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One Confusing part of the Rubicon vs. Sahara question.

8flat

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Sorry but that point you referred to was extremely ignorant, Everything mechanical Wears out or Breaks eventually including Lockers and electric swaybar disconnects. As well his less then 50K hours is Fake News. Regardless it is a relativly low cost maintenance repair and even a DIY repair. With that said just google "Rubicon Locker Problems" there is a lot to fail.

Look all these rigs are subject to excessive maintenance from sport to Rubicon.

It still boils down to the OP's question about the difference and it is simple The main difference between the Rubi and the Sahara is Lockers 4.10 ratio, Swaybar Disconnect and factory lift (which many replace anyway) oh and about a $5K difference, Sahara has Command Trac, LSD

That's it in a nutshell, Unless you are running trails like Hells Canyon at Moab lockers are not nessasarily a good choice for you where as Command Trac and LSD can run circles around Rubis in other off road or road condition senarios. It is personal choice and or needs, ego is not a valid response...

For me Rubicon was not an option simply because they are too heavy to tow behind most Gas Motorhomes which is why we bought the Sahara since it is lighter, plus we have no plans to rock crawl and our winch will get us out of more situations than lockers would,,,
Are you saying a clutch-based limited slip is better than a mechanical locker like an Eaton locker used in chevy pickups? wow. OK.
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8flat

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I bought a Sahara. I wanted a loaded Jeep with stick shift and a black interior. It'll be on-road almost entirely. What kept me from getting the Rubicon was simply the red interior. I just couldn't do it. And i wanted nothing to do with an aftermarket hack job. Also, to build the Rubicon the way I built the Sahara would be about an extra $3,000 ($50,050 to $53,100), AND I wouldnt have the interior I want OR the limited slip that i want. If I could have configured the Rubicon wiht the black leather interior, i probably would have considered paying a little more for it solely for resale purposes. I took Rubicon wheels/tires and put them on the Sahara and is looks awesome.

Alternatively, if the MOAB came in stick, i would probably have been tempted to pay even more for that one. At the end of the day, i LOVE the black/black interior color combo, don't care to pay $3K more for an interior i like less and for rubi mechanical parts that are invisible to me.

I love the Sahara. It looks amazing with the Rubi wheels. I get all the things I want, none of the things I dont... and I saved $3K. It was a no-brainer decision for me. I only have 500 miles on it so far, but i absolutely love it. i come from the sports car world (porsche 911, bmw m3) and the wrangler is such a cool chance of pace. so much fun to just drive around town. i can carry the whole family. so far, loving it!
Saharas are nice. I like the dash way better also. I was really going back and forth on which one to choose, it was a tough one!
 

lightsout

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Are you saying a clutch-based limited slip is better than a mechanical locker like an Eaton locker used in chevy pickups? wow. OK.
I am one is saying one is better than the other, they are two different systems of traction, I am saying that while LSD may have a maintenance cycle so does every other mechanical component on a wrangler. Look it all depends how and how frequent they are used. It is so subjective that it is really a moronic discussion.
 

Outdoors55

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Not to say the LSD is good or bad, I will attest that I donā€™t one that didnā€™t have it and had no issues in the snow here in Chicago this winter. So if anyone is on the fence or finds a unit on the lot that doesnā€™t have it I wouldnā€™t lose too much sleep about it.
 

Niteshooter

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Sahara's are for soccer dads

If you want a mans Jeep it comes at a premium
A ā€˜manā€™s Jeepā€™ would be a CJ5, AMC 304 V8, 3 speed manual, no power brakes or steering, lifted with off road tires and home made tubular bumpers..... ;)

cj5front.jpg


CJ5back.jpg
 

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My last wrangler was a Sahara. It broke in all of the places that are different in a Rubicon over the 160k miles that I had it. I got a Rubicon this time around. Lesson learned.
 

kkuntz01

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Sahara's are for soccer dads

If you want a mans Jeep it comes at a premium
Not going to sugarcoat it, dumbest response in the history of dumb responses.





In a nutshell everyone "thinks" they need a Rubicon to go off road when the reality is that any Wrangler is fully capable for the vast majority. Think about what you plan to do with your Jeep. If you're going to be doing serious rock crawling or wheeling where having a the additional things a Rubicon comes with will be useful, then pony up and get the Rubicon. If you're not sure or only planning initially to do light off roading, get the Sahara. The beauty of owning a Wrangler is it doesn't matter what model you purchase, they're all super capable and if you do buy a Sport or a Sahara it can be always be built into something that would put a Rubicon to shame...
 

mgroeger

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Sahara's are for soccer dads

If you want a mans Jeep it comes at a premium
Dang, I thought the Rubi DBs had died down but apparently not.

Without realizing just how hard we were going to offroad this we bought a Sahara for my wife. It didn't take long before we realized we should have gotten the Rubi because of the rock crawling and trails we have been hitting. Is what it is now and we are building what we got because we aren't going to go upside down and trade in for a Rubi. We are still hitting some heavy trails and having a blast and on top of that we know we are hitting more trails and obstacles then most pretty mall crawling Rubis out there.

If owning a Rubi defines your manhood you must be compensating for something else.
 

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shakooza

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I find the difference between the Jeep community on-line and the "in person" Jeep community to be strikingly different...In the real world it doesnt matter which model you drive, you get a Jeep wave. In the real world if you are stuck or broken down, the Jeep community will pour out of the hills to assist. In the real world the Jeep community loves to talk about mods and trails, etc. There is community....

BUT on-line - If you dont own a Rubicon or have this mod or that mod you are garbage. The internet does strange things to people...It huddles groups of people of a like mind together, then subdivides them again and pits them against one another. Its really is nothing like real life.
 

jdthird

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LOL on that Kia video, at 1:17 you can see where they pulled the bumper loose on the right rear when the angle was exceeded. :)
 

Calexb

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Real world answer here: Ask your wife which she would rather see you in. I thought I would be buying the Sahara (like I had 22 years ago about the time I married her). She was impressed with the ride quality in the Sahara and I loved the auto 4WD like we had in our cars. She loved the look of the Rubi more for me - she liked that it was less common and had a commanding look to it. She thought I should throw conservatism to the wind and live a little. The ride quality was similar to the Sahara and manual was available. I bought the Rubi and I love it. I will probably never rock crawl in it and that is ok. I know I paid for more than I need since it is my commuting car. If I just wanted to commute, I would have bought a Hyundai Sonata. I like the car and I like the way I feel in the car - and I am not compensating for anything. I am 49 and I bought it because that is what I liked. We are all at different points in our lives. In my life, I am at the Rubicon.....
 

xtopherm

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I was looking at an online build of a Jeep with everything that I wanted from a Sahara, the LED lights, the 8.4 inch Uconnect and the cold weather group. In British Columbia, Canada a 2019 Sahara comes to $62,192 CAD after sales tax.

A 2019 Rubicon is $67,850 CAD, so a $5658CAD differences, It seems like the extra equipment and capability of the Rubicon is worth much more than that price difference so why would someone want a Sahara over a Rubicon when it seems like you're getting so much more for your money? What options or capability does a Sahara have that you can't get with a Rubicon?
Get a Sahara and enjoy it on the road - the auto 4wd and limited slip rear differential and creature comforts are great. If you later decide to do some off-roading that is beyond the capabilities of the stock Sahara, put a small lift, bigger tires and a single *front* locker on it. A Jeep with a front locker and a rear limited slip is going to be almost as capable as a Jeep with two lockers. It is certainly going to be capable of some pretty serious trails. That way you can have your Sahara cake and eat it too should your Jeeping progress to more serious trails. (Caveat: just don't go crazy with that set up - the Sahara axles and suspension are not as rugged as the Rubicon, and a locker adds a lot of stress on the CV joints, so don't go overboard with extreme rock crawling.)
 

xtopherm

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Yeah she deff wants big tires. 5ft 2 in wife and she wants bigger tires like on my jeep lol. I know JK's really well, not as much JL's. From what I understand she would have no issue driving 35's without a lift on the new jl rubicon right? She won't take it offroad (real off road) for a long while so I know she would eventually need a lift.

the 4.1 gears work fine for my JK and 35s, so there shouldn't be a problem with the JL 4.1 and 35's I'd assume. We don't live in any major mountains like out west so the gears work fine for my jk.

Thanks for the advice btw.
Yep, 35s fit on a Rubicon JL no problem - drove one that way for a couple months before I got around to installing my lift. However, if your wife is really 5'2", keep in mind that she may have some trouble getting into the vehicle. Rubicons have compact rock rails instead of steps and even without a lift, they sit higher. Add 35s and you've added another inch. Add a lift and, well, get a step stool to leave in the vehicle...
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