Gladiator Willys vs Rubicon vs Mojave
You see a lot of off-road capable versions of pickup trucks these days, and there is little doubt that many of them are quite capable. But the most off-road capable pickup is likely to be the one that was designed for that kind of activity from the ground up, and that, of course, would be the Jeep Gladiator. Other pickup trucks have to undergo upgrades to reach the off-road ability of the base Jeep Gladiator. But your decisions aren’t over because there are several trim levels of Gladiator. Including some distinct off-road-focused models. What are the differences between them? Let Rairdon’s Dodge Chrysler Jeep of Bellingham explain.
The short answer is that the Willys is a significant step over the base Gladiator for improved off-roading and will probably be all most people need if they don’t go out of their way to look for trouble. For those that do, Jeep makes the Gladiator Rubicon and Mojave. Both are the top Off-road models in the Gladiator lineup. The answer to how each can be at the top can be found in their names.
Willys
The Willys name comes from the manufacturer that submitted the winning proposal for the original” General Purpose” vehicle to the U.S. Government and subsequently built a significant percentage of them. In the Gladiator lineup, the Willys Sport is just one step up from the base model and the first step toward increased off-road ability. This primarily is due to the addition of 32-inch LT255/75R17C Mud-Terrain Tires and a Trac-Lok® Limited Slip Rear Differential. The Trak-Lok improves off-road ability by locking the wheels at about 80%, making it very useful in slippery on-road conditions to maintain stability. The Willys (non-Sport) has these same two upgrades as well as some valued non-off-road upgrades such as the keyless entry and the Uconnect® 4C NAV with 8.4-inch Touchscreen with Navigation and Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ Compatibility.
Rubicon
The Rubicon trail, located just outside Lake Tahoe, California, is a 22-mile off-road trail dubbed the “crown jewel of all off-highway trails.” and is rated 10 out of a scale of 10 in difficulty. The highly technical trail is a mecca for a wide range of off-road vehicles, such as ATVs and dirt bikes. It is most challenging for street-legal road-going vehicles where large rocks and other extremely uneven terrain routinely hang up vehicles with long wheelbases and /or insufficient wheel articulation. And robust skid plates are a must. The rough parts of the course are taken at speeds slower than walking. Like the Wrangler Rubicon before it, the Gladiator Rubicon is so named because it is designed for this type of off-roading.
Because wheel articulation is key, the Rubicon has disconnecting sway bars. For wildly uneven surface traction, both the front and rear differentials are fully locking. Also important is the Part-Time Rock-Trac® 4:1 Low Transfer Case with up to 84:1 Crawl Ratio to help make all your accelerator pedal adjustments gradual and precise. The Rubicon also has a TrailCam-Off Road camera to help the driver see what the tires will encounter when no spotters are available. There’s more. The front steel bumper is designed to carry a winch. There are skid plates for the front bumper, fuel tank, and transfer case. Helping the driver is a Terrain-Specific Off-Road Plus Mode.
Mojave
Off-roading in the Mojave desert and similar areas is not at walking pace. This is the type of off-roading you see in the Baja 1000 and Paris Dakar rallies. It is fast and rough, and vehicles engaged in it take a beating. That is the kind of off-roading that is the Gladiator Mojave’s specialty. Consequently, much of the Mohave’s unique components are designed to withstand hard impacts. That starts with the FOX 2.5-inch Internal Bypass Shocks designed with external reservoirs because the shocks simply can’t contain enough fluid for the high levels of damping control needed. The track width is also extended to allow room for those reservoirs and because a little width stability isn’t bad when hitting things at high speed. Front Hydraulic Jounce Bumpers are also there to soften the blow of hard impacts. The same can be said for the high-clearance fender flares. The rear differential fully locks, but the fronts do not because it doesn’t pertain to this kind of activity. Also, the low-speed transfer case is designed to operate at not-so-low speeds, such as up to 50 mph. Whereas the Rubicon skid plate is designed to protect the disconnecting sway bars, on the Mojave, it is designed to protect the shock reservoirs. Even the interior is up to the task, with extra large side bolsters on the seat backs to help keep you in place.
Only You Can Decide
So, as you can see, which Gladiator is best depends much on what you plan to do with it. The Willys will excel at the kind of off-roading one mostly encounters and can certainly indulge your sense of adventure. It is less expensive than the other two. The Rubicon and Mojave are both extremely capable off-road devices but are ultimately designed for their respective types of extreme use. The Mojave probably translates best to your on-road needs if you regularly drive on roads plagued by potholes that you hate to slow down for.
While this covers the differences between these off-road models, our professional sales staff can certainly go into more detail and point out the exact components being discussed on the vehicles themselves. If you have read this far, you must be interested, so visit Rairdon’s Dodge Chrysler Jeep of Bellingham, where we have plenty of Gladiators on hand to show you. And then, talk to our Finance Center about getting the off-roader/hauler of your dreams on the trail of your choice.
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