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2018 Wrangler JL Unlimited vs 2018 Toyota 4Runner

wanderer

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well my 08 wrangler with 167809 miles on it has been amazingly reliable. I am a geologidt i work off road most days so talk about a daily driver
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COBill

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It depends upon how you view reliability.

My Wrangler never left me stranded.

However the need to visit the dealer at least twice a month and leave it for the day paints it as the most horribly unreliable vehicle I've ever owned, and the first I got rid of after only owning it for three years, once the warranty expired but the problems did not.

One example - I had a loud "clank" from the driveline whenever I went from reverse to forward gears. People on forums at the time called it just a "Jeep thing" and I would have agreed but I told the dealer to pick any new Wrangler on the lot and if it did it, I would let it go and if it didn't, I'd like it repaired. No new Wrangler did, so they replaced the driveshaft.

It came back a few months later.

After having them replace four, I gave up confident Jeep just expected it to start making noise.
 

BillyHW

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It depends upon how you view reliability.

My Wrangler never left me stranded.

However the need to visit the dealer at least twice a month and leave it for the day paints it as the most horribly unreliable vehicle I've ever owned, and the first I got rid of after only owning it for three years, once the warranty expired but the problems did not.

One example - I had a loud "clank" from the driveline whenever I went from reverse to forward gears. People on forums at the time called it just a "Jeep thing" and I would have agreed but I told the dealer to pick any new Wrangler on the lot and if it did it, I would let it go and if it didn't, I'd like it repaired. No new Wrangler did, so they replaced the driveshaft.

It came back a few months later.

After having them replace four, I gave up confident Jeep just expected it to start making noise.
Was this a standard or automatic?
 

Cal_JLU

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This discussion has gotten silly ridiculously quick. Hands down the Yota is going to be the more reliable rig, simply because of Toyota's quality and engineering standards, which are validated in real world results. It doesn't take a Consumer Reports employee to figure this out. The JL is going to be more interesting, offer better performance and more refinement because it's a brand new product. The 4R is almost as old as the JK was before it was replaced, so comparing the two is kind of silly. As for JL reliability, you can't even have that discussion due to its age or lack-thereof. I personally am willing to put up with any idiosyncrasies it may come with because in my eyes the benefits outweigh the potential cons. It's not like the Wrangler is overly complicated, to the contrary it's rather mechanically and electronically simple compared to other SUV's on the market, WK2 GC included.

On another note: It's wildly apparent that there are some forum members trying to score points with the community on here with a bunch of unnecessary banter, almost seemingly for the purpose of increasing their visibility and scoring points with meeker individuals who think something of them. Kinda sad, but if you feel being a keyboard warrior is your calling, so be it. Just try not to muck up this otherwise awesome forum with nonsense. Thank you kindly.
 

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zznalg

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Had a 2016 JK Wilys manual with less than 8K miles. It was towed away on a flatbed when the shifter disengaged from the rest of the drivetrain. The shifter had been a recalled part that did in fact fail spectacularly. I had gone to the dealership to have it fixed when I first received the recall notice (months before the failure). But, the dealership was unable to get the necessary parts for months.

This was nine (!!) years into the JK's production run. Draw your own conclusions. I love Wranglers and 4Runners. I am also debating a new JL or another 4R.
 

PavementWarrior

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Had a 2016 JK Wilys manual with less than 8K miles. It was towed away on a flatbed when the shifter disengaged from the rest of the drivetrain. The shifter had been a recalled part that did in fact fail spectacularly. I had gone to the dealership to have it fixed when I first received the recall notice (months before the failure). But, the dealership was unable to get the necessary parts for months.

This was nine (!!) years into the JK's production run. Draw your own conclusions. I love Wranglers and 4Runners. I am also debating a new JL or another 4R.
4 runner needs a new chassis, small side offset crash = no more leg. I was in an accident like that in my old Cherokee, kid hit me so hard it broke the front axle and totaled the jeep (Betting that axle saved my life)

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/toyota/4runner-4-door-suv
 

wanderer

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It is a myth that Toyota’s are better than jeeps imho and personal experience. In my 77 cj7 that I drove all over big grading jobs. Chasing 657 scrapers. I blew a transmission at 77 k turbo hydra matic 400 I think it was. In my 78 toy 4x4 pickup the heat shield rattled and. It would vapor lock all the time. It was a tough sob though. So when I changed jobs I bought a nice new 82 with a 5 speed manual 5 transmission in. Just over 80k miles. After 36000I toyota refused to help. Customer service ? The trans did not have bearing races so the bearing just wore out the aluminum casing. It seemed like reverse and first were always the first to go.

In my 86 Supra the steering bolts would shear off in a full lock turn. If you went over a speed bump. In my 91 vette . Another trans In my 2000 fj100 land cruiser the main computer just died. In my 08 jeep jku I had a transmission go at 70 k jeep replaced it I added a trans cooler and it was going strong even when I sold it with 175000 on the odometer.

So for me anyway it’s a myth
 

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Thermodynamicles

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I'm a previous 4Runner owner and a current JLU Sahara MT owner. I never had an issue with the 4Runner I owned. It was very reliable. I also haven't had any issues with my JL and it's at 8500 miles. I'm also averaging about 2 mpg (currently averaging 20.5 mpg) over the 4Runner.

This is my first Jeep. I'm a long-time Toyota owner. Hands down the Jeep is way more fun to drive and a vehicle I definitely feel more "connected" to the road and what's going on with the vehicle vs. the 4Runner. I don't regret switching brands one bit - in fact, I wish I would have done it sooner.
 

Springtail

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my family has owned 6 toyotas, all ranging from 240-330k miles, with the exception of 1 which was sold at 190k.
you wont beat toyota when it comes to reliability.
^^^^This

I have owned multiple Toyotas back to a 1979 FJ40....FJ60....FJ80 and currently an FJ Cruiser (Still have an FJ40). I have owned new Wranglers back to the TJ....then JK and currently a JLUR.

If reliability is your concern....there is no choice other than the Toyota.

If reliability AND quality Customer Service is your concern.....Get a Subaru!

If you are aiming for a completely unreliable POS and really bad Customer Service....Get a FORD (ask me how I know).

Just my .02

Doc
 

Trauma PA

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4-Runner MSRP is higher, has less features (it needs a refresh as much as the JK and Tacoma did) and the technicals favour the Wrangler too.

So not sure you actually even bothered to verify any of those.

As for Safety and Reliability, they’re very subjective, even with IIHS testing Toyota was shown only build to meet artificial tests, not to protect the occupants.
I have a 2017 4Runner TRD Off Road Premium which has locking rear differential and multi terrain select and crawl control. Very off road capable. MSRP was $42,xxx and I purchased for a hair under $37,000. Although it has Navigation, moonroof, faux leather, etc. it seems to be dated technology. It is very comfortable and I have the upgraded Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System. I commute 1 hour to and from work and prefer to drive my T4R over my JL although the JL is worlds better in on road manners than my JKU was IMO. My family is much more comfortable traveling in the T4R than the JL also. I am blessed to own one of each so I consider myself having the best of borh worlds.
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