Ah, the perennial It Depends.
Let me offer a real world example.
My Predator started as a Sport S, was immediately lifted, had its tires replaced, had its bumpers replaced, had rock rails added and got a new hood sticker.
Do I have Rubicon envy? Who doesn't? Rubis are awesome.
On the other hand, today I went wheeling. Granted, it was with a group, and under the watchful eye of an absolutely kickass guide and a kickass gunner, and over fairly mild terrain. We did some climbing, we drove through a river bed, we crawled over some smallish boulders. It was fun, and it was just about as much abuse to which I would subject a vehicle that also happens to be my DD. For what I did today, my setup was perfectly adequate.
I'm fairly certain that in a couple spots, a bone-stock Rubi (with stock tires and no lift) would probably not have gone ass over teakettle or gotten stuck, but would have struggled somewhat. So despite the Rubi envy, I would probably still take my modded Sport S over a stock Rubi.
Why am I telling you this. Predator, with all the mods, weighed in at $40K, all in (taxes, fees, etc.). That is what a stock Rubi would run you (again, all in, provided you do your homework). There are guys around that would say that they got a Rubi for much less, and while I wouldn't accuse them of lying, I suspect they embellish the truth a bit.
If the INITIAL cost is a concern to you and you plan to, at the very least, lift and replace the tires, then Sport S is just about the perfect match. You can black out your own grille, get whatever stickers you want, and get a pair of Smittybilt rock rails for $300 that are just as good as the stock Willys rails.
If you want to run stock for a while and DON'T have $40K, then Willys is an excellent choice.
If you want to run stock for a while and DO have $40K, then go for a Rubi.