Need your feedback, Manual or Auto, Rubicon or Mojave.

[ErylFlynn]

Same boat as others, all my previous vehicles, 2 of the jeeps were manual. Went auto this time as getting old sucks. Noticed my knee occasionally would get sore on some trips.

I went Mojave, not going to lift it and I like the bolster on the seats. Down side of mojave is the shocks last about 40k and are not cheap to rebuild. Add in you might have to send them out to get the rebuild.

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[ShadowsPapa]

If I had a nickel for everyone who has said that on this forum... A year later they're driving a mobile Liberace.

Hey, my Overland is stock.........
Except:
synergy front springs, Eibach rear shocks, air bags in rear springs, clear front side markers, 12v outlets in rear bed, winch, steel bumper, Oracle backup lights, Suma side mirrors, front receiver................ but really, it's stock. Sits almost exactly as high as a Mojave but doesn't have orange hooks.

 

[OHJeeper]

Automatic Mojave, and get the one with automatic 4WD if you're subjected to any winter weather driving.

In addition to the beefed up frame you get:
Steel hood with faux scoop
Reinforced frame
Bolstered seats
Fox 2.5" internal bypass remote reservoir shocks
Wide Dana 44 axles
Cast iron knuckles
2.72:1 low range (up to 50 mph in 4 low)
4.10 gearing
1" taller than Rubicon in stock configuration
Hydraulic jounce bumpers
Strengthened front upper control arms
Strengthened lower control arm mounts
Strenghtened cross members
Reinforced shock towers
Rear track bar has a larger outer diameter, larger bushings, and a higher strength tube
Wheels 7.5 mm shallower backspacing than Rubicon
"Racing grips" steering wheel
Rear locker can run in 4 high in off-road plus mode
Orange things

Rubicon also has the wide axles
Rubicon also has the 4.10 gearing
Rear rear locker can also run in 4HI on Rubicon with a few button pushes
Rubicon has FRONT lockers
Rubicon has red things

All the rest... yeah, he's right

 

[ShadowsPapa]

But neither has BRASS KNUCKLES!

 

[shootify]

Same boat as others, all my previous vehicles, 2 of the jeeps were manual. Went auto this time as getting old sucks. Noticed my knee occasionally would get sore on some trips.

I went Mojave, not going to lift it and I like the bolster on the seats. Down side of mojave is the shocks last about 40k and are not cheap to rebuild. Add in you might have to send them out to get the rebuild.

good point. What about rubicons?

 

[BuyHold]

@shootify I own a JTM and a JLR. If you aren't going to rockcrawl the JT then the options offered by a rubicon are not that much of a value. In contrast, the Mojave hood, interior, suspension (incl hydraulic bumpstops) and frame are superior to Rubicons. Of course some people love that red dash and the vinyl rubicon stickers.

Regarding the manual, if you love manuals get a manual. My JLR is manual and it is MUCH more engaging to drive than my auto JTM. Manuals/Autos and Rubicons/Mojaves are all awesome in their own ways.

 

[bd100]

For the manual, I find I have to remember to keep the legs straight so the knees are not bent sideways. And watch out how to get in and out of the truck to avoid twisting the knees. Then it's fine.

And we tow a smaller trailer, but I still hit low range to reverse into some camp sites. It does work well though. Ours is a 3.73 axle, so any 4.10 will be around 10% better. And an aftermarket clutch and flywheel will also be better.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

In contrast, the Mojave hood, interior, suspension (incl hydraulic bumpstops) and frame are superior to Rubicons

Why is the hood superior? Adds a lot of weight, taking away from payload.

 

[Iowafarm]

I have a manual the i absolutely love most of the time. I am looking at getting a new Rubicon with an auto simply because I do go offroading and spun out on an obstacle the last time I was offroading. Halfway up a very steep and long hill, trying to start up again was not fun at all. To steep for the parking brake to hold me. Had to back down to a large rock that would hold me to get going again.

 

[Jaxmax]

Well I don’t know about “superior”, but I love steel hoods, wife’s JL sits in a garage at home and my company truck 2017 F-250 with “military grade” aluminum hood sits outside . We live in the woods, hickory , walnut and acorns fall in the Fall, Mojave hood they just ring out and bounce off ,the JL has dents over the hood as does the Ford. The Rubicon hood has non functional vents that can be made functional aftermarket but perhaps not in the right place, Mojave hood is taller more airspace under the hood to retro fit the Hydro Glide air system which as designed by Jeep has “flap valves” that allow air under the hood are aimed towards the fender wells. It’s just different not superior, it’s heavy but not as heavy as steel bumpers so no real loss in payload, mine is about 1200 lbs. If I remember , if I remember correctly….Jack

 

[howeitsdone]

Love my manual! My MJ and JT are both manual and I couldn't see it any other way.

Clutch works fine. Don't drive it like a teenager. I look at the recall this way: I get a free replacement eventually!

I also tow 4k lbs almost weekly as I travel and live full time in a camper (profile pic) and have no issues. The motor can lack power, but trims aren't going to change that.

One of the biggest things to keep in mind is the TC ratio and how fast you'll be able to go in 4lo. I'm in the desert sand most of my time catching some air so it made way more sense to go Mojave. But if you don't plan on being in sand hitting gnarly hills then you can easily stick with the Rubicon. It's also easier to swap the TC vs adding a front locker so keep that in mind too.

People will nitpick down to the differences in bolt color, but they do the same damn thing 95% of the time. They're both great, otherwise we wouldn't be driving them!

 

[Stuntman Mike]

If you like manual, get manual. It will all be ironed out in the end.

That's what I would do.

You can modify a lot of stuff later but switching from auto to manual will be painful (for your wallet).

 

[Camaroboi13]

Clutch works fine. Don't drive it like a teenager. I look at the recall this way: I get a free replacement eventually!

I’m on both gladiator forums and the bedless gladiator (wrangler) forums. One of the locals has had nothing but problems with the clutch recall on his. I think it’s been 3 or 4 months and it’s still not right. Free upgrades are cool, just be willing to wait while Jeep tries to get their life right.

If I were a buying man, I would choose the Mojave in an auto. But I wanted a diesel and don’t need the Rubicon, so the Overland was my best choice.

 

[PuddleJumper]

I am about to buy a Gladiator Rubicon 2022 with a manual transmission which I have reserved.
The reason I am going manual is that I am old school and like and enjoy more driving manual than auto, anyways, there are two things i am debating with, right now.
1- I know there is a recall for the clutch on this truck and looks like still after all this time, there is no fix or expected date. Does anyone here know something about this?
2- I just found that the Mojave trim has a better frame (reinforced), suspension, and so. Now I am debating between these two, Rubicon and Mojave, (i dont have plans of doing rock crawling and so.) but I am not able to find a manual transmission Mojave close by, so I am starting to think I should get the AUTO in the Mojave, please share your thoughts.

thanks a lot.

Its not really a reinforced frame for the mojave. They just gave it the Deisel frame. It has a few differences from the Gas one but both are extremely durable. The diesel frame is a nice piece of mind if you go with a more powerful engine swap in the future or jump the truck mildly on occasion. Mine has been great. I wish i had manual but i wasn't willing to loose tow capacity to get it. Tbh outside of offroading you kinda have to split hairs between the Mojave and Rubi. I would also check that the Rubi has red body shocks and not Foxes. My aunt's 22' came the Foxes and they are egregiously under dampened. The Mojave will also tend to have a more sport/stiff feel, and its suspension doesn't really cycle unless u got some weight on it or you got momentum. The rubicon has a more commuter ride feel at any speed. Personally I love the setup of the Mojave but it has been quite the trial to work with its dynamics while running some overland gear. The Rubicon is more forgiving about just throwing shit in it. I do like having steel knuckles instead of aluminum tho.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Why is the hood superior? Adds a lot of weight, taking away from payload.

Am i the only one with a aluminium mopar hood? or is mine a steel that isn't magnetic

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