Off-Road, Off-Load: All-Wheel Drive Vans 2025
Commercial vehicles, by their very definition, are already built for heavy-duty, heavy loading tasks... but what if you need to take that cargo a bit further than your average van?
Indeed, vehicles capable of going off-road have been with us for decades but while there are myriad all-wheel drive cars on the market today – big, small, luxurious, basic, hardcore, light-footed – there are only a handful of equivalent vans.
Why Lease An All-Wheel Drive Van?
While front and rear-wheel drive vans are well suited to carrying heavy loads on conventional roads, there might be occasions when your route to work, the location of a delivery or a job description requires a journey over rougher terrain.
As such, a van that can tackle slippery surfaces and challenging road conditions like mud, grass or wet terrain, might well come in handy, especially if you happen to be carrying particularly heavy cargo. At the very least, it will provide peace of mind that you’re prepared should the occasion require it.
How Does All-Wheel Drive Work?
While most vans are front-wheel drive as standard, some larger models can be specified with rear-wheel drive. These models are particularly useful if you carry especially heavy loads or regularly tow a trailer.
All-wheel drive (also known as four-wheel drive) works to provide better stability and traction by sending engine power to the front and rear axles at the same time. By having a more even power distribution, it stops one axle from having all the power to put down on a slippery surface.
It allows all-wheel drive vans to traverse more challenging terrain or anywhere a loss of traction is detected, while the higher ground clearance tackles ramps, rocks and ramps more easily.
Which All-Wheel Drive Vans Are Available?
Ford Transit Custom Trail
While all-wheel drive is more common among large vans, the best-selling Ford Transit Custom stands apart from most equivalent mid-size vans by being offered with four-wheel drive.
This has been made possible by the Transit Custom sharing its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Transporter, which has long been available with an all-wheel drive system.
Even so, while the mechanicals may be VW-sourced, Ford has run with the notion of a unique rough’em, tough’em trim level, the Ford Transit Custom Trail.
It can be specified as all-wheel drive with an automatic transmission or with a mechanical limited slip differential mated to a manual transmission. It also gets optional black alloy wheels, yellow exterior detail, raised ground clearance and a unique Trail-spec grille and skid-plate.
Volkswagen Transporter 4MOTION
Volkswagen has been offering its long-serving 4MOTION all-wheel drive technology across its range for decades and the Volkswagen Transporter is no exception.
This extends to the latest generation model, which went on sale earlier in the year, where it is offered as an optional extra in Commerce Plus or Commerce Pro trim and is mated to a 2.0-litre 150PS turbodiesel engine.
VW’s 4MOTION system is described as giving ‘great grip on the road, come rain, wind or snow’ and will ‘tackle the toughest roads and the worst weather conditions’.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter AWD
The MAN TGE offers all-wheel drive on request and is designed to tackle the toughest of conditions.
Distinguished by its raised ground clearance and equipped with Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel drive system, the Sprinter AWD errs closer to a full-blown off-roader and is therefore more capable in the rough stuff than most.
Unlike earlier models, which swapped to all-wheel drive at the press of a button, the current Sprinter AWD has permanent four-wheel drive. With eight inches of ground clearance and a generous 26-degree approach angle for inclines, the Sprinter AWD goes further than most.
Iveco Daily 4x4
Vans don’t come more heavy-duty than the MAN TGE, so it’s perhaps no surprise the Italian firm includes not one, but two go-anywhere versions among its venerable large van range.
Drawing upon its experience and success both in the HGV sector and competing at the gruelling Dakar Rally, the Iveco Daily 4x4 is available in ‘All-Road’ and ‘Off-Road’ trims.
The more road-biased All-Road features twin-rear wheels for improved comfort while retaining a larger footprint on the rough stuff, while the Off-Road Daily has single rear wheels with pumped up suspension that both raises ground clearance and strengthens payload.
Indeed, Iveco Daily payloads are impressive – 2639kg for the 5.5-tonne Off-Road version, while the GVW 7.0-tonne chassis can move a mammoth 4,132kg – and this can all be hauled deep into the wilderness (mountains and rivers included) without coming unstuck.
Ford Transit AWD
The Ford Transit is available with selectable all-wheel drive across its 350 range, both in 130 and 165PS engine trim.
Sharing traits with the Ford Ranger, the Transit earmarks itself as surprisingly capable in trickier conditions without losing the essence of what makes it such a popular model in the first place.
With a gearbox that mimics that of a low ratio transmission in its initial gearing, the Transit AWD can tackle inclines/declines and make solid progress across loose terrain.
Volkswagen Crafter 4MOTION
Another model in the Volkswagen range to benefit from the manufacturer’s 4MOTION drivetrain, the VW Crafter has long been a popular choice among those looking to combine class-leading cargo capacity with go-anywhere ability.
Mated to a 2.0-litre 177PS turbodiesel, the VW Crafter 4MOTION is described as offering ‘dependable traction and control’, plus ‘improved directional stability’.
MAN TGE 4x4
Based on the running gear of the VW Crafter, the MAN TGE also offers a multi-functional all-wheel drive system on its flagship van.
The MAN TGE 4x4 can automatically engage depending on the situation and offers full traction on ‘almost any surface’.
It also offers an electronically switchable differential lock on request, which allows for even more traction on difficult surfaces.
Volkswagen ID.Buzz Cargo 4MOTION
The only electric van in this ranking, the Volkswagen ID.Buzz Cargo proves you can go green while getting out onto the green stuff.
Equipped with VW’s 4MOTION all-wheel drive system, the VW ID.Buzz Cargo 4MOTION is available in flagship trim and mated to a 79kWh battery.
While there is a small reduction in range compared with front-wheel drive versions of the VW ID.Buzz Cargo, it can still travel up to 258 miles, according to combined WLTP figures, while payload capacity is 596kg.
Land Rover Defender Hard Top
If you don’t need a huge load bay but you do need to tackle particularly tough terrain – while still carrying cargo – then there are few models on the market as capable of fulfilling that brief as the Land Rover Defender Hard Top.
The commercial version of Land Rover’s immensely popular Defender off-roader, the Hard Top can be specified in either three-door ‘90’ trim or in full five door ‘110’ guise.
Whichever you choose, you’ll get 1355 litres (90) or 2059 litres (110) of loadspace and both forward and rear underfloor storage.
Better still, the latest Defender lives up to Land Rover’s reputation for developing models that are unstoppable in the rough stuff.
So, not only is the Defender Hard Top equipped with the latest in off-road technology, it is capable of wading in 900mm of water, can winch a pulling force of 4536kg from 45 metres away and will tow up to 3,500kg.
And if that wasn’t enough, you’ll also be driving one of the most fashionable models on sale right now...
Lease An All-New, All-Wheel Drive Van With Vansdirect
Buying or leasing a new all-wheel drive van with Vansdirect has never been easier and better value.
Get the right pick-up truck at the right deal, right now with the best van leasing deals available across a wide range of models, including the Ford Transit Custom, MAN TGE and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
Speak to our expert team today and you could be driving a new four-wheel drive van for less than you think, sooner than you thought.
