Trim Advice for First Time Jeep Owner

[mortalsphere]

So I am getting my first ever Jeep! The Gladiator is perfect for my family and I, and I'm extremely excited! I am a little bit stumped about which trim to pick, however, because I've never owned a Jeep before. Could anyone give advice? I'll try to keep the pitch short.

I'll be honest, I'm not that interested (nor do I have the time) in going to off-road parks or trying to climb the craziest line possible. I'm familiar with 4WD and I want a functional vehicle that I can use to go anywhere (within reason) to camp, hike, explore, stay unstuck, and not see people for several days. And also because my job will someday, sometimes require me to go to remote places, sometimes as "quickly" as possible (I know the JT is not a racer, I like that). I want a dependable, capable, and flexible JT that will get me "anywhere" I need to go. The only mods I really want to make are adding a winch, extra lights, snow/ice tires, some stuff in the bed, and maybe a roof rack if I have to. I don't want to mess with lifting or suspension if I don't have to (sacrilege! ). This will be my daily driver, so roads and off-road are both important. The only creature comforts I need are cold weather group, the hardtop headliner, and connecting my phone (GPS and such). More is nice, but not necessary. I'd love manual windows and locks, but you can't get the cold weather group or Selec-Trac with the base Sport.

Here's what I'm considering:

- Sport S - with Max Tow Package, Trac-Lok Anti-Spin Rear Differential, Selec-Trac full-time 4WD, Cold Air Intake, (no steel bumper available)
- Rubicon - with winch ready steel bumper, Trac-Lok, Rock-Trac full-time 4WD, Cold air intake, etc.
-Mojave - Selec-Trac full-time 4WD (no Trac-lok , steel bumper, or cold air intake available)

Is the Rubicon/Mojave worth the price jump? I know the Mojave has a beefier frame and such and is made to go faster over rough terrain. And the Rubicon is made to go slow over very rough terrain. But with the Max Tow Package and decked out, I can have every single thing I'd like with the Sport S and still save $3,000-7,000. Is the suspension, sway bar DC, lockers, off road plus, etc. of the Rubicon/Mojave worth the extra price? Also, is there a significant difference in ride comfort between the Mojave and the Rubicon? I test drove a Mojave and loved it, then an Overland and it was nice too. I liked the suspension of the Mojave marginally better, but it could have been in my head.

What do you recommend? THANK YOU for anyone willing to give advice on this. I can't wait to own a JT, no matter which trim it is!

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[whiteglad]

don't bother with a CAI. Max tow will work fine, possibly add rock rails and more capable tires. The Rock Hard rails help off road, as steps, and when mall crawlers slam their doors open after insisting on parking close.

 

[CerOf]

No budget: Im biased. Go rubicon, but get the mopar 2” lift. It will drive better than stock.

Otherwise, go Mojave.

I don’t think the Mojave has a steel bumper option. You’d have to go aftermarket.

On a budget: go max tow and use xtra money for steel bumper and winch and the like.

 

[planojeeper]

I just recently purchased my first Jeep and went through the process of comparing trims, packages, etc. For me, I was in a similar situation, I would like to get off-road if needed but I would not be doing rock crawling. I like going fast but would not be going off-road enough to justify Mojave (looks and drives awesome but the extra cost was not worth it for me at this time).

Max Tow adds a lot of value and several trims have it available now. I did not need Max Tow but went with the standard tow package. Freedom Edition has the steel bumpers and many other features that made it attractive to me but did not have leather seats and another option I wanted, can't recall, may be a good value for you. If leather is not a big deal, you may check out Freedom Edition.

I'm in Texas and went with Texas Trail Edition (not mentioned a lot on the forum yet) and I like the packages and features it came with (surprisingly to me, the M/T tires are not much louder than A/T but give a more aggressive look and more off-road traction). Definitely check the pricing topics and use the build spreadsheets to compare what the costs will be and read the forum for working on the pricing (lots of ways to get discounts including Jeep's site and request a brochure).

 

[kevman65]

First of all, you don't have to order certain things on the JT from factory.
You can put a steel or aluminum, winch ready, front bumper for less (steel) or about same money (aluminum) as the MOPAR steel front bumper.

If you're going to go offroad (not trails) you may want to look hard at the Rubicon for the lockers and the swaybar disconnect. You can do quick disconnects aftermarket with no trouble, but the lockers will run you into some money.

The Rubicon and Max Tow are basically the same in the tow/haul part. The difference being the Rubi is a little heavier with other items that come on it.

Really, it's what you can afford NOW, not halfway through loan term.

I have the Rubi, if I'd known then what I know now, I would have waited on the Mojave.

 

[JD D05]

I say get the Rubicon it is very capable right from the start. I wish I would have.

 

[Gladman]

Don’t overlook the Overland, lots of variations in options when you spec them out. In some cases cheaper than Sport Max.

 

[Silvertruck]

Rubicon hands down. Results may vary.

watch out, your wallet will catch fire no matter which rig you choose.

 

[Kevin_D]

Unless you're going zipping across the desert, or over house-sized rocks, you don't need the capabilities offered by the Mojave or the Rubicon. The Sport or Sport S are very off-road capable in stock form. And the wider axles in the max tow package will contribute to stability, but they're only 3/4" wider. The 4.10 gearing comes in handy if you're going to go with bigger tires, but the standard 3.73 works well for highway cruising. Besides, you can get the regular tow package, the LSD & 4.10 gears as add-ons, and save a few bucks over the max tow package, and the only thing you're foregoing is the wider axles.
I have a Sport S, and I'm quite happy with it. It goes off-road, but nothing extreme: normally nothing much worse than heavily rutted/washed-out forest service roads & trails.
If I had it to do over, I'd probably consider an Overland, just because of some of the added creature comforts.
A steel bumper & winch will be a better deal in the aftermarket, too.

Kevin

 

[CerOf]

Unless you're going zipping across the desert, or over house-sized rocks, you don't need the capabilities offered by the Mojave or the Rubicon. The Sport or Sport S are very off-road capable in stock form. And the wider axles in the max tow package will contribute to stability, but they're only 3/4" wider. The 4.10 gearing comes in handy if you're going to go with bigger tires, but the standard 3.73 works well for highway cruising. Besides, you can get the regular tow package, the LSD & 4.10 gears as add-ons, and save a few bucks over the max tow package, and the only thing you're foregoing is the wider axles.
I have a Sport S, and I'm quite happy with it. It goes off-road, but nothing extreme: normally nothing much worse than heavily rutted/washed-out forest service roads & trails.
If I had it to do over, I'd probably consider an Overland, just because of some of the added creature comforts.
A steel bumper & winch will be a better deal in the aftermarket, too.

Kevin

You are also missing out on the high output alternator and heavy duty cooling package. I believe the Mojave, rubicon, and max tow have these.
Better alternator is great if you have a winch, lights, etc.

A sport can certainly off-road, and well! It can run a winch and lights well, too.

I prefer to have the extra headroom that the higher trims and/or option packages afford.

The more you can finesse when off-roading means less breakage.
Less strain on an engine by extra cooling, the better longevity.
Better the electrical system, less chance for a failure or killing a battery.

 

[Jerhemi]

Unless you're going zipping across the desert, or over house-sized rocks, you don't need the capabilities offered by the Mojave or the Rubicon. The Sport or Sport S are very off-road capable in stock form. And the wider axles in the max tow package will contribute to stability, but they're only 3/4" wider. The 4.10 gearing comes in handy if you're going to go with bigger tires, but the standard 3.73 works well for highway cruising. Besides, you can get the regular tow package, the LSD & 4.10 gears as add-ons, and save a few bucks over the max tow package, and the only thing you're foregoing is the wider axles.
I have a Sport S, and I'm quite happy with it. It goes off-road, but nothing extreme: normally nothing much worse than heavily rutted/washed-out forest service roads & trails.
If I had it to do over, I'd probably consider an Overland, just because of some of the added creature comforts.
A steel bumper & winch will be a better deal in the aftermarket, too.

Kevin

Agree . Honestly, you’re probably fine with a sport s and some better tires.

 

[Jeepin' John]

Since you said "first jeep," i'd throw in there that IF you want to learn and develop off-road driving skills, i would recommend a sport s or overland (based on less or more comfort options). They are extremely capable and rewarding to an experienced driver, and wheeling an "open diff" jeep will teach an inexperienced driver and develop them into an experienced driver.

I've wheeled locked and unlocked jeeps, and personally think it's exciting to know the unlocked jeep IS capable; you have to use your driving skill to make it shine

love my sport s -totally biased

 

[ScottBeach]

Just did this. Sport s with max tow. Really what you need for light offroading.

Im in Florida and thought about the mojave. But a test drive on the hwy ruled that out. Wanders more and louder by a lot. For a daily driver the sport s is it.

 

[FrankFrqnkFrank]

Not that any Gladiator is quick, but the Rubi’s weight talked me right out of it for my 99% on road driving. You can feel it with each and every velocity change.

willys trim on the sport s with select trac and the tow package is what I’d recommend. And then buy a metal bumper and add the goodies

dont forget the premium audio

 

[mortalsphere]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I will think about this a bit more, but my gut is telling me that the Sport S (or Willys, If I can get over the name) is a better fit for me. @ScottBeach I test drove a Mojave but wasn't able to get it up to highway speed on the test drive route. That's good to know, because the Mojave was probably my first choice until today. I think I got it in my head that I need special suspension, when it's more than likely not necessary.

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