Sport vs Rubicon if No Rock Crawling

[PyrPatriot]

What off-road capability does the Rubicon offer that the Sport S with Max Tow does not?


If I will NEVER go rock crawling, if my off-roading is limited to forest service roads and mountain trails (technically driveways but they are more rutted than most trails and off-road parks in my area!) that old Ford Explorers with bald tires can go up/down, is the Sport enough?

If they were the same MSRP/deal, which is the better buy: Sport S with several packages or near bare-bones Rubicon?

Sponsored

 

[Renegade]

If they were the same price, the Rubicon would be the better deal. That’s not the case, and it doesn’t sound like you need a Rubicon. I would go the Sport route if I were you.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

I’ve always said, buy the Jeep that fits your needs. You’ve clearly stated that you won’t be crawling. The Sport is a very capable off road vehicle for a lot of scenarios. The Rubi takes that an turns the dial to 11, in part because it is a fairly capable rock crawler. Lockers, higher clearnance, sway bar disconnects, and crawl mode are the difference makers there.

The only other things that MIGHT matter to you are leather and the 8.4” uConnect. Frankly, the 7” uConnect is garbage. Leather can be added later with katskinz if you like. If you think you might like the 8.4” uConnect, consider the Overland or you can add an aftermarket unit to a Sport S.

EDIT: I just saw that you can now get the 8.4” uConnect on the Sport S.

 

[spazzyfry123]

I’ve always said, buy the Jeep that fits your needs. You’ve clearly stated that you won’t be crawling. The Sport is a very capable off road vehicle for a lot of scenarios. The Rubi takes that an turns the dial to 11, in part because it is a fairly capable rock crawler. Lockers, higher clearnance, sway bar disconnects, and crawl mode are the difference makers there.

The only other things that MIGHT matter to you are leather and the 8.4” uConnect. Frankly, the 7” uConnect is garbage. Leather can be added later with katskinz if you like. If you think you might like the 8.4” uConnect, consider the Overland or you can add an aftermarket unit to a Sport S.

EDIT: I just saw that you can now get the 8.4” uConnect on the Sport S.

I’ll second the 7” uConnect comments. I got it in my Rubicon and after some miles I wish I would have splurged for the 8.4”. The features are fine, but it’s comical how much smaller than 7” the display becomes once you get into Apple CarPlay. Also seeing what aftermarket units that look decent are going for, the $1600 or whatever it is now seems like a bargain with the included upgraded speakers as well.

 

[Gecko-JKU]

If dirt forest roads are your thing, the Sport/Overland will likely be better. The downside to the Rubicon is you cant get a limited slip rear diff and the lockers are only useable from the factory in 4 low. The electric sway bar disconnect is convenient but you can achieve the same effect on the sport for less than $100. Now that LEDs and the 8.4 are available on the Sport you can get Rubicon luxuries without the need for the super rock crawling features.

 

[hjdca]

If dirt forest roads are your thing, the Sport/Overland will likely be better. The downside to the Rubicon is you cant get a limited slip rear diff and the lockers are only useable from the factory in 4 low. The electric sway bar disconnect is convenient but you can achieve the same effect on the sport for less than $100. Now that LEDs and the 8.4 are available on the Sport you can get Rubicon luxuries without the need for the super rock crawling features.

These are good points you should consider. My Gladiator Rubicon is my first 4:1 transfer case. I am used to approx. 2.5 to 1 transfer cases in my 4WD vehicles. It changes the game for rock climbing, but, for dirt roads, only the top three gears are usable in low lock.

PS. in 4WL, electric sway bar disconnect automatically connects back up at 16 mph.

 

[Ryan...]

My thoughts have always been this when trying to decide whether or not to buy a base model, or splurge for higher optioned vehicles; Can I modify it to meet or exceed my needs for less than factory costs?

I bought an XL F150 FX4 rather than an XLT or Lariat because I knew I could buy better wheels/tires, sidesteps, exterior upgrades, and upgrade the audio for about 1/2 the cost of getting a loaded XLT. I also ended up with a personalized truck that was really "my own."


OP, it sounds like you're looking for the same things I am, and I'll be getting a Sport and likely adding better tires to tackle the terrain (non-rock crawling) that I plan on tackling.

 

[Gobi Wan K]

I am going to go against the grain here with this one buuuttt...
I got a Rubicon because I wasn't planning on many modifications and I really don't plan to wheel it hard.
IF I had planned to wheel it hard, I would have opted for an Overland because of the LEDs and 8.4 but now that you can get that on a Sport then it would have been Sport Max Tow all the way.
For me, the only thing I would miss would be the 4:1 T-case. The factory lockers and disconnecting sway bar have always been a weak spot for the Rubicon. The other side is that replacing the factory lockers with aftermarket has proven problematic with the JLs because of all the computer integration. It doesn't seem to like not having the factory lockers there. With serious wheeling axle upgrades are probably part of the plan anyway, for sure if you are going to 40s. And an Anti-rock swaybar has no electronics to fail. Yea, you don't get the crawl settings but I never had that before in a Jeep so I would get by.
The Rubicon is great as is for moderate crawling but I don't think it is really up to hard core wheeling.

 

[spazzyfry123]

I am going to go against the grain here with this one buuuttt...
I got a Rubicon because I wasn't planning on many modifications and I really don't plan to wheel it hard.
IF I had planned to wheel it hard, I would have opted for an Overland because of the LEDs and 8.4 but now that you can get that on a Sport then it would have been Sport Max Tow all the way.
For me, the only thing I would miss would be the 4:1 T-case. The factory lockers and disconnecting sway bar have always been a weak spot for the Rubicon. The other side is that replacing the factory lockers with aftermarket has proven problematic with the JLs because of all the computer integration. It doesn't seem to like not having the factory lockers there. With serious wheeling axle upgrades are probably part of the plan anyway, for sure if you are going to 40s. And an Anti-rock swaybar has no electronics to fail. Yea, you don't get the crawl settings but I never had that before in a Jeep so I would get by.
The Rubicon is great as is for moderate crawling but I don't think it is really up to hard core wheeling.

This was my thought as well. We still use it around town with Home Depot runs as a truck. But we wanted something that was super capable for the moderate stuff if we got to it. Maybe one day I’ll go nuts with one tons and all, but my Rubicon is perfect for us. If I knew I was going ham straight out of the gate, Sport for sure. All the Rubicon goodies would get tossed.

 

[Gobi Wan K]

This was my thought as well. We still use it around town with Home Depot runs as a truck. But we wanted something that was super capable for the moderate stuff if we got to it. Maybe one day I’ll go nuts with one tons and all, but my Rubicon is perfect for us. If I knew I was going ham straight out of the gate, Sport for sure. All the Rubicon goodies would get tossed.

And if I was really going to build something it would probably have a twin stick Atlas anyway so that would get rid of all the Rubicon stuff.
Coming from the Power Wagon I just wanted to have all the same stuff I already had without doing any work. Still working on the winch though as Rugged Ridge can't seem to ship my Arcus bumper.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I know 95% of this forum is Rubicon and most of the remaining 5% is Sport - but I am feeling good about the Overland. It took one of the roughest highways in Iowa like that road was silk. It had just the right feel to the rear springs as the rear end jounced a bit - even my wife commented how capable it was on that road.
I don't even like to take my WJ on that highway and told my wife I will never again take my Eagle on it because it's a car-shredder. The patches have been patched and the pot holes have holes and sections have heaved and a train has derailed on the parallel tracks twice landing on that road busting up sections of it good.
I hit 19.8 mpg with this truck - having hit about 180 miles with in in about 2 days of driving (the first 25 was the dealer doing what I insisted - driving the crap out of it to make sure the steering and handing was good)
I may put more aggressive tires on it - I do drive in snow and ice and sometimes I take my car trailer into some rough areas that get slick have some ravines. It's probably the most comfortable truck to drive I've ever owned and that suspension is just perfect. I love the feel of it on really nasty roads.

 

[hjdca]

I am going to go against the grain here with this one buuuttt...
I got a Rubicon because I wasn't planning on many modifications and I really don't plan to wheel it hard.
IF I had planned to wheel it hard, I would have opted for an Overland because of the LEDs and 8.4 but now that you can get that on a Sport then it would have been Sport Max Tow all the way.
For me, the only thing I would miss would be the 4:1 T-case. The factory lockers and disconnecting sway bar have always been a weak spot for the Rubicon. The other side is that replacing the factory lockers with aftermarket has proven problematic with the JLs because of all the computer integration. It doesn't seem to like not having the factory lockers there. With serious wheeling axle upgrades are probably part of the plan anyway, for sure if you are going to 40s. And an Anti-rock swaybar has no electronics to fail. Yea, you don't get the crawl settings but I never had that before in a Jeep so I would get by.
The Rubicon is great as is for moderate crawling but I don't think it is really up to hard core wheeling.

I pretty much agree with you. I have wheeled my manual gladiator rubicon twice now at Hungry Valley OHV and I am going to leave it stock. On one incident, I followed some dirt bike trails and got on top of a very small peak and I had to use granny gear (manual) to rock it from forward to reverse to get it off camber. I have the stock mud terrains with 18 psi and I was super impressed with the grip and how the Gladiator managed the off camber. Everything was locked and sway bar disconnected, and I could inch that puppy along like a tank. I really like that 4:1 transfer case and inching along in 1st gear with no tire slippage is very calming. In the manual, 3rd gear low lock for the hills were you want to go up fairly fast, 2nd gear low lock for the tough ones. The manual in second gear low lock just tractors up those hills, no slip. The suspension was also very comfortable, not jarring at all, floats well over the whoops and other obstacles. Stock Rubicon is still very impressive off road...

 

[eaglerugby04]

When I priced my build out for things that come stock on the rubicon like Max tow, larger tires, lift I ended up coming close enough in price that the Rubicon made a ton of sense to me. I also wanted the 8.4 inch screen at the time and it was the only way to get it. Price yours out on the site and see what the difference it, in my case all the Rubicon features being added for just a little bit more money was a huge value to me over buying the sport.

 

[WXman]

Sport Max Tow vs. Rubicon: Rubicon adds locking diffs inside the same axles, disconnecting sway bar, and 4:1 t-case.

I don't care about the 4:1 t-case because it's TOO low for 95% of offroad situations.
I can add a sway bar of some sort easily if I decide I need it.
So are two lockers worth $7,700? To me they weren't. I went Max Tow and got a 33% bump in payload capacity.

 

[PyrPatriot]

I’ve always said, buy the Jeep that fits your needs. You’ve clearly stated that you won’t be crawling. The Sport is a very capable off road vehicle for a lot of scenarios. The Rubi takes that an turns the dial to 11, in part because it is a fairly capable rock crawler. Lockers, higher clearnance, sway bar disconnects, and crawl mode are the difference makers there.

The only other things that MIGHT matter to you are leather and the 8.4” uConnect. Frankly, the 7” uConnect is garbage. Leather can be added later with katskinz if you like. If you think you might like the 8.4” uConnect, consider the Overland or you can add an aftermarket unit to a Sport S.

EDIT: I just saw that you can now get the 8.4” uConnect on the Sport S.

I’ll second the 7” uConnect comments. I got it in my Rubicon and after some miles I wish I would have splurged for the 8.4”. The features are fine, but it’s comical how much smaller than 7” the display becomes once you get into Apple CarPlay. Also seeing what aftermarket units that look decent are going for, the $1600 or whatever it is now seems like a bargain with the included upgraded speakers as well.

Well shoot, now I'm curious what the larger screen is like. I find it frustrating that many features indicated in the manual (like settings) are not available in the 7.0 screen.

My thoughts have always been this when trying to decide whether or not to buy a base model, or splurge for higher optioned vehicles; Can I modify it to meet or exceed my needs for less than factory costs?

I bought an XL F150 FX4 rather than an XLT or Lariat because I knew I could buy better wheels/tires, sidesteps, exterior upgrades, and upgrade the audio for about 1/2 the cost of getting a loaded XLT. I also ended up with a personalized truck that was really "my own."

OP, it sounds like you're looking for the same things I am, and I'll be getting a Sport and likely adding better tires to tackle the terrain (non-rock crawling) that I plan on tackling.

That was my thought process. Buy the car you need, not the car you can afford. I wasn't, and still don't plan on lifting the Jeep or putting on 35s, or going anywhere it can't handle with only moderate effort.

I know 95% of this forum is Rubicon and most of the remaining 5% is Sport - but I am feeling good about the Overland. It took one of the roughest highways in Iowa like that road was silk. It had just the right feel to the rear springs as the rear end jounced a bit - even my wife commented how capable it was on that road.
I don't even like to take my WJ on that highway and told my wife I will never again take my Eagle on it because it's a car-shredder. The patches have been patched and the pot holes have holes and sections have heaved and a train has derailed on the parallel tracks twice landing on that road busting up sections of it good.
I hit 19.8 mpg with this truck - having hit about 180 miles with in in about 2 days of driving (the first 25 was the dealer doing what I insisted - driving the crap out of it to make sure the steering and handing was good)
I may put more aggressive tires on it - I do drive in snow and ice and sometimes I take my car trailer into some rough areas that get slick have some ravines. It's probably the most comfortable truck to drive I've ever owned and that suspension is just perfect. I love the feel of it on really nasty roads.

Maybe a little more sport and a little less rubicon, we gotta have room for overlands like you!

In hindsight I should have driven more than 3 miles on the JT before buying. It felt right. I loved it from the first time I sat in it. Seems fine so far, no steering issues after 1500 miles (that I can tell)

When I priced my build out for things that come stock on the rubicon like Max tow, larger tires, lift I ended up coming close enough in price that the Rubicon made a ton of sense to me. I also wanted the 8.4 inch screen at the time and it was the only way to get it. Price yours out on the site and see what the difference it, in my case all the Rubicon features being added for just a little bit more money was a huge value to me over buying the sport.

that puppy along like a tank. I really like that 4:1 transfer case and inching along in 1st gear with no tire slippage is very calming. In the manual, 3rd gear low lock for the hills were you want to go up fairly fast, 2nd gear low lock for the tough ones. The manual in second gear low lock just tractors up those hills, no slip. The suspension was also very comfortable, not jarring at all, floats well over the whoops and other obstacles. Stock Rubicon is still very impressive off road...[/QUOTE]

Both a near-stock Rubicon and a Sport S with a few packages get to be about $47000 MSRP. The only thing the Rubicon had that I wanted was the steel bumper. It wasn't an option for any of the Sport models in my area. And all of the Rubicons in my area were/are $15k more than my Sport with packages. I'm happy with my decision.

Sponsored