MOA Adventurer:
There were several factors that typically lead AEV to start the build with a Sport - the biggest of these is price. I paid for some upgrades on mine that technically allow it to exceed what a Rubicon can do- 1) 4 to 1 Atlas T-case- allows you to run in 2 wheel lo- something you cannot do in a Rubi 2)Installed Dana 44 front and rear- with Eaton E-lockers 3) Installed manual release sway which allows almost twice the travel as the E release sway 4) Because I have 35" KM2s and am towing, installed 5.13 gear and reset with Procal to make up for power loss. The main reason that I did mine the way it was: 1) It was 98% done to my desired stats to begin with - i.e.: right color, out-fitted, etc. 2) When done by the dealer on a new truck prior to taking delivery, the add-on/up-grades are covered under warranty and 3)all add/ons were able to be financed in the 2011 at 0% interest.
4Rescue: The LR3 weighs in at about twice the weight of the JKU. It is also much more top heavy. Trust me, it was "lumbering and huge" compared to the experience driving the JKU. While, yes, it did have way more HP than the JKU, at twice the weight, the perception of off-the-line start is almost the same. But yes, she most hated the graphics. You were for sure not going anywhere in that truck incognito! And just so you know- we had owned 3 LR3's and 3 MKIII Range Rovers. The JKU loses the luxurious feel of the Range Rover, but It doesn't lack many of the creature comforts, and I was able to purchase both JKU's for the price of a new RR and have money left over!
The "tech" is in no way confused. He was able to share with me some internal documents showing some of the troubles with the 3.6 verses the 3.8 that has been tried and true. What I kept rationalizing was - for years the 3.6 has been the standard. It is a big improvement in the 95' disco I had been driving and towing with- along with much more reliable, and finally the incentives to take the 2011 verses the 2012 sealed the decision for me. (it also helped that in researching, the AEV's are holding their own in keeping value for re-sale).
Also, when I started down this path, the 2012 Procal had not come out, and I wanted to make sure I could run the larger tires and gearing without the worry of computer syncro being off.
D
ps: I typically do not buy a new model change the first year it comes out. This is usually the "work the bugs out" year. (this holds true for just about any type of technology, ie: cars, computers, tvs, etc.)
You would have to have seen Hitari w/ John Wayne to find that amusing.
