I don't get the Sahara

[ThirtyOne]

So hear me out. The Sahara is maybe the street Wrangler, or sometimes referred to as the more luxurious Wrangler.

But if you look at the 2021 order guide there is barely anything you can get on a Sahara you can't get on a Sport. And the few things you can't (body colored fenders, body colored top) you can get on a Rubicon.

At this point the trims don't make any sense. It's not that a Sahara is bad, it is that the things that would make the Sahara a meaningful trim don't come standard. Leather seats, safety packages, premium soft top or body color hard top, headliners, alpine, 8.4 infotainment, LED lights. These should all be standard on the Sahara.

As it is they have to offer everything they offer on a Sahara on a Rubicon because Rubicon owners have to get whatever they want. Otherwise they pout.

Ideally, Jeep would have three core trims:

Base - Like Sport today
Mid-Tier - Like Sport S today but with a better name
Luxury - Sahara with the standard features above

Rubicon should be an off-road package that can be added to any of the above. Truly special vehicles like the Mojave would be a trim level with its own set of options.

Tell me I'm wrong.

(Edited because I didn't realize that Selec-Trac is available on the Sport.)

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[Maverick909]

From what i get at the Sahara also have softer suspension package with most options installed. and the full time 4wd is great for snow and ice on a daily driver where most people do not want to shift into 4wd on the fly when they "need" it. I think Jeep does great with the sport/sports ( difference is only power windows and locks and a/c), Sahara, Rubicon, and now the Mojave.

 

[scottijohn63]

So hear me out. The Sahara is maybe the street Wrangler, or sometimes referred to as the more luxurious Wrangler.

But if you look at the 2021 order guide there is barely anything you can get on a Sahara you can't get on a Sport. And the few things you can't (full-time 4WD, body colored fenders, body colored top) you can get on a Rubicon.

At this point the trims don't make any sense. It's not that a Sahara is bad, it is that the things that would make the Sahara a meaningful trim don't come standard. Leather seats, safety packages, premium soft top or body color hard top, headliners, alpine, 8.4 infotainment, LED lights. These should all be standard on the Sahara.

As it is they have to offer everything they offer on a Sahara on a Rubicon because Rubicon owners have to get whatever they want. Otherwise they pout.

Ideally, Jeep would have three core trims:

Base - Like Sport today
Mid-Tier - Like Sport S today but with a better name
Luxury - Sahara with the standard features above

Rubicon should be an off-road package that can be added to any of the above. Truly special vehicles like the Mojave would be a trim level with its own set of options.

Tell me I'm wrong.

If they would have offered the full time 4 wheel drive I would have gotten a Rubicon instead of the Sahara. The export Rubicons have it as an option.

 

[SecondTJ]

From what i get at the Sahara also have softer suspension package with most options installed. and the full time 4wd is great for snow and ice on a daily driver where most people do not want to shift into 4wd on the fly when they "need" it. I think Jeep does great with the sport/sports ( difference is only power windows and locks and a/c), Sahara, Rubicon, and now the Mojave.

“Softer” suspension doesn’t make a significant difference, it’s still riding on two solid axles.

Also, full-time 4WD is now available on Rubicon. Which is part of his argument

 

[rallydefault]

Aren't there other smaller details that come on a Sahara like the side steps and chrome accents on the grill and slightly different front bumper? I'll confess I'm not totally sure either, though.

 

[SecondTJ]

I was never a fan of the “Sport S” trim name.

I think they should go back to “X” being the base trim name and just “Sport” as mid-tier

 

[Notorious]

You’re not wrong.

Go back to the YJ and there was always a discernible difference amongst the trims.

Even the TJ had differences significant enough among the sport, Sahara and rubicon trims. Ultimately, however, it was possible to factory option each model to where there were some overlapping of the models - obviously the things that made the rubicon the rubicon were not backwards orderable for the sport or Sahara model, etc.

But the differences were there.

I didn’t give much attention to the JK options but with the JL, it seems like there’s more overlap and that differences between the Sahara and Sport are not much.

 

[ODDs]

So hear me out. The Sahara is maybe the street Wrangler, or sometimes referred to as the more luxurious Wrangler.

But if you look at the 2021 order guide there is barely anything you can get on a Sahara you can't get on a Sport. And the few things you can't (full-time 4WD, body colored fenders, body colored top) you can get on a Rubicon.

At this point the trims don't make any sense. It's not that a Sahara is bad, it is that the things that would make the Sahara a meaningful trim don't come standard. Leather seats, safety packages, premium soft top or body color hard top, headliners, alpine, 8.4 infotainment, LED lights. These should all be standard on the Sahara.

As it is they have to offer everything they offer on a Sahara on a Rubicon because Rubicon owners have to get whatever they want. Otherwise they pout.

Ideally, Jeep would have three core trims:

Base - Like Sport today
Mid-Tier - Like Sport S today but with a better name
Luxury - Sahara with the standard features above

Rubicon should be an off-road package that can be added to any of the above. Truly special vehicles like the Mojave would be a trim level with its own set of options.

Tell me I'm wrong.

I've been pondering the same thing.

When I bought my wife her Sahara in 2019, the trim levels were more defined. There was a lot of things you couldn't get on a Sport that could only be had on a Sahara or Rubicon. But now, almost everything that I wanted that required me to get a Sahara can now be had on the Sport, and for a good deal less money.

So what is the Sahara then? A luxury model? Well, what makes it a luxury model? Silver spray paint on the grill and bumper inserts!

Almost everything else can be had on other trims. Sky One Touch top, LSD, 8.4 headunit, and even the Sahara bumper is on the sport now.

If there are going to keep the Sahara as the luxury model, they need to make the exterior truly special. Get rid of that cheap spray paint, and perhaps offer true brushed aluminum bits to match the wheels. Get rid of that Nissan bumper and offer the steel bumper from the Rubicon. Do something different with those plastic side steps. Maybe a more significant logo than just those small SAHARA letters.

Or just make the Sahara package another special trim package of the Sport like the Willys is.

 

[jessedacri]

“Softer” suspension doesn’t make a significant difference, it’s still riding on two solid axles.

Also, full-time 4WD is now available on Rubicon. Which is part of his argument

Yeah, my stock Rubicon honestly feels like it rides softer than my buddy's stock Sahara, both on OEM rubicon KO2s - we've traded Jeeps on the trail and off during our trips and both feel this way. I think the stock Jeep suspension on all the trims aren't all that much different from each other aside from the slight additional height the rubicon suspension provides.

 

[aldo98229]

FCA has its head up its butt. Psychologists determined long ago that humans more easily remember things in groups of threes.

But Jeep seems determined to destroy the 3-level trim structure that for decades helped shoppers navigate through the Wrangler lineup. There are now 15 different "editions," not counting number of doors, top choices, engine and transmission combinations. This is why those new to Jeep keep coming on here, totally overwhelmed, asking for help with what to buy.

With 350+ models on the market to choose from, it is to the automakers' advantage to FACILITATE consumers' shopping process, not make it harder than it already is.

Throwing everything at consumers to see what sticks is the lazy man's way to running a car company.

 

[ThirtyOne]

If they would have offered the full time 4 wheel drive I would have gotten a Rubicon instead of the Sahara. The export Rubicons have it as an option.

It is offered on Rubicon for 2021.

 

[word302]

“Softer” suspension doesn’t make a significant difference, it’s still riding on two solid axles.

Also, full-time 4WD is now available on Rubicon. Which is part of his argument

Wait, they're offering full-time 4wd in the 4:1 transfer case now? That's news to me.

 

[word302]

FCA has its head up its butt. Psychologists determined long ago that humans more easily remember things in groups of threes.

But Jeep seems determined to destroy the 3-level trim structure that for decades helped shoppers navigate through the Wrangler lineup. There are now 15 different "editions," not counting number of doors, top choices, engine and transmission combinations. This is why those new to Jeep keep coming on here, totally overwhelmed, asking for help with what to buy.

With 350+ models on the market to choose from, it is to the automakers' advantage to FACILITATE consumers' shopping process, not make it harder than it already is.

Throwing everything at consumers to see what sticks is the lazy man's way to running a car company.

GMAB man. Show me on the doll where the order guide hurt you.

 

[word302]

It is offered on Rubicon for 2021.

Nice. Still wouldn't be my choice but options are nice.

 

[scottijohn63]

It is offered on Rubicon for 2021.

That's awesome. Glad they made the change!

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