Help me decide - Rubicon or Mojave!

[jeepfreakedc]

I've got an 18 JLUR and love it, but I bought a roof top tent and the mounting options aren't great. I've been considering a Gladiator for awhile and finally decided to get a Gladiator and do a half or full rack on the bed and mount the tent on that. Plus, having a truck bed would be key. I loved test driving the Mojave, but I'm wondering how the shocks would do with a roof top tent mounted. Any pros, cons or advice would be greatly appreciated!

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[Dan in Pasadena]

If you can afford either I say go with the Rubicon.

 

[Renegade]

If ever rock crawling, go with the Rubicon. If you don’t need the front locker, go with the Mojave.

 

[microboby]

To be honest Jeep has had many editions but seems mostly Rubicon’s hold a premium value overall . I got the rubicon and after lift and new suspension feels way better than the super plush shocks the Mojave I test drove when choosing from both

 

[DankjeeP]

I've got an 18 JLUR and love it, but I bought a roof top tent and the mounting options aren't great. I've been considering a Gladiator for awhile and finally decided to get a Gladiator and do a half or full rack on the bed and mount the tent on that. Plus, having a truck bed would be key. I loved test driving the Mojave, but I'm wondering how the shocks would do with a roof top tent mounted. Any pros, cons or advice would be greatly appreciated!

I think the Mohave is more for bombing down gravel roads or through the desert at higher speeds. If you are doing overlanding type stuff (RTT + extra weight etc) then it comes down to if you need the low range of the Rubi (4:1) if you might encounter rocky areas and need the low speed finesse, or if you are on fire roads etc. Other factors are possibly front locker requirement, sway bar etc. Maybe a Sport fits the bill? Personally, I think loading up a Mohave with a bunch of gear maybe takes some of the fun out of it, but YMMV!

 

[jeepfreakedc]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am kind of worried that adding a good bit of gear would take away from the high speed off road capability of the Mojave.

 

[aldo98229]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I am kind of worried that adding a good bit of gear would take away from the high speed off road capability of the Mojave.

From what I’ve read, Mojave suspension is softer and tends to squat under load. That’s something to keep in mind if you are going to load a tent in the back and sleep there.

And, if you plan to do any modifications to the suspension at all, you’d be throwing away Mojave’s most unique feature.

So I’d say go with Rubicon.

 

[SloW8]

I had a Rubicon on order last year when a friend told me about the Mojave that was about to come out. After lots of research, I decided on the Mojave.

TBH though - If you plan on lifting the Jeep and throwing on bigger tires, I'd get the Rubicon.

The best part about the Mojave is the suspension, but you are limited in what you can do to lift the Mojave and keep the suspension so you are making compromises. If you are going to lift your Jeep, you can get a great suspension and better shocks on the aftermarket for a Rubi. Then you have all the ability of the Mojave, plus the front locker, swaybar disconnect etc...

Having said that, the OEM suspension under the Mojave is fantastic and blasting across the desert is a lot of fun in this thing. I use mine to tow a camp trailer so I am never going to make it into a hard core rock crawler on 40s. So for my mission profile, the Mojave is great. I love my Mojave and Orange > Red.

 

[jeepfreakedc]

From what I’ve read, Mojave suspension is softer and tends to squat under load. That’s something to keep in mind if you are going to load a tent in the back and sleep there.

And, if you plan to do any modifications to the suspension at all, you’d be throwing away Mojave’s most unique feature.

So I’d say go with Rubicon.

Exactly what I was wondering about if I added the weight of the tent and rack to the bed. I wish I had some pics of someone that has done this on a Mojave so I could get a better idea.

 

[brianinca]

I'm too damned old to sleep in an RTT (imagine waking up at 2 AM to have to pee, it could happen) so that's not part of my equation.

The other issue is dispersed camping, we go to an area and stop for a couple of nights. With an RTT, you have to take your camp with you wherever you go, with a trailer you have a base to operate from. If travel IS the destination, transiting the Mojave Road in two days is faster with an RTT, but it is more fun doing it in three days and enjoying the environment. $250 of a fast setup ground tent is not a huge timesink, and it leaves a LOT of $$$ for other things.

For towing something, there isn't a huge gap between the 7K Rubicon and 6K Mojave rating. Additionally, with a 12% optimal tongue load, you can put 88% of your payload on the trailer, not the truck, which payload is almost always going to be your limiting factor. Again, RTT's have a role for some folks, but payload.

However unlikely rock crawling may be for you, there's not MUCH a Mojave can't do that a Rubicon can - JT the wheelbase is a lot more limiting than the missing front locker. The instructors at the Jeep Academy all had Mojave's, didn't slow them down in the rocks. Disconnected swaybars means a MUCH more comfortable ride at low speed on rough terrain, but you can do that manually with a Mojave with trivial additional expense.

If you're happy with 35's, you don't need a lift AT ALL with either orange or red, and it won't impact your trailering or RTT capacity. If you go much past 2" you'll need driveshafts and shocks and all that stuff, which nullifies your Mojave goodies. AEV's Mojave spacer lift is good for 2.5", right? That would be max, vs as silly high as you want in a Rubicon and who cares you ditched inexpensive Fox's.

For daily driver comfort, the Mojave is likely the best Jeep ever. If an RTT is really THE top priority, a bigger truck might be a better choice, the Power Wagon has 300+ more payload (30%!!!).

I had a Rubicon on order last year when a friend told me about the Mojave that was about to come out. After lots of research, I decided on the Mojave.

TBH though - If you plan on lifting the Jeep and throwing on bigger tires, I'd get the Rubicon.

The best part about the Mojave is the suspension, but you are limited in what you can do to lift the Mojave and keep the suspension so you are making compromises. If you are going to lift your Jeep, you can get a great suspension and better shocks on the aftermarket for a Rubi. Then you have all the ability of the Mojave, plus the front locker, swaybar disconnect etc...

Having said that, the OEM suspension under the Mojave is fantastic and blasting across the desert is a lot of fun in this thing. I use mine to tow a camp trailer so I am never going to make it into a hard core rock crawler on 40s. So for my mission profile, the Mojave is great. I love my Mojave and Orange > Red.

 

[aldo98229]

Exactly what I was wondering about if I added the weight of the tent and rack to the bed. I wish I had some pics of someone that has done this on a Mojave so I could get a better idea.

FWIW, I configured a Rubicon and a Mojave the exact same way: for about $250 less, Rubicon includes the front locker, swaybar disconnect and rock rail extensions to the bed overhangs.

Granted, Mojave has reservoir shocks, but Rubicon’s front locker and swaybar disconnect are harder to add aftermarket.

 

[jeepfreakedc]

FWIW, I configured a Rubicon and a Mojave the exact same way: for about $250 less, Rubicon includes the front locker, swaybar disconnect and rock rail extensions to the bed overhangs.

Granted, Mojave has reservoir shocks, but Rubicon’s front locker and swaybar disconnect are harder to add aftermarket.

Very true. The price difference is minimal, so that’s not really an issue. I have a JLUR on 35s and after test driving a Mojave, the ride was WAY better. That’s the main thing keeping me from a Rubicon. That, and there are a lot of dirt roads and trails up in the mountains that would be really fun to fly down in the Mojave.

 

[GladiSD]

Exactly what I was wondering about if I added the weight of the tent and rack to the bed. I wish I had some pics of someone that has done this on a Mojave so I could get a better idea.

Ask, and you shall receive.....

No noticeable difference in behavior whatsoever. The Gladiator as a rock crawler in stock form makes no sense at all. I drive at very fun speeds fully loaded in the Mojave in all types of terrains and it swallows it up similar to my previous Raptor. If you're interested in rock-crawling, TRUE rock-crawling, keep/get a Rubi Wrangler. I took my Mojave out on a trail in SD county this past weekend and the Mojave suspension articulated over all obstacles the same way a heavily-modded JLU did. Neither vehicle was held up by any obstacles...

 

[PancakeCritter]

Like others have mentioned, the Mojave has softer springs. So if you place the RTT over the bed, that's a significant load. If you distribute it with it mounted to the roof, that would help.

I had this same predicament. I know realistically I'll spend a lot of time on the street, so Mojave made more sense. The suspension is a $3500 in aftermarket, so lots of value there. I plan to add a front locker and manual quick disconnects for the front ARB...if I decide they are needed.

 

[kevman65]

Get whichever trim level you want.

Then spend the money on adjustable shocks and you can tune it to whatever your weight is at the time.

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