Capability JLU vs JT

[capercrew02]

Hey everyone! I searched and saw it’s been discussed briefly in some threads, but I didn’t see anything dedicated to this topic. So I’m torn right now. I currently have a 99 grand Cherokee WJ as my camping and wheeling rig, it’s capable but old, and the transmission hates towing my Offroad teardrop up any type of incline or mountain pass. I also have a 2005 Nissan Frontier that’s been the most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned, but it’s only 2wd so it’s limited in Offroad and camping uses. So I’m planning on getting either a JLU or JT to replace the WJ, and possibly the frontier also, but I’m not sure how much Offroad capability I’m sacrificing with the JT. We do a good bit of “overlanding” and are expecting our first child here in the next year also. All our camping is done off the beaten path, and we enjoy doing trail runs as much as possible. I can keep the frontier for house chores and truck stuff, or replace it all together with the JT and have a “do it all Offroad rig”. I’m not much into extreme crawling, but since I like to explore and do trails, I’d hate to have the extra 2 feet be the reason I have to turn around on a trail. Just looking for insight and advice. What do you all think? I realize opinions may be a little biased on this forum, but you also all have the best knowledge to the JT’s potential capability. Below are some pictures of our current Offroad setup.

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[Wraith]

Going off the dimensions of the WJ and the JLU they are fairly close with the JLU being 6" longer, 2" wider, and 5" taller. The JT is still speculative at this point but it is going to be considerably longer than the JLU in body and wheelbase but will also be capable of towing almost double that of the JLU and with a higher payload. Personally, I have owned many Grand Cherokee's and Wranglers as well as a few Comanches and I have to say the JT is top on my list for one simple reason. A truck bed.

I spent considerable time with my buddy on various trips in his Tacoma out in AZ and UT and the capability a truck bed and tailgate offer I have never been able to match in any of my non-truck Jeep's. Like most vehicles in stock form it will be capable but with any good build the builder figures out the shortcomings and modifies to accommodate. I think if you are focused on Overlanding the JT will better suit your needs from what you've outlined, but I can certainly understand the concern of the overhangs the JT will likely have. None of us know the terrain you plan to encounter but I would guess the JT will be able to go wherever the JLU can albeit with some more scraping and driving finesse needed. If for whatever reason the JT is priced beyond my grasp a JLUR is what I will end up with but the build and direction I have planned will be considerably more difficult (and expensive) doing it with a Wrangler.

The attached image of the 2nd gen Tacoma with a trailer is roughly what I would assume you will be up against and they do just fine (although the 3rd gen is marginally bigger). Spent a lot of time around them and they scrape in the back but its livable. Welcome to the forum!

 

[Renegade]

Will it rock crawl like a Wrangler? Heck no!
Will it haul gear, mulch, lumber, etc better? Heck yeah!
Which one is better for a particular person depends on their individual need. Awesome to have a choice!

 

[CerOf]

I’ve had a built ZJ, WJ, JKU, and now JT.

there are tunings s JLU will do that the JT will need a winch.
There are things the JT will do that a JLU will need a winch.

In our family we already have a QX56(Nissan patrol) and Nissan Xterra; thus, we did not need another “suv”.

The JT filled the need for a capable vehicle with a bed.

$$ wise, JT and JLU are pretty close.

If we didn’t already have an suv, the decision would have been harder; likely we’d have ended up with the JLU.

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