Gladiator Rubi vs Gladiator Mojave

[zimm]

Both are on fire sale at the jeep dealer.

So, the Mojave loses the 4;1 tcase and gains the fox shocks. I also notice the bumper on the rubi thats there has a removable panel on the bumper and the Mojave does not. I don't know what thats about.

Any opinions on the tucks? any other differences I dont know?

Thanks.

 

[Antwon412]

Both are on fire sale at the jeep dealer.

So, the Mojave loses the 4;1 tcase and gains the fox shocks. I also notice the bumper on the rubi thats there has a removable panel on the bumper and the Mojave does not. I don't know what thats about.

Any opinions on the tucks? any other differences I dont know?

Thanks.

I highly suggest you join the Jeepgladiatorforum

Tons of info on there.


I have a gladiator Mojave. And I love it. The suspension is unreal. I’ve been up to 75 miles an hour on bumpy, dusty Forest roads and it’s smooth. Rides really good on the street.

The Rubicon has a couple nice features, but the Mojave has some nice ones as well. Strength and frame. Stronger knuckles. Much much better shocks

You lose the electronic swaybar connect. I sloved that with a pair of Apex Autolynx.
No front locker Mojave, most people don’t need it. I’ve been to Moab a couple times and didn’t need a front locker. However, I did recently Regear, so I went ahead and put a front locker in since I was getting all the work in there done anyway.


Basically, if you’re going to get the Rubicon. If you’re going to Rockwall, get a wrangler Rubicon as the gladiator has a very long wheelbase, and a very bad departure angle.


If you want a all around Jeep that can do just about everything, in my opinion, the Mojave is the way to go

 

[mog]

Just the differences between Rubicon and Mojave, not the other models
Rubicon
Front Locker
Front Swaybar electronic disconnect
Fox 2.0 shocks
4:1 transfer case
Aluminum steering knuckles
Rubicon specific hood

Mojave
Fox 2.5 remote reservoir shocks
Hydraulic front bump stops
2.72:1 transfer case
Rear diff locker can be used in 4x4 high
Cast steel steering knuckles
Mojave specific hood (& higher cowl)
Frame reinforced in some locations (think jumps) *
15mm wider track (due to wheel offset only)

Both trim levels have the wider 10mm wall thickness axles
Mojave is 1 inch higher due to springs, Rubicon has 1 inch more fender clearance (from lower trims) due to fender placement

* Front upper and lower control arm mounts (the arms are the same), rear bump stop cups, engine/trans mounting points (mounts are the same), rear track bar is thicker, reinforced shock towers

Another plus for https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com

While the 'SUV' Jeep has better 'off-road' specs compared to the 'truck' jeep, the Gladiator compares very favorably to other midsize trucks (specs are from 2021 model year)

update- DISCLAIMER - I guess I need to add this as some people think a 'general comparison' somehow could cover every variation, model, and trim level (???)
BUT this is a general comparison, specs will vary by year, model, trim level, aftermarket modifications, etc.

 

[zimm]

rubicon load and towing are 1200/4500 on jeeps company site. sport is 1700/4000.

 

[Bobzdar]

I went Rubicon and got a set of take off Mojave shocks. Best of both worlds, but I had no plans to jump it or do anything that would stress the frame enough to need reinforcement. The shocks were a big improvement both on and off road.

Big factor for me was towing, 7k on the rubi vs 6k for the Mojave. I have/had both jlur and jtr, off roading there is not much difference tbh. I traded the jtr in on a 4xe Rubicon as I now have a d130 for towing, and took both in the same trails. I kept the Mojave shocks and will probably swap them onto the 4xe, they were that good.

 

[m-l_johnny]

We bought a Mojave back in Aug. I was interested in getting the Rubicon, since it had all the niceties. Test drove it. Wife seemed like she was fighting keeping it on the highway. Secondary roads were a little better. Got back to the dealer lot and my wife said “I’m sorry, I want to like it, but I don’t” She also thought the seats weren’t very comfortable. We got to talking about the difference in trim levels and suspensions and decided to test drive the Mojave. Didn’t get very far and she declared that she loved it. Said the seats were mor comfortable, too. (Higher side bolsters) Before we knew it, we were signing papers!
Initially, I was slightly disappointed, but gotta keep momma happy. Now that I understand more the differences, I’m happy we have mo-jave and not less-jave.

 

[Berserker]

Just the differences between Rubicon and Mojave, not the other models
Rubicon
Front Locker
Front Swaybar electronic disconnect
Fox 2.0 shocks
4:1 transfer case
Aluminum steering knuckles
Rubicon specific hood

Mojave
Fox 2.5 remote reservoir shocks
Hydraulic front bump stops
2.72:1 transfer case
Rear diff locker can be used in 4x4 high
Cast steel steering knuckles
Mojave specific hood (& higher cowl)
Frame reinforced in some locations (think jumps) *
15mm wider track (due to wheel offset only)

Both trim levels have the wider 10mm wall thickness axles
Mojave is 1 inch higher due to springs, Rubicon has 1 inch more fender clearance (from lower trims) due to fender placement

* Front upper and lower control arm mounts (the arms are the same), rear bump stop cups, engine/trans mounting points (mounts are the same), rear track bar is thicker, reinforced shock towers

Another plus for https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com

While the 'SUV' Jeep has better 'off-road' specs compared to the 'truck' jeep, the Gladiator compares very favorably to other midsize trucks (specs are from 2021 model year)
View attachment 807065

Those Gladiator specs aren't uniform across all trims or transmissions. The Mojave and Rubicon have a ~1,200lb payload and 7,000lb tow capacity. The manual transmission reduced the towing to 4,000lbs.

 

[Weeds]

I have always felt my Rubicon was too low geared for most wheeling. The Rubi is really awful in sand.

 

[Zeep]

When I ordered the wife's JLU, I was hoping for a Mojave option. I knew she would never utilize the Rubicon options. As it was not available in Mojave trim, we agreed on a 80th anniversary model, speced to her needs.
Overall she is very happy!

 

[Dan Grec]

I have always felt my Rubicon was too low geared for most wheeling. The Rubi is really awful in sand.

Interesting. I've never found it to be a problem.
I drove a Rubi JK around Africa with plenty of sand, and then a Rubi Gladiator around Australia with a HUGE amount of sand. The 8 speed in the Gladiator made it a breeze, it would just climb up through the gears when needed.

In the JK with the 6 speed I guess sometimes I just don't use low range in deep soft sand... but it's kind of a bear anyway because it's heavy, so if you change gears you sink and are done for in very short time.

The

 

[montechie]

rubicon load and towing are 1200/4500 on jeeps company site. sport is 1700/4000.

Not the complete story, Sport with Max Tow is around 7650 lbs of towing, Rubicon with tow package is 7000lbs towing. I believe the Mojave can get up to 6000.

Rear diff locker can be used in 4x4 high

Rubicon you can also use the rear locker in 4 high, it's just not as advertised, I think that was change post first year. My '22 JTR rear can lock in 4 Hi.

Both Mojave and Rubicon in the US get the high clearance fenders and 1" of spring lift over the other models. Those fenders can be added to any model after market btw, just find someone's take-offs. Depending on the year the Rubicon may or may not have an OEM Fox 2.0 shock, similar but not as good as an IPF. I frankly did not care for the stock Rubi coil+Fox combo, way too under dampened. Some later years came with the red ones again like the JKR (Mishimoto?).

The rest of the truck I'm happy with in the Rockies, in Moab, in mud, in snow, on the highway, or on corrugated county road that I drive weekly. The front locker for me is more useful in deep and loose/drifted white stuff, much better than an open diff or limited slip front, but really depends on what you want to do. The T-case gearing YMMV, really depends on what you're doing, with the 8-spd transmission the t-case has never been too low in the loose for me and great for both throttling through and creeping on snow drifts/rocks. I've never regretted getting the Rubicon. I really doubt you'd regret either model, unless you know you are going to be driving terrain that one model is specific for, or had towing requirements.

The removable panel in the bumper probably means that truck has the OEM steel bumper optioned which is winch compatible vs the plastic, still needs a mount plate. Either model can come with it. There maybe some hacks on jeepgladiatorforum.com for installing a winch with the plastic bumper.