2016 T Force versus a Jeep Rubicon

Guys...I had my mind set on a Jeep Rubicon until the T-Force came out. Anyone done a comparison of both vehicles to identify the adv and disadv of both. Just test drove the T Force and it was excellent. Only downside I saw was not having the option for leather.

Appreciate your thoughts....

 

Price for T Force?

 

I didn't know of the T Force but based on this article, https://outdoorx4.com/news-and-events/toyota-announces-2016-4runner-tforce-special-edition/, I would just wait for the 2017 TRD OffRoad.

My friend just bought a Rubicon HardRock. It has both front and rear lockers, disconnecting sway bars, and rock sliders. It's also $45K after discounts.

 

Both vehicles are super capable off road obviously , but the Rubicon is superior if you're looking for stock off road capability from the factory ... front and rear lockers , electronic sway bars , and BFG KM2's . The Rubicon has the clear edge , I've seen them do nearly everything my big built 2nd gen 4Runner can do ...

For me, the interior space, reliability reputation, and strong resale value of the 4Runner would lead me to go with the 4Runner though , and it's debatable if that T Force package is worth the extra $5,000 for some sliders , a roof rack and more aggressive tires ...

 

https://www.toyotaofgrapevine.com/n...-4Runner-d82073b90a0e0a6b278b2504dc3aaace.htm

$42,771 MSRP. Pretty good initial discount. Still rather have a Trail Premium for a lot less.

 

I'm not going to be happy until the 4runners comes with full lockers and detachable sway bars from the factor and true 33 inch tires and no shit real armor under it.

Blue

 

Just another input for OP...perhaps the closest T4R to the Rubicon is the Trail with KDSS (or the 2017 OffRoad with KDSS). If you get this trim, you just have to add sliders and a front locker, and trade-in the stock tires for KO2s or KMs depending on what type of offroading you're going to do.

 

The Rubicon Unlimited is literally right behind T4R in resale so that's really not a point in it's favor. Reliability, quality of ride on road sure are.

I own a T4R Trail Premium, and would rather it over the TForce because of locker.

If you're going to be on the trail all the time just get the Rubicon. If you like the look of the Jeep, get the Rubicon. If you have to take those doors off, get the Rubicon.

If you are on the road most of the time and want to bust trails with the best of them in stock form, but want a nice interior, smooth ride, and a classier feel, get the T4R.

My opinion is shifting, as I had my heart set on a Rubicon Unlimited until I bought my wife this Trail. Here's an example:

Went to beach this weekend to do a 20 mile run along the beach, it's an old washed out road that a hurricane destroyed in 1988, so it's become a popular trail. I went with 2 other Jeeps, a Sport and a Rubicon, both unlimited. One had doors and roof off, other was fully enclosed. Mosquitoes ate up the Rubicon, driver constantly applied sunscreen and still ended up mildy burnt. Was worried about someone stealing his Yeti while we went inside for a bit (he moved it to my truck).

The Sport did just fine, but all panels were on.

I rolled down rear glass, moonroof, and all windows. It was literally somewhere in between the Jeeps. When the sun got bad, moonroof closed. When the bugs got bad, windows up. When the we stopped to eat, truck was locked up safely.

None of us had any issues really, I never even needed to engage my locker or MTS, and I was using the craptastic Dunlop AT20's that come with the T4R Trail.

My point is that all 3 variants did just fine. The Rubicon and the Trail have more ways to get out of a bind (Lockers, Atrac, MTS, CC for me, and dual Lockers for the Rubi). The Sport has not really any of it, and in a bind, one of us would have helped him out.

On the way up there I got 20mpg, AC on, radio jamming. On the trail the Jeep would have probably been more fun but we all had a good time. It was, however, hard to communicate with the Rubicon because it was too loud outside for him to hear us on the radios.

 

Quick question on the AT20's. Are they worth keeping on the Trail for say 30k miles?

 

I went to an off road park with them and i went up hills, through mud, over rocks. They actually did pretty well. Ride on highway is quiet and decent. I hate to say yes, because I want some KO2s like yesterday, but yes...

 

Thanks. I have some brand new Michelin LTX AT/2's on the truck I am trading in. I was trying to decide if the $120 fee to swap them was worth it.

 

The TForce is an option, not a trim. It's $5000, and can be added to a few different trim levels. I just leased one to my sister and it looks great. I think it's added at the port. The Wrangler is more off road capable, and both have great resale. The Toyota will be much more dependable in the long run.

 

We traded our '15 Wrangler Altitude JKU for a '16 4Runner Trail in September after the JKU let us down on an off-road trip in British Columbia. It was a minor thing but, if the passenger got out to take photos, they could not get back in until the door was opened from inside, by the driver. A bit iffy in grizzly country! So, rather than drive 50 miles to the Jeep dealer, we stopped at our Toyota dealer, only 22 miles from home, and owned our 4Runner Trail 2 days later. It is, far and away, the better machine for 2 old timers who still like to hit the trails. - Ted'n Betty

 

Besides the '15 Wrangler Altitude JKU, with it's rock rails & height was much harder to climb into. I really like the 4Runner's running boards.

 

No

 

WAY overpriced IMHO.

 

Did you buy yet?

I ask as I own both, well, I own a 4th gen 4Runner and my wife has a Wrangler Unlimited Sahara and we both owned multiple Jeeps before.

I'll say this, ride is no comparison. The Wrangler from the factory is stupid capable and can go anywhere without any mods - Rubicon anyway - but it gets rocked by the wind bad, wind noise at 80mph with cruise is fucking downright annoying, and the room is cramped especially in the back, with the car seat in you have to push the passenger side seat almost to the front. The upgraded alpine stereo is nice but doesn't hold a candle to even the bottom of the barrell 4Runner stereo simply due to the lack of noise. But taking the top and doors off is worth it sometimes. The mileage is a wash - we have the 6 speed manual and the pentastar is a great engine and doesn't lack for power anywhere. On our several road trips to North Carolina and back and through the mountains we averaged - even with mountain passes - around 22 mpg and keep in mind the Rubicon is geared for the 32" tires and aggresive tread it comes with, and even adding 35's to the stock 4.10's your not wanting for much power, a simple canned tune and your good to go, mileage will of course drop substantially with the the tires.

With all that being said, when it comes time to load up for a trip, we ALL prefer the 4Runner, more room in the back, more stable on the highway, the front and rear seem balanced - the Wrangler feels a bit tippy at 80mph with the cruise and passing semi's on the highway really moves the rear of the jeep around alot and points out the balance difference between front and rear. The IFS on the 4Runner owns on the highway, and honestly we have put my old 4Runner through WAY more than the Jeep. When the Jeep Truck comes out - if it's not hideous I may consider buying one, but I'm a fairly hardcore off-roader and the truck bed - even if small would make it a serious consideration for me.

A well optioned Rubicon will cost what a Limited or even Pro 4Runner cost, and just FYI, the resale on both is a wash, they both hold thier value, actually here in Florida the Wranglers hold thier value better than the 4Runners. I just bought the 4Runner a few months ago, and i drove all the newer trucks/SUV's but I just wanted something I didn't mind dumping money into and taking off-road, so i went with a lower mileage 1 owner 4Runner, who cares if it gets scratched and the road manners are Awesome. The jeep gets better mileage than my older 4Runner, the new 4Runners for me are not as attractive as the 3rd and 4th Gen's but to each thier own.

We just went out of the warranty on our 2014 Wrangler, never a problem - now 400 miles out of the warranty we get our first check engine light, it's an oil sensor, haven't checked into the sensor but I don't expect it to be very expensive.

I don't think you can go wrong with either, but over the life of the jeep, and over the life of the 4Runner, from the time you drive off of the lot, the 4Runner will increase it's mpg and it's power during the break in, the Jeep is what you will get from the day you drive off the lot. Meaning mileage and power never improved over the life of the break in for us. I bought a new 4Runner with the 4.0 back in 2004 and the mileage and power increased over the first 6000 miles. You can honestly feel confident buying either one, but the Jeep will be better off-road and aftermarket parts are around the same, but you will still need a front locker, and some heavy mods on the 4Runner to get as far stuck as you can get really really stuck in a stock rubicon;-)

If you drive on-road 75% of the time the 4Runner will treat you better, and if you want leather the Classio or however you spell it and katskin leather are perfect fit leather covers and are a better leather quality than what come factory, it's fairly cheap as well - cheaper than getting as a factory option;-) With those you can retain the stock seat covers off the vehicle, and sell or put back on when you go to get rid of it, just food for thought for you.

 

Another thing to add, the Entune System is FAR better than the upgraded Jeep Alpine setup - you also get a backup camera, the Wrangelrs do not come with it and honesty to add it is a PITA. We have the top of the line DVD/NAV/touchscreen in the wifes Jeep with the large hard drive and I can't stand it, the Entune is WAY better. I guess the breakdown tis the Jeep is Rugged capability, the 4Runner is refined capability. Good luck and you'll enjoy it no matter which way you go

 

We traded our '15 Wrangler JKU Altitude on a '16 4Runner Trail and lost a bundle in the trade. It was worth every penny! The Trail, even with its Goodyear Duratracs, is much quieter on the highway, rides much better, more manoeuvreable, corners better, much less wind and road noise, less affected by X-winds, much more inside storage, much better nav, more reliable, etc. Other than that, there's not a lot of difference; ha! ha! - Ted

 

You were right about everything but the nav. Entune is pretty bad and I just use Google Maps instead. If you ask it to take you through Dallas, Houston, or any major city with constant road construction, prepare for disappointment. Google maps updates on the fly.

Otherwise, the 4Runner is simply a better built vehicle, even more so than my Tacoma.

 

I avoid major cities like the plague, but the nav in our Trail is still 100% better than the crappy setup that came in the '15 JKU. It was truly useless. That said, we also have a 5.5" Garmin glued on the dashboard as a backup. I'm a belt and braces man myself! - Ted

 

I recently totally reset my nav and deleted my bluetooth from the truck and the phone, due to constant locking up. Quite aggravating. Wait until it starts doing it in your new TE.

I bought a Garmin 57 ($100 at Wal Mart) and that thing is fantastic. It's like a million times better than the OEM nav, and it never locks up. I never use the GPS to route me to places, I use a map for that. The GPS just makes it easy to see where I am at any given time. I especially like the elevation being prominently displayed, because I'm a nerd for seeing how high and low I get as I roam the mountains.

It's actually fucking sad that a $100 Garmin is so much better than a dedicated nav system designed and installed by the car manufacturer.

 

Not gonna read every post but I vote T4R all the way. You can't beat the reliability. My friends thought it would be cute to pick me up awhile back in a jeep since they know I hate them, long story short it broke down and I got the last laugh.

Ah if only the engineers loved us as much as they did the Land Cruiser 80s. Full lockers with 4 link suspension...

 

What did you end up with?