JKU vs JLU for a daily/all around vehicle

paulevans76

paulevans76

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
York, SC
I'm hoping to get some opinions from those who have driven both and can give me their opinion on whether the creature comforts and updates are worth the additional $$ a JLU would demand. This will be my 3x/week commuter, take the kids to sports, tote the Samurai to the trail sometimes, and even wheel a little bit rig. I don't think there's anything else out there (with a removable top) that is able to tick all the boxes for under 40k. Ideally I'd love to be under 30k but I know I'll be into the high 30's if I go for a JLUR.

I really like the aesthetic updates to the JL platform, so I'm leaning toward it, but a well maintained JKU isn't off the table.

I've heard that the JK platform was simpler with less potential for gremlins and such, but now that the JL's have been around for a while, I wonder if folks are really seeing those downsides. The JK platform still seems to have plenty of aftermarket, and the JL has been around long enough that it seems like you can find whatever you want for it.

Also would like to get opinions on powertrain - the 3.6, 2.0 turbo or ecodiesel 3.0. The 3.6 seems to be the most tried and true, and I've heard a lot of folks rave about the diesel, but it comes with some obvious downsides. 2.0 turbo isn't off the table, just don't know much about it. Whatever motor, it's going to have the auto to keep the Mrs happy - I'm assuming the 8 speed in the JLU is likely a ways ahead of the old 5 speed in the JKU.
 
Not apples to apples, but I sold the jk w/3.6l and auto 5spd for a JT 3.0 ecodiesel.

For the money I'd get a jku 3.6 over a jlu 3.6. Not enough juice for the squeeze.
But, I'd take this diesel over any of the rest.
 
paulevans76 said:
Also would like to get opinions on powertrain - the 3.6, 2.0 turbo or ecodiesel 3.0. The 3.6 seems to be the most tried and true, and I've heard a lot of folks rave about the diesel, but it comes with some obvious downsides. 2.0 turbo isn't off the table, just don't know much about it. Whatever motor, it's going to have the auto to keep the Mrs happy - I'm assuming the 8 speed in the JLU is likely a ways ahead of the old 5 speed in the JKU.
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I have nothing to add, other than my thread from a few months ago might have some useful insights:
nc4x4.com

Manual Trans or Diesel Gladiator? (and Rubicon or Mojave?)

After seeing Gladiators that had a $65K MSRP now on sale for $48K, the thought has crossed my mind to sell my 1500 diesel truck and my TJ (and maybe even my car), and just consolidate down into one daily driver/truck/wheeling rig. I’d like to get a diesel with a manual, but that combo is not...
nc4x4.com nc4x4.com
 
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rockmafia said:
Go to carmax, waste their time and drive a JK then drive a JL.
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Yes! This is what dealerships and Carmax are for. It’s literally their job to let indecisive people drive cars and try to talk them into one.
 
I was able to drive one of each motor in the JLU yesterday. I have to say I like the 2.0 turbo and the Eco diesel a lot. The 3.6 is fine but it's really buzzy anytime you mash the gas since all the woopows are in the upper rpms. The 2.0 and diesel both had a lot of torque and drove pretty great.

I did find the soundbar to be very close to my head (I'm sort of torso tall) but didn't bother me while driving.

I was pretty stoked to find out that the Eco diesels all have the dana 44 or m210, whatever it is, up front no matter what trim, so that opened up some options.
 
No help with the 2.0 or diesel but I really like my 3.6 JLU. No towing experience with it, got a Ram 3500 for that.

Wish I had the extra $$ to get a Rubicon but I got a pretty good deal on my 19 Sport S back in January.
 
paulevans76 said:
I was able to drive one of each motor in the JLU yesterday. I have to say I like the 2.0 turbo and the Eco diesel a lot. The 3.6 is fine but it's really buzzy anytime you mash the gas since all the woopows are in the upper rpms. The 2.0 and diesel both had a lot of torque and drove pretty great.

I did find the soundbar to be very close to my head (I'm sort of torso tall) but didn't bother me while driving.

I was pretty stoked to find out that the Eco diesels all have the dana 44 or m210, whatever it is, up front no matter what trim, so that opened up some options.
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I'm biased because I'm a diesel fanboi, but I don't know of anyone who bought the diesel and regrets it. Most everyone who has them rave about them.
 
Well, I almost bought a diesel. One was a fairly bare bones sport with very low miles but the dealer didn't want to come off the price enough for me. Found another one last week, and yesterday finally found time to take the afternoon off of work to run down to Charleston and see about grabbing it, but when I called them, they had sent it to auction the day before 😭 It even had a tan soft top that I was really stoked on.

Instead I went to go look at a pretty well priced 2024 Willys with the 35" tire package (factory lift, big tars, BL-capable wheels, bigger axles, 4.56s, etc). It had the punchy turbo 4 which I loved, but it was otherwise a little too barebones. I made the mistake of driving another Willys with the one-touch sky top and some creature comforts and decided that would be the more responsible and convenience choice for daily driving, family cruising, and occasional trail use. So I pulled the trigger, as I am a man who makes poor financial decisions.

Here's a bad photo of it in the driveway when I got home:

PXL_20240517_013808779.NIGHT.jpg

It has the v6 which I'm still pretty underwhelmed by, but it will be fine. I couldn't find a similar model w the 4cyl within like 150 miles. The 24's have the updated dash screen and the 24 Willys basically have the rubicon suspension and axles minus the front locker and few doodads, and also come w/ 33" Falken MT's. I'm gonna throw some AT's on it and probably pass the Falkens on to the Sami.

Now I'm just mentally preparing for the ducks. Already had someone wave at me. Ugh.
 
paulevans76 said:
Well, I almost bought a diesel. One was a fairly bare bones sport with very low miles but the dealer didn't want to come off the price enough for me. Found another one last week, and yesterday finally found time to take the afternoon off of work to run down to Charleston and see about grabbing it, but when I called them, they had sent it to auction the day before 😭 It even had a tan soft top that I was really stoked on.

Instead I went to go look at a pretty well priced 2024 Willys with the 35" tire package (factory lift, big tars, BL-capable wheels, bigger axles, 4.56s, etc). It had the punchy turbo 4 which I loved, but it was otherwise a little too barebones. I made the mistake of driving another Willys with the one-touch sky top and some creature comforts and decided that would be the more responsible and convenience choice for daily driving, family cruising, and occasional trail use. So I pulled the trigger, as I am a man who makes poor financial decisions.

Here's a bad photo of it in the driveway when I got home:

View attachment 417752

It has the v6 which I'm still pretty underwhelmed by, but it will be fine. I couldn't find a similar model w the 4cyl within like 150 miles. The 24's have the updated dash screen and the 24 Willys basically have the rubicon suspension and axles minus the front locker and few doodads, and also come w/ 33" Falken MT's. I'm gonna throw some AT's on it and probably pass the Falkens on to the Sami.

Now I'm just mentally preparing for the ducks. Already had someone wave at me. Ugh.
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The skyone touch is the best top out there. With the normal tops its just too much of a hassle most of the time to put it down.
 
Bringing this back up.. I've read through the thread, and know that the 8spd is an improvement, but what about the manual? If you were getting a 3.6, 6spd, would the features of the JL justify the cost over a 3.6 JK?
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
Bringing this back up.. I've read through the thread, and know that the 8spd is an improvement, but what about the manual? If you were getting a 3.6, 6spd, would the features of the JL justify the cost over a 3.6 JK?
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I own a 6speed JLUR and to be honest the MT sucks. 1st is kinda short but 2nd isn't low enough to start in. The clutch has ZERO feedback and is kinda soft same for the shifter (reminds me of a honda.civic). The engines complete lack of low end toque pretty much makes 4lo a requirement for anything more then a steep driveway. Starting on a incline in 4wd high is either rev it high and dump the clutch or go to 4lo. Lastly mine is going in next week for the new clutch (safety recall) and a reprogramming to help the clutch survive which means reduced power making it suck more.

In contrast my good costumer has a 2022 JLU sport with the 2.0t, 8speed and what something like 3.73 gears will spin his 37's if wanted.

As far as features I will say a JL.drives way nicer then any JK. Other creature comforts is subjective
 
Really like the JLU , like them so much had to get 2 of them. Mine grey 2018 with the 3.6 wifey got blue 2020 with 2.0 turbo, sky top and all the bells and whistles. She's spoiled.
PXL_20240313_225242244.jpg
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I know seems like she just got it. Only has 31000 miles . Still brand new😁
 
I love driving both. The 3.6 well it is what it is. It's got a dynatrac lift and 37s still stock gears ( got to do something about that ) drives well runs well 168000 miles with no issues. Now the 2.0 no lift 35's has torque out the ass. Really fun to drive what I don't like about it is the engine noise , kind of diesel / sewing machine sounding. I'm still going to have to go with the 3.6, jury still out on if the 2.0 will go 168000. Guess we'll see😀
 
I've had a number of JK/JKUs (3 JKUs, 1 JK Rubicon) and a Gladiator, the first JKU had the 3,8, the rest were all 3.6. I've never even driven any of the other motors so can't speak much to that part.

The 6 speed manual and the 5 speed automatics in the JKs all got the Job done, The 8 Speed in the Gladiator is is a way better transmission though.

I also have a Ford Bronco, and that colors my opinion here as well, because of the year of the truck, not the brand.

I've now had problems with both the Bronco and the Gladiator that have left them crippled because of the ridiculous level of integration of the systems in them along with the current state of getting anything fixed, While I think that is with any car now, It's particularly relevant to your choice, and I'm going to vote for you getting a later year JKU.

The Gladiator has been relatively trouble free other than an AUX battery failure disabling the damn thing when it was relatively new, but you can't just upgrade the head unit in it, (which it desperately needs), without investing in a very expensive system designed specifically for the JL/JT, The 4wd systems in them can be disabled by a bad speed sensor...

The Bronco is the one that really colors my decision though, I really like it, Enjoy Driving it and wheeling it, and it's far more comfortable on road than any Jeep I've ever had..... But... The Stereo system is horrible from the factory, and just like the JL, you can't just buy any old head unit and throw it in there, I've spent a little over $1000 on speakers and amps just to make it sound decent. It's currently having a problem with the Sway bar Disconnect, which is disabling half the 4wd functions, and would generally take a dealer a week or more to figure it out once they can get it in. I'll fix it myself, but I could spend a couple thousand fixing it, since it's out of warranty, and I'll have to Shotgun (guess what needs replaced) some of the parts, since I don't have a parts counter I can grab one off of to test.

The Bronco is the last vehicle with this kind of integration I expect I'll ever buy, and I'm actually considering fixing the current problems, Selling it and getting a 2017 or 2018 JK 2 door to replace it as my Daily/Light Wheeler.

Taking anything (JL/JT/Bronco/New Toyota) with the level of system integration current 4wd vehicle have deep into the woods scares me.

That was a long winded way of saying... Get a low Mileage JK/JKU if you plan on keeping it for a while.
 
zuke said:
I've had a number of JK/JKUs (3 JKUs, 1 JK Rubicon) and a Gladiator, the first JKU had the 3,8, the rest were all 3.6. I've never even driven any of the other motors so can't speak much to that part.

The 6 speed manual and the 5 speed automatics in the JKs all got the Job done, The 8 Speed in the Gladiator is is a way better transmission though.

I also have a Ford Bronco, and that colors my opinion here as well, because of the year of the truck, not the brand.

I've now had problems with both the Bronco and the Gladiator that have left them crippled because of the ridiculous level of integration of the systems in them along with the current state of getting anything fixed, While I think that is with any car now, It's particularly relevant to your choice, and I'm going to vote for you getting a later year JKU.

The Gladiator has been relatively trouble free other than an AUX battery failure disabling the damn thing when it was relatively new, but you can't just upgrade the head unit in it, (which it desperately needs), without investing in a very expensive system designed specifically for the JL/JT, The 4wd systems in them can be disabled by a bad speed sensor...

The Bronco is the one that really colors my decision though, I really like it, Enjoy Driving it and wheeling it, and it's far more comfortable on road than any Jeep I've ever had..... But... The Stereo system is horrible from the factory, and just like the JL, you can't just buy any old head unit and throw it in there, I've spent a little over $1000 on speakers and amps just to make it sound decent. It's currently having a problem with the Sway bar Disconnect, which is disabling half the 4wd functions, and would generally take a dealer a week or more to figure it out once they can get it in. I'll fix it myself, but I could spend a couple thousand fixing it, since it's out of warranty, and I'll have to Shotgun (guess what needs replaced) some of the parts, since I don't have a parts counter I can grab one off of to test.

The Bronco is the last vehicle with this kind of integration I expect I'll ever buy, and I'm actually considering fixing the current problems, Selling it and getting a 2017 or 2018 JK 2 door to replace it as my Daily/Light Wheeler.

Taking anything (JL/JT/Bronco/New Toyota) with the level of system integration current 4wd vehicle have deep into the woods scares me.

That was a long winded way of saying... Get a low Mileage JK/JKU if you plan on keeping it for a while.
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Our JLU audio system was so much damn better than the Bronco. It is amazing how crap it is vs the Jeeps. Overall the bronco is better for us though. I did just put a kicker sub and kicker key in the factory location and eventually will upgrade the speakers as well. How they call this premium audio stumps me.
 
DSM Turbos said:
Our JLU audio system was so much damn better than the Bronco. It is amazing how crap it is vs the Jeeps. Overall the bronco is better for us though. I did just put a kicker sub and kicker key in the factory location and eventually will upgrade the speakers as well. How they call this premium audio stumps me.
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it's pretty laughable just how awful the Bronco stereos are, It's almost like they were trying to make them bad.

Chrysler on the other hand does an awesome job on their premium system sound, but in the JK Era, They were slow on getting new features in the head units, they still had standard double din openings, Grab a good head unit, and a Maestro interface, and keep on rocking that Infinity/alpine amp and speakers and sub.

Sadly those days are gone :(
 
The audio was one thing I didn't notice when I was buying. I would have opted for the better audio with the factory sub. It's marginal/fine but not good. I'm going to have to see if it's an easy upgrade.

Also sprung for a seat slammer to help my melon fit under the sound bar and to see stoplights with the top on. Should be installing that soon.
 
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