Tark:
I'm not a big fan of SUVs as daily drivers, but you're in totally different climate than I am..

If the roads are truly horrid and you want one vehicle to do it all, I'd look at the previous-gen Nissan Pathfinder or its close cousin the X-Terra.

If you do go down this path, you've got to recognize that you're making a serious (and ostensibly permanent) sacrifice in handling, acceleration and braking.

Lastly, the Ford Escape / Mazda Tribute and Land Rover Freelander are at the absolute bottom of my list. The Escape/Tribute have been saddled with recalls and the Freelander is anything but reliable (I've read accounts of transmissions lasting less than 20K).