How much or what level of off-roading does it make sense to go Rubi over Sahara?

[RubenZ]

This may come as a shock to you but there are actually people out there who can comfortably afford one and want the best looking and most capable trim. Whether they "need" one is up to them, and they certainly don't have to justify it to people barely squeezing into a Sport. Life's not fair is it?

True,

But in this case the OP is practically saying he just needs it for snowy roads. Guys could be on here saying they only drive down gravel roads and Rubi owners will convince them they need Rubi’s. Why not just be honest to the individuals asking for guidance. Like I stated, if they have to ask chances are they will be fine with a sport or Sahara.

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[viper88]

A lot of people might not admit it. I have to be honest. With the exception of true hard core rock crawlers. I bet a lot of people choose based on aesthetics and convenience options. I am guilty of that myself. I love the looks of the Rubicon wheels, higher fenders, added ride height, hood, interior. I also wanted the 8.4" Infotainment, LED lights, proximity entry and other options only available on Rubicon's or Sahara's when I bought. At the end of the day I bought a Rubicon because I liked the unique style over a Sahara. As a pure utility vehicle a base Sport would get me into the remote areas I need to get to for fishing. But I really enjoy seeing my Rubicon at the end of the day.

 

[OnlyOne]

that kind of thinking is why FCA is jacking up the prices of Rubicons. Too many Jeep owners buy what they’ll never use. Lol.

No. Supply and demand did. You don’t need a wrangler, so by your logic FCA is jacking prices because you wanted one too.

 

[BRuby]

No. Supply and demand did. You don’t need a wrangler, so by your logic FCA is jacking prices because you wanted one too.

Yep. Many online reviews say to just get a Rubicon vs trying to build something close to one. But everyone has their own way - and that is perfectly fine. So just do whatever makes you happy. No need for anyone to insult others for decisions they make.

The OP noted price is no object. So he should simply get whatever makes him happy.

For most Rubi owners posting in this thread - it is pretty clear they love theirs. Ours is crazy good. Especially in major harsh snow conditions. Which is why we bought ours.

 

[OnlyOne]

Where do people come up with these numbers?

They make up whatever number that helps them justify their thought process.

 

[BRuby]

For those that say or imply that a Rubicon is not very good in snow. That is complete BS. In my testing vs LSD - the Rubi rules. Put chains on this Rubi and it will track and go like a tank. No BS.

 

[Strommen95]

This may come as a shock to you but there are actually people out there who can comfortably afford one and want the best looking and most capable trim. Whether they "need" one is up to them, and they certainly don't have to justify it to people barely squeezing into a Sport. Life's not fair is it?

Maybe heed your own advice? What somebody wants or needs is up to them. Suggesting owning a Sport means you're barely getting by or can't afford better is silly. A comment like that is very telling about a persons insecurities. Bill Gates doesn't wear designer clothes

 

[Strommen95]

Is the Rubicon worth $4000-5000 over the Sport? It's all up to the buyer. If they want it it is and if they don't it's not. It's honestly that simple.

There's value in buying a vehicle that performs and looks great off the showroom floor. There's also value building a vehicle exactly as you want. Nothing wrong with either choice. Reality is all Jeeps are awesome. I'm grateful they're available.

 

[viper88]

But in that case just buy lockers for about 1-2 grand instead of paying 15+ grand extra for a Rubi.

A warranty is worth something. It's nice to have a new car warranty covering stuff.

 

[viper88]

Is the Rubicon worth $4000-5000 over the Sport? It's all up to the buyer. If they want it it is and if they don't it's not. It's honestly that simple.

There's value in buying a vehicle that performs and looks great off the showroom floor. There's also value building a vehicle exactly as you want. Nothing wrong with either choice. Reality is all Jeeps are awesome. I'm grateful they're available.

I am grateful we have as many choices as we do. The more options-editions the better. Everyone can pick and buy what they want.

 

[entropy]

Most people even those who offroad would be perfectly fine with a sport and a few mods. BUT you wont have a rubi sticker and lockers are expensive if you want to add them in the future. Lockers are overkill for snow/gravel/dirt, just get a good set of tires and youre good to go. I use chains and I have LSD, zero issues on snow.

 

[viper88]

Most people even those who offroad would be perfectly fine with a sport and a few mods. BUT you wont have a rubi sticker and lockers are expensive if you want to add them in the future. Lockers are overkill for snow/gravel/dirt, just get a good set of tires and youre good to go. I use chains and I have LSD, zero issues on snow.

Yes. Totally agree.

Dedicated winter tires are absolutely, by far, the best improvement for snow and ice. No question. Most important is not traction to get you going. It's the traction that helps steer and stop you.

ANY Wrangler with decent tires will do fine as long as you use common sense and do't try challenging the laws of physics. I owned a bare bones base Sport TJ with half doors and soft top. No limited slip, no brake locking differential, no traction control or abs, nothing. It even had the crappy 2.5 4-banger. I had good snow tires on it during one of our worst snow storms. I drove that thing through some of the heaviest record braking snow we had in the Chicago area with no issues. Drove it through the winters year after year for over 140K miles. I hardly ever used 4X4 at all if the snow or slush was less then 3". Most of the time I used 4H when I was snowed in or when plow trucks plowed me in. Snow was up to the hood at times. I'd go into 4H, climb out, and usually switch back to 2H for 99% of the time. I'd maybe drive in 4H if the streets were not touched by plows. Usually the City plowed after a few days. Oh, I'd also use 4H to climb serious plies of snow to park. So yeah, ANY Wrangler with decent winter tires will be good. I even made it through 5-6 years of Chicago winters with good AT tires. Full disclosure, Chicago is dead flat, no hills or elevation changes. Your milage may vary.

 

[BRuby]

I went up to our local mtns to go skiing and SB 3x this past week. Early morning first on the lifts ie. unplowed roadways up before plows and salting. Over 3’-0” of accumulated snowfall. The Jeep in 4H alone killed it with stock KO2s. Zero slip. Crazy good traction. Just make sure you have the 3PSF designation.

So ANY JL has this capability! Whether Sport or Sahara or Rubicon. In most cases this is what most Jeep users will ever require. So be comforted peeps we ALL have a great snow vehicle in 4H you can be super proud and confident to own.

Anyways be safe and have fun driving your JL. We ALL have a great snow 4x4. Remember that. That is 100% for sure. No BS. Jeeps rule in snow. Lockers are not required for this. LSD is not required for this.

Hey also thanks for all the likes.

 

[jespey]

if she won't take the Rubi out when it's raining, how is she going to let it splash through puddles? Mine seems to have some kind of magnetic draw to deep puddles after it rains

We took the Rubi in the rain today.
Wife: You drove thru that puddle on purpose!
Me: I was just trying to clean the undercarriage
Wife: S***head.

 

[Jcsieman]

Wow this thread really blew up. I want to thank everyone for the input they have given, as it has given me a better view and ideas of what each model has to offer. I still haven't decided on which I will pick but will be looking and test driving the Jeeps this Monday to get a much better feel of them.

To add some of the things that came up and were asked, I don't have a budget limit for the vehicle, I can go with either one comfortably. With that being said, I don't see myself doing much in terms of modifications to it. That's just simply a path I don't think I should take, because I can see myself dumping an endless amount of cash if I start doing that .

As I mentioned before, I do a lot of camping and do hit snow sometimes in the mountains, but it has never been anything I couldn't handle with a 4WD vehicle and some chains. And this is on roads that have been paved and plowed in national parks. The one thing (though I am sure there are several) that keeps me thinking on the Rubi is the lockers, even though I do know I could add them to the front of the Sahara as someone mentioned.

But in either case though, whether I get a Sahara or Rubicon, I do plan to get a winch added, which from what I am reading also means replacing the front bumper, which I am okay with. To me that just seems like a very good addition to the vehicle for if it or another vehicle gets stuck. Plus it gives it that very rugged look

I haven’t seen anybody talk about a very small (but important) feature for the Sahara... the gap behind the back of the rear seat is covered by a nice pad when you lay the seats down. I’ve slept in my JLUS a few times not and that’s a standard feature that comes with the Sahara and not the others that nobody ever talks about. That’s not more important than lockers of the Rubi, obviously, but point being there are some comfort touches the Sahara comes with that the Rubi doesn’t. If it’s a daily driver and you aren’t doing rock crawling, Sahara all day.

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