Talk about timing. Decades after their inception, and while their vintage versions continue to fetch triple digits at auction, the Ford Bronco and Land Rover Defender have returned. And all the while, arch-rival Jeep produces 200,00 Wranglers every year and counting.

Any of the three rigs can hold its own crawling through rocks and mud in the real world. But there can be a big gap among them in cost: The two-door Wranglers and Broncos start around $29,000. The two-door Defender? More than $65,000.

The price differential is relative when you start considering the myriad variants available for each model. You can upgrade to 35-inch rubber wheels on the Sasquatch version of the Bronco or, on the Badlands version, opt for exclusive suspension with a hydraulic front sway-bar disconnect and 17-inch machine-face aluminum wheels.

The Jeep Rubicon gives the option of Tru-Lok differentials for the front and rear and an electronic Front Sway Bar Disconnect, which helps your left and right front tires move independently of each other. And if you want 20-inch, 5-spoke dark gray brake calipers, well, the Defender 110 SE has got those.

It also depends on how many doors you want: The four-door Wrangler and Bronco are more expensive than the two-doors, both near $37,000. The four-door Defender, at about $50,000, costs less than its two-door version.

The range of options can skew emotions and muddy the waters about what anybody really needs to forge through the sand, snow, and empty riverbeds these vehicles are meant to dominate.

It�s a lot to take in. So here are the high points about each one, broken down into bite-size pieces.