in my humble opinion a land rover defender 90 would be best and a 110 even better.(bcos you say size wise not too big)
this is the mother of all off roaders and over time with a little cash you can create a vehicle thats totally self sufficient!! as for off roading..these are in iraq,afghanistan,the jungles of borneo,and the amazon.(although certain upgrades are in place in those extreme parts of the world.
there are many 4x4 forums that can keep you too!!