My 2.8L diesel ZR2 has about 390 miles off-road range, as measured in the Anza Borrego desert this last weekend. That was everything from 60mph+ wash blasts to fully-locked obstacle climbing in collapsed sections of canyon. My on-road range is 500+ miles. These numbers will likely change when I switch to 33s, and the advantage may diminish.
A gasser ZR2, Tacoma, JKU/JLU just doesn't have that kind of range. I don't need to bring fuel when other trucks have to bring fuel, meaning I have more payload, more room in my bed and a lower cG. That's the real reason why I chose diesel (also, the PO ate the cost without passing it on to me).
One real reason to dislike diesels: they are heavy. My truck is 200lbs heavier than a gasser, with the majority of that on the nose and contributing to pitch. The gas version of my truck is far more sprightly, and lands better after a jump or carrying too much speed off a ledge. Even with a winch, the gasser is lighter in the nose. Mine has both the diesel and a winch, and I've scraped my nose more than anywhere else.
Another real reason to dislike newer diesels sold in the US: Mexico still hasn't converted to ULSD. I'm sixty miles from the border and would have to run a 40gal aux tank to make Baja travel doable.
Even if I hadn't bought a slightly used truck, the cost of the diesel engine option and the cost of diesel were immaterial to the choice.
There are pluses and minuses to both. The last thing any community needs is pointless Balkanization.