Going to test drive Rubicon vs Sahara today need some opinions

[elcue]

Hello all I'm new here. I've had a 1999 TJ that I sold about 3 years ago so im not new to Wranglers but this will be my first daily driver. My wrangler was a second car and I had an Acura MDX as a primary. Used the wrangler for occasional off roading and kept it down at the shore house with top and doors off mostly just for cruising down there. So fast forward and two kids later I miss my Jeep. Been reading reading reviews how these are so much more improved on the pavement Im considering getting one as my primary car. Couple questions I have are: I'm used to AWD from driving the MDX and my current infiniti QX80 is the Sahara worth getting over the Rubicon just for that? I never drove the jeep in heavy rain and im worried about having a rear wheel drive all the time now especially with kids. Also if anyone has had both can they comment on the ride quality on highway driving vs Sahara and Rubicon. I will find out a little today but a little test drive isn't going to tell me much. Is the Rubicon much rougher ride? I don't see myself off roading much especially with kids now but I just love the Rubicon look and I will be changing the Sahara wheels and tires anyway so might as well just get the rubicon. Im just really apprehensive going from AWD to 2WD as a daily driver. Any thoughts will be appreciated thanks.

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[BillG]

Drive both, buy whatever you like and can afford. Rubi is fine as a daily driver. As far as rear wheel drive, your acting like that’s a death trap or something. They’re fine. Adjust your driving style .

 

[elcue]

Drive both, buy whatever you like and can afford. Rubi is fine as a daily driver. As far as rear wheel drive, your acting like that’s a death trap or something. They’re fine. Adjust your driving style .

You're right I'm probably overthinking it. They way I have them both built is same price so that's not much of an issue. Thanks

 

[jeremyjeep]

Hello all I'm new here. I've had a 1999 TJ that I sold about 3 years ago so im not new to Wranglers but this will be my first daily driver. My wrangler was a second car and I had an Acura MDX as a primary. Used the wrangler for occasional off roading and kept it down at the shore house with top and doors off mostly just for cruising down there. So fast forward and two kids later I miss my Jeep. Been reading reading reviews how these are so much more improved on the pavement Im considering getting one as my primary car. Couple questions I have are: I'm used to AWD from driving the MDX and my current infiniti QX80 is the Sahara worth getting over the Rubicon just for that? I never drove the jeep in heavy rain and im worried about having a rear wheel drive all the time now especially with kids. Also if anyone has had both can they comment on the ride quality on highway driving vs Sahara and Rubicon. I will find out a little today but a little test drive isn't going to tell me much. Is the Rubicon much rougher ride? I don't see myself off roading much especially with kids now but I just love the Rubicon look and I will be changing the Sahara wheels and tires anyway so might as well just get the rubicon. Im just really apprehensive going from AWD to 2WD as a daily driver. Any thoughts will be appreciated thanks.

You aren't over thinking this at all. My suggestions - Be sure to take both the Sahara and the Rubicon during your test drives on busy highways, get up to full highway speed for a decent amount of time, windy roads, neighborhood driving, etc. Also, it would be good to re-trace your daily commute between home and work with both for a real-world test drive. And be sure to check the air pressure via the menus on both and that they match the door jam before your test drives. You will get a completely different driving experience vs the over-inflated amounts.

 

[elcue]

Yea I hope to get a good ride in. Its actually pretty crappy here in north jersey today with wind and rain and the sales guy asked me to re schedule. I told him no this is pretty much what I want to see how the 2wd is in not perfect pavement vs the AWD.

 

[Snowjeep]

Yea I hope to get a good ride in. Its actually pretty crappy here in north jersey today with wind and rain and the sales guy asked me to re schedule. I told him no this is pretty much what I want to see how the 2wd is in not perfect pavement vs the AWD.

Let us know how it goes, I'm interested to hear. I'm in the greater Seattle area so we're well known for our wet weather LOL. I've been considering a 2019 Rubicon but I currently drive a 2010 Honda Ridgeline with All Wheel drive and it's a dream around town on slick streets. I hadn't considered the downside of the rear wheel drive Rubi vs the Sahara all wheel.

 

[Bubba33]

I put in 500 i

n mine to get it to look like this. Rubicon wheels and tries with 50 miles on them for a 1000, sold my Sahara wheels and tires for 800. RC 2.5 lift with shocks. I didn't need the rubicon, and its low gears and locking differential. Mine wont be doing no rock crawling though.

 

[Shooting or Jeeping]

Like anything, AWD is preferred if you want a daily, bad weather driver. It’s less thought and compensates for the human component.

That said, I lived in KC for years and had a RWD Tacoma, FJ and JK. All were fine for most bad weather. When it got real bad- I popped it to 4wd. I also had AWD on my subis and the wife’s RAV. Honestly, it just comes down to your driving style and vehicle. If you are a heavy braker/gas person- AWD is better for you. If you are more bad weather adapted and you maintain your vehicles, you really don’t have to worry about the JL not being AWD. The weight distribution and suspension will handle most everything you’d drive in easily.

And of note- you can get a Sahara without AWD. Mine is. Frankly, I’d rather have the choice anyway. It’s more Jeepy that way.

 

[Shooting or Jeeping]

I put in 500 i

n mine to get it to look like this. Rubicon wheels and tries with 50 miles on them for a 1000, sold my Sahara wheels and tires for 800. RC 2.5 lift with shocks. I didn't need the rubicon, and its low gears and locking differential. Mine wont be doing no rock crawling though.

Yep, the Sahara is a great platform that somehow gets overlooked!

 

[MACCTM]

I loved how the Rubicon looks but my budget, daily driving needs, and off roading needs (along with a very creative salesperson) led me to a Sport S with some immediate aftermarket upgrades including leather. After I bought it I had the Rubi shocks and springs installed along with take off Rubi tires and wheels.

That said, I've always swapped my Sahara and Sport JK shocks to the Rubis. I've noticed they ride better meaning more firm for better handling. The rumour was that Rancho makes them. Not confirmed. The Rubi tires will be firmer given they are all terrain. I drove my new Sport S for about a week prior to the shock, spring and tire changes. There is a slight difference in ride but I mean slight. I came from a 2018 Ram Longhorn 1500 and the first few days I knew I was now in a Wrangler again. Three weeks out I've already forgotten.

Bottom line, I got the look and features I wanted and saved $8K over the Rubi. I've done some pretty hairy wheelin' in my 2012 Sahara with a slight lift and M/Ts so all models are very capable.

Buy what you need. Looks can be changed. Mods happen. Here's my set up.

 

[elcue]

Thanks for the replies. Those Sahara’s with the upgraded wheels and suspensions look great. I’m at dealer now so I’ll see how it goes.

 

[TheLion]

I went the Sahara route as well. I completely get the logic of the Rubicon guys, but honestly I'd never use it to it's potential so I'm buying stuff I'd rarely, if ever use, so I went with what I felt is safer and more enjoyable (more options) for me for a little less price. I will off road it, without question, but not to the point where I'd *need* a Rubicon. The Sahara is more than capable of a lot of stuff and I'm getting a winch installed as a backup if I do something dumb. My prior Jeep wasn't a Rubicon, and I never got stuck off road.

 

[Thrive]

My 2 cents after owning a 2013 Rubicon 10Th Anniversary and having to sell it then to buy my second Jeep now I learned better what fit my needs vs “looked badass.” I loved leather and Rubicon features but hated the 2H RWD bus’s in the northeast. Hated how the seats burned the shit out of me when I had too and doors off.

My second Jeep is now cloth and Sahara with full time AWD. I wheel pretty much never. Drive on the beach 4-5 times a year and otherwise 100% road with inclement weather and snow.

 

[elcue]

Well I just left the dealer and I can say driving my 1999 vs either of the JL was night and day. First I drove the rubicon and all my concerns with the all wheel driver were non existent. It was rainy out but more of a drizzle than the downpour earlier and it drove perfectly fine. I drove it like I would drive any car and it was ok for me. Couple puddles from the heavy rain and no concerns. Again this was a 20 minute ride. It had the hard top on and got a little noisy at around 70mph but no way near what I used to hear. Road noise from the aggressive tires wasn't too bad either maybe I was expecting worse. I had general grabbers on my last one. The sahara really didn't feel much different to be honest. Same amount of wind noise. As for the AWD I really couldn't tell but I also didn't encounter any situation where it may have made a difference just light rain basically. The rubicon felt a little more tippy than the sahara. Nothing to where I got nervous but taking the same turns trying to replicate each test drive the sahara gave the feeling of little more secure around turns. THe sahara didn't have the all terrain tires either they were the all seasons prob why was a little quieter but not by much. I think in my head I had the impression that the rubicon was this big bad rock crawler machine, but it drove very well the short time I had it. I think I would give a slight nod to the sahara during my test drive but i'll probably end up with a rubicon mostly for the looks. I would have to order one no one local had anything close to what I want. That could take 6 weeks to deliver so I'm just going to wait for a 2019 model. Dealer said I should have it by December. I'll wait the couple months longer to have a 2019.

 

[jjonesx86]

I was in a similar situation after doing a bunch of internet research and reading forums. I was sure I wanted the Sahara for the selec trac AWD. I live in the Northwest where we get a lot of rain but not that much snow and I've gotten use to full time AWD. I didn't want the rougher ride of the Rubicon and was worried about the RWD having spent a lot of time in trucks that like to spin out on hills in the rain. I had already found a take off Rubi suspension, take off Rubi wheels/tires, etc.

Then I unplugged and actually went to a dealership for half a day to do some real world research. After driving both and spending more time than I care to admit, just sort of staring at them, my choice was pretty obvious and I drove home in a Rubicon. I was going to spend a lot more in the end to buy a Sahara and turn it into a "Rubicon", all for AWD. I was already planning to buy the suspension and wheels/tires but I was surprised that I also added the high fenders and replacement rock rails to my list. I didn't like the running board look on the Sahara. After a few hours of driving, I didn't feel any downside to the handling of the Rubicon, it actually felt better to me for some reason or at least just as good. I could get the rear tires to spin in rain but no where near as easy as a pickup given the better weight distribution. Do I wish I had an AWD option just for peace of mind...yes. But it turned out to be much lower in priority than I expected and so far no regrets. Cheaper also given how many items I had planned to swap.

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