Pretty much this, I had to install 5000lb bags in the rear in order to handle added payload which is ridiculous. It is a cool truck that is pretty capable as long as it fits and you can put 37's on with ease, but it's awful as an actual 3/4-ton truck, hell most 1/2-ton trucks best it's payload and tow rating and even some of the mid-size/compact trucks compete with it now in that regard lol. I get that it's not supposed to be a standard 3/4-ton truck but the numbers are abysmal, similar to how a Raptor sucks in that regard, I had two of those as well. In the first twelve months of ownership it was in the shop nine times for reasons unrelated to a simple oil change or regularly scheduled service and while most of it wasn't very serious that's a beating. I lost all faith in the reliability of the truck long before the warranty was out and that was the deciding factor in selling, my father sold his shortly after as well for similar reasons.
Where does LC end and Rubicon begin?
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Pretty much this, I had to install 5000lb bags in the rear in order to handle added payload which is ridiculous. It is a cool truck that is pretty capable as long as it fits and you can put 37's on with ease, but it's awful as an actual 3/4-ton truck, hell most 1/2-ton trucks best it's payload and tow rating and even some of the mid-size/compact trucks compete with it now in that regard lol. I get that it's not supposed to be a standard 3/4-ton truck but the numbers are abysmal, similar to how a Raptor sucks in that regard, I had two of those as well. In the first twelve months of ownership it was in the shop nine times for reasons unrelated to a simple oil change or regularly scheduled service and while most of it wasn't very serious that's a beating. I lost all faith in the reliability of the truck long before the warranty was out and that was the deciding factor in selling, my father sold his shortly after as well for similar reasons.
More things to consider with mountains of CO. SWB Jeep’s suck in the snow, high CG, short WB = not good. Also part time 4wd is not the best in the winter. I know a lot of people up here in AK that have wranglers as their summer only vehicle.
Thats exactly what I said above. 2 door wranglers spin like tops on the ice and compact snow up here. Nope.
Owning both a Land Cruiser and a Wrangler I would say keep the Land Cruiser. I have found on my Jeep trips to Colorado that the top down experience rarely works out. It may be nice and warm down at the trail head but once you start getting up high it cools down pretty quickly and you will be wanting to put the top back up. I have found with my Cruiser, I can put the sunroof back for the wind in the hair feeling and close it when I need to. The Land Cruiser is more family friendly and will go any place I have taken my Jeep. Like others have said, I recommend keeping your Cruiser and rent a Jeep when you have the urge to experience the “Jeep Thing”.
TheGrrrrr
GOLD Star
If LCDC was any indication, I’m not sure the off-road capability difference between the Rubi and the LC would ever come into play for OP or even 90% of the people on this board. I do a lot of camping and hit a lot of trails and see a lot of Rubi’s where I go, and I can’t think of more than a few places that my LC couldn’t get to stock. You have to really try to seek out terrain that lives in the space between the two vehicles.
My son and I did dirt trails outside of Middleton, TN this past weekend. Mostly smooth dirt and gravel. We got onto a couple of the ATV trails for a bit, and concluded the trip with rock crawling for about a mile at +25 degree slope. This was all in my ‘13 LC. I used to own an ‘08 Wrangler (non-Rubicon), that by the time I was done mod-ding it, would have been any 16 year olds dream first vehicle (unless you like racing, then an RC car could beat it).
All this to say, we grabbed some fast food once we got back in town, and started the hour and 15 minute ride home, over the Cumberland Gap towards the TN/NC border, and 30 seconds into the ride back, I remember thinking - it’s almost unfair that this LC, which went where I only saw side by sides (at the top of the ridge), can feel this smooth and solid at 70 mph on the way home.
My ‘08 Jeep was a lot of fun, looked super cool, and served it purpose - part of which was showing me what i wanted and didn’t want in my next vehicle. Heck, the 100k mile ‘01 Kia i bought that detonated within a few thousand miles served its purpose too - I have some pretty firm opinions about KIAs.
To build on what other’s have already said on this thread, no vehicle is perfect, and can do everything. Even my highly modified LC can’t do everything. But, that’s what having a second vehicle is for - like a 2nd gen Tundra with 200k miles - runs great, and tows garbage and demo to the dump like a champ.
All this to say, we grabbed some fast food once we got back in town, and started the hour and 15 minute ride home, over the Cumberland Gap towards the TN/NC border, and 30 seconds into the ride back, I remember thinking - it’s almost unfair that this LC, which went where I only saw side by sides (at the top of the ridge), can feel this smooth and solid at 70 mph on the way home.
My ‘08 Jeep was a lot of fun, looked super cool, and served it purpose - part of which was showing me what i wanted and didn’t want in my next vehicle. Heck, the 100k mile ‘01 Kia i bought that detonated within a few thousand miles served its purpose too - I have some pretty firm opinions about KIAs.
To build on what other’s have already said on this thread, no vehicle is perfect, and can do everything. Even my highly modified LC can’t do everything. But, that’s what having a second vehicle is for - like a 2nd gen Tundra with 200k miles - runs great, and tows garbage and demo to the dump like a champ.
(messed up my quoting)
That's more about trail preference than capability. Land Cruisers have really low door sills and long rear overhangs that like to hit on everything. Compared to my LC days, I can go run 2 or 3 trails in the time the LC took to do one. You rarely need a spotter and the experience is a lot less nerve racking. The drive home is a different story though
Lol the yellow jackets are a legit concern.Being from Colorado, you better keep the top handy at all times. Noon storms out of know where happen in minutes. Many times being hail. I have taken my previous 200’s all over the front range, west side of the Rockies and south into Silverton, Ouray area. The rubicon will do it all but I had never thought “boy, wish I had a Jeep” for any particular trail. A bone stock LC will do most all of it unless you’re thinking to rock crawl. What it will need most of all, A/T tires immediately. Don’t get me wrong, Jeeps are cool and I love having the top off in the summer. What I don’t like, is getting attacked by mosquitoes and yellow jackets. Not saying they won’t fly into the 200 occasionally but less likely.
I love Breck and you must have some serious coin to move there.If it were me, Evergreen is the better option. You can still see nice mtn tops. In Breck, just trees and top of ski slope.
Either way, lucky you and you’ll love it.
I was followed for an inordinately long time by a swarm of some kind of angry bee or wasp or hornet...I was going as fast as I reasonably could and they stayed with me attacking my windows and mirrors for 15-20 minutes. There were hundreds of them. I assumed my roof rack must have caught their nest in a low hanging branch, but once I lost the insects there was nothing there. I assume I must have bumped a limb with their nest and they peeled off to “escort” me away.
I was very grateful that I was in a vehicle with windows and a top. In a jeep it would have been...I guess I never really thought about it...a potentially life threatening situation.
option a: drive at an unsafe speed to try to get away
Option b: risk being stung in the neck and having my wind pipe close up out in the middle of a wildlife management area.
not good.
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While I love riding trails on two wheels and I can easily cover ground three or more times as quickly as I can in a cager, there's no replacement for the security and comfort the vehicle provides. The misses doesn't ride and altogether hates motorcycles so getting her on the trails in a 4x4 is a win.
TrailRecons latest trip in Death Valley documented across a few episodes was not flattering for the Jeeps. I counted 4 relatively unprovoked breaks on a mild overland journey, on 4 separate pretty nicely kept Jeeps. Running the gamut of critical to nuisance. But broken tie rod, sway bars links coming off on 2, and unexplained CEL (we have our MOAB CEL), and a grinding brake rotor cover. Granted, some of this is partly due to aftermarket gear that we're susceptible to also, as they just don't have the validation that OEM parts get. But still not a great showing. Maybe them Fords are better...maybe not? Guess this is part of the adventure.
ATwoZ
SILVER Star
This. I live on the front range and have run many of the summit county area trails. They get quite narrow at times. All in all no issues with the 200 on an of them.
Another factor to consider is that while many have talked about quick changes in CO weather (especially at altitude), the other piece is the dust/dirt. With as dry as CO can be I wouldn't want to run top down...I still come home with dirt/dust between every gasket and that's with windows up.
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My experience on 4x4 trails has shown that storms in the mountains can build up quickly. I once saw a few clouds over Evergreen develop into a severe thunderstorm in 15 mins.
I’ve been at the bottom of a trail with shorts and a tee shirt, then after driving up 3,000 feet I was needing a winter coat.
Almost every trail in CO provides plenty of dust that gets everywhere on you and your ride. If you want to have dust all over you, in your ride, and all in your snacks then go for it.
If you get a topless ride, keep in mind that at 12,000 feet your skin will burn about 4x faster than at sea level.
Last summer we explored many trails around Ouray in our comfy air-conditioned, quiet, dust-free, sunburn-free, windburn-free, 100% rainproof land cruiser. It’s how we roll.
I’ve been at the bottom of a trail with shorts and a tee shirt, then after driving up 3,000 feet I was needing a winter coat.
Almost every trail in CO provides plenty of dust that gets everywhere on you and your ride. If you want to have dust all over you, in your ride, and all in your snacks then go for it.
If you get a topless ride, keep in mind that at 12,000 feet your skin will burn about 4x faster than at sea level.
Last summer we explored many trails around Ouray in our comfy air-conditioned, quiet, dust-free, sunburn-free, windburn-free, 100% rainproof land cruiser. It’s how we roll.
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@TeCKis300 yea I like watching his videos, that one was terrible for jeeps so many breakdowns but I guess that's part of owning a jeep and some people like that. I envy the solid axles, full lockers and great ground clearance but I would rather have something that will get me there and back in one piece and no extra holes in my wallet.
I have a number of Jeep enthusiast friends, and for most of them, one of their all time favorite cars is the FJ40. Most of them will argue with me that Jeep quality is not as bad as I like to tease them about, but I think every one of them would admit that they would jump all over a Land Cruiser version of their Jeep... basically an FJ40 but with a modern engine, solid axles, etc. Basically, if you could put an FJ40 body on an 80 series drivetrain. Maybe Toyota is listening... Jeep sells 200K Wranglers a year in the US, yet many of their most loyal and enthusiastic buyers would jump ship in a heartbeat if Toyota would take a 40 year old design and bring it into the 1990s.
In fairness, I love Jeeps. They're the best car in the world for their intended purpose, and that purpose is fun, technical off-roading. Not comfortably taking lots of your gear on a long trek distant from help and support - that's reserved for Land Cruisers and 4Runners - but short, technical trips where you just want to see how difficult a trail you can drive. They're fun, capable cars.
That tie rod break couldn’t have been luckier - in a gas station parking lot across the street from a campsite!
I agree that Jeep Wranglers are the best out of the box off-road machines available. I can't say the same for their reliability, comfort, etc. but then again that's not what they are after. If they could combine those attributes with their off-road prowess then they'd be a force to contend with. I once was a Jeep fanboy and I miss the 38's, lockers and straight axles, but you can only get burned so many times before you learn your lesson.
Which size and load rating did you select? Researching. My 2010 is stock and needs tires in a few months.
My 2020 HE has P275/65 r 18 Michelin AT2. Basically the Tundra Pro tires
I guess will see how the new Bronco does ... I’m waiting to see how the Jeep Wrangler diesel does for the first few years , it is the same 3.0 they use in the Ram , my other option is build my own Jeep .
I even considered a Roxor plated come with a diesel and they are pretty cheap entry level , you can get a auto or manual with the 4cy diesel .
I even considered a Roxor plated come with a diesel and they are pretty cheap entry level , you can get a auto or manual with the 4cy diesel .
I'm waiting on Jeep diesel as well. I'm gonna give it a few years to work out the bugs. Over 400lbs of torque and almost 30 mpg's would be great! Also comes with the dana 44's front and rear with the diesel.
