Small backstory - I currently run 3 vehicles.  An '05 Ram Hemi 2WD, a '62 IH Scout w/350HP V8, tons, etc, and a '01 Triumph TT600 motorcycle.  For gas mileage reasons, the Triumph tends to be my commute vehicle. 

I LOVE my Scout, but it is really more of a trailer queen that I occasionally drive on the street.  Running an old school non OD trans, deep axle gears, wind noise, general issues of old trucks, etc it makes for a horrible drive on the freeway...plus the gas mileage is dismal, which means I often end up taking the big Dodge on easy dirt runs..and it isn't always easy squeezing that massive truck down some of the trails, lol.

What I want is a smaller, stock or near stock, 4x4 that gets decent fuel mileage (I consider anything over 20mpg to be decent when its a 4x4).  I have zero intentions or desires to do heavy mods to the suspension or drivetrain.  I've daily driven various 4x4s with every level of mods from stock 235s to 44 inchers - I KNOW I don't want another monster on the street, lol. 

I've been considering a Tracker or Sidekick to fill this need.  From what I've been reading, 25mpg freeway should be reasonable with the manual trans in stock form.  IF I went to a bigger tire, and that's a big IF, I don't see myself going bigger than a 235.  I wheeled my last Scout II on 235s a whole lot of places, and never felt restricted by tire height, so a much shorter/smaller truck should be fine on even something a bit smaller. 

What I haven't found though is how sturdy they are in stock form, off road, outside of 1st gens being preferred to 2nd gens in off road capability.  Is it much of a concern if the trucks will be staying stock or close to stock, on mild dirt roads/trails?

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Oh, I suppose I should also mention that one of the reasons I'm looking at the Tracker/Sidekick, and not a Samurai, is that on road manners is an important part of the mix for me.  Specifically having something that can keep up with modern traffic...a good amount of the freeways out here are limited at 70-75mph, and I've read that Sammys typically top out around 60-65 (and that even if you make them faster, they don't handle worth a hill of beans at higher speeds anyways).  It's not that I want to do 100mph on the freeway, but I also don't want to be that guy holding up a mile of traffic with people behind me constantly riding my bumper, like what happens with the Scout now. 

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The only reason a 1st gen would be preferred over a 2nd is availability of off-the-shelf off road equipment - kind of the same reason why you would buy a Jeep over a Suzuki - you can buy almost anything you want and bolt it on - since you say you're not interested in heavy modifications, I don't see that as a disadvantage.

There are many reasons a 2nd gen would be preferred over a 1st gen - lets start with more power, in addition to the 1.6 of the 1st gen, they were available with 2.0 four cylinder engines and the 2.5 V6 (I think the 2.0 is the better choice), they are larger, more comfortable, typically have air conditioning.

Under the skin, apart from engine size, the two generations are actually very, very similar - both are body on frame construction, both have two speed, part time, chain driven, transfer cases, both have MacPherson strut independent front suspension, both have live rear axles - the first gen have three link rear coil suspension (the upper link is a triangular "wishbone" that locates the axle sideways) whereas the second gen have four link with panhard rod, the first gen has recirculating ball steering (power assisted), whereas the second gen have rack & pinion, also power assisted.

Both generations use an aluminum alloy front differential housing, which is considered weak - two situations are known to cause the axle to fail - large grippy rubber in rocks, or allowing a front tire to spin free and then suddenly stop - you know the scenario, you're on three wheels, scrabbling for grip, then one rear tire bites and the vehicle lurches forward and is suddenly back on all four wheels.  Later production (after around 2003), second gens, with the V6 & manual transmissions, have a steel axle that supposedly fixes this problem.

Ok, so there's really no major drivetrain differences between the two then, aside from the steering setup.  I was reading that the 1st gens are far more preferred for off road use, as the rack and pinion in the 2nd gens apparently are much more exposed and prone to failure from impacts...but this at least _looked_ like it was more of an issue for those that want to go to big lifts.  After having several prior vehicles with a rack and pinion setup, I certainly understand the disadvantages, and difficulty in dealing with big lifts, but then I also understand how they're generally much nicer in stock form on the pavement as well. 

The bolt on nature of things really isn't an issue for me, and I've gotten to the point where I rarely buy bolt on parts for anything any more...just too much compromise one way or another for me, so I break the fab tools and just make most of whatever I need, though even that occasionally has run away syndrome...."gee, this leaf spring hanger is in the way of where I want the skid plate to go...while we're moving the hangers, might as well just link it instead....hmm, if I'm linking it, might as well double triangulate it...which is going to need a wheel base stretch and more lift to clear the drivetrain..which gives me the room to run bigger tires...which means I now need to put tons under it..." 

Hence part of why I want to stay small, and hopefully not have to do major mods to the drivetrain to keep it reliable...unlike the Jeeps that I've owned 

I've owned four of the 1st gen trucks and three of the 2nd gen trucks.  All of them were, and the one I still own is, reliable little pigs. 

If given the choice, I'd have to opt for the 2nd gen trucks for a couple of the reasons fordem cited.  The first and foremost would be the larger engines available.  My three 2nd gen trucks all have had the 2 liter engine.  Day and night difference over the 1.6.  I use to struggle to get up to speed and then cruise with interstate traffic in the spaghetti bowl around Indianapolis.  Once up to speed... no problem.  But you can mash the accelerator all you want but that little 1.6 is only going to give up the ponies a little at a time.  It's heart is in it, but the power isn't.  That is why Chevrolet dropped offering the 1.6 liter engine in the Tracker models in the '01 model year in favor of the 2 liter engine. The second would be more roominess and comfort for the operator.  The A/C seems to cool better (never great though) and the ride and handling is very good.  Even with 200K miles on it.

I prefer the 2 liter over the 2.5 liter V6.  Reason?  Ease of maintenance, repair and cost of repairs.  You are only giving up about 19 horsepower with the 2 liter engine.  The 2 liter engine has a very useful power band too.

I even like the rack and pinion steering.  Especially if you don't intend lifting the truck more than two inches.  I've put well over 230K miles on the three 2nd gen trucks I owned with zero problems with anything related to steering.  I don't beat the crap out of my Tracker but I've ran him off road plenty.  The front overhang kills approach angle, but that is simply a limiting issue you learn to deal with.  Anything over an 16-18" ledge in front of you... you are probably not going to go up it.  Like you inferred though, if you want a rock crawler, then build a rock crawler.  If you want a small truck lightly modified that will go well off road and on trails, then a Tracker or GV or Sidekick would probably fit the bill.

The 2nd gen Tracker I own now has over 201,000 miles on it.  I've modified it more than any of my other trucks.  I changed the diff gearing from 4.62s to 4.88s, added 30" tires,  added an OME suspension to it, bolted front, middle and rear skid plates on it, fabbed a brush guard onto it, welded heavy rectangular tubing into the rockers, installed a Lock Right locker in the rear diff, removed the air actuator assembly from the front diff and welded the engagement cogs together in the locked position and added manual locking hubs.  For what it is... it goes very well.  Even with the diff gear swap, I can still pull 24MPG on the highway with it.  In town he's closer to 20MPG. Fender well clearance for larger tires is an issue with the 2nd gen trucks... but guys get around this with body lifts.

My Tracker got compliments for its trail worthiness at an off road park from a crew of Jeep owners last fall.  Personally, I think how you drive is just as important as what modifications are on your truck. Anyone can stick any vehicle if they don't know what they are doing when driving off road.  I've seen several main battle tanks buried up to their sponson boxes because their vehicle commanders were clueless on where tanks can go and cannot go.  My point here being that even main battle tanks can and do get stuck.  The very best modification is always between the ears.

Well, I should be an official owner tonight of an '02 4 door, 4WD Vitara...just waiting on the owner to get the title notarized.  It's gonna be a project vehicle, as she was involved in a bit of an incident off road with it, and tweaked the steering, bent a wheel, blew the tire, and mangled both bumper covers. 

Doesn't look like there is any frame damage though, so it shouldn't be a major fix.  Apparently a mechanic friend of hers looked at it and said it was a bent spindle.  I figure I'll tear it down this weekend to get a better look at it, and make a parts shopping list....anyone parting out a 2nd gen? 

I plan to build bumpers front and rear, and I'll see if I can find a deal on some off road worthy tires...then figure out what I want to do for ham radio comms in it.

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