Riding high: How the Toyota SUVs rank in terms of ground clearance 

Ground clearance is something that off-road enthusiasts obsess over, comparing almost every vehicle on the road with this statistic and also doing things like lifting their vehicles to improve the ground clearance.  

Essentially, a vehicle's ground clearance is the distance between the ground and the lowest part of the vehicle's body (on level ground, obviously). While ground clearance is not the be-all-and-end-all of 4x4 ability, it does play a significant role in traversing rough terrain without that awful feeling of knocking your vehicle's undercarriage on an obstacle and perhaps causing damage.  

Here is a list of the ground clearances of Toyota's SUVs and 4x4 vehicles:  

Hilux 4x4 286mm 

Fortuner 4x4  279mm 

FJ Cruiser  245mm 

Fortuner 4x4  279mm 

Land Cruiser 300 235mm 

Land Cruiser 76  235mm 

Land Cruiser 200  230mm 

Land Cruiser Prado  215mm 

RAV4 195mm 

Urban Cruiser  192mm 

Land Cruiser Prado  215mm 

Land Cruiser 200  230mm 

Land Cruiser 300 235mm 

Land Cruiser 76  235mm 

RAV4 195mm 

Hilux 4x4 286mm 

Driving tip 
When driving off-road, it's important to know where your wheels are. If you are approaching a rock that sticks out of the ground and you are worried that it might damage your car's undercarriage, drive so that one of the wheels goes over this rock (if you can't go around the rock completely, of course!). With a wheel on the rock, the rest of the vehicle, including the important components under the car, are kept well away from the potentially damaging obstacle.