Looking for a second vehicle

The time has come to acquire a second vehicle. The Wife and I have been getting by with just one for some time now and while that is not a huge burden, it is inconvenient. So I'm looking around. The big question is what kind of a vehicle do we want? A small, fuel-efficient car? Good on gas, but when you live out in the sticks, like we do, you need to haul stuff around. A pickup truck? Perhaps a good choice, but a smaller SUV might be a better option than that. Nothing extravagant either way, as we will certainly want to get it paid off quickly. But we also want something safe. I want something that will be low-maintenance since it drives me apeshit when things don't work right. What will be best from an insurance perspective? Oh, so many issues.