesn't mean that it isn't good. BTW, who are you?

[@ChopperChad]

I see them often here in central Texas

[@BBlackmen]

You guys need to do a category for the ugliest SUV ever created and give it to Hyundai for that new Santa Fe the Old Santa Fe is turning over in his grave because that thing looks like a hearse no it looks like a coffin with wheels