Well, not all Jeep owners are posers. Until this past week, I was a proud owner of a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Sahara.









I towed mine with my motorhome. It was easy to modify for this feature... and was designed to be towed (just read the owners manual for details).

I've had mine in water up to the edge of the hood. No mods at that point. The only upgrade I did later was to swap the Goodyears for Goodrich (major difference).

For serious off-road ability, my Wrangler was a much better choice than an Xterra, sorry. That's the truth. Both mine and the Rubicon use 4-11 gears. The Rubicon added lockers, and would flat leave even a highly modified X behind. Look at the difference in weight. If you don't think an extra 1000 lbs will slow you down going through mud, well, you've probably never really been in it. I swear my Jeep thought it could swim through swamps.

If you're looking for one of the most capable vehicles for off-road use, and the most supported vehicle by the aftermarket, then the Rubicon is an easy choice.

That said... I no longer own my Jeep. Why? Well, a number of reasons. Fuel economy was terrible. Never got higher than 15 MPG. HWY, city, hard top, soft top, no top, A/C on, A/C off. The 4.0L had plenty of power. But once on the hwy, it would step into O/D, and have no power. Too big of an O/D gear. Touch the throttle, it would jump out of O/D, and go like hell. But once in O/D, it was a dog again.

The newer coil suspension was much smoother than earlier models. This also increased articulation. The iron inline 4.0L is as tough as they come. Well proven. My aunt has over 300K on her Jeep, still going strong. In the year I had mine, I put 32K on it. Not a single problem.

Stock Wranglers make it through the Rubicon trail. That silly "Trail Rated" badge isn't fluff. Open the hood, climb underneath. You won't find glitz on these. Just big, clunky, hard working parts. Comes stock with Dana Axles for a reason.

I like going off-roading. But I don't go as hardcore as the Jeep was capable. It was more vehicle than I needed. I think the X is a nice blend of a very capable off-road vehicle, and a very nice hwy vehicle. Kind of the best of both worlds. Yes, the X will go some amazing places and do some amazing things. That's one of the reasons I bought mine. But even the full up version of the 4WD model isn't in the same category as a Rubicon Jeep. It isn't meant to be. Completely different market.

Chances are, if you haven't been off-roading for years, you'll likely never use either vehicle to it's limits anytime soon.

As for Jeep owners being posers. I'm sure some are. The first week I owned mine, I left permanent scars in the paint from going down narrow trails, and mud & water up to the tops of the fenders... Love my X though wink