how much is your budget?
what is your purpose?
you plan to sell your vehicle after use?
do you prefer second hand vehicle?

find and answer to these questions...

you have lots of options here....

come on...
you are a mechanical engineer right.
you know which car is the best without any advice..

only thing you want to know is...
the service facilities...
the cost of spare parts...
resale value...

i am using nissan pathfinder.
not even a single problem yet.
some times i abuse it in desert...
some times i drive crazy...
some times i drift...

still its good...

i dont prefer X terra.
its metacentric height is high
and also the center of gravity.
i agree its strong but it have more tendency to overturn.

anyway go nissan or toyota...
honda crv is also nice. (nissan x trail)
but not suitable for desert drive

take care.....