Which economical 4WD vehicle would you recommend for tackling mountains?

I climb, hike and mountaineer, and want a 4WD to haul me and my gear off road to the crags, as I'm 60 and can't walk 20 miles before climbing a mountain any more. I'd like decent ground clearance, 60mph at 40mpg minimum on motorways (it's a long way to the mountains), be able to run on "ordinary" tyres, with proven reliability, and low running and servicing costs. I'm not familiar with modern 4WD cars - a pal suggested a 1000cc Suzuki jeep, but I would appreciate your advice before committing. I'd use it to commute 30 miles in winter and don't want an unrepairable, unserviceable oddball. So all in all, I need something that goes anywhere, costs twopence to run and never breaks down, with a gold plated resale value.
You can still get a Suzuki Jimny 1.3-litre hard-top, and, of course lots of used hard and soft tops. I've never driven one but people who have complain it's as crude to drive as the old Suzuki SJ, which I have driven in Bali, and which was awful. They are good off road, however, due to the light weight.
Answered by Honest John on

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