u/dont_remember_eatin

Last year, my wife chose a 2016 SR5P 4x4 to replace her totaled 2014 Honda Pilot Touring AWD. Since getting it, she's refused all off-pavement excursions, even ones we'd have previously explored in her Pilot, arguing against it based on the fact that we're still making payments.

We're not talking rock bashing or narrow trails that would pinstripe the hell out of it, but rough, unmaintained dirt roads that a determined person in a Civic could probably get down, though very uncomfortably and with exceedingly careful line picking.

We were on our way back from a long hike, and I mentioned a waterfall that could be seen with no further hiking, but it was at the end of a 2 mile unmaintained dirt road. So, of course she was dubious. I said if it gets too rough or narrow, we'd turn around.

After about a mile in, it did start to get rough, and we came to a steep hill with deep holes scattered around that would definitely flex the suspension a bit, so I dropped it into 4H before attempting to move forward, fully expecting wifey to call a halt to the proceedings. The road was still wide enough for a multi-point turn around without too much trouble at that point.

We climbed the hill with a little jostling around but no wheelspin, and I glanced over to get a pulse check and caught her smiling. That kind of hill would have been doable in her old Pilot, but bouncy as hell and with some rubber in the air with its short travel suspension and low profile tires.

There were a couple of more steep hills with loose rocks and gravel, but without the ruts and holes of that first hill -- all easily and smoothly climbed, of course.

We got to the parking lot at the end of the road, and literally every other vehicle there was a Toyota 4x4, including one wild card lifted AWD Sienna, lol. We took the short walk to the waterfall, got the photo, and headed back down the road as the weather looked to be turning -- the top of this road was at 11,300ft.

The whole way down, wifey talked about how smooth and easy it was to traverse this rough road. Of course, we in here know that's just the beginning of what even a stock 4R can do, and hopefully there will be more exploring in our future now that she's got a taste for it. She already asked about what it would take to lift it and fit bigger tires, lol. Monster = created.