I have a mint '06 TJ Rubicon which I love! But lately I have been eyeballing those new JK's and am actually thinking of selling my TJ Rubi and springing for a new JK Rubicon. I would like to hear from owners who know both rigs and have opinions of their comparisons. My JK Rubicon would be a short wheelbase (2-door), manual trans, soft-top half-door model RUBICON ONLY. All replies encouraged, thanks in advance!

Why? Just for the body style changes? Personally, I'd keep the TJ... I don't like the dumbo ears on the JK's, but that's just me. Other than that JK's are pretty sweet. More plushy than a TJ ever hopes to be for sure. And e-lockers rather than air lockers, which may or may not be a benefit.... Oh and the JK Rubi's come with a kickass stereo...

Dude, think about what your saying! If you want a plush ride go buy an Escalade. Don't get rid of the TJ. JK's suck mechanical wise. The 4.0 is far superior than that V6 minivan motor, JK transmission blow chunks. And because of the newer body style they are too fat for tight trails. Don't be like the other SHEEP.I could build a far better stereo than you could ever get in a JK minus the stigma of owning a soccer mom jeep.

Did your wife leave you for a guy that drives a JK???

None of what you said above is true, whatsoever. JKs outperform TJs daily. Matter of fact it has been rumored that a sport jk with a mild lift and good tires can wheel circles around a TJ rubicon.

Test drive a JK and see the difference first hand. I am not going to reply to the baseless hater remarks, look at the facts, the engineering of the JK will win out, check out the specs for yourself.

as far as I know the 06' tj manual tranny is the same 6-speed the jk has....real good friend of mine has a 2004 rubi and wishes it would perform like my 2007 rubi(he's got a 78' jimmy that's an all out crawler though). by now most of the querks are worked out of the jk....hmmm lets see: JK rides better, wheels better(in my opinion), has more HP and torque(not that the 4.0 isn't a beast, just sayin), better clearance, bigger tire capabilities unlifted, and many more......this argument is like sayin which is better tj or yj. we all know the answer to that question and jeeps will continue to improve as the years progress. the JK is the most technologically advance, best performing jeep ever manufactured up to this point. the tj is awsome, but the jk has the edge in most if not all catagories. if you can afford it I say why not? now I'm gonna hold my pants up while I get blasted by the TJ crew

the jk doesn't have a "Motor", nor does the tj.....they have engines. there is a distinct difference in a motor and an engine. facts are facts the "Minivan" ENGINE outperforms the tried and true 4.0

Speaking of that, i went wheeling yesterday with an 02 and an 03 tj, and after driving their jeeps offroad (power, stability, clearance) i am more than happy that i bought a jk. All these tj guys blasting jks need to remember that they are in the circle headlight club too.

"There are very few vehicles that can be defined as "made for offroad". Unfortunately, the Wrangler can definitely be defined as "made for offroad" by its inability to handle well on road "

That's halarious...oppps, unless you are trying to pass a Prius on the highway or a loaded logging truck that is passing you uphill.!

Nice try but....

broke.

Once again, I posted dyno graphs for a stock 3.8 and a stock 4.0 in another pointless argument about the JK a while back. The JK makes more PEAK horsepower and torque. The 3.8 made about 5 lb/ft of torque less than the 4.0 at the 4.0's peak torque mark of about 2600 rpm, but the 3.8 goes on to make MORE torque only 200rpm later, and at it's peak, AND make the same and more horsepower throughout the entire rpm range. You're not going to feel a 5 lb/ft difference, on or off the trail, at ANY rpm.
You can poo-poo the chart all you want, but if you do, you need to provide something FACTUAL to the contrary.
The engine argument is BS. The data is out there. The 3.8 is the more powerful, more efficient engine. Not a knock against the 4.0 at all. The automatic 3.8 will go 0-60 in 9.5 seconds Detailed specifications: automobile-catalog.com, the 2006 4.0 does it in 9.8 Detailed specifications: automobile-catalog.com
0-60 is nothing but a test of real world, usable torque.

Transmission wise, are you really going to try and tell me the old 3 speed auto was better than the 4 speed? The old 5 speed manual was better than 6? I guess our opinions differ on what "better" is.

What trails do you frequent that a 5.5" difference in width are holding you up?

Maybe people don't want to build their own stereo.

If you want to hate on something, at least be factual about it. I'll put my stock JK up against a stock TJ any day of the week. Hell, even a TJ that's lifted to accommodate the 32" tires the JK comes with stock.

When will we finally put this stupid, pointless and completely conjectural argument to bed? I can honor the Jeeps that came before mine, why can't you respect those that follow yours, especially when they are superior? Hope you don't call yourself a Jeep guy.

Sinister, you are my hero.

Owned.

I'm sorry...we've been on the Killington Jeep Jamboree and Bethel Jeep Jamboree this year, both times in the rain...and our RUBICON outperformed AND had to winch out a JK at Killington-when they had to be winched and strapped by us out of mud and stuff, my WIFE did the winching AND drove the rubicon right through the SAME obstacle with no problem, and in Bethel, JK's were a nightmare...could not handle the obstacles, couldn't make it through the mudholes...cured me of wanting to trade up for one!
Although having a 4 door rubicon would make it easier for taking the grandson around

Do you think its possible that your wife is a more capable driver than the person driving the jk? I bet that has ALOT to do with it.

Neither argument is valid unless both vehicles are driven by the same person. Off road driving skill is as important, if not more so, than the vehicle.

Driver ability has no bearing on the quality of the vehicle.
But maybe the lightly modded JK Sport vs. TJ Rubicon comparison is a bit of a stretch.

ive owned both, and loved both!! after owning my jk i would never go back.

I am fine with the "minivan" engine in my 2010 Rubicon, and my 42RLE is not overheating even on the rocks. Belive it of not I crawled with the club in 110 degree heat without extra tranny cooler, and there was no HOTOIL or any burn smell or anything. The only issue is if I hit a stream while hot sometimes transmission would not downdhift, so there's a sharply reduced power to the wheels. It's some kind of shock cooling effect. I thought I did not need to do the cool-down before fording because I have diff breathers, but I guess the good practices are still needed. But there is a lot of empty space under the hood, which is crying for a V8.

In a real life comparison of off road capability, it has all the bearing in the world.

Quality no, ability off road, absolutely. I was a vehicle operator in the marines, and an entry level operator has no clue the of the ability of an m1114 until they have been using it offroad for several years. Being able to drive can make all the difference between not having lockers, discos, power steering, manual or automatic and so on. I am more than confident that i could go anywhere in my jk that a stock rubicon tj could.

So a crap driver in a JK makes the JK a worse vehicle than a good driver in a TJ?

But I think I know what you mean. If the driver is crap, obviously it must be because the vehicle is crap. *sarcasm*

Some great vehicles make the driver look better than they are, some vehicles require a great driver to make the vehicle look good. But that's apples to oranges. The only accurate test is for the same driver in the same conditions to compare both.

This past winter I volunteered at the local hospiatal transporting doctors and nurses during a blizzard. The NG was also involved. I went everywhere the Humvee drivers were afraid to go. They had better tires and ground clearance than me at the time, but some of those guys had no idea how to drive in the snow.

yes. Because now, they really do go to 11.

Those guys work 2 days a month and are grossley under trained. Plus there is a big difference between a motor vehicle operator, and a normal soldier that had to get a humvee license for training requirements.

No bashing here but if you look into some things like bumpers, lift and such the prices jump drastically bc the JKs are newer at least from a 97s standpoint, not too sure about your 06. Just something to think about.

but you can't blame the humvees for the driver not knowing how to drive.