2 vs. 4 Doors & Soft vs. Hard Top

[NotoriouslyHauteOne]

Being a critical thinking (over-thinker) new/new-ish Jeeper/about to be again-Jeep owner (long story), I know it boils down to what I want, but how did you ultimately decide on how many doors and which top was right for you? What factors did you consider? Any factors you think I may be overlooking?

Opinions are greatly appreciated!

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[Micky]

if you will off road a lot with 1 passenger or less..... 2 door.

If its for a family or several passengers.... 4 door

For me if i didnt haul things (surfboards and kayaks) on top, it would be Soft top. since i do, its hardtop.

 

[TheNewGuy]

Being a critical thinking (over-thinker) new/new-ish Jeeper/about to be again-Jeep owner (long story), I know it boils down to what I want, but how did you ultimately decide on how many doors and which top was right for you? What factors did you consider? Any factors you think I may be overlooking?

Opinions are greatly appreciated!

I feel your pain . I went back and forth for weeks between doors/tops. I finally decided on a 2 door with premium soft top upgrade even tho I live in NH. I'm semi-retired so I may get caught in snow maybe a handful of times a year and it will be garaged. We also have my wife's CX-5 if its nasty out. I just figured the easier to open the top, the more I will do it. The hard top - soft top seasonal switch over was tempting but I eventually decided I could live with just the soft top.

 

[NotoriouslyHauteOne]

I feel your pain . I went back and forth for weeks between doors/tops. I finally decided on a 2 door with premium soft top upgrade even tho I live in NH. I'm semi-retired so I may get caught in snow maybe a handful of times a year and it will be garaged. We also have my wife's CX-5 if its nasty out. I just figured the easier to open the top, the more I will do it. The hard top - soft top seasonal switch over was tempting but I eventually decided I could live with just the soft top.

Well... living in Texas, random weather is all too common given what we experienced this February. But reading other posts throughout the forums, I think the soft top, 2 door may be the way to go since it is just me and groceries while on-road. I don't doubt the readiness to tackle anything abilities otherwise.

 

[SSWIM]

4 Door hard top. I doubt very many bought a 4 door and wished they had a 2 door. 4 door is so versatile. Many uses.

Sam

 

[GRAK]

There are Jeeps, and there are 4-doors

 

[andrew4fins]

I’ve had both. Loved all of them but the 4 door is just more versatile. Can carry a lot of stuff in it. If it’s just a weekend toy for you then 2 door works if it’s just you and one other person. I’m a hardtop guy for security but I’ve got a garage to keep it in. If you can easily store it would be the main factor in that. Soft tops have come a long way in comfort and ease of use. Good luck.

 

[gweber]

I love my two door and I have both tops. if you want to ever haul anything more than a suitcase and a twelve pack get a four door. I like both tops.

 

[Talox]

I wanted the extra room for a passenger and a full size dog and camping gear so the four door was an easy decision. as someone who likes to be out and about without a top and living in an apartment i decided to forgo the hardtop. Besides my last hardtop sat in the yard most of the year.

 

[NotoriouslyHauteOne]

I’ve had both. Loved all of them but the 4 door is just more versatile. Can carry a lot of stuff in it. If it’s just a weekend toy for you then 2 door works if it’s just you and one other person. I’m a hardtop guy for security but I’ve got a garage to keep it in. If you can easily store it would be the main factor in that. Soft tops have come a long way in comfort and ease of use. Good luck.

It's going to be my only vehicle, and the security factor keeps popping up for me. I guess it really boils down to what I would rather sacrifice in the name of having fun. Being a car guy in general, I want to be able to use the vehicle to its fullest capacity, even if that means building up to that where I, the driver, am concerned. Thanks for the well wishes. I know in the end, I will not regret the purchase.

 

[desmo2]

If you buy a Jeep with a hard top, you will get the wiring for the rear wiper and defroster, and plumbing for the rear washer fluid. If you buy a Jeep with a soft top, you will not.

I had a hard top on both my TJ and now JL. My intent was to buy a soft top later for the JL, but now that the hard top comes with the removable freedom panels, I just don't know if I see the need (I have a Hoist-A-Cart to remove the hard top, also).

 

[Reinen]

If you can remove the back seat (which is easily done without tools) and only rarely miss the extra seating, go with a 2 door. It has a lot of cargo space with the back seat removed and is much more nimble on & off road. My kids are of driving age. They can get their own Jeep and winch me out instead of just being cargo. But if you need the room of a minivan, go with the 4dr.

There's really 3 choices with the top. Soft, hard or both.

• Soft is best in mild/warm climates if you want the fun of driving with the top down.
• Hard is best in colder climates. Not because of heat though, JLs have oversized heaters & AC. It's because of ice/frost and the weight of accumulating snow.
  • You can scrape hard top windows, you can't scrape soft windows.
  • Opening the rear window in cold weather is much easier than a soft top.
  • It can handle a greater amount of heavy dense snow accumulating on it.
• Both is of course the best of both worlds but you will need someplace to store the hard top when it isn't installed. There are options, you can hang it from a garage ceiling or put it on a rolling cart, but not everyone has the space to do this. If you have room to store the hard top, you'll have room to store the soft top.

 

[Pig-Pen]

Was driving my soft top jeep the other day. It was maybe 95 or more. I had the ac on full blast and it felt like a plug in fan. The inside of my premium top was was really warm. It just absorbs the heat and makes the interior hot and unpleasant. Went off roading on a hot day. Ac full blast and i was sweating all day. Hard top guys had nipples poking through their shirts.

 

[AcesandEights]

Mine was a choice based on philosophy and personal (un)need.

I wanted a two-door because it was smaller. It is my opinion, if you have space you will inherently try to fill it. I think our culture has come to value things out of proportion; bigger is better. I think people would rather have a full plate of food than a plate of great food. I think they want a bigger house so they can have a bigger television and fill the house with more stuff, not because it is a place they want to spend time. I think they want larger cars because they look more affluent, etc. So, I have been trying to pare down things in my life and think more about need. My need, since I'm basically a single/dating person is to have a two-door vehicle. I even took out the rear seat because it is unneeded.

I chose a soft top because I knew if the hard top took more than 15 minutes to remove and install, no matter how much I thought otherwise, I wouldn't remove it a tenth of the time as dropping a soft top. I put my top down and up five or six, or more, times a week. In fact, I had it dropped part way this morning, all of the way this afternoon and will have it pulled closed this evening.

 

[JeepViking13]

I go back and forth on 2 or 4 door. I love the doors and the way they look. A 2 door looks great with literally any tire size. A 4 door needs 35s or bigger IMO. With that said I saw the new 392 in person with factory 33s and it looked great. Most likely because it comes with a bigger lift and sits much higher then your standard 4 door.

The new Willys Extreme Recon should look great as a 4 door as well with the lift and 35s.

I have kids and my daughter wants me to get the 2 door Rubicon. She loves the way 2 doors look as well. I keep asking her are you sure you don't want me to get the 4 door? You'll have more room in the back and getting in and out. Nope she wants the 2 door. Lol..

As far as tops go it's hands down the Soft top for me. I need the fast take down action if I'm going to be serious about driving around with the top off alot which is actually one of the main reasons I'm buying a Jeep. I want that open air. Plus I don't want to have to store a big hard top.

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