Wrangler vs. TRD Pro. vs. ZR2 Cliffhanger 2.0

Owned (8) JK Wranglers from 2007 to 2016. Last one was a 2016 JK Rubicon which I traded even for my 2017 TRD 4WD mt Sport. Wranglers were problematic with cylinder head failures, oil cooler housings leaking, sand in castings clogging up entire cooling system and on and on. Also and the final point, try towing 6000 lbs with a JK or JKU. Not going to happen! Best thing I ever did was rid myself of the Wrangler horrors!

 

A friend with a Jeep once uttered these wise words “My Jeep has never left me on the side of the road. Every time it would break down I would leave it on the side of the road”

With thay being said, I owned a built 95 YJ and loved the damn thing. It is probably one of the few vehicles I ever regret selling

 

95's had the AMC 4.0L straight 6 which was the best motor ever used in a Jeep. From there they went to the 3.8L (dog) to the 3.6L which never was without problems.

 

I had a salvage title Cherokee Sport with the straight 6, 5 speed MT, if it didn't stink from leaking rain which is the reason the wife refused to let me keep it once we had kids, I would still have it. Looked for another and couldn't find a MT so went to a 95 yota with a MT.

 

Hmmm, quite a bit of Wrangler bashing here. I agree that they aren't for everyone. I have a 13 JKUR and have done multiple long road-trips including dead-of-winter transits of MT, ND, and MN, 1300 miles in 21 hours non-stop (well, other than pit stops), a couple of 1000 mile long drives to/from Reno, and other shorter trips too numerous to count. I'm not a small guy, 6'1" and 210 pounds. I found it just fine to drive, comfortable and capable. I've had no issues with it either, did have to take it in for recalls on the heated mirror and an airbag. Other than that, oil changes and tire rotations and all is well. And as far as being practical, it hauls 4-5 people just fine, and has some cargo room behind the back seat, so I guess is as practical as any smaller/mid-sized SUV. I like it a lot.

I also like my Tacoma a lot. But I do agree that comparisons are apples/oranges.......and my Wrangler is red and the Taco is Inferno, so that metaphor works very well.

 

To each their own. I felt cramped in the jeep - not for me.

 

With the exception of the casting sand - head failures and such were all prior to 2013. The sand thing (I just poured out of my Rubi when it appeared) is probably the only quirk still.

 

they need to take the slicks off the tacoma and try again. a comparable set of tires would have made a world of difference. i have 33" ko2s' and do some pretty serious offroading in the mountains in colorado and ive never once had a traction issue, even in snow covered loose rock hills.

and the k02s' arent even that great of a tire

 

Did I forget to mention clockspring failure and manual transmission linkage bushing failure. Also a number of recalls on airbag deployment issues. So glad I am back to Toyota.

 

Toyota needs to send OR and Pro's from the factory with a more suitable all terrain tire. I don't blame the tfl guys for using old tires that it was born with. If they were to put anything else on it, people would still be blaming the tires, good or bad.
I off roaded my OR with the stock kevlars and it did reasonable well when dry, but when it came to any kind of wet or damp condition they slip pretty bad. I just had some wildpeaks put on last week to address this issue. Toyota using just slightly more aggressive tires than what a stock rav4 has is criminal.

 

To me, the fact that it was able to do it all with the lowsy stock tires is pretty damn impressive.

I'm a big Jeep fan... I don't own one, but am thinking of getting one....or maybe a Taco, which is why I lurk here.

IMO, the Rubicon is the most capable stock 4x4 readily available in the US, but for a specialized type of wheeling. Slow, rocky trails that require lots of clearance, traction, and articulation are the Rubicon's natural habitat. However, if one wants to go blasting across the desert or dirt roads at a high rate of speed, not so much. There, the TRD Pro (and the Raptor) are going to be much better. Right tool for the job and all that.

I also think that stock for stock, dollar for dollar, a stock TRD OR is going to be better offroad than a base Wrangler Sport. They're good, but with standard 3.21 gearing, open differentials, and no real crawl control or whatnot, the Taco is ahead there and arguably the better wheeler off the lot.

 

I approve of this message. I just wish the pro/or had a better tire.

 

Just an observation here, given the recent appearance of the JL series. Prices are up significantly for the new JL Wranglers. A loaded Rubicon is now around $55K. Unreal. There is supposed to be a Wrangler JL pickup coming out in '19 which, one would assume, would possibly compete with the Tacoma. However, I wonder if FCA isn't going to put such a high price-tag on them that they'll be in a whole different realm? I highly doubt that you'll even be able to touch a basic JL truck in the $30s, possibly not even in the $40s.

Still, there are people who will buy them. I won't be one of them, although there was a time when I thought a Wrangler pickup would be The One.

 

Tires do make a world of difference. Wouldnt have mattered though, even brand new, the Pro is severely under tired for OFF road.

Its a stock vehicle comparison.

Thats what it means... lol

Agreed.

Absolutely.

Yea, because 1-2 gen tacos have zero issues, ever. Oh, wait... lol

 

When they were building all the hype for next year's Pro l thought it was gonna be Tires and it ended up being a Snorkle...

 

I just purchased a DCLB TRD Off Road. My three vehicles were 4runner, wrangler rubicon, and Tacoma. Honestly, the Tacoma was last on the list. Jeep first and 4runner second. Test drove the 4runner and loved the way it drove/handled. However, it lacks a truck bed, is heavy, and gets TERRIBLE mpg. The jeep wrangler rubicon....I wanted so bad to love this thing. I test drove one and immediately noticed my upper back and the seat design did not get along(weight lifter problems). The ride was not too harsh, but I hated the rattles(I know, it's a jeep thing. I don't give a shit if I understand). I wanted the front and rear locking diff and the sway bar disconnect. Honestly, what I wanted most, was Chrysler's lifetime max care warranty. Between the seat, the horror stories about Jeep screwing guys out of the warranty, and the rattles I got about 4 minutes into the test drive and turned around. Too small and too bleh for me. I was afraid I was going to have to live with the 4runner. Thankfully, I started lurking on here. I found out the AT issues had been all but fixed with tuners and Toyota is slowly but surely taking care of any issues with the 3rd gen. Major selling point was the OR being offered in a long bed. I test drove the Tacoma again and I was pleased with the driver. What I really was afraid of was the off road capability difference between the Tacoma and the jeep. What sold me was YouTube videos. I'll never put my truck through that type of terrain those taco guys do. I like the Jeep, it just isn't for me. The ZR2 has some reliability issues and I don't trust that motor long term. I like to keep vehicles for 10+ years. To each their own, but they're all awesome vehicles. Don't bash jeep, they make a quality product. Toyota can't even guarantee my topper/bed won't leak.

 

If they ever put the 5.7L in the Wrangler, I will consider buying another one. With the crappy 3.6L, I will NEVER buy another one!