The only comment I was making concerning Jeeps was that it's always so surprising to me how much more suitable something like a montero is, for carrying my gaggle of girls. Just a personal observation having been looking for a new vehicle lately. I like to think that my XJ does the job pretty well (and it has for 4 years), but when we ALL hop into a montero (all 5 of us), and are able to spread out to all three rows, its never fails to surprise me how much more enjoyable the ride is...
Just wanted to be clear on that...
I can comment on this subject!

I had a 2001 XJ on 33's with an RE 5.5" lift. I've also owned an '89 Montero LWB w/ LSD on 32's, and now the '95 Montero SR on 31's.
I have often compared the advantages/disadvantages (some of which are relative to the user or the specific purpose) between them. This is just a list of my own observations/opinions.
Jeep XJ:
- I think it's closer to mom's station wagon w/ 4WD than a "truck"...unibody, small interior, and requires a LOT of lift and trimming to get 33x12.5's to fit at full flex.
- Excellent power-to-weight ratio...190hp, 220tq, and only about 3250 lbs (about the same as a VW hatchback from the same year).
- Too shallow gearing from the factory (3.55:1) means a serious hit in performance and fuel economy when you jump to 33's; a re-gear should really be done for 33's. I returned ~11mpg on a healthy car with 80k miles on it on 33's.
Montero:
- An actual truck (body on frame).
- Stronger running gear than a D30, D35, Chryco 8.25.
- Deeper gearing.
- Heavier truck, not as good on power-to-weight ratio, but still adequate. 4.0L XJ on stock tires accelerates like most "sport compact cars" with N/A 4 cylinders.
...all in all, both of them got me where I needed to go...using different techniques. With the XJ, I was open/open, but I was on 33's that I could air down to a very low pressure, and the XJ was over 1,000 lbs lighter than a Montero. The squish of the tires helped make up for the fact I was open diff (I'd like to think the driver had something to do with this, too...) and I was able to go several places that people with lockers said I wouldn't be able to at the time. I didn't like the fact that it took a $1,000 lift kit, removal of my factory fender flares, and serious trimming of my fender sheet metal just to fit a set of 33" A/T's without rubbing.
The Montero is more "walk softly and carry a big stick." It's under rated, and I like that. People see the Montero and say things like "are you sure you want to try to go up that? I don't have a recovery strap with me...". But truth be told, in low traction situations, the Montero with the locker would get through more than the open XJ would. Yet nobody would question the XJ, because it "looks" the part.
I liked the XJ overall, but the fact that I needed to spend $1000 on a lift kit and then another $500 on gearing just so that I could turn and flex the 33's without straining made it apparent that they aren't as "hardcore" as they get credit for. On the Gen1 Montero, all I did was buy a $125 pair of rear coils and crank the T-bars to fit the same rubber. I also outgrew the XJ quickly as it's so small inside; tried a couple trips with the GF, her 2 kids, and my 110 lb dog with 3 days of gear. It was not enjoyable. If you don't have a family, and you have a bunch of money to spend to get the XJ trail worthy, than the axle layout and low weight make it a good contender once it's built up.
If you only need a moderate crawler, a Montero with a rear locker is pretty much ready out of the box...with the locker, deeper gears, and ability to fit a 32 or 33 without modification. It's only when you start to get into "hardcore" crawling that the IFS becomes an issue.
I think to myself...with a $400 Ironman lift and a $300 Aussie in the front, I know what a Montero SR could do. I think it would cost a LOT more than $700 total to get an XJ to do the same things.
They just represent 2 different philosophies and have different skill sets. They are both pretty capable, it just depends on what features are more important to you, and what resources you have available to you.
IMHO of course.