I don't get the Sahara

[ThirtyOne]

So what, that is a good thing, now customers can order the Select Trac as an option on the sport or Sahara as upgrade.

They can also get a Full time Rock Trac on the Rubicon.
FCA is listening to customers.

Maybe someone wants a low option sport but wants the FT Selec Trac.

Also this means probably in 10 yrs there will be more of these T-cases in the junkyard for spare parts for people searching for them, that is a good thing.

I have 02WJ with the NV242HD FT Select Trac T-case, specifically bought the Laredo with the 4.7 and that T-case, they are very rare to find, I got lucky a few yrs back at local boneyard and found my Jeeps twin, same color and options. SO I pulled the T-case, Drive Shafts, PCM, BCM, head unit, all the switches, overhead console/EVIC and bunch of other stuff for 50$

I agree that it is good for consumers. People always say they want a la carte ordering without being force into trims and options they don't want to get the one thing they do want. The 2021 order guide is pretty close to that (other than the Rubicon capability options).

I just think it leaves the Sahara in a weird place. Because the base Sahara just isn't that nice and it is not any nicer than a Sport special edition.

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[ekohn00]

From the perspective of the owner of 2 Sahara JLU's...

The main option Rubi's have that I don't (but I would like), is the locker. Pretty much everything else can be gotten on the Sahara (or at least easily upgraded to) that I know of...

To me, the Rubicon has a stiffer suspension which makes for a less comfortable highway ride. I have taken my Sahara off road several times and it performs nicely, but the locker would have come in handy a time or two. I recently put one of the new Rubi wheel/tire combos on my Sahara and they actually ride better than the stock highway Sahara tires did...

Personally, I like the look of the Rubi, but the comfort of the Sahara...

As a fellow Sahara owner, I'd concur. would be nice to have the locker. I changed the wheels/tires to rubi take offs, and also got a better ride. Definitely a very comfortable ride for highway, and more than capable for trails in VA. Also added steel from and real bumpers....I like that took!

 

[JP29]

While the Wrangler shouldn't have a luxury trim like a Mercedes, it could have a luxury trim like a Land Rover. Still a workhorse, but with a bit of finish to it that gives it that gentleman feel. I never really understood that Land Rover appeal until spending time in South African, but I can now somewhat comprehend that appeal.

I think Jeep was on to the right approach when the introduced the Sahara trim on the YJ. Unique, more sophisticated colors. Special graphics. Special fabrics. Pockets and straps! Just more special all around.

Sigh, this just makes me wish there was a two door upgrade to a sahara styling. A well done soft top/half door combo and full leather interior...damn son

 

[future ocean blue]

Yeah they would have been better off not releasing the Sport Altitude. It is what really blurs the line between Sport and Sahara. But they have been getting closer anyway.

In 2018, you couldn't get a Sport with:

- Leather
- LED
- Sky One-Touch
- Full-time 4WD
- 8.4 Infotainment
- HD Brakes
- 18 inch wheels
- Dual USB Ports
- 115 Aux Outlet

Now you can.

so why is it you can get a JLU with the 8.4 but not a JL? 4 doors gets it but not 2 doors? i don't understand. and where oh where are the fricking half doors?????

 

[Dkretden]

I think that the only way remaining for Jeep eff-up their line-up even more will be to come out with a

Sahara Sport Altitude North Edition
and a
Rubicon Freedom Sport Altitude Edition

rumor is that they are coming, along with 12 new Editions, in 2022. The only difference between all the models will be the color of the blinker fluid Installed at the factory.

 

[WXman]

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.)

You are exactly right. The Sahara is quickly becoming a pointless model. It's even worse on the Gladiator....with the Overland you get none of the Sport's payload/towing capability, but you also get none of the Rubicon offroad ability. It's a totally useless and pointless trim level.

 

[JSFoster75]

Yeah I never said I don't like a Sahara. I think that comfort and plushness is what should make it unique. I just don't think the base Sahara really gets you there any more than a Sport S.

What options do you have on your Saharas?

My wife's has pretty much everything except the cold weather package and advanced safety.

Mine has everything she has except for leather, LED & Towing. However, I added custom LED's and the towing hitch/wiring myself.

 

[WreckEm711]

I think you underestimate how lazy and/or uninformed most consumers are. Sarahas have a reputation for being a certain type of package with more options and creature comforts, so rather than sit down with a laundry list of options and features and pick out all the dozens of things they want to add to a sport, they just say "I want a Sahara" and they know generally what they're getting, and get a special sticker to feel good about in the process. Having a trim level specifically for that is smart on Jeep's end!

 

[rallydefault]

I also think more people than not buy by going to the dealership rather than direct ordering, at least in my area. I've never custom-ordered a vehicle in my life, and I don't know anybody who has. If you're just going to dealerships and browsing what is on hand, the options checklist doesn't come into play as much as if you're gonna sit down on a computer and build one. So the Saharas on the lot very well may seem "luxury" and have lots of other options that the Sports on the lot just don't have, so to most buyers that will be a big difference to justify the price increase.

 

[ThirtyOne]

I think you underestimate how lazy and/or uninformed most consumers are. Sarahas have a reputation for being a certain type of package with more options and creature comforts, so rather than sit down with a laundry list of options and features and pick out all the dozens of things they want to add to a sport, they just say "I want a Sahara" and they know generally what they're getting, and get a special sticker to feel good about in the process. Having a trim level specifically for that is smart on Jeep's end!

I agree. I just think they should add some more base options and bump up the price a little bit. I am not against the concept of the Sahara. I just don't see how the current Sahara fits into that. It's basically a sport with colored fenders.

 

[richardya]

I think Jeep was on to the right approach when the introduced the Sahara trim on the YJ. Unique, more sophisticated colors. Special graphics. Special fabrics. Pockets and straps! Just more special all around.

This was the version that made me always want a jeep in the back of my mind as a 15 year old. I still want the wheel cover but it would be blaspehemous to put a Sahara wheel cover on a Sport S. I remember seeing 18 and 20 year olds in that Jeep with the top down durring the summer. Nothing looked like more fun. The colors screamed I am going to the beach.

 

[Sean L]

You are exactly right. The Sahara is quickly becoming a pointless model. It's even worse on the Gladiator....with the Overland you get none of the Sport's payload/towing capability, but you also get none of the Rubicon offroad ability. It's a totally useless and pointless trim level.

The Sport and Overland with 3.73 gears have the same tow ratings, and very few Sports at dealers actually have the max tow package. So the overland still isn't useless I would say.

 

[702SaharaJL]

So I had a Sahara for about a month and half before I traded it in for a Rubicon..

My Sahara was a 3.6 Manual with a soft top. It had full leather, no selc trac, and no LSD. When I went to trade it in, one dealer wanted to give me 30K on the trade and his reasoning was: "Sahara buyers want color matched hard top, automatic trans, blah blah blah on and on he went. I wound up going somewhere else and getting $34.5 on the trade and the rest is history..but it had me thinking about the Sahara..

It should come standard with full leather, automatic, selec trac, LSD, all the stuff that makes it boujee and nice. Just make it loaded standard, right under the Rubicon. If you want a la cate, you can start with the Sport and get crazy from there.

What they should do is let you completely build a Sport. You should be able to pick axles, gear ratio (up to 3.73, reserve 4.10 for Rubicon), add factory lockers or LSD, and really just get down with the options..Sport should start as it does at base level, and then everything else can be added. All these trim levels are kind of confusing when you try and see what makes each one unique. It's very intriguing though so I guess that's a good thing.

 

[ThirtyOne]

So I had a Sahara for about a month and half before I traded it in for a Rubicon..

My Sahara was a 3.6 Manual with a soft top. It had full leather, no selc trac, and no LSD. When I went to trade it in, one dealer wanted to give me 30K on the trade and his reasoning was: "Sahara buyers want color matched hard top, automatic trans, blah blah blah on and on he went. I wound up going somewhere else and getting $34.5 on the trade and the rest is history..but it had me thinking about the Sahara..

It should come standard with full leather, automatic, selec trac, LSD, all the stuff that makes it boujee and nice. Just make it loaded standard, right under the Rubicon. If you want a la cate, you can start with the Sport and get crazy from there.

What they should do is let you completely build a Sport. You should be able to pick axles, gear ratio (up to 3.73, reserve 4.10 for Rubicon), add factory lockers or LSD, and really just get down with the options..Sport should start as it does at base level, and then everything else can be added. All these trim levels are kind of confusing when you try and see what makes each one unique. It's very intriguing though so I guess that's a good thing.

Yes. One other person in the world agrees with me. Let's be friends.

 

[Sean L]

Yes. One other person in the world agrees with me. Let's be friends.

@702SaharaJL Just wait for the knife he has behind his back...

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