XR vs 4Xe vs basic rubicon which to order?

[wanderer]

First off who would have ever thought there would be such a thing a basic Rubicon?

MY goal is to run 35s winch, steel bumpers, led lights, one-touch top, aux package, tow package cold weather and leather seats 35-inch tires no aftermarket lift

I am trying to decide what to do, I was all set on the xr rubicon with fulltime 4wd option and the one-touch roof mainly because I wanted to keep it simple. 456 gears etc. Factory etc.
But after reading all 27 pages of XR observations seems like going that route still means I will need to replace sporing and shocks in order to add a winch ( planning on ordering the steel bumpers package) to recover some of the up travel lost due to sag of the front due to winch weight?

So now I am wondering if the 4xe might be a better way to go but I don't think that can be ordered with a full-time 4 whl drive? and I am not sure about the electric part plus I don't think I like turbo motors. So somebody please educate me on why a 4-cly turbo will last the 200k miles I want it to. DO I need to run 89 gas on a turbo?

Probably won't go with a diesel because it adds too much $$ to the and I don't think fulltime is an option?

So should I just go basic rubicon with a fulltime option and will I need to add springs and shocks to support a winch there as well?


MY goal is to run 35s winch, steel bumpers, led lights, one-touch top, aux package, tow package cold weather and leather seats 35-inch tires no aftermarket lift

So please shoot me your suggestions and why?
Attached is the 2018 JLUR that I traded in on JTR also attached. Why do this you ask? I want something a little lower that I can take the top down and because I tend to go off on my own the most capable and reliable option .

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[GrayWolf.Overland]

4xe are all full time 4wd by default. No need to add that option there

Running 35s shouldn't be much hard on any Rubicon. The question really is how much off roading you intend to do. Based on your need for winch, in assuming you are going to go off road..

Regular Rubicon (4xe or gas + full time fwd) should do just fine with a 1" spring coil spacer. 4.10s are ok for 35s, not much of a problem.

 

[fat_head]

4xe is a waste of money. Worthless. Embarassing in fact. Somehow there are people who think 3 miles of EV range off road at the cost of nearly 1000lbs and $14,000 makes sense. It's a head scratcher to this very day.

 

[89138]

I’ve had a Rubicon 4xe and my brother & father each own a v6. The 4xe was okay for short drives, but after the battery was depleted (~21 miles) it wasn’t worth the extra weight. If your trips are short, it may make sense. I traded for a 392, but if that wasn’t an option I would go with the v6 or regular 4 cylinder over a 4xe. That’s just my $.02 after having owned one.

 

[Bzinsky]

4xe is a waste of money. Worthless. Embarassing in fact. Somehow there are people who think 3 miles of EV range off road at the cost of nearly 1000lbs and $14,000 makes sense. It's a head scratcher to this very day.

Yeah except you add all the options up, subtract the tax credit, and it’s barely more expensive than a regular one.

It’s also 375hp, and if you’re in a suburban/urban environment you can expect near half the fuel cost.

Off roading in EV mode is amazing. It lasts me a solid 90 minutes off road but I’m not rock crawling in low range.

 

[Bzinsky]

How much sense the 4xe makes directly corresponds to your population density. The 4xe will get the same efficiency in NYC as it will in a rural area. Where as the 392 would probably average 7mpg in NYC and 18-20mpg in a rural setting putting along at 55mph.

Here in NJ, I almost never deplete the battery running errands. In VT it would be empty every trip I made.

 

[Rustynail11]

doesn't matter what model you get if add weigh the front with a bumper and winch you will need to make some mods to get that height back. Can be done with spacers, coils, complete lift.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

I would go with the Willys XR. Best bang for the buck and IMO, better than a basic Rubicon.

 

[SnowyHaijo]

I purchased an XR for all the reasons you’re likely attracted to it as well. I want to be clear that I absolutely LOVE this Jeep over the last year that I’ve had it. Overall, it’s great and comes with more benefits than the mild lift. I’ve read the same XR Observation posts and believe there’s some truth and some exaggeration.

I ordered mine with the steel bumpers and quickly added a winch, the heavy-ish Badlands Apex to boot. Did my front droop with the added weight, yes a bit. Do I agree that the bumps on the XR feel larger than needed, probably. As those posts state, it does limit up travel a bit. I have noticed I find those bump stops with more aggressive off-roading at Silver Lake Sand dunes.

I believe it’s more about expectations with the XRs. I think some expected a flexy lift comparable to the aftermarket options, which is not what Jeep did. This is an OEM mild lift to clear 35’s; it does that well. It feels tall compared to stock Rubicons. There are also many posts about all the trails others have completed in a stock XR.

in summary it’s about understanding what you’re getting. Some beefed up parts like the axle and brakes. OEM 4.56 gearing that’ll support any tires I could ever want to run. But also the awareness that some day I’ll want more flex and a bit more lift and will swap suspension parts. Hope this helped.

 

[ajkitebrder40]

Yeah, so same boat, except I don't need full-time 4wd, and I have a stock Rubicon that I added a bumper (Rugged Ridge Arcus), and winch (Warn VR10s) too. I went with the stock Rubicon because I wanted a manual, simple as that.

The sag definitely happens, roughly 1" on mine, I'm going to add a 3/4" spacer and keep going.

Given your options, I'd go Willy's XR as well, it's a great value unless you feel like you have to have lockers over an LSD. If you know you want 35's I'd just go ahead and go XR off the bat, and try and go as light as possible (maybe an alumimum bumper/skid) and undersized winch to keep weight down.

I disagree on the cost difference with the 4xe, it's far more than $7500 differential (disregarding state incentives) on an apples to apples comparison. Also....you lose the ability to lay the seats flat, which is a huge deal to me since I sleep on Deepsleep mattress when camping.

 

[Jeep4Win]

Get the “Basic” Rubicon…

 

[ColoradoMike]

Depends a ton on how much and how hard you plan to offroad. My stock XR, while I wish it had more bump gap and flex, has been really really capable (see all the vids in my sig) with the addition of a couple of aftermarket skids. And yes, if I wanted to add a winch, I would need to do something to slightly lift the front. But it sounds like that's the case with most every model? Sounds like you were considering a "basic" Rubicon accepting the fact that you might have to lift the front to compensate for winch; if that's the case, then DEFINITELY go for the XR because the 4.56, axle, knuckles, brakes etc. are worth it. And as for 4XE, why are you considering it? What benefit does it have for your use-case? And as for the full-time/4auto option on a Rubi t-case, I have been a big fan.

 

[TexasRay]

Sounds like you might want to look at the High Tide or Willys XR.

I have a Gobi Willys XR with selectrac and it is my favorite jeep that I've owned (have done over 125,000 miles in each of the previous models). It looks great and is quite capable right off the lot. As a disclaimer, I am more of a trails/backroads kind of guy, but will be taking it to some badge trails this spring and summer.

 

[Ron93YJ]

4xe is a waste of money. Worthless. Embarassing in fact. Somehow there are people who think 3 miles of EV range off road at the cost of nearly 1000lbs and $14,000 makes sense. It's a head scratcher to this very day.

 

[PatriotX]

4xe is a waste of money. Worthless. Embarassing in fact. Somehow there are people who think 3 miles of EV range off road at the cost of nearly 1000lbs and $14,000 makes sense. It's a head scratcher to this very day.

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