For many adventure vehicle fans, the 2016 Jeep Wrangler Sport will be more than enough. You just want four-wheel drive and nine inches of ground clearance so you can hit those broken roads. But the Rubicon Hard Rock Edition is worth a look, too.
Key Points
- The 2016 Jeep Wrangler is offered in four main trim levels. The stripped-down Sport, the modestly-upgraded Sahara, the luxury-light Rubicon, and the even-better Rubicon Hard Rock Edition.
- All four trims come equipped with the same 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine and six-speed manual transmission, while the Rubicons upgrade the SUV’s Command-Trac 4WD system to Rock-Trac.
- Wrangler Sahara adds power windows and locks and an HD suspension, but costs $3,000 more, a price hike that isn’t justified. The same goes for the Rubicon, which is $1,000 more than the Sahara.
- The Sport and Rubicon Hard Rock Edition offer the best overall value, with the Sport being an ideal utilitarian adventure vehicle, and the Hard Rock giving you the most upgrades for the price.
Entry-level 2016 Wrangler Sport Delivers Everything You Need for a Backroads Adventure
The Sport is the entry-level Wrangler, but you don’t need to worry about missing out on the full Jeep experience. All four trim levels share the same 3.6L Pentastar V6 with a six-speed manual transmission, and they’re all 4WD with Command-Trac in the Sport and Sahara, Rock-Trac in the Rubicons, and hill-start assist.
This trim level is listed at a fair market dealer price of around $27,000 on Kelley Blue Book. That may seem a bit high for an SUV that’s over five years old by now, but that’s to be expected with a Wrangler. While these vehicles have a reputation for expensive repairs, they inspire a remarkable level of brand loyalty. No matter how many miles you’ve put on it, you can always find a buyer for a used Wrangler, so prices tend to stay a bit high.
The Sport is fully loaded with everything you need for the weekend, but the interior is pretty entry-level. Cloth seats, a single 12v outlet, very basic stuff. But you do get a leather steering wheel with mounted speed and audio controls, and the eight-speaker sound system is decent.
Of course, the appeal of a Wrangler is in the sheer performance and all-terrain freedom it allows, not the creature comforts. So the Sport might be more than enough for you.
2016 Wrangler Sahara Adds Modest Upgrades Like Power Windows and Locks for Not-so-modest Price Bump
You can expect to find a Sahara in the $30,000 range at most dealers, according to KBB. For $3,000 over the Sport, you’re getting Sahara embroidered seats and power switches for the windows, locks, and rearview mirror in the interior, and a heavy-duty suspension with gas shocks underneath.
The gas shocks are the real draw here. So if you were planning on a custom job with a lift kit or something, you’re basically paying $3,000 for power windows, in an SUV where you were probably gonna detach the doors.
On the used market, you grab whatever deal you can find. If you can get a Sahara for the same price as the Sport, get the Sahara. But at $3,000 over the Sport and $1,000 below the Rubicon, you’ll probably want to skip this trim level. The Sport’s standard suspension is more than tough enough to get the job done, and the upgrade doesn’t quite justify the price bump.
2016 Wrangler Rubicon Offers a Fair Upgrade for the Price, but the Hard Rock Edition is Even Better
The Rubicon’s fair market price is somewhere in the area of $31,000 on KBB. The Rubicon comes with a performance suspension and upgrades the 4WD system to Rock-Trac, which darn near turns your mud tires into a set of legs, plus adds heated seats with Rubicon embroidered upholstery, and all the power switches you get in the Sahara.
Worth another $4,000 over the Sport? Maybe. But again, we’re going to recommend skipping this one simply because the next trim level up is an even better deal.
The Hard Rock Edition Rubicon includes everything you’re getting in the Rubicon, plus a power dome hood, steel bumpers, nine Alpine speakers with a weather-proof subwoofer, black leather seats, and voice-operated Uconnect. All for just another $500 over the standard Rubicon.
Sport and Hard Rock Rubicon Wranglers Present the Best Value by a Wide Margin
If you’re buying a 2016 Jeep Wrangler, you’re going to get the best value by going to one extreme or the other. Get yourself a Sport, pull the doors and the top off, and hit the woods and creeks in your stripped-down adventure-mobile. Or, splurge on the Hard Rock Edition and blast that premium sound system from the comfort of your heated leather seats.
Simply put: the Sahara doesn’t add enough features to justify the price bump, and while the Rubicon is a fine upgrade, the Hard Rock goes above and beyond for just $500 more.
Photos: Stellantis
