Rubicon or willys ????

[entropy]

Imo you dont need LSD for winter driving. I honestly dont even like it on snow, it feels kinda weird. With that said the LSD is great for all around off roading. Mine works pretty well, but I do have the front locked.

At the end of the day. Choose lockers. There is no substitute to a real locker period.

Willys XR is a sweet as Jeep you can throw a front locker if you want and itll be a beast. And if you wanna graduate from LSD, you can throw a locker im the rear.

Great axles, great gear ratio. It is a sweet jeep.

If I was in the market for a 2 door I would go rubicon. If i was in the market for a 4 door. Id go willys XR. The 4 door needs 35s and the willys XR comes with the gearing and tires. The 4 door rubi XR is too pricey.

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[Pigtrailrv]

I have a 2021 White Willys 2DR, 10 months old. When we bought it we thought we would just tow behind the RV and use it to get around. After trying some off roading we got hooked and regret not getting the Rubicon. As a result I just ordered a 2022 2DR Rubicon. Mostly to get the lockers and some more tech for my wife. It's her daily driver.

 

[gregus73]

I ended up going with the Rubicon. Overkill for my needs, but happy with my decision. Either are great though….I upgraded from a base model sport with only A/C.

For longer trips, I would have gone with a Sahara. I use my Suburban for anything over 3 hours. Prior, my road trip vehicle was my Sierra Denali Truck.

 

[guzie]

Imo you dont need LSD for winter driving. I honestly dont even like it on snow, it feels kinda weird. With that said the LSD is great for all around off roading. Mine works pretty well, but I do have the front locked.

At the end of the day. Choose lockers. There is no substitute to a real locker period.

Willys XR is a sweet as Jeep you can throw a front locker if you want and itll be a beast. And if you wanna graduate from LSD, you can throw a locker im the rear.

Great axles, great gear ratio. It is a sweet jeep.

If I was in the market for a 2 door I would go rubicon. If i was in the market for a 4 door. Id go willys XR. The 4 door needs 35s and the willys XR comes with the gearing and tires. The 4 door rubi XR is too pricey.

4dr rubicon XR for the ultimate beast. All the goodies already on it and factory warranty. Cheaper than trying to add it all separate. i wouldn’t say its too pricey if you look at all you get.

 

[Garemlin]

In my experience people who say you'll regret not getting a Rubicon are one's that actually use it for what it's intended for. You already squashed that so the decision should be pretty easy.

One of the first things I did with my Willys Gladiator is to ditch the stock BFG KM2s for a set of 285/70-17 Kenda Klever AT2s. Much smoother and quieter ride. And I actually gained a few MPG. Not really an initial issue. But happy accident. I sold the BFGs with 1600 miles for $700. Which is more than I paid for the Kendas.

 

[OBD]

Ordered a two door 2021 Willys Sport as my daily driver.No regrets, as I prefer a minimalist, basic, capable, platform.I fully intend on keeping this one indefinitely.

 

[wandrur]

I came from a 2014 JK Willys, then to a 2018 JKU Willys, and now to my current 2021 JLUR four door, all with the manual transmission.

I say go with the Willys. If necessay, find a set of takeoff ATs or buy a set after the fact. You'll still be under the price of the the Rubi and love what you have.

 

[donmontalvo]

This question has been asked many times in the Forums. Most of the time, when members that didn't buy the Rubicon, later say that they wished that they had. So just go get the Rubicon. Our Family has two Rubicon's, of which we are very happy with them..

Third Jeep. First Rubicon. Wish I did it before.

 

[kenp1985]

In my experience people who say you'll regret not getting a Rubicon are one's that actually use it for what it's intended for. You already squashed that so the decision should be pretty easy.

One of the first things I did with my Willys Gladiator is to ditch the stock BFG KM2s for a set of 285/70-17 Kenda Klever AT2s. Much smoother and quieter ride. And I actually gained a few MPG. Not really an initial issue. But happy accident. I sold the BFGs with 1600 miles for $700. Which is more than I paid for the Kendas.

We did the exact same thing with our Nacho Willys. Had the dealer throw on 255/75 KO2’s and sold the MT’s for $900. We’re getting 22-24 MPG’s

Could have ordered the Rubicon but loved this package. Zero regrets

 

[zdr]

Not sure if this is a factor but some insurance companies will charge you a higher premium with a Rubicon over the Willys even if they cost the same.

 

[Gaffer]

I was all set to order a Sport Altitude with limited slip to get the rear Dana 44. Don't like the wheel and tire options so was looking at wheels and tires to put on after market. The combos I was looking at were in in 3k range. That and a 2inch lift brings this up the the Rubicon price. So it is Rubi for me.

 

[kidhauler]

Awesome thread.
I wrestled with all this and settled on a 22', 2 door manual Willys Sport with ac and tow. Ordered on 10/23. This one is for me and I'm looking for that basic Jeep experience. It will only see class 6 road use. The Willy's package is perfect for that and my budget.
My wife opted for a '21 Cherokee Trailhawk and couldn't be happier.

 

[zouch]

you're missing a lot; much of which some people don't want/need.
other differences include slightly wider axles on the Rubicon (including a Dana 44 that is different from anything else unless you get a Diesel), very slightly larger tires, an electronic front axle anti-sway bar disconnect, stickers to advertise the fact that it's Rubicon (because some people need everyone to know?), metal bumpers (with Red tow hooks,... because? more advertising?), larger fender/flares, maybe a little more stuff in the Infotainment area, and (for at least most colors) a wretchedly ugly red dashboard that doesn't match *anything*.

the larger fenders would have been nice, but i can (and probably will) swap them in for another $500 or so in parts. my 35x12.5 Mickey Thompsons MTs on the Mopar Beadlocks are *barely* touching the fenders with the Mopar Diesel lift at full flex, but aren't fully covered by the stock Willys fenders the way i want them to be.
i didn't want the electro-lockers (for reasons that have been mentioned here, and) because i didn't want the complexity, and because i fell that a LSD works smoother in the snow and on the crappy washboard Dez roads i'm likely to play on. when the TracLock's clutch packs wear out and it's toast (which doesn't take long), i'll probably change in a gear-driven Limited Slip to replace it like i did with my last J**p.
the Front Axle Disconnect of the Rubicon seems like unnecessary complexity that i didn't want; there are too many other simple and more reliable options.
lastly, while i know it can be changed/swapped out, that red dash in the Rubicon was a No-Go deal breaker for me; personally, i wasn't willing to look at that for even 1 day.

Curious about the 'on road experience' . I thought the rubicon just had lower gears , a lower geared transfer case , and locking diffs . I must be missing something .

 

[aldo98229]

We did the exact same thing with our Nacho Willys. Had the dealer throw on 255/75 KO2’s and sold the MT’s for $900. We’re getting 22-24 MPG’s

Could have ordered the Rubicon but loved this package. Zero regrets

Orange and black looks bitchin’!

 

[aldo98229]

In my experience people who say you'll regret not getting a Rubicon are one's that actually use it for what it's intended for.

That may or may not be true. I’ve seen plenty of posts on here by $60,000 Rubicon owners who start with “I never intend to take it off-road.”

You already squashed that so the decision should be pretty easy.

Indeed. The point a lot of people on here recommending the Rubicon keep missing is that the lady who’s going to be driving the Jeep lives in flat, wintry S. Dakota, and is not planning to start rock crawling any time soon.

One of the first things I did with my Willys Gladiator is to ditch the stock BFG KM2s for a set of 285/70-17 Kenda Klever AT2s. Much smoother and quieter ride. And I actually gained a few MPG. Not really an initial issue. But happy accident. I sold the BFGs with 1600 miles for $700. Which is more than I paid for the Kendas.

I love how Jeep gives you the upgraded grille and the color-matched fenders on Gladiator Willys. Wish it did the same on Wrangler.

That truck looks bitchin’!

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