Sport vs. Rubicon for light off-road use

[FUHL]

I ordered my Rubicon, MSRP was $47,465 I paid 40,645 From Dennis Dillon Caldwell Idaho.
I drove 500 miles for that price, well work it.
I tried Dave Smith, they would match Dennis Dillon.

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[FUHL]

Can you comment a little more about the differences between Selec-trac and Rock-trac?

Selec-trac is only available in the Sahara which is only available in a 4-door.

 

[twodoorfour]

I ordered my Rubicon, MSRP was $47,465 I paid 40,645 From Dennis Dillon Caldwell Idaho.
I drove 500 miles for that price, well work it.
I tried Dave Smith, they would match Dennis Dillon.

Wow that is a great price... if I had $7,000 off of MSRP it would make my decision to get into a Rubicon a no brainer.

I got to thinking though. If I can get a Sport S with some minor upgrades (7” infotainment, LSD, hard top) with MSRP of $35,000, I would jump on it for a negotiated price of $30,000 or less. That would be my ideal set up.

Unfortunately, I think I posted this thread in the wrong forum... I think I’m going to end up with the 3.6L... I test drove the manual today, and there is no way I would get this Jeep in an automatic. I drove the auto 2.0T as well, but the manual was so easy to drive, I could teach a beginner how to drive manual within 10 minutes. Surprisingly good clutch pedal feel and the shifter has positive engagement in all gears. It’s peppy too.

 

[FUHL]

Wow that is a great price... if I had $7,000 off of MSRP it would make my decision to get into a Rubicon a no brainer.

I got to thinking though. If I can get a Sport S with some minor upgrades (7” infotainment, LSD, hard top) with MSRP of $35,000, I would jump on it for a negotiated price of $30,000 or less. That would be my ideal set up.

Unfortunately, I think I posted this thread in the wrong forum... I think I’m going to end up with the 3.6L... I test drove the manual today, and there is no way I would get this Jeep in an automatic. I drove the auto 2.0T as well, but the manual was so easy to drive, I could teach a beginner how to drive manual within 10 minutes. Surprisingly good clutch pedal feel and the shifter has positive engagement in all gears. It’s peppy too.

Going with a manual V6 saves $3,000.

 

[twodoorfour]

Going with a manual V6 saves $3,000.

I think I’m going to go for the ace of base and get the 2 door Sport. Manual locks, manual windows, manual side mirrors. That stuff doesn’t bother me much. I’m going to add the LSD and a hard top and call it a day. Maybe get the optional tow/aux switches package. But that’s it.

This will be my first Jeep ever. So maybe a sub $30k investment will give me a taste of whether or not it’s for me. If I don’t end up doing a lot of wheeling, I made the right choice. If I do wheel a lot, I’ll know what I want in my next Wrangler 5+ years down the line. I don’t think I’ll throw a lot of money modifying a Sport though.

 

[twodoorfour]

Thanks! I'll have to check those out this summer.

Yes, that is what I was referencing when I said LSD. Only available on Sports and Saharas, Rubicons have open diffs (with lockers).

If/when I get my Jeep, we should go wheeling. I'm new to the PNW area. Completing my move in the Summer.

 

[RCH]

Tow Aux if you have a bike rack. Aux Switches will be forever useful for future lights etc. My 2 cents. rch

 

[HoundDude]

the LED lights are amazing too, just saying...

 

[Uhdinator]

I bought the first year Rubicon Hard top in 2003 @ 30K. No sway bar disconnects then and no traction control. No electric windows or mirrors. Never did any serious rock crawling, and used the lockers only a few times in 15 years, and never tried to bury it in the mud.

So now I have a Sport hard top with window tint. With traction control its more capable than a sport with open diffs used to be. Never had all the bells and whistles in the first TJ Rubicon, So my Sport is the same as what I'm use to and less electrical stuff to have to fix if it quits working. The Sport is also more comfortable and more refined inside than the TJ Rubicon. So to me it was an upgrade except for the lockers that I rarely used.

I have 2" spring spacer lift, and upgraded tires, Shocks, and steering stabilizer and I'm good with it. The JL Sport looks bigger than my old TJ that also has a 2" lift.

 

[multicam]

I bought the first year Rubicon Hard top in 2003 @ 30K. No sway bar disconnects then and no traction control. No electric windows or mirrors. Never did any serious rock crawling, and used the lockers only a few times in 15 years, and never tried to bury it in the mud.

So now I have a Sport hard top with window tint. With traction control its more capable than a sport with open diffs used to be. Never had all the bells and whistles in the first TJ Rubicon, So my Sport is the same as what I'm use to and less electrical stuff to have to fix if it quits working. The Sport is also more comfortable and more refined inside than the TJ Rubicon. So to me it was an upgrade except for the lockers that I rarely used.

I have 2" spring spacer lift, and upgraded tires, Shocks, and steering stabilizer and I'm good with it. The JL Sport looks bigger than my old TJ that also has a 2" lift.

This just makes me miss the TJ.

 

[Squibbles]

Here's the detail directly from Jeep if you do a build:


Selec-Trac Full Time 4WD System $595

• The new Selec-Trac® Full-Time Four-Wheel-Drive System includes a 2.72:1 low range. This two-speed, active full-time system includes a 4H AUTO mode that requires no driver input for any driving conditions. In 4H AUTO, 4WD is automatically engaged and disengaged as needed to maintain traction. Image shown below...

• Rock-trac is where you get the full locking diffs, sway bar disconnect, better axles, etc as this is all standard on Rubicon...
  
  Here's a note from one of the off road blogs:

Due to its 4:1 low-gear ratio, Rock-Track delivers massive amounts of torque to go up and down sharp inclines as well as crawl over big obstacles such as rocks. It boasts a 73.1:1 crawl ratio with manual transmission that makes it easy to cruise over tough terrain.

5.13x4x4.1 is not 73.1, that’s the automatic or the jk, manual has an 84.1:1 crawl ratio

 

[Kidder212]

I have the rubicon model. It seems that a lot of people here on this forum forget that Jeep has one of the best traction control systems out there. I use mine a fair amount. It does take practice getting used to it and is a fair bit different than the old school days of lock it, point it, stab it and steer it mentality. If you go with a sport/s I think you will be amazing happy with your purchase. If you give your off road skills a realistic evaluation you will probably never really have a real need for lockers. If you find your skill level is beyond the amazing traction control system then the aftermarket makes some great options. A driver reading the ground and picking driving line in my opinion is the best traction control system, the others are just extra tools. Buy and have fun

 

[Agent47]

I think I’m going to go for the ace of base and get the 2 door Sport. Manual locks, manual windows, manual side mirrors. That stuff doesn’t bother me much. I’m going to add the LSD and a hard top and call it a day. Maybe get the optional tow/aux switches package. But that’s it.

This will be my first Jeep ever. So maybe a sub $30k investment will give me a taste of whether or not it’s for me. If I don’t end up doing a lot of wheeling, I made the right choice. If I do wheel a lot, I’ll know what I want in my next Wrangler 5+ years down the line. I don’t think I’ll throw a lot of money modifying a Sport though.

If you get the base Sport with a hard top, I recommend skipping "Deep Tint Sunscreen Windows Sales code: GCD". For less than the $495 of the option, you can get ceramic tint installed on all of the windows which is far superior to the privacy glass that comes from the factory. Factory tint is just for appearance, but ceramic tint vastly cuts down on IR and keeps your interior a lot cooler. The 2 door Sport doesn't come with AC as standard ($1,295 option).

 

[vavaroutsos]

If/when I get my Jeep, we should go wheeling. I'm new to the PNW area. Completing my move in the Summer.

Do give Dennis Dillon a call. I got my 2018 JLR from them with LED lights and premium soft top for $34K. Even if you don't need a Rubicon, at that price I think it's worth it just for re-sale value and you'll have AC, power windows, 7" head unit, etc. in addition to the lockers, 4:1 xfer case, sway bar disconnect, stronger axles, larger brakes, etc.

 

[mintswitch]

I think I’m going to go for the ace of base and get the 2 door Sport. Manual locks, manual windows, manual side mirrors. That stuff doesn’t bother me much. I’m going to add the LSD and a hard top and call it a day. Maybe get the optional tow/aux switches package. But that’s it.

This will be my first Jeep ever. So maybe a sub $30k investment will give me a taste of whether or not it’s for me. If I don’t end up doing a lot of wheeling, I made the right choice. If I do wheel a lot, I’ll know what I want in my next Wrangler 5+ years down the line. I don’t think I’ll throw a lot of money modifying a Sport though.

This is kinda the route I went and honestly believe that it is a smart route to go. I skipped all the tech stuff and got the stuff that actually adds utility and capability (got the LSD, hard top, aux switched and tow package). I did get the auto too because I really wanted the turbo, but other than that, I got the base Sport model with the basic screen, no extra tech or safety features and manual locks/windows. My MSRP was 37,100 and I got it for 32,900 (2018 model).

After living with the bare bones stuff for awhile, I absolutely don't have any regrets. When it comes to the tech/convenience/safety things, I absolutely don't care about them, and the safety features matter even less on the 2 door version. There are virtually zero blind spots on a 2 door, and manual locks and windows work perfectly fine. On a 4 door I think power windows and locks are needed, but not on a 2 door.

Also, in terms of off road capability, I would absolutely have no worries about the Sport not being good enough for off roading.

FYI, my previous vehicle was a Tacoma TRD Off Road and it was pretty loaded with features. I never came anywhere close to using all of them. Adaptive dynamic cruise control? Used it once and didn't like it. Blind spot monitoring? Still looked over my shoulder. Rear sensors? Honestly more annoying than it was useful. Crawl control? Locking rear diff? Never used either. The biggest difference was the suspension/tires. The TRD off road has 'off road' tuned suspension and tires. I live next to a dirt/gravel road that can sometimes get kinda rutted and I will admit that my Tacoma handled that much better than my JL Sport, but more in terms of comfort than actual capability (I could drive the Tacoma much faster didn't feel the bumps as much). But that just goes to show you that suspension and tires are probably the 2 biggest factors when it comes to off roading.

A JL Sport with LSD on good suspension with a good set of tires can probably do everything that you will ever need. The Rubicon will have those extra bits of utility that might get you out of a bind. But the way I look at it is that I am never going to do anything technical enough to warrant the use of lockers and/or sway bar disconnect. The sway bar would makes somethings easier, but I highly doubt I will be doing anything where a sway bar disconnect is actually NEEDED.

One more thing. If you really want to be impressed at what a basic vehicle is capable of when it comes to off roading, check out wisetaco on instagram. That dude has a 2 wheel drive Tacoma and he probably does stuff that people with Rubicons never even attempt.

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