Jeep Unlimited, Rubicon

Well, we have had the Unlimited, Rubicon for about a year now. This is our first Jeep and so far I have to say that we like it. We have owned several different 4wd vehicals over the years including two International Scouts. In comparison, the Jeep Unlimited is about the size of the Scouts which for our purposes is the smallest that I would want. We haul camping gear, dogs, and geology tools all over the deserts and the Unlimited can take it all.

The Rubicon model offers the extra ability to "lock" all 4 wheels for increased traction in the worst situations. We added a rear bumper, tire rack, and jerrycan holders made by Durango. I adapted a new, 3rd brake light to the arrangement plus my own "snubber" to stablize the rack. It all seems to work well for our applications. I bought 2 heavy-duty Jerrycan containers made by Scepter for carrying extra water and 1 for carrying gas. I can carry any two of the three and make the decision based on whether gas or water is the most important for the trek.

What we like:

• Air Lockers that are standard on the Rubicon model
• Goodyear tires that have 3 ply sidewalls(always used Goodrich All Terrains before)
• 6 cylinder engine with lots of lo-end torque, and does not seem to ever get too hot.
• Built-in compass and temp. gauge on the mirror. An extra that is fun.
• Straps that keep the doors from being damaged in high winds(I have had this happen on my Ford, Ranger 4wd and it broke the door).
• Everything you could want is available from the aftermarket for off-roading.

Things we wish they would improve:

• The body sits too low for offroad driving. Within 2 weeks, we had hit both the transmission and gastank skid plates. Yes, I am going to raise the vehical with a lift kit but it just seems that it should have been a bit higher from the factory especially the Rubicon model.

We will update this page as we learn more about the Jeep, Unlimited Rubicon.