Premium or Standard Soft Top

[abecker]

I have the hard top for my JLU Sport but did not get the dual top group. I'm looking at add the soft top, but can't decide if the premium is worth it over the standard top for an extra $650. It would only be on the Jeep for spring/summer/fall and hopefully down most of the time. How big is the difference between the two?

Sponsored

 

[JLWF Dealer Guy]

I have the hard top for my JLU Sport but did not get the dual top group. I'm looking at add the soft top, but can't decide if the premium is worth it over the standard top for an extra $650. It would only be on the Jeep for spring/summer/fall and hopefully down most of the time. How big is the difference between the two?

Go premium.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

Go premium.

^ This

 

[Grindhouseknives]

I’m still debating about which top to go with as well. I saw a sail cloth top today at the dealership and it looked really good. It appeared to be the same material as the JK sail cloth. The premium top that I installed on my JK was much nicer material than the sail cloth top that came on it. I think I’d rather wait a little longer and save up more money to get the premium top. I might leave it on all year round.

 

[AwCrimety]

I got standard on my jk and regretted not getting premium. Not making the same mistake this time. Only the best for this guy, from now on!

 

[Jolonghorn]

I’ve not seen the standard soft top, but I put the premium soft top on today. Wow!! Really impressed. I haven’t driven with a soft top on since my TJ, and the premium for the JL is a drastic improvement. Very quiet and high quality material. I was shocked at how quiet it is, even going 80 on the freeway.

 

[JTopsUSA]

Premium soft top FTW. The premium is much blacker than the sail cloth and STAYS black. The material is thicker and helps shield noise and temperature. Even when it’s in the 30s, with the premium soft top on my JKU, I can still only leave the heater on for a few minutes before the whole Jeep gets too hot to bear.

 

[LTJeep]

I have a 18 Sport S JL with the Standard soft top and have also test driven premium soft tops (+in the rain) and imo the standard is not too different in the operation or the noise differences. If it is your second top I would save the money and get the standard.

 

[Swanny297]

I have always run the standard and like mentioned above didn’t really notice much of a difference when I was shopping for a JL - I would say if ordering the Jeep it is a fairly inexpensive upgrade, if buying a top just for the spring/ summer buybthe base and use the extra money for other mods. For me the thinner more rigid sailcloth material also flexes and stretches back really well to keep it tight and lines clean. No wrinkly appearance.

Never have ran a hard top or premium soft top so can only give my .02

 

[RussJeep1]

I have the hard top for my JLU Sport but did not get the dual top group. I'm looking at add the soft top, but can't decide if the premium is worth it over the standard top for an extra $650. It would only be on the Jeep for spring/summer/fall and hopefully down most of the time. How big is the difference between the two?

The possible fly in this logic @abecker Andy ***might*** be (I cannot speak for your priorities) that you might feel more comfortable keeping the soft top on longer into the Fall season and put it back on earlier in Spring (the opposite rational you sight as possible cause to acquire the basic top) and that the rationale for why you might not need the higher quality top (lack of use) becomes serve serving in somewhat vicious cycle to the choice of the basic one.

I don't mean to question your judgement only to point out that one of your factors for your purchase decision might **change** as a result of your purchase decision of the higher quality top and may be somewhat recursive. When a factor in a decision (warm month soft top only) affects an outcome (basic top), and an outcome (basic top) possible affects a factor (I'm only going to use it in the warmer months because it's the basic top) it can become unclear which factor is truly the driver and which the outcome.

If all this makes no sense let me water it down. Assume "mom" says, (truthfully I might add) everything "dad" says will be a lie. Then "dad" says "I am lying." Consider how this situation, the famous "liar's paradox" (nobody is calling you or your parents liars) might have analogy to your decision rubric.

……………..


Let me tell you what I think people should consider. First off, this is coming soon. Would you rather wait for this:



I don't mean to complicate your decision, only inform it. Maybe you like the fastback look and maybe Bestop will price it lower than the Bestop OEM top of the same fabric. I suspect they'll offer the fastback top in similar premium and basic fabric types: although others on the board may have better 411 on this than me.

Or maybe you want to go with the Sunrider top which replaces the Hard Top Freedom Panels--also being made available in two fabric types. There's a recent thread on the board where Bestop has informed the Jeep community that they are taking down the names of people interested in this product (for the JL,) which hopefully will be deliverable in early winter 2018.

Maybe you want to go with a non OEM top manufacturer.

Let's circle back to the two OEM tops. Only you can decide your finances, priority for savings, the differential in quality, the other things you might want to buy with the saved money, either for your rig or in other areas, and what $650 means to you amortized over the life of the rig's ownership--a small portion of which you might get back (over the basic top) at sale.

We all come to the board with our biases. I purchased the Dual Top, which means I got the Premium top with it...and I love it, and was probably one of the first few people to tell Bestop I wanted the Sunrider. So I approach this argument as very "Bullish" on tops.

You may not be. You may prefer, for example, to spend your money on a lift: which is not in my cards.

Good luck.

 

[S2k Chris]

I don't know about the various past Jeep soft tops, or the cheaper soft top, but I have the premium top that came with the Dual Top group. I also have an old S2000. If the premium Jeep top is a fine quality rain coat, the S2000 is one of those plastic ponchos at Disney that rips as you try to take it out of the package, or maybe even just a generic trash bag (not a Hefty) with a slit cut in it for head and arms. Best soft top I've ever seen.

 

[RussJeep1]

I don't know about the various past Jeep soft tops, or the cheaper soft top, but I have the premium top that came with the Dual Top group. I also have an old S2000. If the premium Jeep top is a fine quality rain coat, the S2000 is one of those plastic ponchos at Disney that rips as you try to take it out of the package, or maybe even just a generic trash bag (not a Hefty) with a slit cut in it for head and arms. Best soft top I've ever seen.

I think this analogy is on point, but exaggerated negatively towards the basic top.

 

[Wanderingwheelz]

I have the hard top for my JLU Sport but did not get the dual top group. I'm looking at add the soft top, but can't decide if the premium is worth it over the standard top for an extra $650. It would only be on the Jeep for spring/summer/fall and hopefully down most of the time. How big is the difference between the two?

If the standard top wasn’t a solid choice, Jeep wouldn’t equip it with one. Go with the standard top and put the money you saved into some mods you’re sure to appreciate. Mods that might add value to your Jeep when it’s sold or traded- unlike the nicer top.

I’d definitely get the tinted windows though.

 

[Boerne Jess]

Question for everyone who has purchased a soft top after the fact. Has anyone installed it themselves? I expect to tackle it myself once the premium top becomes available. I called the local dealerships, and they’ve not installed any yet (of course), so I think I’d rather not be the guinea pig. Thoughts and tips are welcome.

 

[RussJeep1]

Question for everyone who has purchased a soft top after the fact. Has anyone installed it themselves? I expect to tackle it myself once the premium top becomes available. I called the local dealerships, and they’ve not installed any yet (of course), so I think I’d rather not be the guinea pig. Thoughts and tips are welcome.

Hi @Boerne Jess Jess.

I purchased my soft top as part of the Dual top package. It came in a box that took up the entire back of my 4 door Sahara, back seats down. Other Dual top purchasers might be nodding right now.

I don't know if you are aware of the fact that this is simply how the soft top, which by the way is the Premium one when you go "Dual Top," is delivered in Dual Top purchases. And I point this out to respectfully and kindly make the assertion that the "boat I was in" is utterly no different, from an installation stand point, than the one you'll be in when your Premium top is ordered and you get it home--be it from the local dealer (hint, don't bring more than a single passenger for the front seat and make sure you can fold the back seats and the rig is utterly empty of anything behind the front seats) or by mail.

This said, many of us consider this video the defacto standard and an indispensable tool for guiding people through the soft top's installation.

Peace.

Sponsored