Wrangler Rubicon vs Ford Ranger Raptor

[higbyz]

"They might not be natural competitors but the Ford Ranger Raptor and Jeep JL Wrangler Rubicon are designed to deliver big off-road thrills right out of the box. We wanted to find out which one made us smile most..."

I dont need a truck. If I did , I would own a Raptor.

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[@OUTDOORTREE]

Count your blessings. Mine steers like a leaf in a hurricane and they can't/won't fix it.

I upgraded to a full steersmarts set up and its handles like a dream now.

 

[8flat]

What I love about this video is it clearly shows the advantages of solid front axles over IFS especially crossing that washout at an angle. I still hear from people that claim IFS is superior in every single circumstance, no exceptions, and it's comical.

 

[word302]

What I love about this video is it clearly shows the advantages of solid front axles over IFS especially crossing that washout at an angle. I still hear from people that claim IFS is superior in every single circumstance, no exceptions, and it's comical.

To those people I always laugh and say "cool, you won't have any issues following me then".

 

[TrailTorque]

I dont need a truck. If I did , I would own a Raptor.

I like the Raptor a lot but the thought of a modified Gladiator is growing on me along with it’s probably lower price tag haha

Not to thread jack but some of these were darn nice at SEMA:

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...ladiator-builds-list-check-for-updates.23903/

 

[DanW]

How easy is it to put the top down on that Raptor?......er......uh........nevermind.

 

[DanW]

What I love about this video is it clearly shows the advantages of solid front axles over IFS especially crossing that washout at an angle. I still hear from people that claim IFS is superior in every single circumstance, no exceptions, and it's comical.

IFS can't keep wheels on the ground unless they are a purebred off-road racing vehicle so softly sprung it is not suitable for street use. I've had 2 4 Runners. They were great, but even my old YJ with leaf springs articulated better than the Toyotas.

 

[craigerv]

I upgraded to a full steersmarts set up and its handles like a dream now.

I'm glad you have done what you needed to do to make yours work. And I have read of others on this forum that HAVE made it work very well.

However, right out of the gate we shouldn't have to dump even more $$ into our already pricey vehicles to make a basic thing like steering work to customers satisfaction. And that's really what this is all about, right? Believe me, nobody during the sales cycle is going to come out and say "your Wrangler may not steer all that great". A test drive may not have shown this issue because there are some that don't have an issue (as we have read on these forums). Then they get their own JL and it all starts to unravel.

If I were to take a guess, I believe FCA knows they have a significant problem. I am just talking about the dead-zone off-center constant-correction wander down the road, not the proverbial "death-wobble".

I know three people that would get a Wrangler tomorrow if it didn't have potential steering issues.... or at least a good likelyhood of steering that didn't meet their expectations. Why drop major coin on a roll of the dice? I think FCA is losing out on sales with just this one issue alone.

My 2018 JLUS steering behaves just as the one in this video. Riding down the highway is simply not enjoyable. So it is being relegated to grocery runs and short local side roads. Is FCA telling me I need to get another vehicle for the highway? I already had the steering damper replaced. No joy. (My wife will no longer drive this on the highway). Post sale, we can say "Wranglers just do this" all day, but in the end FCA has to sell this song and dance to current and future customers. And one unhappy customer tells two, that tell four, ad nauseum. If FCA decides to simply leave things as they are so be it, but you reap what you sow.

Sigh...

 

[PavementWarrior]

Where do you keep your tire pressure? I felt like I was driving on balloons and was all over the place until I dropped the pressure to around 31psi.

The Fiat wobbler shipped with weak steering, all of the parts have been reved (drag link, trackbar tierod, even SS). Steering shimmy from factory and they will only bandaid with steering stabilizer (lol).

Wranglers look nice, and the aftermarket is great. However, the factory does not stand behind the Wrangler, so maybe you get a good dealer or you are sol.

Now that Fiat is sold we shall see how quality goes, its most likely going to be worse as an Italian / French Wrangler.

Ford will never take die hard Wrangler rock crawler buyers with an ifs, and you would have to be crazy to buy a 1st year Bronco, but they stand to take a giant portion of the market.

 

[Covfefe]

Not a convertible, no competition.

 

[@OUTDOORTREE]

I'm glad you have done what you needed to do to make yours work. And I have read of others on this forum that HAVE made it work very well.

However, right out of the gate we shouldn't have to dump even more $$ into our already pricey vehicles to make a basic thing like steering work to customers satisfaction. And that's really what this is all about, right? Believe me, nobody during the sales cycle is going to come out and say "your Wrangler may not steer all that great". A test drive may not have shown this issue because there are some that don't have an issue (as we have read on these forums). Then they get their own JL and it all starts to unravel.

If I were to take a guess, I believe FCA knows they have a significant problem. I am just talking about the dead-zone off-center constant-correction wander down the road, not the proverbial "death-wobble".

I know three people that would get a Wrangler tomorrow if it didn't have potential steering issues.... or at least a good likelyhood of steering that didn't meet their expectations. Why drop major coin on a roll of the dice? I think FCA is losing out on sales with just this one issue alone.

My 2018 JLUS steering behaves just as the one in this video. Riding down the highway is simply not enjoyable. So it is being relegated to grocery runs and short local side roads. Is FCA telling me I need to get another vehicle for the highway? I already had the steering damper replaced. No joy. (My wife will no longer drive this on the highway). Post sale, we can say "Wranglers just do this" all day, but in the end FCA has to sell this song and dance to current and future customers. And one unhappy customer tells two, that tell four, ad nauseum. If FCA decides to simply leave things as they are so be it, but you reap what you sow.

Sigh...

I agree. That being said I love it so much I just bit the bullet... I know several people in my community who never got the same issues but Jeep couldn't fix and I decided the couple thousand to do it right was worth my time instead of using all my free time to fight Jeep.

 

[8flat]

IFS can't keep wheels on the ground unless they are a purebred off-road racing vehicle so softly sprung it is not suitable for street use. I've had 2 4 Runners. They were great, but even my old YJ with leaf springs articulated better than the Toyotas.

Exactly!

 

[telix]

Problem with the truck is people will ask you to help them move

 

[TCogs1]

"They might not be natural competitors but the Ford Ranger Raptor and Jeep JL Wrangler Rubicon are designed to deliver big off-road thrills right out of the box. We wanted to find out which one made us smile most..."

It really does not matter what they say...

Full disclosure.. these types of topic get less than 1% of my attention.. thus I wont watch it or read the thread..

To suggest a $70k -$90k Dune - Desert truck is in the same class as a JL "Rubicon" ($45K to $50K) (hint the name) is as dumb as comparing a
Suburban to a Toyota Prius.... You mean a Prius gets better MPG.... WOW amazing... But a suburban can carry more people.. ooooo...

Complete dumb a$$ click bait...

Lets not waste our time here..

 

[DaltonGang]

I loved the reasons one gave for liking the Ranger better. It felt more "car like", better for getting groceries, and easier to pick up the kids at school. Get a freakin station wagon guys.

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