I moved from FL to CO and my wife and 5 year old son want to do more camping and off-roading. She doesn't like large vehicles and I'm comfortable wrenching on Toyotas and Jeeps but am open to other suggestions. We will be keeping the Prius as a DD, but want something that can drive for a couple of hours, get us to a camp site at the end of a primitive road, and then home again reliably and comfortably.
Budget 20k, WWGRMD?
Oh, $20k changes the answer. Before knowing that my answers were going to be...
Then on a more serious note for a budget answer was going to be a Suzuki XL-7. All the Suzukis are very capable vehicles and the XL-7 is the stretch version. Remove the comical 3rd row seat but gain additional functional space.
I think the big three on that budget and use case are the Jeep Wrangler, Toyota 4Runner and Nissan XTerra.
For compact options the XL-7/Vitara or Sidekick (similar 2-door vehicle) and Wrangler are good choices. The 4Runner is a good offroad vehicle but it's definitely large. Xterra is a good choice as well.
If you want something you can camp as a couple in I would go with a pickup with either a Go Fast Camper or a Flippac topper.
If it was just me I would get a Wrangler with an Ursa Minor camper.
How primitive a road? Lots of great campsites on the end of dirt roads that can be reached by non-extreme vehicles. Our Vanagon can get us happily off the beaten path but obviously not everywhere. Depends on how much you want the drive to be part of the experience, or if it's mostly about the destination.
What do you require whilst camping? Sleeping in your vehicle or a tent? On-board toilet? Kitchen facilities?
If you're good with tents and camp stoves and chemica toilets, a mostly stock 4Runner is the way. Or the Nissan equivalent, which is cheaper. If you want to sleep on/in your vehicle, a Tacoma with a roof tent.
If it's just the basic BLM roads, most vehicles can do them even in 2WD no problem if it is dry. Mountain pass stuff, high clearance required trails, etc. you'll want to be a little more picky, but I've been blown away by how many places my mostly-stock Suburban has gotten me.
I am a big fan of my 4Runner. Just got back from the Ouray/Silverton area a few weeks ago. There were 2 -4Runners and 2 FJs in the group. Either would be great! There are a few Lexus GXs I have seen that have a few mods that perform equally as well. Although the Jeeps are incredibly capable, I am not a fan of their reliability.
I bought a 4-Runner after it came off lease with 30k miles. It had three pedals and we loved it. Someone more fluent in 4WD can help, but my experience is some with 4WD are actually two 2WD axles, better than one wheel peel, but 4 spinners is better. If what you seek is not a DD, I'd be tempted to go old school with lockers and 2 posi axles. For anything tougher than a fire road, think about a lift.
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