Rubicon or willys ????

[Mikeymiler]

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..

I bought the jlr and no regrets

Sponsored

 

[blnewt]

If you are not going to do that extensive of off roading and it’s your wife’s car, get the Willys. The Rubicon wanders all over the road worse than the others which drives my wife crazy. She doesn’t appreciate the charms of ancient technology.

You need to get that caster up in the 6+ degree range (if you haven't done so already). Gotta get that wife to a happy place!

 

[blnewt]

If you want the better of both get a Willys Sport. Great for a daily driver and all the rubicon suspension goodies. Upgraded my wife from a 1997 Jeep Wrangler that we have had since college. Ordered to built in July received in August.

Not all the Rubicon suspension goodies, only the shocks, but a step in the right direction

 

[Old Dogger]

I bought the jlr and no regrets

Big Congrats! Great color..?

 

[Erranickus]

Got my Willys Sport 2dr Soft top, 3.6, MT in September. Within a week, drove it from MO to nw FL and it was a nice drive. I love the crank windows. I did order it with A/C, and it was definitely worth it to keep my wife happy when she rides with me. It is fun, handles great, turns a tight circle and works great on the trails. I ran the Pee Wee Crossing and Guardrail at SMORR before I made my first payment. I think those are the toughest trails I will be taking... not really my cup of tea. I really love that it doesn't have all the creature comforts, just more things to break with wear. IMHO, Willys Sport is a better choice for backroads and snowy conditions because of MT tires, and has the rock rails included, just in case. Yes, there's some road noise, but the soft top is great. No buyers remorse here. I'm thinking I'll be driving this thing until the wheels fall off, but then there will be mods to put it back together!!

 

[Chief Toby]

I ordered a 2021 Willys sport 2-door with the 4 cylinder and automatic, and took delivery 3 weeks ago. I'm 74 yoa and I've had off road vehicles for 55 of those years and this is a good one; maybe the best I've ever had. That 2.0 4 cylinder engine is great and the gear ratios are perfect. It is quick and responsive on the road and highway and is very quick, yet this thing will go aywhere you have the balls to drive it! I love it - couldn't be happier.

 

[viper88]

I ordered a 2021 Willys sport 2-door with the 4 cylinder and automatic, and took delivery 3 weeks ago. I'm 74 yoa and I've had off road vehicles for 55 of those years and this is a good one; maybe the best I've ever had. That 2.0 4 cylinder engine is great and the gear ratios are perfect. It is quick and responsive on the road and highway and is very quick, yet this thing will go aywhere you have the balls to drive it! I love it - couldn't be happier.

Congrats and welcome to the forum! The 2.0 is a great engine. Unbelievable how quick it is. Good mpg also for what it is. The ZF 8-speed has a lot to do with it. The ZF is one of the best automatic transmissions period.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Get the Willys and put some mild AT tires on it. The tires it comes with are noisy. You may even be able to make a deal with the dealer to have it done as part of the deal. The tires on the Willys will be their most valuable the day you buy it.

....and M/T tires suck in the rain, on hard packed snow/ice and on pavement in general.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I didn't know that the rubicon doesn't have a LSD in the rear end . That is a deal breaker for winter driving , I live in south dakota ....
Now wondering if I should be comparing a sahara to a Willys.

I can tell you my experience with the equivalent of Select-trac in my GMC truck on winter roads/highways where you're on mixed road conditions going from hard clean pavement to snow pack, it works very well. I even use it when in very heavy rain conditions.

With the Rubicon, your choices of driveline modes are more intended for running on surfaces that have slippage when offroad and not intended to run on hard, dry pavement in either of the 4 wd modes. You can get the traction you need out of the Rubicon, but you have to micro-manage it if road conditions are mixed along your travels. Select-trac is pretty convenient for mixed onroad stuff. For the record, I have a Rubicon.

 

[Slaw32]

....and M/T tires suck in the rain, on hard packed snow/ice and on pavement in general.

Yep , just what I was thinking . Checked with dealer to see if we can work something out for a different set of tires . Not sure they are going to be a lot of help reasonably pricing the swap . Pretty much decided on falken wild peak at3w tires to replace stock rubber . If their offer isn't a fair price I will sell them myself .

 

[aldo98229]

I can tell you my experience with the equivalent of Select-trac in my GMC truck on winter roads/highways where you're on mixed road conditions going from hard clean pavement to snow pack, it works very well. I even use it when in very heavy rain conditions.

With the Rubicon, your choices of driveline modes are more intended for running on surfaces that have slippage when offroad and not intended to run on hard, dry pavement in either of the 4 wd modes. You can get the traction you need out of the Rubicon, but you have to micro-manage it if road conditions are mixed along your travels. Select-trac is pretty convenient for mixed onroad stuff. For the record, I have a Rubicon.

Micro-manage is the perfect way to describe using Rubicon’s 4WD in variable winter conditions...!

It is like fishing...by firing a broadside on a battleship... ?

 

[GATORB8]

I can tell you my experience with the equivalent of Select-trac in my GMC truck on winter roads/highways where you're on mixed road conditions going from hard clean pavement to snow pack, it works very well. I even use it when in very heavy rain conditions.

With the Rubicon, your choices of driveline modes are more intended for running on surfaces that have slippage when offroad and not intended to run on hard, dry pavement in either of the 4 wd modes. You can get the traction you need out of the Rubicon, but you have to micro-manage it if road conditions are mixed along your travels. Select-trac is pretty convenient for mixed onroad stuff. For the record, I have a Rubicon.

Selec Trac is available as an option on the Rubi. It's the full time transfer case.

 

[Steph1]

To the OP, if you live where there's winter climate, the absolute best wrangler for you is the one offering Selec-trac transfer case, which is accompanied by a rear LSD.

LSD alone is better than one without, but the ability of 4wd auto just makes for the best wrangler possible on-road in a winter storm or icy road conditions. I've owned all models since the mid-80's and traded a JKUR10A Rubicon for my JLU Sahara with Selec-trac. I can confirm that the difference is night and day in the winter.

Best part is that you still have the 4hi and 4Lo, but can just put it in 4WD auto in automn, forget about it until spring and enjoy the best possible wrangler all winter.

Back in 2018, 4WD auto was only available on the Sahara, maybe for 2022 it is available on more models.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Selec Trac is available as an option on the Rubi. It's the full time transfer case.

I wasn't aware of that. But for a person that doesn't want to manage going in and out of 2 wd/4 wd for mixed conditions, that would be a configuration worth having.

 

[John VonJeep]

Willys XR looks like a tremendous value, and should be seriously considered by anyone ordering a Rubicon XR. (I say this as a Rubi XR owner).

You’re basically getting a Rubicon, minus the lockers, disco, and 4:1. Same axles, brakes, suspension, etc.

Sponsored