2009 4X4 of the Year: How's that?

As a new year gets underway, a slew of shiny new 4x4 trucks and 4WD SUVs has also hit the roads and trails around the world, and the "4X4 of the Year" awards are already flying.

But what really makes a 4X4 of the Year? That depends on where you live, what magazine you read, what 'class' you're interested in, and how rich you are--because there are many different 4x4s of the Year, it turns out.

Down under in Australia, the Mitsubishi Pajero 3.2 diesel has been named 4X4 of the Year by the Australian 4X4 Magazine. In the UK, the 2009 Fiat Panda scooped up the same award from Britain's 4x4 and MPV Driver magazine--but the 2009 Land Rover Discovery 3 is the 4X4 of the Year according to the UK's 4X4 Magazine.

Over in the United States, Peterson's 4Wheel and Off Road magazine has chosen the 'new' Suzuki Equator pick up truck as 4X4 of the Year, and up in Canada top 4X4 of the Year honours go to the Dodge Ram pickup truck.

But let's stop here, because the more you search, the more 4X4s of the Year you find. Depending on which publication or automotive journalist association you believe, there can even be more than one 4x4 of the Year in a given country.

Which just goes to show that no one else can or should tell you what's your 4x4 of the Year. Because the only 4x4 of the year that matters is whatever rig gets you where you need to go and back, and doesn't break the bank in the process.

And with 4x4's, a good rule of thumb that any four wheeler will tell you is: the older, the better. Bells, whistles, traction controls, and heaters are all well and good, but a simple and proven 4x4 wins every time. Tough to break, simple to fix, cheap to buy, and plenty of parts.

In that sense, the 2009 4X4 of the Year could be a 1983 Toyota Landcruiser. Or a 1979 Ford Bronco. Or perhaps a 1991 Isuzu Trooper. Or maybe a 1990 Nissan Pathfinder. In other words, whatever 4x4 you can afford, whatever 4x4 you enjoy driving, and whatever 4x4 works for you--that's the only 4X4 of the Year that matters.