Sahara vs. Rubicon?

[DaveL]

My neighbor drives an H2, all tricked out with bigger wheels and tires. Nice vehicle. He never takes it off pavement. So what? The one thing the Wrangler has going for it is that it is still unique amongst a see of homogenized look alike vehicles where you can't tell what it is without looking at the nameplate. That alone is enough justification to drive a Wrangler. I don't care if you get a Rubicon for a trip to the spa and that's all you ever do. Your Jeep your call.

There is nothing like a Wrangler. Whether you mod or not. Whether you wheel or not. It's ALL good!

I never liked the phony H2's :D The H1 is the real deal I'm attracted to exploring the other benefits of the Wrangler it's just that I work far too many hours right now and have a Ferrari that I'm restoring and have not worked on it for 2 years so when I get time, I'll be spending it on that

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[TJ2018]

I never liked the phony H2's :D The H1 is the real deal

Couldn't agree more! Came across an H1 up in the snow a couple seasons back. Even the H1 struggled in the sloppy slushy snow with all 4 tires chained. Gave up and turned around. Though in my defense I did pull out a full size Chevy 4x4 with my lowly Pro-4X that day.

 

[Sean L]

Can't go wrong with that choice! Given your intended usage that's arguably your best move. Even if / when you decide to take it off-road the Sahara is PLENTY capable off road (just see @Sean L s pics on this thread https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/jeep-humor-waiting-room.4525/page-10016 ).

Yeah. I was thoroughly high centered in those photos, so probably not the best example.

That being said, that was only the most difficult part of Dickey Bell, and I did just fine trying that obstacle from a slightly different line. Saharas are great Jeeps, fun off road and they make a good daily driver for sure!

 

[TJ2018]

Yeah. I was thoroughly high centered in those photos, so probably not the best example.

But it was so AWESOME nonetheless! Looks like you all had an obscene amount of fun on that trip!

 

[DaveL]

Couldn't agree more! Came across an H1 up in the snow a couple seasons back. Even the H1 struggled in the sloppy slushy snow with all 4 tires chained. Gave up and turned around. Though in my defense I did pull out a full size Chevy 4x4 with my lowly Pro-4X that day.

It's pathetic if the H1 could not go thru that snow - look at the clearance under it. My BMW 335 xi could go thru that

 

[Sean L]

But it was so AWESOME nonetheless! Looks like you all had an obscene amount of fun on that trip!

It was great! I will be going back there soon!

 

[TJ2018]

It's pathetic if the H1 could not go thru that snow - look at the clearance under it. My BMW 335 xi could go thru that

Pics make it look nice and easy. In reality the sun came out and was melting it all to horrible slush. The H1 could pretty much go where it wanted but anything short of that and you were struggling.

 

[Sean L]

It's pathetic if the H1 could not go thru that snow - look at the clearance under it. My BMW 335 xi could go thru that

Operator error... the HMMWV shouldn't have any trouble with that... unless there's a solid sheet of ice under that snow. lol

 

[TJ2018]

Operator error... the HMMWV shouldn't have any trouble with that... unless there's a solid sheet of ice under that snow. lol

There was indeed. It had gone through several melt-freeze-melt-freeze cycles. 40s - 50s during the day, freeze at night, snow on top of that, snow, melt, repeat. I would think twice under those conditions even with the Jeep.

 

[Sean L]

There was indeed. It had gone through several melt-freeze-melt-freeze cycles. 40s - 50s during the day, freeze at night, snow on top of that, snow, melt, repeat. I would think twice under those conditions even with the Jeep.

ugh, okay, so kind of like what we get here... Pretty snow thats a sheet of ice after a day...

 

[spaghettipie]

Also, I ask to satisfy my curiosity. I don't understand getting a vehicle that's build for a purpose then not using it for said purpose, so I (genuinely) just want to know why he wants a Wrangler. I would ask the same of someone getting a giant crew-cab long-bed pickup and then only using it to drive to an office job and never to tow or haul anything.

Since you 'genuinely' want to know... I can only give you one answer - my personal reason:

I've seen the same question when buying sports/exotic cars and not tracking them. Sometimes you want what you want, and if you can do it without adding headaches to your life or others - go for it! Some don't have a passion for cars in the same way as others, and don't get the 'looking back at it when you walk away' thing. Cars & Coffee and other car culture events are filled with vehicles that were painstakingly built or purchased that will not be used for any other 'purpose' than enjoyment by the owner whatever that means to them. It might mean racing/tracking them, rock climbing, car crushing, staring at it in their garage and wiping it with a cloth diaper, bringing it to shows, talking to other people about them, making others smile when they see it, using it as a daily driver - anything!

The Wrangler is a unique animal. Hard to find 2 people that cross-shop the same set of vehicles when considering a Wrangler purchase. For me personally, I looked at/test drove a Mini Countryman ALL4, Porsche Macan, Audi Q5 & the Toyota Rav4 before committing to the JL. The Wrangler is iconic, has a cool factor to it, and even if it could be argued that the other cars/SUV's on my shortlist were 'better' in a lot of areas for what we will use it for, I (and my wife who will be driving it more than me) wanted the JL more - good job FCA! You continued to make a vehicle that can rock crawl and go mudding stock, that can be used as a daily driver, that is attainable by many (as they sell zillions of them), and that looks really cool stock, mega modded, and everything in-between. It's a car that I know when I park it and walk away, I'll look back at it and smile a little bit. Heck, I smile when I see other Jeeps on the road even if I'm not in one!

Reading his comments, I have similar requirements to DaveL, and similar expectations out of my Jeep. Northeast winter month driving, the occasional beach driving in the summer, and easy wooded trails. Basically taking over those duties that I have been doing with my current GL, and did with my previous ML's before that. For my intended use, the Sahara fit the bill better than the Rubicon primarily because of the set and forget 4WD and LSD, and the seamless start/stop with the BSG. They don't offer the Moab for 2020 (yet), so I did put Rubicon take-off's on it for the better tires. If they offered the Rubicon with a full-time 4WD option & BSG, I might have been more tempted.

Not pushing my reasoning on anyone else, just giving you at least one answer to your question!

-Spaghettipie

 

[TJ2018]

The Wrangler is a unique animal. Hard to find 2 people that cross-shop the same set of vehicles when considering a Wrangler purchase.

Actually one of the most frequent cross-shopped vehicle is the Mustang. At first I laughed at this notion until I realized that I in fact did cross shop the Wrangler with a Mustang GT. Wrangler won hands down.

The Wrangler / Mustang thread was started by @multicam and can be found here if you're interested:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...the-jeep-wrangler-available-in-the-u-s.30925/

 

[DaveL]

So, I'll add that at the end of last winter I had started giving some thought to replacing the 335 Xi this winter as the miles are getting high and I'm putting money into it. It's just time to move it along.

My first thought was to find a used X5 BMW. Then I started to DD my Maserati and all thoughts went away until a couple weeks back as summer is coming to an end. I started looking at X5's and other SUV. I could not get the least bit excited about them. I remembered taking notice to a few Wranglers over the summer - a girl who works across the street from my business has one, I see it often not to mention you can't go 1/4 mile without seeing one

So, I started paying more attention and I just love that tank, Hummer H1 look and the fact that it's very utilitarian. I think it will be the perfect addition to my Maserati and Ferrari's as it's very different and it will serve a very good purpose for me.

I've decided to go for new because I know I will have this at least 5 years, likely more...

Frankly, I never thought I would own another America vehicle and honestly, I'm pretty happy that I now will

 

[Gellie]

This thread is a bit confusing (to me). Is the Sahara better in the snow than the Rubicon? I’m coming from a 10 JKU. To a 19 Rubicon. Thanks.

 

[TJ2018]

This thread is a bit confusing (to me). Is the Sahara better in the snow than the Rubicon? I’m coming from a 10 JKU. To a 19 Rubicon. Thanks.

Both are quite capable in the snow. The Sahara has the option of full time 4x4 so you don't have to worry about going into and out of 4x4 on mixed surfaces (you should not drive a normal 4x4 t-case on dry pavement). The Rubicon can handle it, but you'll need to go into and out of 4x4 as conditions change.

So IMHO the Sahara would have a minor advantage if you travel on snowy/slippery paved roads if you have the full time 4x4 package. While the Rubicon will require more driver involvement on mixed surfaces. I don't know if the Rubis lockers would offer much advantage except under extreme conditions but it could.

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