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2024/25 Sport vs Rubicon - the delta is shifting

siggy

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The Sport does not cost $50k. If you read my first post, I was referring to buying a sport and using the 14k difference to build the jeep, so you would ultimately have 50k into it, but still have the crank windows, etc.
Your first post says nothing about crank windows. And no '25 Wrangler comes with crank windows or manual locks.

I'm confused by your thread. So you documented an analysis comparing a Sport to a Rubicon from a few years ago with the price differences along with feature differences. And then you ended up with the same conclusion from a few years ago? What am I missing?
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autotragic

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Bro…fake hood vents and Rubicon decals for the win! I took the decals off day 1 and looked for a while to swap out to a regular hood and plain grey dash. I guess I got lazy and got over it.
I've thought about putting older style Rubicon stickers on, like the TJ or JK style in silver/light gray...I think it would look pretty good.
 

Heimkehr

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As of model year 2025, Sport trims now include power windows and doors (and mirrors, IIRC.) Note also that its starting MSRP is $37,290.00, not $36,595.00. The '25 Rube starts at $52,050.00, not $51,295.00.

My view is that the customer should invest in a Rubicon only if he's being well and truly honest about the vehicle's intended use case. Buying the capability just for the look is a waste of money. Yes, it's his money to waste, but the thread was started and so here we are.

By way of comparison, I went all in for a 2WD Ural, as opposed to the lower-priced 1WD model, because I knew that I'd need and would be using the additional mechanicals to take the rig to interesting places where the 1WD trim would struggle, or get stuck. That's exactly what I've done. Scaled up, if I knew that I'd use my Wrangler in such a manner that a Rubicon would be money well-spent, I'd have ordered that one instead of the still-reasonably capable Sport that I did buy and continue to enjoy immensely.

Jeep Wrangler JL 2024/25 Sport vs Rubicon - the delta is shifting {filename}
 

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I owned several JLs since 2018 (and many JKs and TJs before that) and like everyone else I often waver between buying a sport and building it up or just buying a rubicon. I know I am going to lift it anyway.. and replace wheels and tires... and probably regear to 4.88s or 5.13s..... and so on. But in the past the price difference often came down to 6 or 7 grand, so it made sense to buy the rubicon. The stock take off parts often bridges the gap most of the way.

The base price of an unlimited Sport and a Rubicon is not almost 15 grand! I couldn't believe it. Starting price on an unlimited Sport is $36,595 and the Rubicon starts at $51,295. Im just sort of baffled by the difference now.

But what I have also noticed is that the Rubicon comes with a lot more than it once did, which partly explains the big jump in price. Having an extra 15k to throw into a sport buys you nice axles that are already regeared with a locker of your choice, suspension, wheels, tires, etc. But the fact that Rubicons now come with proximity locks, LED lights, Tow Package (none of which came standard a couple of years ago) when you add everything up, I think it probably still makes sense to buy the rubicon.
I think for what comes factory with the Rubi would be great bang for the buck. And it’s all covered under warranty. My opinion would be go with the Rubi.
I couldn’t see spending that much on a sport anyway. Good luck
 
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Brewster

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Your first post says nothing about crank windows. And no '25 Wrangler comes with crank windows or manual locks.

I'm confused by your thread. So you documented an analysis comparing a Sport to a Rubicon from a few years ago with the price differences along with feature differences. And then you ended up with the same conclusion from a few years ago? What am I missing?
Sorry it's caused you confusion.

The point I'm making is that over the last few years, the difference in cost between a rubicon and a sport was smaller. There was usually a 6-7k difference between the two which made it a no brainer for many of us with all the features a rubicon comes with in its most basic form. But now, the delta in price has increased.. a lot. The difference is now closer to 14 grand, which leaves a lot of play money for building the jeep up to be more capable than a base model rubicon. This is in part because some of the "upgrades" you needed to opt into with a rubicon come are now included with the trim level (led lights, proximity locks, etc)

I still struggle with any new vehicle not coming with power locks and windows, halogen headlights, etc. But since this question comes up often enough, I thought I would see what everyone else thought. I was comparing 2024 prices.... I didn't know the 2025s all come with power locks and windows.
 

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I still struggle with any new vehicle not coming with power locks and windows, halogen headlights, etc.
I wouldn't mind at all if they were as prevalent today as they were years ago, but I know that I'm part of an ever-shrinking constituency. Note also that halogen headlights remain standard on several Wrangler trims.
 

The Last Cowboy

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Most average buyers now see the Rubicon as the highest trim package, rather than an enhanced off road package that it was intended to be. And most of those buyers don't care about the features that are unique to the Rubicon. All they see is a prominent decal on the fancy hood. Jeep has responded by giving the Rubicon a higher level of standard equipment. In my opinion, this has made the Sahara somewhat unnecessary at this point.
 

KimFN24

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Most average buyers now see the Rubicon as the highest trim package, rather than an enhanced off road package that it was intended to be. And most of those buyers don't care about the features that are unique to the Rubicon. All they see is a prominent decal on the fancy hood. Jeep has responded by giving the Rubicon a higher level of standard equipment. In my opinion, this has made the Sahara somewhat unnecessary at this point.
I disagree. The Sahara is a perfect option for a family where you have many of the creature comforts and a little wrangler luxury available. It is very capable for most camping, fishing, beach and back wood exploring. Maybe not the best option for all out rock crawling but I don't see a lot of young families doing much of that.
 
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Brewster

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Most average buyers now see the Rubicon as the highest trim package, rather than an enhanced off road package that it was intended to be. And most of those buyers don't care about the features that are unique to the Rubicon. All they see is a prominent decal on the fancy hood. Jeep has responded by giving the Rubicon a higher level of standard equipment. In my opinion, this has made the Sahara somewhat unnecessary at this point.
I agree, no doubt. I see a lot of rubicons on the road and I am always curious if the owner knows what the lockers are or how to operate them. It's become a status symbol. Which is I guess the best reason to NOT buy a rubicon.
 

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Most average buyers now see the Rubicon as the highest trim package, rather than an enhanced off road package that it was intended to be. And most of those buyers don't care about the features that are unique to the Rubicon. All they see is a prominent decal on the fancy hood. Jeep has responded by giving the Rubicon a higher level of standard equipment. In my opinion, this has made the Sahara somewhat unnecessary at this point.
I have a lady on my team who had to have a Rubicon. She just loves to refer to it has her Rubi. On one Monday morning I asked her if she put the lockers to the test over the weekend. She thought I was talking about the gym. I said, no, on your Jeep. She asked what do you mean? To add further her license plate says "JP LIFE". When I rolled up in my Willys she was like why didn't you get a Rubi? I told her I don't need the lockers but wanted the 4.10's and other stuff that comes with the Willys.
 

Jay_NM

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I also feel with the Sport, you end up with 50k into a vehicle that still doesn't have power windows, power locks, automatic headlights, etc. Those things didn't matter to me once before a time, but I've grown accustomed to them at this point. And if Im spending 50k either way, I think I would want those things...
My 2020 JLU sport has all of those options.
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