Our carefully maintained Tracker got mashed by a Pickup truck! After a year of careful improvement.  Now we look for another one. I see a 2002 4 door automatic  with the v6 and 4wd. I know it's about a ton heavier but it should still have low range. Can I still take that up the badly maintained dirt/rock roads our 2 door 1996 went up?  We did not do any rock crawling or anything but we like to go over rough terrain.   I need to figure out it I should snap this up because Trackkicks are rare.  Also if I need to install tires an inch or two taller  should I be OK? 

The 2002 Tracker, as you say is bigger & heavier than your 96, it is however, pretty much the same 4WD system you're accustomed to - the only challenge I see is a "space" challenge, it does need a little more room to maneuver - so if you think you're OK with that, then go brave.

The trouble spots to be aware of ...

 - the V6 uses timing chains and if routine maintenance has been missed, they can be troublesome & expensive to fix - you really want to hear the engine start from cold, if the chains rattle walk away.
 - some years had insufficient corrosion protection on the front suspension cross member - get down & eyeball it.
 - the front freewheel is built into the front differential - select 4H with the ignition on and watch the 4WD light on the dash - it should come on in 1~2 seconds and stay on, if it flashes, there's an air leak, the faster the flash, the bigger the leak, a wink out once every few minutes can be ignored.

Other than the above items, I think you just need to look for the stuff you'd check on ay used car - dents, rust, leaks, etc..

The bigger vehicle will burn a little more fuel, it's a lot more comfortable, partly because of the longer wheelbase - I think it's a great truck - stock tire size is about a 27", you can go to about 28.5 with no lift & no trimming, a 29 will require a small lift and possibly a mild trim of the front bumper plastic - I can't give you specifics on the tire sizes if we're discussing Trackers, because those run 15" wheels, I have a Grand Vitara with 16" wheels, and those are approximate numbers based on what I've used.

Thanks for this info. Just what I need.  The 2 doors are getting hard to find. I would rather have a 2 door but I need something to replace it. 
 Looking at the manual it shows the same transfer lever (4L,N,4H,and 2H) as my '97.   No sign of  a dash switch and no mention of front hubs either manual or automatic.  Does this mean that the front dif runs full time?  It says I can still be towed though?  OK.
 Yes I see that it is three times the weight of the 2 dr.  It does have another inch of clearance.  It is 1000lbs lighter than a Renegade ans 11" shorter.

The front diff is disconnected when you're in 2H - as I mentioned before the free wheel mechanism is built into the differential, so there are no hubs to fiddle with - the big difference is the CV axles are turning, even in 2H, the change was made to allow what is called "shift-on-the fly" - you can now shift between 2H & 4H without stopping, at speeds up to 60mph (I think).

Yes it can be flat towed just like the previous models.