Help me decide: Sahara or Rubicon

[jack snakeskin]

Rubicon.
Reasoning: Rubicon.

All jokes aside though, I’m not impressed with the wheels or chromed out look of the grill and bumper on the Sahara. Rubicon all the way! Plus, you won’t have to do a lift or change wheels/tires and will get a much better looking vehicle.

what is the ground clearance difference between stock rubi and stock sport/sahara?

Sponsored

 

[Indio]

Why I didn't buy another Rubi? I had issues with the electronic sway bar disconnect failing. It's a common issue. The motor and circuitboard are prone to water intrusion and subsequent failure. Beauty is - with the computer system in the JK - the truck would shut down randomly and drain the battery if it sat too long. It was mayhem at the end.

Replacement of the ESD circuit board and possible motor was a $1200 part. I pulled it apart and tried to get it going with a good scrub and cleaning. Tried two times with no luck.

I figured the electric lockers would fail eventually too. Just mileage alone. They worked fine the few times I used them.

The sort of thing you mentioned with the sway bar disconnect, would put my blood pressure over the top in terms of cost, and gives me pause in buying a new Wrangler. I know myself well enough for that. While I can afford a new Wrangler no problem, I just don't roll that way in terms of how I spend money, and would be an erupting volcano faced with that sort of repair bill, lol.

Anyway to the thread starter, Rubicon seems a waste if the vehicle will not be taken off-road. Maybe go with Sahara or even Sport model and use the money saved to jazz it up a bit. Wait for a deal on new tires and wheels you like. A problem with Sport model though is no leather seat option if that is desired.

Also one key body difference between Rubicon and Sahara/Sport models, is the location of the front fenders. The front fenders on the Rubicon look to be mounted higher than on the other models. Not sure about that look, although reserving final judgement until viewing the models in person.

On a related note. Real adventure requires real risk. Otherwise it is "fake news", lol. I would highly encourage persons buying Rubicons to go out and have real adventures in them. Forget about the fantasy stuff. Go off road exploring and put some dents in the vehicle!

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

As someone who has had All 3 models (2 JK Sports, 2 JKU Saharas, 1 JKU Rubi) and rented many variations thereof also, I would say Sahara, because the suspension alone feels better for daily driving and soft-roading.

However it does get a bit more jiggly (throw you side to side) when you do more serious off-roading where there is very uneven terrain. And the 4:1 vs 2.72:1 TC will mean nothing to you, and won’t be useful unless you are doing serious off-roading or steep hill decents, same with the Axle ratio, which won’t be a big deal either way, but depending on tyre size may get you a very small boost in either responsiveness or fuel economy, but essentiall both are less of an issue for you.

All the other creatures comforts you can essentially get on both, so it’s similar there, and you plan on removing the tyre difference too, so even that doesn’t matter.
And to be sure you can soften the springs on the Rubicon to make it a bit more Sahara-like while maintaining the Rubi shocks.

I would make a recommendation if you’re NOT buying ASAFP and can wait a few weeks, then maybe 2 strategies...

First, wait until the launch to find out all the info about the two following very beneficial aspects for your specific use-case;

• Selec-Trac, it will be the perfect transfer case, and the CV joints will be perfect for your type of DD + SoftRoad scenario, although being in StLouis, the snow-ice aspect won’t matter as much, unless the Blues need you to take over for a broken down Zamboni.

• See when the Special Edition JLs will arrive (usually Winter) and what they offer as usually a Sahara+ model, they usually have some nice tweaks on the typical Sahara, and may get you some of the currently Rubicon only features, and usually adds some nice design touches and colours too.

If you need to get it right away, then a Sahara seems like the right fit for what you’re doing, but I would wait for a little more info on all the near-term variations, especially as there is likely to be an SE Rubi too (may just be decals).

I’m truly torn between the two, because my JKU is my DD and Long-trek overland+highway vehicle (15,000KMs / 10,000miles in 5 weeks this Summer), and it also needs to be able to do serious off-roading for when we setup Ski races in the late Summer through Winter, navigating tough terrain.

So I’m waiting for the Selec-Trac Pentastar+BSG ‘whatever it will be called’ with all the off-road options I can add, next Summer.

* One final thing thing to consider, the Sahara has the worst resale of all models, the Base Sport and Rubicon have the highest. This may change with the model-exclusive Selec-Trac, but we shall see.

Although this matters less the longer you plan on keeping it, as you pass the 5yr mark they all start just becoming ‘old Wranglers’, and are judged based on unique features more than trim level and capabilities, and if you hold on to it for a very long time then resale is a moot point.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

Also, another thing to consider...

If this is your 50th Birthday present to yourself, and you plan on keeping it to about your 60th birthday, then get the one that everytime you see it, YOU think..

“ I LOVE My Jeep !! ”

That may be more of a look & feel thing than a feature & capability thing perhaps.
And what may work for me or others, might not work for you, and in the end You want That feeling for a purchase of that significance.

Sure that’s all Hallmarky-mark , but everyday I see & ride in mine I have a Big Stoopid Smile on my face.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

what is the ground clearance difference between stock rubi and stock sport/sahara?

Likely about 1/2”, due to slightly stiffer springs and due to the extra 2/3” tyre diameter.

The current unknown is the effect of the slightly different axles on ground clearance , regular Sport & Sahara keep D44 but change the front, whereas the Rubicon & Sahara Selec-Trac get new axles at both ends.

 

[robplumm]

Also, another thing to consider...

If this is your 50th Birthday present to yourself, and you plan on keeping it to about your 60th birthday, then get the one that everytime you see it, YOU think..

“ I LOVE My Jeep !! ”

That may be more of a look & feel thing than a feature & capability thing perhaps.
And what may work for me or others, might not work for you, and in the end You want That feeling for a purchase of that significance.

Sure that’s all Hallmarky-mark , but everyday I see & ride in mine I have a Big Stoopid Smile on my face.

I think this is more key than anything.

Walking out and seeing the Jeep makes you smile...then you have the right one.

I bought the JKUR because the plan was to move back to CO (my last duty station before I got out...). Now almost 6yrs later I'm still on the east coast of VA where the Rubicon doesn't do much good. But unless they start letting us buy some of the off road goodies in a Sport model, the next one will be a Rubi as well. Not that it's necessarily the best for my current situation overall, but it's the one that makes me the happiest and gives me the most options if they're needed when/if we take trips out to the western part of the state into the mtns.

And the resale/trade in on them is pretty great. Last check...mine's still in the $27-28k range...not bad for a vehicle I walked out the door for less than $32k for.

 

[Matt The Hammer]

Likely about 1/2”, due to slightly stiffer springs and due to the extra 2/3” tyre diameter.

The current unknown is the effect of the slightly different axles on ground clearance , regular Sport & Sahara keep D44 but change the front, whereas the Rubicon & Sahara Selec-Trac get new axles at both ends.

My Sahara Chief has the same tires as the Rubicon. For that matter, so do Willys, etc that run the BFG MTs. The Rubi has the slightly taller springs - but that's it in additional ground clearance. Maybe you could get into the different shape of the axle pumpkin... but that's splitting hairs.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

My Sahara Chief has the same tires as the Rubicon. For that matter, so do Willys, etc that run the BFG MTs. The Rubi has the slightly taller springs - but that's it in additional ground clearance. Maybe you could get into the different shape of the axle pumpkin... but that's splitting hairs.

Your tyres are a Special Edition anomally, we’re talking in general Sahara vs Rubi, and yes you can likely add the future stock Rubi 285/70/17s to anything, but “typical Rubi to typical Sahara” the tyres will be 2/3” taller on the Rubicon than on the standard Sport & Sahara. Talking about adding Rubicon features to other trim levls is more hair splitting, as would any other non-typical items, like a 2” lift on a Sport... etc.
I didn’t mention the Recon or RedRock as my examples for the same reason, the published FCA numbers will be based on typical Rubi vs typical Sahara, what you or FCA does outside of that is an unknown variable that you account for individually.

The axles are more than just the pumpkins, their mounting points, Cs and associated geometries are also different than the previous D44 setups, so there are a lot of unknowns about their implications at this time.

As I said, that’s the likely difference, and the likely reasons, your mileage may vary, but using Rubi feature upgrades as the justification is just changing what the trim level means.

 

[STL J-Hawk]

Also, another thing to consider...

If this is your 50th Birthday present to yourself, and you plan on keeping it to about your 60th birthday, then get the one that everytime you see it, YOU think..

“ I LOVE My Jeep !! ”

That may be more of a look & feel thing than a feature & capability thing perhaps.
And what may work for me or others, might not work for you, and in the end You want That feeling for a purchase of that significance.

Sure that’s all Hallmarky-mark , but everyday I see & ride in mine I have a Big Stoopid Smile on my face.

Thanks Grape....good advice as always!

Thats the thing...I want a certain look with my Jeep, and yes I will keep it for a while. I want leather, and I want the upgraded audio and 8.4 screen... I want something that looks like I want it to, but is also fun to drive everyday.

I plan on waiting until at least Jan/Feb to purchase, so no rush on that end...even though I am getting extremely impatient!

Edit to add....This is the look I want and would put a big ass grin on my face for sure!

 

[YFD_322]

Are they going to have a 2 door Sahara? I know originally they said no but did they change yet?

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

But unless they start letting us buy some of the off road goodies in a Sport model, the next one will be a Rubi as well. Not that it's necessarily the best for my current situation overall, but it's the one that makes me the happiest and gives me the most options if they're needed when/if we take trips out to the western part of the state into the mtns.

Yeah, I totally get that, I still miss the Rubicon features for the ~3 weeks of Rubicon stuff I do a year, but I just couldn’t give up the Baja for a pedestrian JKUHR, although I searched coast to coast (using the internal system) for a Baja or Sunset JKUHR, closest match was a no-feature Baja Rubi in Brampton. So I got the Aspen-X and am happy with my choice.

What I would recommend for your situation is to also keep an eye out for a nice Slec-Trac Special Edition (possibly the next Winter Edition), it might be better suited for your VA ice-storms and such, but hopefully will get you a lot of the Rubicon styling features. That’s my hope, because definitely I want Selec-Trac & the CV joints, but I also want good sliders/rails, bumpers, etc. Easier to add some of the Rubi features to a Selec-Trac Sahara, than to try and Slec-Trac to a Rubi+.

And the resale/trade in on them is pretty great. Last check...mine's still in the $27-28k range...not bad for a vehicle I walked out the door for less than $32k for.

Yeah, mine was assessed at $850 less than purchase price when it was written-off 3yrs 4mths and 75,000kms after I purchased it.

Even a year after I bought it I got a call from the dealer with an offer for $1000 more than I paid for mine from someone who wanted a JKU Rubicon in Dozer, and of course could no longer buy one, and that was at about 20,000KMs , but I couldn’t get rid of my smile-making machine without a worthy replacement out there too.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

Are they going to have a 2 door Sahara? I know originally they said no but did they change yet?

Still a bit of an Unknown, as it was stated as being 2dr-only early on, and appeared that way in some earlier internal literature and spreadsheets, but recently a 2dr Sahara trim level has popped up in other grids & spreadsheets.

I have a feeling it’s either gone, or export only (where for some areas the Sport trim level doesn’t even exist), but it could still be offered if they guaged some negative feedback.

We’ll find out in a few weeks.

 

[Craigy]

Rubicon just for the looks.

I will probably never go off road, but if I'm spending Sahara money, might as well get the Rubi. I'd honestly prefer the selec trac and could probably count on one hand how many times I'd expect to engage 4L, but the Rubicon just looks more like a Jeep should look, more aggressive. And it's getting more prominent with the JL.

If I wanted to save money I'd just get the Sport. Sahara is sort of a no-man's land for me.

 

[Phenomenon]

I don't really like the looks of the new Sahara. Rubicon all the way.

 

[ricku]

I currently have a 2016 2dr Willys Edition. It's sort of one step below the Rubicon as far as off road stuff. I love it.
I just hope they have that edition right out of the gate for the JL. I will have one !

Sponsored