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Base Sport 2 door build. Help me decide: Hard Top or Soft Top given my use case.

631_Islander

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Finally been talking to our dealer and he asked me to send a configuration wife and I will like for our second Jeep. We already have a 4 door JLUR with everything in it except for ACC. Wife wants the next one to be a 2 door as the 4 door can haul two kids if needed. I want a base sport for the nostalgic feeling of hand cranked windows. She agrees also.

So far we are decided on a 2 door with 3.6 Pentastar w/ eTorque and 8 speed automatic with side steps and an A/C. This Jeep will be a daily driver, stay fully factory stock and will never see dirt. This allows me to eliminate the need for an LSD and the switches. I drive a lot for work and also plan to use this Jeep for my long work road trips from Long Island to far away places like Northern New England, Baltimore, Virginia, Western PA, Upstate NY, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal in both summer and winter.

The only part that I am genuinely thrown off about is whether to keep the soft top or spend the extra money on a hard top. This was not an issue for our JLUR as we got dual top with it.

I want the hard top due the fact it comes with needed plumbing/wiring for rear wiper and the heating element. Soft top
On the other hand is easier for me in the summers and I have no more room to store an additional Hard Top. But I am concerned how the soft top will hold in the cold/snowy Long Island winters and the copious amounts of snow salt they use in the Northeast and Canada (my driving territory for work). Appreciate if someone living in the Northeast, Midwest or Canada can help guide me. If I can get away with just the soft top, Iā€™d rather save the money and have me ease of access to topless driving in the Spring/Summer. If the Northern Winters I will be driving in during my business travel and the Snow Salt will wreak havoc on the soft top then by all means I intend to put the money into a Hard Top.
Someone help me decide so that I can send a copy of the build request to the dealer and then start to negotiate price please!! Also, in addition feel free to recommend anything that I am not getting for this base Sport and should consider getting given my use case of always being on pavement and driving very long distances in both the Summer heat and the Winter Snow.
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Dan M.

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I have a two door hardtop so I can't speak from experience. HOwever, I know multiple people with the soft top up here (Albany NY area) and the soft top seems to hold up very well in the winter. I haven't heard any complaints from anybody.
 

cosine

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@631_Islander

i have a 2019 2 door base model sport with 4 options. a/c, xm, 8 spd auto and hardtop. 3.6 and open rear diff. by far is been a great jeep and no regrets whats so ever. it is my daily driver and road tripper. i'm at the point of keeping things plan and simple without all the bells and whistles. also with a base model jeep, i can mod it the way i want it and what i want. this keeps the cost down and only get things that are functional. i love the manuel windows and locks. also love the size of the 2 door as far as driving and hauling stuff.

imho the 3.6 and 8 spd auto is the best combo. the mpg is great. town is average 19/20 and the highway gets 25/29 mpg. so i'm very happy with that. (coming from a 13 mpg 2007 grand cherokee) the ride is very comfortable on the long trips.

as to your question on the hardtop. i'd say to get it. i got it more so for security.i dont live or work in a bad area. its more of a sense of security, known folks around here cant mind there own business. especially at work. the other reason is the security while traveling. as for the soft top, there hasent been any concerns in running it during the winter time. i dont have one, but can pick one up far easier than a hardtop. i dont use the rear wiper. its just something i dont bother using. soft top are more prone to get slashed from thieves.

keep in mind (since you are ordering) if you order with the soft top. you will not get the rear windshield controls and defrost button. so it best to get the hard top so you have those features. i know storage space is at a premium for you.

heres something to consider. get the hardtop and pick up a targa top. this will take its place of the freedom panels.

i didnt see a xm in your order option. i have it and it beats the am/fm stations. at lease you can listen to a wide range of music, etc.

i am running open diff in the rear and it hasnt stop me this past winter with snow and lousy roads that hardly get plowed. that running those factory tires.

another thing to keep in mind / consider. dont bother with the led lighs. get the halogen lights and go aftermarket led bulbs. i went with the supernova v4 led bulbs for the headlight and fog light. the best $348 spent. beamtech is another good brand for a cheaper price.
 

Heimkehr

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I drive a lot for work and also plan to use this Jeep for my long work road trips...
Hard top.

The noise of the soft top on windy days will wear on you during long slogs behind the wheel.

It's the mileage-based element of your planned usage that leads me to suggest the top that I do.
 

cosine

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heres something to consider. get the hardtop and pick up a targa top. this will take its place of the freedom panels.
the sunrider top is what i was trying to think of. not the targa top.
 

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I have a soft top and have found it perfectly adequate through the winter, but I would not want to drive it in a pouring rain storm. I'll never have to though, since this is more of a weekend toy for me and it stays in the garage if the weather is lousy.

If you are using it for commuting and long trips, I think you'll want the hard top.
 
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631_Islander

631_Islander

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@631_Islander

i have a 2019 2 door base model sport with 4 options. a/c, xm, 8 spd auto and hardtop. 3.6 and open rear diff. by far is been a great jeep and no regrets whats so ever. it is my daily driver and road tripper. i'm at the point of keeping things plan and simple without all the bells and whistles. also with a base model jeep, i can mod it the way i want it and what i want. this keeps the cost down and only get things that are functional. i love the manuel windows and locks. also love the size of the 2 door as far as driving and hauling stuff.

imho the 3.6 and 8 spd auto is the best combo. the mpg is great. town is average 19/20 and the highway gets 25/29 mpg. so i'm very happy with that. (coming from a 13 mpg 2007 grand cherokee) the ride is very comfortable on the long trips.

as to your question on the hardtop. i'd say to get it. i got it more so for security.i dont live or work in a bad area. its more of a sense of security, known folks around here cant mind there own business. especially at work. the other reason is the security while traveling. as for the soft top, there hasent been any concerns in running it during the winter time. i dont have one, but can pick one up far easier than a hardtop. i dont use the rear wiper. its just something i dont bother using. soft top are more prone to get slashed from thieves.

keep in mind (since you are ordering) if you order with the soft top. you will not get the rear windshield controls and defrost button. so it best to get the hard top so you have those features. i know storage space is at a premium for you.

heres something to consider. get the hardtop and pick up a targa top. this will take its place of the freedom panels.

i didnt see a xm in your order option. i have it and it beats the am/fm stations. at lease you can listen to a wide range of music, etc.

i am running open diff in the rear and it hasnt stop me this past winter with snow and lousy roads that hardly get plowed. that running those factory tires.

another thing to keep in mind / consider. dont bother with the led lighs. get the halogen lights and go aftermarket led bulbs. i went with the supernova v4 led bulbs for the headlight and fog light. the best $348 spent. beamtech is another good brand for a cheaper price.
For sure I am staying Halogen. I have LEDs in my 2020 JLUR and hate them in the snow. Luckily the JLUR is not my ā€œwork vehicleā€ and probably never will be. No way am I taking a $60k vehicle for company purposes. Rather stay at $37k or under for that and have something spartan as fewer things equals more reliability as less stuff will break during road trips. Hell I would have even been ok with a 6 speed manual if it wasnt for my wife.
 

LowCountry

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For me if the premium top was available on a Sport I would have considered a softop but the standard top with non tinted windows did not appeal to me. Also remember storing the windows and folding it back are going to take up all of the space behind the rear seat. With the hardtop I use the sunrider in the cooler months and I go topless as much as I can the rest of the year with a bikini top or sunscreen and I have a cover I throw on when parked. With your traveling this may not be a good option but the hardtop with the sunrider is very enjoyable and takes up no cargo space to open up
 

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Hard Top...

More secure. Less noise and better temp retention, especially with the headliner. Better in rain, cold and snow, and will hold up longer. Heavy snow wonā€™t stretch the fabric. Freedom panels easy to quickly remove. Rear window defroster. Less risk going through a car wash, and with road salts I do this during the winter.

Plus, you can get a Bestop soft top for $749 (on sale now) if you change your mind, or want both. If you go with the soft top, the hard tops, especially for a 2 door are very expensive and hard to come by If you change your mind. Iā€™ve looked because at one point I wanted a color hard top... impossible to find. You will pay to ton through Mopar, especially with shipping.
 

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Hard top.

The noise of the soft top on windy days will wear on you during long slogs behind the wheel.

It's the mileage-based element of your planned usage that leads me to suggest the top that I do.
I think I have to agree with @Heimkehr. I have the base top on my 2-door; it's been through two winters with me already, and I had no issues with the snow. The salt hasn't damaged the windows at all, and they use a good amount of it in NJ. I keep up with them with Plexus and they've stayed really nice. I have driven it down the shore and back, and also out to Rausch Creek (3 hours each way). The road noise was acceptable, but you'll hear it and feel it on a windy drive. Heavy crosswinds will definitely lift the top at the Velcro seam by the door and that will get annoying if you are driving many hours at a time. My commute is only 10 miles on local roads, so it's bearable. Those NE winds in the middle of winter will leave you with a headache after many hours behind the wheel.

Good luck with your decision!
 

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Recommend hardtop. You can always go from hardtoptosofttop, going the other way is not so easy. Consider a hardtop with the Sunrider replacing the Freedom panels-kind of best of both worlds.
 

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Storage os always the issuw with a hardtop, bu worth it. Remember that the 2 door hardtop is smaller and could easily be stored in a backyard shed. Itā€™s also easier to suspend because of itā€™s shorter overall length.
 

Arterius2

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I want a base sport for the nostalgic feeling of hand cranked windows. She agrees also.
YMMV, but-

Highly doubt youā€™ll find hand crank windows ā€œnostalgicā€ after some time with it.

Just like I donā€™t find rotary phones or CRT TVs ā€œnostalgicā€ enough to live with.

Sure, it doesnā€™t mean I canā€™t appreciate them, Iā€™d love to look at them in a museum or read about them on Wikipedia from time to time though.

If you are going for the whole ā€œnostalgicā€ thing, might as well get the soft top, because whatā€™s one more quirk to deal with, right?
 

Shamwedge

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I've had both hard and soft tops. Not on the JL (waiting mine to be built/delivered), but on the JKs.

Winter was perfectly fine for the soft top. My wrangler always heated up quick and stayed comfortable. Not too much air loss. The only thing I hated was when there was snow or ice on the side panels. Was always afraid of scratching them, so I never swept them off. Though, I know alot of people just spray de-icer. For me, just blasting the heat eventually made its way to the windows and the ice and snow would just melt and slid off.

Some might say to get the hard top becaue it's cheaper to get the softtop later. This is 100% true. However, it's a 2 door and I don't see the benifit, outside of a security standpoint. If you need a roof rack, you have better options with the 4 door than the 2 door. You're almost forced to go with a roof rack cage system like Gobie or Garvin. Otherwise Maxiums 3 is your other option, which isn't worth it imo.

I should mention however, I just built my 2 door sport s on the 6th and the option to have a soft top was not available. The hardtop was required. This tells me the supplies for the soft tops were probably depleted. If you're building one, I would double check with the dealership to see if the hard top is required as that will ultimately make the decision for you. Just my .02Ā¢
 

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Keep the soft top and sell it to get the mytop when it comes out for the 2dr this summer


Iā€™m in NYC and have been using it year round. Street parking only. Itā€™s quieter and warmer than the hardtop I had
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