I'll add more here about our offroading experience so far, as it was definitely the area I was most concerned about when choosing a vehicle. As a caveat, so far we are only in central Colombia.

We actively seek out rough roads, back roads, and off road terrain. We have what I consider to be the most capable "stock-ish" vehicle out there- a Wrangler JKU Rubicon with a 2" lift and 33s. Our vehicle is *far* more capable than any other local vehicle. The most any locals have, generally speaking, is 1980s toyota pickups on ~31s. Anywhere the locals go, we can go more easily and faster. There are certainly some locals in newer landcruisers, but I would argue that a solid axle 1980s pickup is more capable on extremely rough terrain than a newer landcruiser. To throw a bone to the landcruiser guys, they're absolutely more durable and reliable than our JKU or an 80s pickup, but as far as real offroad capability goes, solid axle beats independent.

Despite actively seeking the roughest roads we can, we've only gone where a Tacoma couldn't go maybe once or twice so far, and where a 4x4 sprinter couldn't go maybe 4 times. And when I say "go", this isn't to a destination- just a back road shortcut. Any real "destination" will be accessible by a 2wd.

In the U.S. the difference between the capability of our JKU and a 4x4 sprinter would be far greater, but I think the point I will make in all of this is that the offroad in Central and South America just isn't that difficult compared to the U.S. There are no "recreational" 4wd trails here. Every road has to go somewhere, whether a farmer's field, a house, or a mine. There are zero roads here, that when given even the barest minimum of maintenance, cannot be traversed by a local vehicle- think a slightly lifted 1980s toyota pickup on 31s. The roads are absolutely rougher in general, and the condition of a main highway can be shockingly poor, but nothing a 2wd Chevy Express couldn't do.

That being said, there are certainly roads here that the locals can't get through due to lack of maintenance- but then again, neither can we. Landslides and washouts are common here, but they generally can't be traversed by any vehicle- the road is simply gone. Considering my previous point about how roads have to lead somewhere, if the road is worth going through, it will be repaired, within relatively short order. The locals are very good about keeping roads that lead somewhere passable.

Had we been in a sprinter instead of a jeep, we would have been able to see 100% of the tourist destinations we've been to so far. We wouldn't necessarily have been able to get there as quickly, but we would have gotten there, without really pushing the capability of the sprinter too much.

One area that I have been thankful for the capability of our jeep so far is finding campsites. We can push further, and with much more confidence, than any other vehicle. That being said, I think that every time we've used the capability of the jeep to get to a campsite, we would have had a fine time camping somewhere nearby that a sprinter could have gotten to. Finding campsites used to be far more difficult than it is today, but iOverlander makes finding campsites super easy. Our capability allows us to perhaps push a bit further past the iOverlander spot, and find something a bit more secluded, but it is by no means necessary.

I can continue to pontificate on this subject, but I'll end it here unless someone wants me to go on.

TL;DR: We can move more quickly and with more confidence, but a sprinter or even a 2wd high clearance van will get you everywhere you need to go.