Noob asks: Soft top or hard top?

[johngottfredson]

So, I've never owned a Wrangler, so no experience with this question. I've got a bronco on order, and can get it quicker if I go soft top. Being summer, I like the no top, no doors concept, or at least the quick deploy fold back open-top driving option.

Would I regret the soft top come winter? I plan on keeping my truck around for that, but maybe I'll still want to bust out the bronco at any time, any season.

Please advise.

- Confused in Alpine

 

[Greg]

Hard top > Soft Top any day of the week, IMO. Hardtop will keep you cooler/warmer & have less wind noise than the soft top.

 

[Hickey]

I like both tops for different reasons. Get the hardtop. It's much more expensive to get later, and you can get a bikini when you want to be top less.

 

[RockChucker]

I’ve only ever had a soft top for my Jeep. And half doors with soft upper windows. For me it has been fine. But the windows get scratched and foggy and generally suck after a few seasons. If I were to buy a Jeep with the intent to drive it daily, I’d say go for a hard top. The biggest bummer about a hard top is storing it when you take it off.

 

[AaronPaige]

Soft tops are lighter and make a difference in the top heavy feel, I have soft and hard tops for both Jeep’s, I like wheeling with a soft top best, less creaking noises when flexing and I don’t worry about damage but yes storage is a down side.

 

[Kevin B.]

But personally if I could only have one I'd go for the soft top in a second. What's the damage if you get the soft top Bronco and order a hard top on the side?

 

[johngottfredson]

But personally if I could only have one I'd go for the soft top in a second. What's the damage if you get the soft top Bronco and order a hard top on the side?

It's a $700 cost for hard top from the factory, speculated at being much more later on. Which is a mystery when that might even be, as it's a new ford product and the after market will be a while catching up.

My thought was maybe the soft top would be ok for third car usage. But I think my desire to get a quicker delivery might be clouding my thoughts on this, which is why I brought it before the quorum. It does seem easier to get a soft top later. Car washes will be simpler, and since this won't be garaged the hard top is probably the better default, with a Bestop aftermarket solution for summer.

 

[Unimog]

If it is going to be a daily driver, hard top, hands down. Also, if you are planning on driving it year round, hard top first, then get a soft.

 

[Tonkaman]

Will the dealer sell you a soft top now and order the hardtop as an “accessory” with that discounted price?

 

[johngottfredson]

Will the dealer sell you a soft top now and order the hardtop as an “accessory” with that discounted price?

That's a good thought, I'll see what they say. It was his idea to do that, but it's hard to know the timing and cost (with the hard tops as the bottleneck in production, it will be a while until they have surplus units to sell separate.)

 

[jeeper]

I read a news story that said because of the hard top shortage Ford will let you get the soft top now, and will install the hard top prep kit for free. That way folks will be more willing to wait for their hard tops to get built.

I had a soft top in high school. I froze all winter. I loved it in the summer with doors off and having a shaded cover. However, I didn’t have a/c back then.
I’d go hard top and a/c hands down now.

 

[rholbrook]

Trick question. I have always had hard tops but for reasons stated above but I can also see where a soft top would be nice in the "I think its going to rain hard moment. Storing a hard top sucks but you can lift them up out of the way.

 

[Bart]

I run the hard top in the winter, and the soft top in the summer. Soft tops suck for long distance traveling.

 

[mbryson]

I've driven the "standard" JKU soft top (I had a "sailcloth top on a 2 door JK that was REALLY nice) to Rubicon from SLC and back. By a decibel meter on my phone, the "standard" soft top was only 2 decibels higher than my hard top. Bonus points on the soft top not leaking like the "freedom tops" in the hard top. For me, it's a tough call. Soft tops are not secure at all but I like them better. Then again, how "secure" is a Jeep hard top?

 

[Mouse]

Never had any hardtop leaks in our JK or JT (not counting the rear window, very slight leak in the gladiator)

 

[carlojip]

If I need to pick one, I would choose the hard top first.

 

[johngottfredson]

Decided on hard top 😎

 

[TRD270]

How’d it pull the 5th wheel?


😂

 

[Hickey]

View attachment 139896Decided on hard top 😎

Those new Broncos look great! 😂

 

[jeeper]

Those new Broncos look great! 😂

I'm just impressed that it pulls the 5th wheel.