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Rubicon Vs. Recon--Why did you choose one over the other?

Reefed

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Hey all,

I have a Sarge JLUR on order and being delivered later this month, super excited! Jumping into a Wrangler after driving sports cars my whole life, I did a ton of research before placing my order, and during that process, realized that a Recon with the same equipment is essentially the same price as my loaded Rubicon, plus some goodies like the rock rails, hinge reinforcement, and eTorque motor.

To me, the Recon is clearly a better deal. I would love to have had the eTorque and the rock rails. However, I ended up going standard Rubicon mainly because I don't personally love the aesthetic of the Recon. I don't like all of the red accents throughout or the black grille/hinge reinforcement, the wheels, and the red on the interior. I find the standard Rubicon without the accents much better looking. I wish I could have the Recon goodies without the appearance changes! Anyone else run into the same debate?
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Mid-life Wrangler

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Exact same thoughts. Leaning towards the Recon, but I prefer the V6. If I get the Recon, I would likely remove the hood and vent decals (Just too busy looking for me) and try to get a the dealer to swap out the Gloss Black grill for a Satin Black grill. I like the contrast of the black fender flares and top and the flat black would match better. Who knows though? Iā€™ve seen several posts where a buyer thought they would not like something on their ordered Jeep and end up changing their mind.
 

GearWhore

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We tested a Recon, Manual Sahara, and Diesel Rubicon 2 weeks ago. I really like the additional items that come standard on the Recon, but my wife hated the 2.0T. Recon has the stitched leather dash, red seatbelts and other accents, as well as wider rock-rails with tread on top, hinge reinforcement, and some more. We're coming from the Trailhawk diesel, and the diesel JL was a good fit, if a bit front-heavy. $6k is a STEEP buy-in though. Manual JL felt the most engaging and lively. We couldn't come to terms with dealer for the diesel, so we'll wait to see what 2021 has on offer in a month or two.
 

MarkY3130

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I bought before the Recon was an option so it wasnā€™ta tough choice. However, unless it has something that offered a real mechanical or structural advantage Iā€™m not sure I would have done anything differently.

For example, factory enhanced performance rock rails wonā€™t hold up to my use. I bought cloth interior on purpose, wasnā€™t about the money. I wanted a manual transmission, etc.

The Recon does seem like a good deal for what it is though.
 

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I bought the Recon because I wanted the drive train and value additions. Not crazy about the decals. And may remove them. I actually purchased a slightly used sting gray grill to replace the black one...though the black is growing on me. I really like the leather dash and red accents. If you want the drive train, side rails, and tailgate system, and steel bumpers, itā€™s a great value.
 

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aldo98229

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I didnā€™t get either; got a Sahara.

I owned several JK Rubicons and one Recon before: in the end I didnā€™t find the Recon package significantly better, particularly considering the steep price; worse, it depreciated like a rock.

Either way, if Jeep offered JL Recon with a choice of V6 or 4-cyl, it would find more takers.
 

RagTopDeluxe

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I have a Recon and love it. It is a replacement for my ā€˜19 JLR that was bought back for steering issues.
Reasons I went with the Recon:

- While waiting on Stericycle, I test drove JLURs with both engines and liked how the 2.0 handled. Interestingly, they steered better. I know, small sample size but after what I went through with my ā€˜19 I felt more comfortable ordering the 2.0. I like how the 2.0 eTorque performs around town.

- I liked the leather dash because I donā€™t like the red dash with the Punkā€™n.

- But I do like the red seatbelts.

- I like the rail/steps. I might need more hardcore rails down the road but these are great.

- I like the tailgate reinforcement. I will go 35s at most so that will work for me.

- I liked the steel bumpers and LEDs from my ā€˜19 and knew I would get them again.

- I wasnā€™t sure about the black grille but itā€™s growing on me. Iā€™m liking it with my winch and KC lights.

- Things Iā€˜m not so crazy about: the tires (Wildpeak because theyā€™re loud) and the decals. Iā€™ll keep the tires until I get 35s and the decals are easy to remove if I decide to do that.

All said, I priced out different configurations and the Recon made sense.

A couple pics:
012C2E24-3E54-4BC4-9EEC-83A1BF6501B6-X3.jpg


6BE21D99-FCBB-4E9A-B134-87741D66828A-X3.jpg
 

RoadiJeff

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Wife was all ready to buy a Rubicon in a month when we saw a Bikini Recon sitting on the lot that had just arrived from a dealer swap across the state. She made an appointment to test drive a 3.6L Rubicon and then the 2.0L Recon immediately after that. She liked the way the Recon drove vs the other one. That, and she liked the styling more.

She ended up buying the Recon later that day, instead of waiting another month as was originally planned.
 

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Iā€™ve been debating over the same thing the last few months. I finally decided Iā€™m going to let go of my 2011 jk and custom order a 2 door recon when the 2021 models roll around. The black grille is growing on me but I absolutely love the leather dash and red seat belts. Just keeping my fingers crossed that Gobi is a color option.
 

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I wanted a Recon....bad! I think it's a very good value for what you get. I like the grille and the hood sticker. I also love the 2.0 eTorque and if I were to have bought a 2020, that's the only way to get one.

However, they aren't offered in Mojito!, so I bought a 2019 Mojito! JLUR with the 2.0 eTorque.
 

4xFUN

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The Recon came out shortly after I ordered my Rubi 2-door and while the Recon is a great deal (compared to a loaded Rubi) I really wanted the V6-well no, I really wanted a Hemi...Most of what comes with the Recon package I had ordered on the Rubi anyway.

A couple things you couldn't order like the Mopar Performance Rock Rails and the black leather w/red stitching dash bezels I thought were cool and just ordered them. I love the Performance Rock Rails-much wider and heavier than the standard Rubi Rails and makes for a bit easier entry for the girls :) The leather dash bezels are in my stack of interior and audio upgrades to yet install...
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