We (mostly) avoided the leafer hordes this week with a breathtaking, post-snow drive to the 12,500-foot top of Jones Pass, west of Empire, as part of my local car organization’s 4xFall event — where we were encouraged to vigorously off-road a range of new SUVs and trucks.

The Rocky Mountain Automotive Press association’s event included time with a beefy, Hemi-powered 2026 Ram 1500 Warlock edition, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X 4xe we profiled last week, a 2025 Honda Passport TrailSport, the Trailhunter version of the 2025 Toyota 4Runner and the Overtrail version of the 2025 Lexus LX 700h.

Despite my weekly outings, I’d never been to the top of Jones Pass, and it provided just the right amount of steepness and moderate challenge to showcase the admirable capability of these trail-and-highway vehicles.

Ram, as I have mentioned recently, has done a 180 and reintroduced the ever-popular 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine through much of its eight-trim lineup, to supplement the grades of still-available turbocharged engines (the Hemi is also again found in Dodge Durango and the Hemi 392 version of the Wrangler Rubicon).  

Improved electronics and an available, mild-hybrid eTorque system do slightly update the old-school V8 tech; In the $61,000 Warlock rendition, which serves as a somewhat more basic version of the Ram Rebel, we also had a custom sport exhaust to make the 395-hp engine sound as Hemi as possible. The big truck’s only shortcoming in the wild is its size, especially on tight trails. 

More versatile, in a way, was the legitimately off-road-engineered Honda Passport TrailSport, which is assembled in Alabama and priced, all-in, at just over $54,000 for this Elite trim. While previous off-road models were mostly better tires and bright badges, TrailSport gains added agility to complement its splashier looks, including the Sunset Orange paint job. And, of course, special 31-inch General all-terrain tires, the biggest ever offered on a Honda.

That includes a new standard non-turbo 3.5-liter V6 with a slightly bumped 285-hp, a 10-speed transmission and an improved, higher-torque AWD system with full left-to-right and 70% front-to-rear torque vectoring. The body structure has much more rigidity, suspension has been improved and there are three new drive modes, with a Trail mode that throws front-view camera displays on the 12.3-inch touchscreen display, for easier rock-hopping. There’s also a new hill descent control, good for speeds up to 12 mph, and full off-road gauges on the digital display, confirming to our California guests just how high we were at the top of the Divide.

Meanwhile, Toyota and Lexus’s offroad models demonstrated the remarkable, hybrid-powered improvements in both the new 4Runner and the ultra-capable and elegant LX 700h.

The widened and lifted Trailhunter, priced at about $66,000, gets nearly all the laundry list of off-road upgrades found in the TRD Pro model, with Old Man Emu shocks, 33-inch tires, a built-in air compressor, a Rigid LED lightbar and a locking rear differential, plus an ARB roof rack.

Unlike the 4Runner I drove earlier this year, Trailhunter gets the 326-hp i-Force Max hybrid system, with a more stout 465 lb-ft of uphill torque, as well as a huffing and chuffing snorkel.

The interior is also classy, including the distinctive cement-colored dash highlight trim and an upgraded JBL stereo system. That all blends together for added rock-crawling agility and power that all felt pretty legitimate at high altitude. 

For a legit, pre-pandemic Land Cruiser-styled experience, the Lexus is still the top of the pile, with a 457-hp 3.4-liter V6 turbo/hybrid powertrain, excellent trail capabilities and a wildly luxurious interior. I drove the $117,000 vehicle in-town only earlier this year, but its ability to handle rocks, ruts and fairly serious off-road challenges is quite robust. Credit 33-inch all-terrain tires, 10 inches of lift from the adjustable suspension and full front, center and rear electronic lockers for remarkable trail agility. At 6,000 pounds, it also feels like the old full-sized Land Cruiser used to, but that 583 lb-ft of torque keeps it moving.   

Andy Stonehouse’s column “Mountain Wheels” publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Golden. Contact him at summitmountainwheels@gmail.com.