One of the most iconic trim levels of the modern Jeep wrangler is the Rubicon trim. But what makes it so special and desirable…and expensive? Well, majority of the people who have these really nice rigs don’t really NEED a Rubicon.
Let’s start with where the name comes from, it comes from an off-roading trail in Lake Tahoe, CA. It is a scenic, 22 miles trac that is challenging for the most avid off-roader and their rigs. Jeep has done this in the past with naming their trims based on locations/trails. The Special “Moab” addition is rare and named after the Moab trail in Moab, UT. The “Smoky Mountain”, the “Islander”, but those names aren’t the iconic Rubicon trim and didn’t go into a true mass production for Jeep like the Rubicon trim.
What makes a Rubicon a Rubicon?
This off-road package/trim comes with front and rear locking differentials. a front sway bar disconnect, and an upgraded shock and spring package. Front and rear lockers make it easier to get out of sticky rock crawling situations. Rear lockers are more common in most off-road packages by other manufactures have rear lockers that it comes with, i.e. Ford’s Fx4 package, Toyota’s TRD off-road/Pro package, some Chevy’s Trail Boss, etc.
So what is a locker???? Well, if you want to read up on how differentials work check out our previous post about AWD vs 4WD, there is a really informative video produced by Chevrolet years ago. Now that video explains open-differentials. Which the axles in a Rubicon are open while driving normally on the highway without the lockers engaged. But once the lockers are engaged, it makes both wheels spin at the same speed, simultaneously. Which is good for situations where you need traction. But majority of the situations you encounter as a driver, even in poor weather, a rear locker will be just fine. Even a limited slip rear differential would suffice.
What is a sway bar disconnect, and why is that a thing? Well a sway bar keeps the body & frame in a good attached relationship to the front axle. So when you’re going around a curve it doesn’t make the body of your vehicle “sway” due to inertia. This is crucial for daily driving but can be crippling when off-roading, primarily rock-crawling. The sway bar will only allow the front axle to “flex” so much. When disconnected, it allows for more travel. Pictures below help explain the difference.
Notice how the bottom picture, the driver side tire makes contact with the ground allowing for more control and traction for the vehicle. This is also why solid axels do better than independent suspension models (Jeep> New Bronco)
Now what the crazy thing is, the Bronco on the left in this picture also has an electronic sway bar disconnect. But it’s still not enough.
The upgraded suspension package now-a-days is from Fox shocks and the springs are a little different than the basic trims because of the ride-height difference. Fox is one of the top brands used by manufactures and off-road enthusiast for shocks, for example the Toyota TRD-Pro and Ford Raptor have Fox brand shocks as well from the factory. With any upgraded suspension, it’s a much better ride than the lower trim, but it’s still a Jeep…so don’t expect a Cadillac driving experience.
Couldn’t I just build a Rubicon?
In short…yes. You could purchase a Sport trim level from the factory add lockers, sway bar disconnect and upgrade your suspension. BUT you may end up spending more than you would think. Purchasing aftermarket lockers can be pricy, looking at $2,000-$3,000 for both front and rear with an air compressor you would need to put on board in most cases. Sway bar disconnects in the aftermarket world typically come in the manual disconnect, where you would get out of the Jeep and disconnect them manually instead of it being a button in the cab like the Rubicon. And suspension / lift kits can get pricey if you’re not careful.
But do I really NEED a Rubicon?
More times than not, if you’re not a serious off-roader or you’re not having to go through trails on a daily basis, then no. You don’t need a Rubicon.
A suggestion would be to look at the Willy’s sport trim, or if you want the luxury of a Sahara then make sure you get the Trac-lock limited slip rear differential option. In the Willy’s trim level, the trac-lock limited differential comes standard.
Now some trim levels of Jeep, typically special ones, have a rear locker only. And that’s really all you would need. Moab, smoky mountain, Mojave (Gladiator Trim) is really all you would need. Front lockers can be a little dangerous in snowy / sandy conditions. If you notice the “Desert-Rated” vehicles do not come with front lockers. Like the Ford Raptor and Jeep Gladiator Mojave. They only have rear lockers and the Raptor has an option of the “Torsen” limited slip front differential.
So in short…you most likely don’t need a Rubicon for daily driving and light off-roading, but again, the choice is yours.