Those that owned a JLU Rubicon and made the switch...

[nhmountainman]

It’s amazing how much more well made my jku hardtop and twill soft top are vs my Bronco’s top. Solid, doesn’t flex or feel weak in any regard. Most everything on the Jeep is engineered very well. I trust it will all work in 10 years. Bronco not so much. But if I’m driving over hour, taking the Bronco. I’m just hoping it will last 3 years

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[PrepVet]

I've owed a couple of each: YJ, TJ, JK and I really liked all of them for different reasons. I had a 13 JK that I bought new in 2013 and it was a steaming pile of crap, I kept it for less than 7 months. I later bought a 2007 JK with 56k on the clock and drove it until 225k then I sold it to get the Bronco. I loved that jeep. It was rock solid, paid for and although slow as hell, really a great little rig. I miss it, but I like my Bronco, but I don't trust it, like I did that old JK. And I am the exact opposite of nearly everyone else. My old 3.8 was an awesome powerplant. The new 3.6 was a POS.

 

[395N]

2014 JKUR, bought stock
Installed 4.88’s
Cromoly shafts, gusseted and capped the C’s, sleeved the front, Adam’s shafts and thousands more into it… took it all over the place but I hated driving it on the street and it felt fat on the trail so I would only wheel my TJ. I bought this to daily but I found I preferred my Ram CCLB 2500 to this around town or on the highway. So it’s sold and waiting for the bronco. I need a flat tow vehicle for my motorhome so my options are limited. I do like the gladiator but I’ve got a truck, my wife has an F150 so the last thing I need is a third truck….hoping the bronco makes a good daily/light trail adventure wagon. Bottom pic is the TJ

Killer TJ!

 

[aknavy]

And...after three months of ownership and a month in the shop, I made the switch back to a Rubicon. As posted in another thread, the Bronco self destructed while being flat towed. Transmission and transfercase replaced under warranty - it was stuck in neutral tow after a travel day.

Drove the Bronco 1000 miles to trade it in, and the Jeep 1000 miles to get home the next day. Observations:

Bronco is smoother, more powerful, and has way better road manners.

Jeep is rougher on the road, but the 24 JLU is actually quieter. Both have sound deadening on the hard tops.

Jeeps new seats are more comfortable than the Broncos - was quite surprised. But the Bronco's seat heaters are better.

Same gas mileage for both.

Bronco interior is bigger, Jeep interior is better quality. Jeep interior also has rear seat vent for HVAC.

New screen on the Jeep and current version of Uconnect is actually pretty good. I like it better than the big screen in the Bronco.

The biggest difference that made me go back to the Jeep is the manual transfercase. It won't self destruct.

 

[Imaginary Friend]

After too many hours calling too many dealers looking for an appropriately optioned Bronco that isn't $5k or more over MSRP, I gave up and ordered a 2024 Rubicon XR on 35's for 7% under MSRP. Good job Ford dealers, you could have had a convert, but your greedy ways kept me with Jeep.

Either vehicle was going to be a compromise - one for better on road, one for better off road. So I was agnostic about the choice. I'd rather get the new Jeep, and when I'm tired of it, order a Bronco optioned the way I want it and play the waiting game. Jeep should take 8-10 weeks, not an unknown amount of time.

The Jeep setup for TOAD is super easy, and I like the manual transfer case. The people that I do go off road with are 95% Jeepers, so I'd be the only Bronco in the group if/when I make the change.

Thanks for those that answered my questions, I appreciate it. And if you come across a Badlands Sasquatch or a Wildtrak (4 door) with the Lux package in red or black on the west coast in the next couple weeks that isn't marked up, I'm still interested. Just not interested in paying ADM.

Congrats on the new XR. I think you'll love it, I wish the XR package could be had on 2-doors.

I'm a 2-door only guy, and really want/wanted to try a Bronco. Because the base model was on hold forever and many here were waiting years to get their rigs, not to mention ADMs, I opted to order my JL Rubi ragtop as a placeholder (my fifth Wrangler). It took 42 days from order to delivery, and well under sticker.

Now for '24, the base Bronco is history. Strike one. Since I want the 2.3/auto, I'm limited to either a Big Bend or Black Diamond, and both have MGV (I wanted cloth). Strike 2. Still can't get a ragtop 2-door as a factory order. Strike 3, sort of. Pricing is getting beyond dumb as well. And the transfer case thing with Bronco is sort of stinker too.

I still kind of want a Bronco, but on the other hand the Rubi has what I want, does what I want, cost far less, and the honeymoon continues with it. Ford may have screwed themselves out of a sale entirely.

 

[aknavy]

Congrats on the new XR. I think you'll love it, I wish the XR package could be had on 2-doors.

I'm a 2-door only guy, and really want/wanted to try a Bronco. Because the base model was on hold forever and many here were waiting years to get their rigs, not to mention ADMs, I opted to order my JL Rubi ragtop as a placeholder (my fifth Wrangler). It took 42 days from order to delivery, and well under sticker.

Now for '24, the base Bronco is history. Strike one. Since I want the 2.3/auto, I'm limited to either a Big Bend or Black Diamond, and both have MGV (I wanted cloth). Strike 2. Still can't get a ragtop 2-door as a factory order. Strike 3, sort of. Pricing is getting beyond dumb as well. And the transfer case thing with Bronco is sort of stinker too.

I still kind of want a Bronco, but on the other hand the Rubi has what I want, does what I want, cost far less, and the honeymoon continues with it. Ford may have screwed themselves out of a sale entirely.

Yeah, there are pros and cons of both vehicles. I had a 22 XR that I totaled. The 24 has a few improvements that I like alot, and it does the things I require flawlessly. I really like the Bronco, but I can't deal with the random self destruction - was an expensive lesson, even though the dealer paid for the repair. They did not cover the rental car, other than 10 days.

 

[raptorusmaximus]

Take this with a grain of salt. I owned two rubi JK's, the pentastar is an awful engine, they couldn't get out of their own way. My stock BR will run circles around any stock jeep (except the 392 in a paved drag race, but it still won't be a blowout) along with 90% of upgraded jeeps off road, and 100% of them on-road. I will say however, the jeeps are tougher and will likely last longer....if only we could of gotten a coyote.

 

[aknavy]

Take this with a grain of salt. I owned two rubi JK's, the pentastar is an awful engine, they couldn't get out of their own way. My stock BR will run circles around any stock jeep (except the 392 in a paved drag race, but it still won't be a blowout) along with 90% of upgraded jeeps off road, and 100% of them on-road. I will say however, the jeeps are tougher and will likely last longer....if only we could of gotten a coyote.

Yeah, the engine is not a racehorse by any means. But with the 8 speed transmission, it's bearable all the way to 80-85 mph. One of my requirements is flat towing with no self destruct option, and my Bronco didn't make it. To have it happen again would really be devastating, as I'm sure a second time around would be at my expense. To have a neutral tow issue 20 miles down a trail after breaking down would ruin my day as well. Imagine paying for that recovery, as you're depending on the computer and an electric motor to be able to tow it back off the trail. The manual transfer case in the Rubicon is what I need.

 

[TEAMSLO]

Apologies for the book below:

I have a JLUR but a diesel along with my new Bronco Wildtrak. Not a comparison as my diesel is purpose built for crawling but can do spirited runs as well. The high speed in the jeep is fine just takes a bit more focus than the bronco.

In the bronco, you will find that you will use your rear lockers much more often than on the jlur. I have been surprised a few times on when the rear locker is needed as I'm so used to the jeep. I don't do anything excessively crazy/wild but I do spend a good amount of time on obstacles and with the jeep, I rarely need lockers. Just a bit of left foot braking and it's good to go.

Interior.... besides the seats, goes to the jeep. Stereo....jeep. Rear A/C, non existent in the bronco. Jeep is much quieter from wind noise with hard tops and headliners on both. I could go on and on.

The bronco, on road drive is not just good, its really good. You wouldn't know your driving an off road worthy rig. Yes the bronco has a bit more struggle off road in specific scenarios but that doesn't mean its bad in any way. It takes a bit of time for me to adjust back into the jeep on road after just driving the bronco. The jeep at that point feels..... very mechanical and raw.

Some bonus points for the bronco off road..... Lockers, turn them on and off almost instantly. The faster you go, the more you realize the strengths of the bronco. Bronco doesn't feel out of place on 2-3 wheels most of the time.

Now.... if it came down to which one I would keep if the option was for just 1, it would be the jeep hands down. But that's only because I don't daily drive, work from home and I spend all my weekends out in the dirt. What would it take to get rid of my jeep, the bronco raptor. It wouldn't be easy and the price would have to be right which is why it hasn't happened just yet.

 

[Modad]

Coming from a Mojave which was my 9th Jeep. No real complaints other than long drives cross country. My Badlands is my 2nd Bronco with the first being a Bronco II which was a POS. Hopefully this one will be better. Looking forward to driving the great divide and trails in Colorado in a few weeks.

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