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To Mojave, or Not to Mojave...

ThatStinging_Jeep

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I am tossing around a decision and thought I would get the opinions of some of the most knowledgable Gladiator people there are. I took delivery of my Gladiator Max Tow Sport S on February 1st of this year. My intention was to make it rock crawler capable like my last Rubicon JKU was. The next week when I was at the King of the Hammers, Jeep released the Mojave. Knowing that the Gladiator will not be able to do the extreme rack crawling that my JKU did, I immediately thought the Mojave was a great concept with a rear locker and the suspension. My Max Tow stickers for $45,175 and I paid $37,947 after a $2,000 rebate. Since them I put about $10K into mine making the following mods:
  • Rubicon Springs and Rubicon Fox Shocks
  • Rubicon LED Painted Fenders
  • Dirty Life 17x9 Roadkill Beadlock Wheels(5)
  • Patagonia 39x13.50R17 Tires (5)
  • Warn VR EVO 12-S Winch (Synthetic Line)
  • Crawler Conceptz Bumper, Fairlead and Skidplate
  • Rubicon Express 2” Level Kit with Shock Extensions
  • Rubicon Rock Rails and Bed Guards
  • Jeep LED Foglamps
  • Jeep LED Headlamps
  • Katzkin Leather Interior
  • Synergy Sector Shaft Brace
  • Jeep Rubicon Hood
  • Poison Spyder Functional Hood Louvers

I have an opportunity to trade my Gladiator for $41,000 for a 2020 Mojave with a $53,770 sticker and a $51,432 sales price. If you were in my shoes, would you finish the build on the Sport S I have (front and rear lockers, gears, Fox or King shocks) or buy the Mojave and add 35" tires? I wouldn't plan on listing the Mojave because that would ruin the desert runner ability of the vehicle. Below is a recent photo of the Sport S right now.

Thanks!
IMG_5909.jpg
Tbh honest man if i were you,i would keep the truck if your keeping it forever,but if not get the mojave if your only gonna keep it for only like 3 years and resell it and the mojave would more than likely keep its value,but if your keeping your truck for a long time id keep the max tow put a truss gears,rcv's and ball out on some king shocks and get a nice set of arms like from fabtech since they got a long arm kit and bam,you got a bad ass truck that can tow look cool and perform better than a mojave and cost around the same if not less
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steffen707

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Autoweek compared the Rubicon and Mojave on the desert terrain. Read how different they performed on the "whoops" and dry lake bed.

Autoweek - Mojave vs Rubicon in Desert
much appreciated you posted this article. Most people say the mojave is made for driving fast on sand dunes only, this article gives me a different image in my head.

This is a long article, but here are some great picks from it. If you're comparing rubicon vs mojave, this is a great read.

" You get a little bit of everything there: loose sand, a dune climb, undulating whoops and the dry lakebed where you can take it up to 80-90 mph,” says Milosavlevski. “That’s what drove us to this area.” "

" If we had to load one of these trucks down with a camper shell, roof tent and 600 pounds of gear for overlanding, the Mojave would be our pick. "

" The deep sand was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. In its place, rolling whoops. Whoops are wave-like bumps that brutalize a vehicle’s suspension. Fun? Oh, yeah—in something with the right springs and dampers. The Gladiator Rubicon wasn’t happy here. Poking along at 15 mph, the Rubicon’s front suspension would begin to pogo and crash down on its bump stops hard. It was punishing and awful—for us and the Jeep. Any more speed would probably have resulted in a bent axle. We couldn’t wait to swap the Rubicon for our Mojave. "

" The Rubicon is up next. Twenty mph is OK here, but when we add more speed things start to fall apart. Not only does that front axle absolutely clobber the bump stops out here, but the rear of the Rubicon bucks so hard over the big whoops that it kicks out to the side, too. We countersteer to keep the rig straight on the trail. Whew. That was a little hairy. "
 

steffen707

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Yes, I read that. Nothing in that article supported the statement that the Rubicon "rides poorly 99% of the time (in comparison to the Mojave)". Certain areas/terrains the Rubicon was smoother (usually the slower rockier sections), other times the Mojave was better (high speed runs over whoops, etc). Exactly as you might expect from their different setups and targets.

So the "99% of the time" statement seems overblown -- unless of course you spend 100% of your time desert running. However, the poster's qualification statements of "a few times year", "twice a year" sure seems to indicate he is talking about all-around usage:
" a Mojave that can crawl a little bit on some rocky trails a few times a year is probably the better route to go, than a Rubicon that is awesome twice a year, and rides poorly 99% of time time (compared to the Mojave)"
first of all, @Nine Ball didn't make the 99% comment. I did.

And if you read my post again i said,

"This is why i'm thinking for myself who uses my JT 99% of the time on roads that may or may not be shitty, that a Mojave that can crawl a little bit on some rocky trails a few times a year is probably the better route to go, than a Rubicon that is awesome twice a year, and rides poorly 99% of time time (compared to the Mojave)......"

So for HOW/WHERE I DRIVE MY TRUCK, the rubicon sounds like it would ride more poorly than the mojave 99% of the time, FOR ME.

Rubicons are great, so are Mojaves.
 

Kent5

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first of all, @Nine Ball didn't make the 99% comment. I did.

And if you read my post again i said,

"This is why i'm thinking for myself who uses my JT 99% of the time on roads that may or may not be shitty, that a Mojave that can crawl a little bit on some rocky trails a few times a year is probably the better route to go, than a Rubicon that is awesome twice a year, and rides poorly 99% of time time (compared to the Mojave)......"

So for HOW/WHERE I DRIVE MY TRUCK, the rubicon sounds like it would ride more poorly than the mojave 99% of the time, FOR ME.

Rubicons are great, so are Mojaves.
Yup. That's why I said "the poster" and not nineball in my response to him.

Sounds like you made the right choice. I agree with you -- both are good, and I think honestly, I'd be happy with either. Was just objecting to the statement that the R would "ride poorly 99% of the time" as it SEEMED to be implying that the R would "ride poorly" in general usage. Sorry if I mistook your meaning. Enjoy the Mojave! :beer:
 

Nine Ball

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Yup. That's why I said "the poster" and not nineball in my response to him.

Sounds like you made the right choice. I agree with you -- both are good, and I think honestly, I'd be happy with either. Was just objecting to the statement that the R would "ride poorly 99% of the time" as it SEEMED to be implying that the R would "ride poorly" in general usage. Sorry if I mistook your meaning. Enjoy the Mojave! :beer:
I shared the article because this entire post was comparing the two trim levels. I originally wanted a Rubicon, but ended up selecting the Mojave after test-driving both. Even on the highway, they ride differently enough to notice. I'd recommend everyone just go drive both and decide for themselves which trim level works for them.
 

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MrZappo

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Everyone knows the only jeep that can actually go off road is a rubicon.

2.5” bypass reservoir shocks and frame reinforcements are pointless and worthless. You dont need them to park on the mall snow banks.

if the mojave goes away in a couple of years, id bet they add all the things about the mojave to the rubicon if not the rest of the gladiator line up, sans the shocks. It is unquestionably the superior spec in the gladiator line up by a country mile.
This is not true by any means. Not all of us rock crawl. I live in the Midwest and couldn't find a rock to crawl if my life depended on it.

"actually go off road"? Huh? I guess no mojave has ever been off road then? That is not true.

They are both very capable designs that have different use cases.

Sure the Rubicon can do "more" slow technical off road stuff.

But both of these things absolutely dominate off road compared to almost anything else.

And for most of us who do mild to medium hard off road, both far exceed the capabilities that we need or want.

For the small percentage of people who actually need all the capability of a Rubicon in its specific element, more power to you. Buy one and have a great time.

For the rest of us who do plenty of off road driving in areas where we live or are better suited by the design elements of the mojave, have at it as well.

And for the record, even the basic trim levels without lockers are pretty darn capable off road.

And if your off road is "more off road" than mine is, great.

Don't listen to this chest pounding.

I assure you that even the least "off road" jeep made will do fine with a little lift and the proper tires. If ya need more capability, add stuff till you get there.

But by no means do you need to buy a fully loaded Rubicon to go "off road".
 

KurtP

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This is not true by any means. Not all of us rock crawl. I live in the Midwest and couldn't find a rock to crawl if my life depended on it.

"actually go off road"? Huh? I guess no mojave has ever been off road then? That is not true.

They are both very capable designs that have different use cases.

Sure the Rubicon can do "more" slow technical off road stuff.

But both of these things absolutely dominate off road compared to almost anything else.

And for most of us who do mild to medium hard off road, both far exceed the capabilities that we need or want.

For the small percentage of people who actually need all the capability of a Rubicon in its specific element, more power to you. Buy one and have a great time.

For the rest of us who do plenty of off road driving in areas where we live or are better suited by the design elements of the mojave, have at it as well.

And for the record, even the basic trim levels without lockers are pretty darn capable off road.

And if your off road is "more off road" than mine is, great.

Don't listen to this chest pounding.

I assure you that even the least "off road" jeep made will do fine with a little lift and the proper tires. If ya need more capability, add stuff till you get there.

But by no means do you need to buy a fully loaded Rubicon to go "off road".
i was being sarcastic. I have a mojave.
 

steffen707

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Yup. That's why I said "the poster" and not nineball in my response to him.

Sounds like you made the right choice. I agree with you -- both are good, and I think honestly, I'd be happy with either. Was just objecting to the statement that the R would "ride poorly 99% of the time" as it SEEMED to be implying that the R would "ride poorly" in general usage. Sorry if I mistook your meaning. Enjoy the Mojave! :beer:
well i haven't actually made the choice yet, i have a sport s with 22 months left on my lease then i'll rubicon or mojave.
 

steffen707

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ClunkyJeep

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I love my Mojave but I wouldn’t take the hit on your vehicle to swap.
 

Desirayray

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I drove several hours to get a Max Tow and they sold it before I got there. Looked at a Mojave because it was Sting Grey, and test drove it. Loved the trophy truck feel and bought it. Until you drive on wash board roads for miles and miles, you have no idea how amazing it is. But because I don't lift or do crazy mods, and like the 285 tire size, its even better for me. Honestly, you cant make a bad decision here...
Jeep Gladiator To Mojave, or Not to Mojave... 20210424_125415
 
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kickingaz

kickingaz

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I originally started this post on July 17,2020 when I was contemplating trading my Max Tow for a Mojave. I eventually sold the Max Tow back to the dealer for a profit (cost + what I put into it) and bought a Challenger RT Scat Pack 1320 because we also have a 2018 JLU Rubicon we off-road. The Scat Pack was turned over for a very low miles '16 Challenger Hellcat (1,261 miles on it), and I played with that for a while. I am more suited to off-road vehicles where I live and I found myself not wanting to take the Challenger out as it was raining, wet, etc. so I began looking for a new Mojave. I found the selection very limited for the options I wanted, and went to several dealers. I did find one that would have worked for me, but the dealer didn't really get beck to me and that night I searched the internet for my other choice, a good used Ford Raptor. I found a 2017 CPO Raptor near Salt Lake City, UT and flew in to pick it up a few weeks ago. My son is interested in overloading and we are building his '21 Max Tow Gladiator into a stellar overland vehicle. As such I still follow this forum. I saw another recent post to this topic, and thought I would update everyone with the end of my "To Mojave, or Not to Mojave" story. O|||||||O
 

Phishs

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For me it was back and forth between the Rubicon and Mohave . As for capabilities there were the strong points of both. But to be honest I am not going to do real hardcore rock crawling or be doing whooptees on dunes at high speed. So the decision came down to towing capacity, interior color choice, being able to order the front steel bumper. The extra 1000 lbs towing of the Ruby was key.
The icing on the cake is as a Georgia Bull Dawg I don't do orange very well ; )- . It was a hard enough pill to swallow that the color I wanted was named Gator!!
But I must admit I still get hood envy when I see the Mohave!
Go Vols
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