Why Jeeps?

Simple.

They made their vehicle more appealing to soccer moms by making the 4 door and they dropped the price substantially from where they were previously priced.

Now they did retain a fair amount of their previous capabilities but the lower price point made it a fun alternative for many who wouldn't have cared for the old utilitarian 2 door units. Moms love to go top down and have a bit of a convertible and a SUV all in one. BRO's well self explanatory. Kids and girls love them. Pretty much sums it up.

 

Style. Same reason most of the Tacomas you see with heavy steel bumpers and skids, winches, lifts, big tires, and other very expensive off-road bling seldom or never actually see dirt let alone difficult trails that might gawd forbid pinstripe the paint or worse. Lots of people have a need to be seen in rugged looking vehicles and will pay the price financially, sacrifice their own comfort, and even jeopardize people's safety. Its a super expensive public dress up game.

 

I mean, that's true. I personally know of three TRD ORs that have never been in 4wd.

 

as you've read and i agree with, a jeep is better for crawling. the short wheelbase can't be matched. put on lockers, a 4" lift, and 4-1 lowered gear ratio, it'll crawl like no ones business. there's a ton of aftermarket parts and people willing to work on them. as far as going fast, comfort, and stability, the tacoma wins. it all comes down to what you're looking to do.

 

Guilty as charge. Just recently traded my 16 to a recon. Nothing against Tacoma. Actually love it it and just being financially irresponsible Hopefully don't regret it long term.

 

Then you probably don't go off-roading

 

Wait did you trade your Jeep for your Tacoma? Or your Tacoma for your Jeep?

 

If you ask this question you have never piloted a stock Jeep in rough terrain.

For anything less than prerunner shit, a JKUR will out off-road a TRD OR any day and twice on Sunday. Stock v. Stock or Mod v. Mod, the Toyota just is a completely different class.

Bring the 70-series to the us, and watch the wrangler's market share fizzle out. As it stands... the JKUR is the top of the heap for off-roading... especially since the Defender is dead, and the Gelandewagenis out of reach for most that would beat it up.

I love my taco and I love my Jeep. I have never found myself commuting or doing a long haul across the state saying, "man I wish I was in my TJ." Likewise I have never been in a black diamond like trail thinking, "boy I wish I were in the taco right now"

 

Not too much. Power line roads, forest service roads, trails through woods, stuff like that.

 

They are cheep and fun to destroy. Rolled this and then, cut the top off and turned it into a buggy. We continue to destroy it today.

 

Cheep Jeep Buggy.

 

Cheap? I see things like that on Craigslist for like 10k.

 

Lets try this. I had a rubicon great offroader, missed my Tacoma so got another tacoma and sold the jeep. Went to a OHV park hit a black diamond trail i've done many times easily with the Rubi failed trying to take the tacoma up it. IFS is to blame. Solid front axle is much better offroad better articulation. But the jeep don't ride like the taco on the highway the taco stays in her lane she is well behaved.

 

I think it has a lot to do with the aftermarket. It seems mods such as larger tires, winch, etc. are just easier to do on a Wrangler than on a Tacoma. Also you can wheel with the doors off, which gives bonus off road points.

 

My rubi with 35's would smoke my tacoma no problem. All about gearing. the stock 4.10 move the jeep wrangler quite nicley as long as you have the 2012 or newer with the Penestar V6.

 

Seems like 9/10 Jeeps I see on the road are driven by women who have never seen a gravel road let alone a trail and they are mostly Rubicons. Jeeps I see on a trail are driven by some cantankerous surly old dude that could probably take it apart completely and put it back together again, it's built as fuck, and it's usually a CJ.

 

Hehe. you will regret it. Or I did anyway.Had a 2011 Taco and sold it for a 2013 rubi. full circle got a 2016 taco sold my Rubicon.
I missed it at first not now.

 

Idk... if I had a choice between a 2017 Pro and a 2017 Rubi, I'd go rubi hands down. My step dad had a JK for a while with no issues at all.

 

It all depends on ones use of the vehicle. It's an apples to oranges comparison.

If you are going to be crawling in the rocks and crap, and don't mind sacrificing any resemblance of road manners and low NVH scores go with the wrangler.

If you are going to be mostly daily or longer distance driving, hauling the kids, needing a pickup bed, and you don't mind sacrificing off-road capabilities... them go with a Tacoma.

If the off-road you will hit is nothing more than a gravel road.. then pick which ever one you want to bro mall cruiser out. Because at the end of the day, you won't be using either vehicle as they are spec'ed out , and you'll be a poser either way.

No one vehicle will do it all, all of the time... it's a compromise.

As for the cheap build tinker toy aspect of the earlier jeeps... I'm having real issues finding arguments against adding some pixie dust and sparks to mine and coming out with a "TJ-6".

 

JUNK yard sales, used wheels, bend and weld tubing, done on a budget. Then wheel the shit out of it. Here is another one we built.