Which modern 4x4 vehicle has the simplest construction?

No unnecessary electronics. Simple, flare free plastic trim pieces. Minimalist dashboard. And so on...

 

Unimog

 

Certainly the spartan inside is simple construction.... But it's also a diesel with portal axles. You may be correct though for overall simplicity.

 

Barebones jeep.

 

I mean if you want reeeally simple I hear VW bug dune buggys are insanely easy to tear into haha

 

My vote is Tacoma, especially gen 2's and older. On a Wrangler you'd need to go back at least 15 years.

 

Mahindra Roxor

 

The mini bare bones Land Rover "John" that they built on the season finale of the Grand Tour and drove across Mongolia... That little 4x4 was badass.

https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/John_(Car)




Unfortunately I believe it was a one off kit for the show

 

Whatever the cheapest 4x4 UTV you can find is, probably.

 

I can't recall any 2021 4x4 vehicle being available with the combination of manual transfer case and manual locking hubs. Trying to add a manual transmission to the mix would probably be impossible.

 

Now how about something the peasantry can afford?

 

Ford Ranger XL. You can configure it to just have a radio, vinyl seats and a rubber floor. You can also get a rear seat delete option on the extended cab like the Tacoma SR.

 

No such critter. You're looking for a early Jeep CJ.

 

This. Very capable too once they've had all their short-coming's addressed and had some newer bits installed. In the past 19 years mine has been on trails all over the West, including many trails which would be considered 4wd only in the Sierra's and in Moab. Advantages are they are dirt-simple to repair (though some special knowledge/techniques are handy to have) get a smile from just about everyone you meet and are street-legal pretty much everywhere (in my state SxS's are not road legal which eliminates their use around town and reduces the number of trails they can be driven on in my local mountains). The only modern systems on my 'Buggy are I converted it to electronic ignition probably 15 years ago so I wouldn't have to worry about Points and I added an AGM battery since wet lead-acid battery's were only lasting a year due to all the shaking the car does when it's in the dirt.

Bonus that values haven't gone crazy like they have with other toys. In my area $7-10K Would get you a very capable, well-sorted 'Buggy. I actually just took a mini overnight road trip in mine earlier this weekend and other than being on the freeway for extended periods of time, which is a bit like sitting in a wind tunnel, my car did well and actually got 20 MPG! Which for a larger (1,776cc) engine running dual-carbs really impressed me!

 

Forklift.