Long Road Trips- Overland or Rubicon

[Wingman335]

Hello all. I own a 2017 Tacoma. I'm planning to replace it with a Gladiator. The main use of the vehicle is to go on long road trips with the family. I won't be using a trailer- everything fits in the truck bed. My offroading would be limited- but existent.

I'm conflicted between the Overland and Rubicon trims. I want to get the Rubicon (mostly due to aesthetics), but I've heard that its miserable on long road trips. The Overland is better for 10-12 hr drives with the family. Is that true?

Also, Ive been told that the Overland won't hold its value as other Jeep vehicles. So my question is that if daily driving and long road trips is the main use for the truck, would Rubicon be as comfortable as the Overland trim (lets assume same tires are on the wheel in both trims).

Thanks for any feedback you guys can provide!

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[primethios]

If your not doing the heavy off road you can save quite a bit with the overland and use that cash to do some of the upgrades you may want for aesthetics. As far as holding value less I would be interested in the reasoning behind that as the overland is the gladiator version of the wrangler sahara. Will it be worth as much as the rubicon, no but I believe there is no reason it wouldn't hold percentage wise in comparison to the rubicon or the sport. I am in an overland and I will say that on the highway the ride is smoother than my JK's were. This is my daily driver and most people who have been in it have commented on liking the ride. I don't think there is realistically a big difference in stock ride quality between the two but the rubicon does have heavier duty axles which may stiffen things up a bit. From a "looks" perspective the biggest stock differences will be stickers (and other various things that say RUBICON, rims, more aggressive looking tires, a second tow hook on the back bumper, hood with vents, red accents throughout. Oh yeah, the overland has fenders painted to match the vehicle as part of the package. I haven't seen a rubi with painted fenders so I don't know if that's an option. (personally I haven't decided yet but I may actually replace my painted fenders with the textured plastic fenders as that is what I have always had on my jeeps and I think it breaks things up a bit more)

I like the more aggressive looking tires and will probably be putting 33 or 35's on the overland rims as well as the mopar 2 inch lift (I don't need the lift for the tire upgrades). I don't need the heavy duty axles as this is more of a daily driver vs offroading every weekend (I don't have the time to travel hours every weekend for locations to really go off road). When I did the math I decided the roughly 10k difference between the two models (with similar options such as leather, bigger screen radio, etc) would allow me to focus on the upgrades I wanted vs the rubicon that would have left me with a few grand of wanted upgrades anyways but I have also been watching out for folks with rubicons that are doing similar upgrades and selling their factory pieces (rims, tires, bumpers)

Allot of this is going to come down to your personal preference but after having a couple "regular" jeeps I have found that personal taste upgrades give you the flexibility to make it "yours" and the overland package to me is basically the equivalent of a luxury feature package (some people may disagree with that statement but it's how I feel about it). Basically it is a bit of an intermediary between the sport models and the rubicon so a little bit of both worlds along with creature comfort features.

 

[TheSolarWizard]

The ride difference between the two models is limited to the tires IMO.

 

[Mr._Bill]

I have an Overland. It's great for long distance driving. If that will be the primary use, stick with the street tires it comes with. The Rubicon is configured for off road use, the Overland for highway use. There will be some differences in ride comfort and road noise, but interior comfort is essentially the same. Get the tow package, even if you don't plan to pull anything. It gets you cooling, alternator, and battery upgrades.

 

[Breaktrack]

Well, I have the Rubicon model, with the all terrain tires, and I’ve found it to be quite comfortable on long drives.

My current drive started on June 18th, the day after I picked it up, and is still going. I have 16,844 miles on it so far, out of Montgomery, Texas, and my trip has included a drive through Canada to Alaska, including having driven up the haul road (Dalton Highway) to Deadhorse / Prudoe Bay. I’m in Montana currently and will be in Yellowstone later this week, then who knows.

All that to say, it has been a very comfortable ride under a very diverse set of conditions, and road types, including off road. Having the Rubicon capabilities available has opened up possibilities I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing with any lesser vehicle package, such as Black Bear pass road out of Telluride, Colorado, and such as that.

Admittedly, on this one I did splurge and get the heated leather seats and all, hadn’t done that on any of my previous seven Jeep vehicles, and they’re nice!

Mac

 

[Jowen]

I have a question. What type of road will you be on? If you are on paved secondary road and dirt road or cow pasture roads? Then the overland would do. The rubicon i would use for the true dirt tracts well off the beaten road. I, my self do overland trips well away from help. This trips are long and at times are on dirt tracks seldom traveled and many time marked as trails and no one maintains them other than me trying to go down them. I maybe 70 miles out in the areas from any decent road or help. That is why I drive a rubicon, lockers and disconnect easy bar, the ride i have no problem with.

 

[DHP]

If your not doing the heavy off road you can save quite a bit with the overland and use that cash to do some of the upgrades you may want for aesthetics. As far as holding value less I would be interested in the reasoning behind that as the overland is the gladiator version of the wrangler sahara. Will it be worth as much as the rubicon, no but I believe there is no reason it wouldn't hold percentage wise in comparison to the rubicon or the sport. I am in an overland and I will say that on the highway the ride is smoother than my JK's were. This is my daily driver and most people who have been in it have commented on liking the ride. I don't think there is realistically a big difference in stock ride quality between the two but the rubicon does have heavier duty axles which may stiffen things up a bit. From a "looks" perspective the biggest stock differences will be stickers (and other various things that say RUBICON, rims, more aggressive looking tires, a second tow hook on the back bumper, hood with vents, red accents throughout. Oh yeah, the overland has fenders painted to match the vehicle as part of the package. I haven't seen a rubi with painted fenders so I don't know if that's an option. (personally I haven't decided yet but I may actually replace my painted fenders with the textured plastic fenders as that is what I have always had on my jeeps and I think it breaks things up a bit more)

I like the more aggressive looking tires and will probably be putting 33 or 35's on the overland rims as well as the mopar 2 inch lift (I don't need the lift for the tire upgrades). I don't need the heavy duty axles as this is more of a daily driver vs offroading every weekend (I don't have the time to travel hours every weekend for locations to really go off road). When I did the math I decided the roughly 10k difference between the two models (with similar options such as leather, bigger screen radio, etc) would allow me to focus on the upgrades I wanted vs the rubicon that would have left me with a few grand of wanted upgrades anyways but I have also been watching out for folks with rubicons that are doing similar upgrades and selling their factory pieces (rims, tires, bumpers)

Allot of this is going to come down to your personal preference but after having a couple "regular" jeeps I have found that personal taste upgrades give you the flexibility to make it "yours" and the overland package to me is basically the equivalent of a luxury feature package (some people may disagree with that statement but it's how I feel about it). Basically it is a bit of an intermediary between the sport models and the rubicon so a little bit of both worlds along with creature comfort features.

This is a great synopsis of why I went with the Overland package as well. Mine is my daily driver as well and it is great in highway usage

 

[Phljeeper]

Both have a purpose. If you don’t intend to use lockers and sway bar disconnects on off road trails there is no reason to spend the extra for a Rubicon. One note, if you want leather and many of the features of the Overland or Rubicon that aren’t available on a Sport and also want the higher tow capacity that you get with the 4.10 gearing and wide track axles you will need a Rubicon to achieve that. I am guessing Jeep will change that in the future and offer max tow on the Overland but not currently.

BTW, I have a Rubicon with 35” Ridge Grapplers and love the ride on long trips. Been on a number of long drives towing my camper and the Rubicon does great.

 

[Vismich]

The only thing that changes the ride is the tires.... so if you end up upgrading Overland Tires to what the Rubicon has, then it will ride the same.

I went with the Overland because I liked the leather stitched dash, and I’m not planning on off-roading so didn’t need to pay for the extra features on a Rubicon

 

[Phljeeper]

The only thing that changes the ride is the tires.... so if you end up upgrading Overland Tires to what the Rubicon has, then it will ride the same.

I went with the Overland because I liked the leather stitched dash, and I’m not planning on off-roading so didn’t need to pay for the extra features on a Rubicon

I do think the suspension differences change the ride as well. There at at least 3 different suspensions on Gladiators (maybe more) with the Sport and Overland sharing similar setups, the sport s max tow with the stiffest suspension (to support the added tow capacity) and the Rubicon being softer (for rock crawling) coils but using Fox Shocks. These differences in coil stiffness and different shocks will absolutely change the ride feel. Especially when loaded down.

 

[Wingman335]

Well, I have the Rubicon model, with the all terrain tires, and I’ve found it to be quite comfortable on long drives.

My current drive started on June 18th, the day after I picked it up, and is still going. I have 16,844 miles on it so far, out of Montgomery, Texas, and my trip has included a drive through Canada to Alaska, including having driven up the haul road (Dalton Highway) to Deadhorse / Prudoe Bay. I’m in Montana currently and will be in Yellowstone later this week, then who knows.

All that to say, it has been a very comfortable ride under a very diverse set of conditions, and road types, including off road. Having the Rubicon capabilities available has opened up possibilities I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing with any lesser vehicle package, such as Black Bear pass road out of Telluride, Colorado, and such as that.

Admittedly, on this one I did splurge and get the heated leather seats and all, hadn’t done that on any of my previous seven Jeep vehicles, and they’re nice!

Mac

I found your travel thread while searching for road trips with the Gladiator- looks like fun! Would you say that the long drives have been comfortable? Would you change anything to make the drive more bearable on paved roads?

 

[Wingman335]

The ride difference between the two models is limited to the tires IMO.

If its just limited to the tires, then I'd go for the Rubicon- that way if the wife complains about harsh ride I can have a set of wheels just for road trips... and I get to drive the Rubicon rest of the time!

 

[Wingman335]

Thanks for all the replies, guys! My heart wants Rubicon, and the way I spec'd the trucks, there's only a 3k difference between Overland and Rubicon.

The only hesitation to getting Rubicon is ensuring a comfortable ride for the wife and kids when we take cross state trips. Having the Rubicon, it looks sweet and I won't have to hesitate when we want to go away from the beaten path.

 

[Breaktrack]

I found your travel thread while searching for road trips with the Gladiator- looks like fun! Would you say that the long drives have been comfortable? Would you change anything to make the drive more bearable on paved roads?

Would I change anything for long driving trips? Hmmmm, nothing comes readily to mind. A better phone holder maybe? I did lower the air pressure in my tires a little, I'm at about 38 psi now, I did find that made a bit of a difference in the wander Wranglers seem to have on the highway. Other than that, I make sure I have a nice little travel pillow with me so I can kick the seat back and take a nap when necessary, lol. I have found the drivers seat in the JT goes back further than in my JK, so it's better for naps (I have actually slept in my JT two nights on this trip, stuff happens, lol).

It is a very comfortable vehicle, which is one of the things that separates it from the Wranglers of my past. With the truck oriented suspension, and the longer wheel base, you're going to find it is a lot smoother and easier on you than Wranglers have been historically. I am, of course, assuming the JL is much the same as the JT, without the extra wheelbase and different suspension.

Mac

 

[Tacoman03]

Our Rubi JT was very comfortable drive from Arkansas to Florida a couple of months ago.....there are a bit more items standard on a Rubicon than just "aesthetics. like Red Stickers, etc"...

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