Which Trim to Purchase

[MrMike]

Hey guys,

I’m looking to order a Wrangler.

I am leaning towards 4-door because I used to have a 96 4.0L Cherokee Sport and I feel like a 4-door Wrangler is it’s spiritual successor. I already have a 2-door car and will be keeping it.

I will be doing very minor off-road driving. Dirt roads and very basic trails. No rocks. I will be driving the Wrangler anytime there is snow. This will be a daily driver in the winter and when transporting 3-4 people in the summer.

I want manual. I want premium audio/technology groups. I want LED headlights. I want hard top. I do not want leather. I think I want a LSD. I think I want trailer-tow group because those things seem like a pain to add later.

• Is the Sport Altitude essentially a Sahara with the option for a manual and no leather or LED turn signals/markers?
• If I get the LSD on the Sport Altitude, will I get the same rear axle as the Willys and Rubicon?
  • Follow-up, does this mean the remaining mechanical difference between Sport Altitude w/LSD and Willys is just the Rubicon shocks?
• On the Willys, how bad will the OEM mud tires be in the snow/rain? I’m not bothered by road noise.
• I think a Rubicon is overkill, but if I bought a second set of tires/wheels for the Willys, I’d be most of the way to a Rubicon already. How dumb would it be to pick up a Rubicon for my usage?
  • Is the added weight of the Rubicon noticeable compared to the others in daily driving?

Thanks in advance

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[Maverick909]

i with a nice willys would be fine for you. I went with just a Sport S 4 door and it took me up stuff with out issues at all. I did get the dana 44 rear with LSD and it worked wonders. If you plan on driving in the snow and basic fire roads than a sport S or Willys with the LSD would do you just fine IMO. plus LSD seems to do better in the snow. If you want a more comfortable ride it might be worth getting a Sahara with its all wheel drive and softer suspension

 

[AcesandEights]

I bought a base Rubicon, meaning I only opted for the 4.88 gearing and tow/electrical group. The Rubicon comes standard with the upgraded audio, but not the "technology" or LED lighting. You might "build and price" a Willys and Rubicon and see what the difference is. Because the Rubicon comes standard with more, it might not be as much as you think; although, the Rubicon is definitely overkill for what you say you need.

ETA: really, anything that you can option the LED and other options you want will work; meaning, look at the least expensive trim that still allows you to get LED and what-not.

 

[Flip6577]

The destination MTs on my 2022 Willys handled the snow this past weekend without any issues. I rarely had to move out of 2H and felt completely under control at all times.

 

[MrMike]

i with a nice willys would be fine for you. I went with just a Sport S 4 door and it took me up stuff with out issues at all. I did get the dana 44 rear with LSD and it worked wonders. If you plan on driving in the snow and basic fire roads than a sport S or Sahara would do you just fine IMO

Thanks.

Sahara is auto only for 2023 unfortunately. That's the main reason I was asking about the Sport Altitude's similarities to the Sahara.

Yep, Fire Road or Fire Trail is the correct term for most of what I will be doing. Many have large dips/holes and are impassable in my Mustang. I've borrowed a WK which navigates them fine, but I would like another manual transmission vehicle before they are even more scarce or unavailable.

 

[five9dak]

Test drive that 6speed in a 4 door with the engine you want before you commit to it. Then drive the 8spd auto.

I was a diehard manual Jeep guy. Drove a manual TJ for ever. I didn't care for the JL 6speed and the ZF8 is a darling.

To answer your question - if you are carrying 4 people you probably want electric locks. So the Willys will get you LED headlights, LSD, stronger rear axle, big brakes. The mud terrian tires it comes with do not fit your use case. Sell them and install rubicon take off all terrian 33s. Should only cost a couple hundred more after you sell your OEM tires.

If you go aftermarket for LED headlights, a sport S could save you a lot.

 

[Maverick909]

Thanks.

Sahara is auto only for 2023 unfortunately. That's the main reason I was asking about the Sport Altitude's similarities to the Sahara.

Yep, Fire Road or Fire Trail is the correct term for most of what I will be doing. Many have large dips/holes and are impassable in my Mustang. I've borrowed a WK which navigates them fine, but I would like another manual transmission vehicle before they are even more scarce or unavailable.

I went with the Sport S and drove out of state just to get my manual transmission jeep. best decision ive made. Seems like the willys package would be best with that information. You can always swap to the KO2 all terrains. I am running 35" MT's and dont mind the on road feel of them.

 

[Maverick909]

BTw the high altitude will give you the nicer creature comforts but if you ordering a jeep you can add more than what the build website shows

 

[rcadden]

I wouldn't get too hung up on the LED headlights from the factory.

They're a $1.5K package from the factory, but you can easily swap them out yourself for half of that aftermarket. I believe starting in 2021 they included the correct wiring harness either way (even if you ordered halogen)

 

[MrMike]

Test drive that 6speed in a 4 door with the engine you want before you commit to it. Then drive the 8spd auto.

I was a diehard manual Jeep guy. Drove a manual TJ for ever. I didn't care for the JL 6speed and the ZF8 is a darling.

They seem to be pretty hard to come by, and I've already spent a good chunk of time with the ZF8 in a WK. I really value the manual, I'll see what I can do to get a test drive. Maybe I can find a used one.

A lot of people rag on the MT-82 in the Mustang but I am completely satisfied.

 

[five9dak]

They seem to be pretty hard to come by, and I've already spent a good chunk of time with the ZF8 in a WK. I really value the manual, I'll see what I can do to get a test drive. Maybe I can find a used one.

A lot of people rag on the MT-82 in the Mustang but I am completely satisfied.

I drove the manual JL before I knew about all the problems/complaints. I still didn't care for it.

 

[Heimkehr]

I really wanted the third pedal in my new Jeep, but after several test drives there just wasn't a love connection. Kind of the opposite, actually, despite my efforts to be flexible in my perceptions.

Thankfully, the 850RE is an utterly superb transmission, and the AutoStick feature allows me to row my own, sort of, when the mood strikes.

 

[Deleted member 59498]

I had the 2020 with manual never had an issue with it, smooth shifting and used 6th at highway speeds. Gets a bad rap because of clutch which I had no issue with and people not driving in 6th. I had none of those problems and was fun to drive.

Sure you can run around at highway speed in 4th or 5th but would not recommend it. LOL

 

[MrMike]

I wouldn't get too hung up on the LED headlights from the factory.

They're a $1.5K package from the factory, but you can easily swap them out yourself for half of that aftermarket. I believe starting in 2021 they included the correct wiring harness either way (even if you ordered halogen)

I love hydro blue, it's my #1 choice currently!

I'll keep that in mind, thanks. Paying a bit more to have it done from the factory doesn't bother me that much, but if it's easy I'll check out some DIY videos.

 

[MrMike]

I had the 2020 with manual never had an issue with it, smooth shifting and used 6th at highway speeds. Gets a bad rap because of clutch which I had no issue with and people not driving in 6th. I had none of those problems and was fun to drive.

Seems to be a bit of a back and forth on the manual.

From what I've seen in other threads, I believe the concern is that the clutch lacks feel? I've spent some time in a GTI that had a very soft clutch pedal and lacked feel, but still was happy to drive it.

You no longer have a manual though, so you must've dropped it for one reason or another?

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