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Rubicon vs Sahara help me decide

bvreagan

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Ok all along this process of getting ready to put in my order I have assumed I would go with the Rubicon. I live in Las Vegas and there are plenty of trails out here I plan on exploring. I don't think I will go crazy and do any difficult rock crawling. With that said, one of my first mods will be 2.5 to 3" lift/35s. I know the Rubicon has upgraded off road capabilities but I am not sure if I am not doing super serious trails I would need that. I like that the Sahara comes with body color fenders (which was part of my Rubicon upgrade) Leather seats (not 100% sold on this...but I like the tan leather more than having the blue stitching). I added additional upgrades to the Sahara that I didn't have in my Rubicon build (front camera, proximity remote and aux switches) and I came up about 2k less than my Rubicon build. Am I crazy to think this is the better route based off of what I will be doing with the jeep? Thanks for your input.
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Crawldad

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rubicon AND 8.4 upgraded stereo. most of the rest you can change / upgrade / swap. changing the stereo will either not work right or will be missing many features, and will likely come in over $2000.
having those AUX switches as well will make life a ton easier down the line if you add electrical items.
 
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bvreagan

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rubicon AND 8.4 upgraded stereo. most of the rest you can change / upgrade / swap. changing the stereo will either not work right or will be missing many features, and will likely come in over $2000.
having those AUX switches as well will make life a ton easier down the line if you add electrical items.
All the 4xe models come with the 8.4 stereo I believe.
 

AaronTV

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Ok all along this process of getting ready to put in my order I have assumed I would go with the Rubicon. I live in Las Vegas and there are plenty of trails out here I plan on exploring. I don't think I will go crazy and do any difficult rock crawling. With that said, one of my first mods will be 2.5 to 3" lift/35s. I know the Rubicon has upgraded off road capabilities but I am not sure if I am not doing super serious trails I would need that. I like that the Sahara comes with body color fenders (which was part of my Rubicon upgrade) Leather seats (not 100% sold on this...but I like the tan leather more than having the blue stitching). I added additional upgrades to the Sahara that I didn't have in my Rubicon build (front camera, proximity remote and aux switches) and I came up about 2k less than my Rubicon build. Am I crazy to think this is the better route based off of what I will be doing with the jeep? Thanks for your input.
Sounds like Sahara is gonna do the job for ya. You're gonna do a lift with bigger tires anyway, so that built in advantage of the Rubicon is somewhat diminished. If you like the thought of sitting in those saddle brown seats, then go for it. You're going to spend a lot of time inside the vehicle. May as well get it how you prefer.

Maybe you'll wish you had the better locking diffs/heavy duty equipment for some unusual scenario but, from what you explained, that isn't likely.

If you're thinking you'll keep the vehicle for a while, get the one that does more for your daily use than for some unlikely scenario that may never happen.

That's my $0.02
 

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Xcoaste

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Drive them both of you can. 4.10 gears are pretty nice if you want bigger tires. A regear is $1500 give it take.
 

Some Random Guy

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What kind of lift are you doing? If you’re going for control arms and everything the Sahara should be great. If you’re trying to stick to spacers/springs the Rubicon will handle things better.
How do you feel about differentials? You wouldn’t have locking differentials with the Sahara. That makes it easier to get stuck even when not rock crawling.
Finally, don’t skip the proximity keys. I think that and trailer tow/hd electrical package are the 2 most regretted skips for anyone on the forum. If you go Rubicon, get them.
 

Ron93YJ

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All the 4xe models come with the 8.4 stereo I believe.
I was under this impression as well. There’s no option to add the alpine stereo to the Rubicon so I assume it’s standard. It would be odd for them not to offer it otherwise. Could be wrong.
 

Ospreyfe55

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Get the Rubicon! You'll never hear a Rubicon owner say I wish I would have gotten the Sahara! The Rubicon will provide everything you want in the Las Vegas landscape and you can use the money you were going to spend on upgrades for fuel and trip expenses.
 

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Demonic

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I was under this impression as well. There’s no option to add the alpine stereo to the Rubicon so I assume it’s standard. It would be odd for them not to offer it otherwise. Could be wrong.
Yes it’s standard.
 

Arterius2

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cmcclintock

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I got the loaded Rubicon and love it. Really not sure what the Sahara has that the Rubicon doesn’t .

Drive them both... all Jeep’s are great.
 

AmarilloJLU

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I have had both a Sahara ('14 JKU) and a Rubicon ('20 Gladiator). I love both but the Rubicon feels beefier and more solid if that makes sense. I also love the Rubicon hood and rock rails as opposed to a flat hood and side steps. All jeeps hold their value well, but from selling a Rubicon and a Sahara the Rubicon had a slight advantage in resell value. I plan on only getting Rubicons from here on out as I get new Wranglers as a personal preference. I have a 4Xe Rubicon on order at the moment.
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