2013 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

Jeeps are popular for a reason, no doubt but....


My personal experience with Chrysler....
I've been going out to the mountains every year since I was a kid (like 20 years) on some pretty rough terrian in a very rural areas. The only time we ever had any issues was in 2011 in a 2011 Jeep Rubicon with around 15k miles. Not due to trail toughness. We were about 10 miles from pavement. Had to stop, disconnect the battery every couple of miles to convince the jeep to limp back to pavement. IMO this is unaccebtable for a modern vehicle. Chrysler=terrible quality. I've always liked the design of the jeep wrangler, just wished someone else made it.

 

My dislike for the Jeep brand comes from....

- owning two Chrysler products (worst vehicles I've ever owned, thank god for warranty)

- the continued disintegration of my girlfriend's '06 Jeep (which was never that nice to begin with, even when brand new).

- and test driving two Unlimited's in one day (and being really unimpressed)

My bias is not unjustified.

I really want to like Jeeps. I love their styling, but I don't trust what's underneath as far as I can throw it.

Do I think the Taco is perfect? Hell no!! Especially '13's...

I feel like there was a significant drop in quality from '09 to '13

 

I love jeeps, just not 4 doors and automatic.

I do like the color though

 

Voodoo, this is still confusing to me. The "unimpressed by the 2012s" part. Do you think they had gear ratios other than the 4.10s by chance?

 

I was unimpressed by the whole package, not just by how it moved. And I was mistaken on the year...the red one was a '13 (they just slapped a sticker on the windshield that boldly shows the year the other day, because it's still sitting there).

The red one had bigger tires on it (like 35's), and it was a manual. Still, it felt underwhelming.

The other one was an auto with standard tires, and it just didn't have the same "snot" that the Taco has.

 

I can meet in the middle by saying that the Tacoma would probably beat it in a sprint to 20 mph, but by 60 mph they'd be side by side. The Jeep is quieter under WOT, not that it really matters to any of us though. The 5 speed auto (as I just found out) cannot be had with 4.10 gears in 2013, unless it was a special order, only 3.73s, like the Tacoma. Not optimal, but again, not a deal breaker.

If I didn't have a 5 speed manual in my car, I probably would not consider a JKUR with an auto, but I do.....so I am.

 

I went the other way. Just traded in my 07 Rubicon Wrangler for my 2013 DCLB Texas Edition Tacoma. Just three weeks ago. I have Jeeps for about 8 years now, and while they are fun, I am not looking back for an everyday vehicle.

Wish you luck in your decision though! Jeeps are fun vehicles. It will be my secondary vehicle from this point on though.

 

I mean, you gotta have at least one manual in the stable, right?

My Audi is a 6 speed, and man do I love rowing through the gears in that thing.

 

I traded in my 2013 DCSB 4x4 Sport in on a 2013 JKU Sport little over a month ago. Before the 13' Tacoma I had a 11' Access Cab PreRunner that I loved. My wife and I had our first child so we decided to get a 4 door Tacoma.

Worst decision ever! Total pile of crap, nothing like my 2011. Worse drive shaft vibration then my lifted PreRunner. Both front seats popped and cracked while speeding up and slowing down. Seat material didn't fit properly. Steering wheel was off to the left but pulled to the right. NOTHING lined up! HOOD, GRILLE, FENDERS, BUMPER and Lamps all looked like total ass. ETC. ETC. ETC. Would have thought it was built by KIA. I just attributed all of it being Mexico built, since my previous was built in Texas.

I understand that most of my complaints could have be addressed with a few service appointments with the dealer, but I didn't feel my time was worth it. The Jeep has a fun factor that nothing I've owned in the past has ever been.

Long story short, if you don't need the truck bed go for it! If you do you could always get the trailer hitch for the JK!

 

Damn that sounds like you got the lord of the lemons. I could see if my tacoma had a shitty finish id trade it in as well.

 

In discussions comparing the merits of various 4WD vehicles, the Jeep will always be relevant. It was the first full-production 4WD in the USA, and continues today in uninterrupted production since 1941. Millions of them have rolled off the assembly lines of the succession of corporate owners of the Jeep name. In the arid southwest, there are an awful lot of 1940s and 1950s models still in daily use. Its simple design has stood the test of time like few other motor vehicles of any marque. In the USA, it has long been the standard against which all others are compared.

Mike

 

Well, opinions are like a$$holes, so here's mine:

I have both a 2012 DCSB TRD OR and a 2011 JKU Rubicon sitting in my garage. Both are loaded with factory options. Both are lifted (the right way - no BB/spacer lifts here). Taco got about 2.25" from OME, the JKU got about 4.25" from Teraflex. Both have new control arms. Both have more aggressive/larger tires than what they came with from the factory. I switch back and forth between them daily. And in the end, they're totally different vehicles.

The Taco has nice (not good, but nice) road manners. The steering and handling is tight at highway speeds. The stock suspension damn near rattled the teeth out of my head. I've had to put it in 4WD to keep it straight on washboard at speed, even with a load in the back. It will never rock crawl. Having a pickup bed is nice for trips to Depot and the like. I've never found myself wondering if the Taco is going to have mechanical issues. By comparison, the Taco aftermarket parts world is barely existent. It sounds like (and feels like) a wound-up, pissed off hamster getting on the highway. My Taco will always get me home.

The JKU is sloppy. The steering at highway speeds is loose. And don't even think about making sudden corrections. It has had death wobble, but only after I've wheeled the piss out of it, and it was resolved by tightening a few bolts. I can take the top off, and suddenly a shitty day is a whole lot better. It has more low-end torque than I know what to do with. It will crawl and fight its way over damn near anything, even without locking. The JKU has the interior space I'd look for in any SUV. You can completely rebuild your rig from aftermarket parts if you have the desire, time, need, and money. Getting on the highway feels like you're pushing an elephant, but it sounds good getting there. I have never worried about getting stuck in anything with the Rubi (including a river) - my Jeep will always get me through.

Neither one is built for speed. I'd recommend removing that criteria from your buying decision. If you can't get the gears you're looking for in the JK from the factory, re-gear later. If you're even remotely thinking about 35s on the JK, you're going to want to re-gear anyway. 4.83s will be best with 35s and the Pentastar. I'm running 5.13s with 35s on the 3.8L. And if you're going to crawl or off-road regularly, a lot of Jeep owners covet the automatic.

If you decide to get the JKU and plan to take the top off regularly, don't get leather. Especially not black leather. It's a breeze to get mud, and even bison shit, out of the cloth seats (ask me how I know!). Consider only getting a soft top - the hard top still takes two people to remove, even if you're using a pulley lift, and nothing ruins your day like wanting to go topless and not having someone around to help get your hardtop off (there's a joke in there somewhere). At minimum go with a dual top, and keep in mind you'll need a place to store each top during their off season.

The Jeep will always be a project. Just Empty Every Pocket. And it will always require upkeep - constant bolt tightening, regularly checking the oil, fighting water leaks (yes, even with a hard top). There are things you have to be willing to ignore just because it's a Jeep.

Trying not to be too biased here, because you're looking for people's experiences. The above is my daily experience. All that said, in the end, there may not always be a Taco in my garage, but there will always be a Jeep.

 

These new jeeps are tits! very tough decision my friend! Good luck!

 

Well said, all very true...

 

I think tops are a personal preference. I got the dual top option, but I have only used the hardtop and either taken the freedom panels or the whole thing off. If I did want the softtop, I think I'd rather throw a bikini top on it than mess with mounting the whole factory softtop.

Mine is 14 months old and has 11,000 miles. I have had the hard top off multiple times. No leaks and no wind noise. It is surprisingly quiet inside. Most people that I take for a ride are shocked by how nice it is inside. Everyone assumes Jeeps are all like an old CJ or TJ.

 

IDGAF.

 

Some of the Tacoma's "quirks" are present in the AEV conversion, too, like a composite bed, reduced departure angles and under-body spare tire storage:

 

I have a wrangler unlimited and a 2012 double cab TRD. To be honest, i love my Jeep the truck is a nicer ride all around. Sure the tacos have some issues with vibrations, but the wranglers have more issues from the standard leaky roofs, to oil burning motors at low miles. True, they have a higher coolness factor, but in a few years, you will wish you had your taco back.

 

Our 08 Wrangler Sahara is quiet, gets better gas milage than the taco, doesn't burn a drop of oil and the entire Death Wobble was fixed with a new bright red steering stabilizer. The 3.8 is pretty much as solid as engine as they come and would love to get a new rubi 3.6 pentastar.

But overall, the taco needs less wrenching per miles than the jeep does. MOPAR got cheap on brakes and shocks, but that is normal.

Howard