Rubicon vs. Sahara

[sjgirl]

I know this question has been posed before but....I'm going to be a new Jeep owner and wanted to put my
situation out there.

I am leaning towards buying the Rubicon because I like the rugged look of it. Truth be told, I might never take it off road except maybe the beach. This will be my only car and main mode of transportation (20 mile ride to work). If it was just based on looks it would be a no brainer.

But everything I read talks about the Sahara having a nicer/more comfortable ride?? Is the difference that noticeable?
I can't lie -- I want to be comfortable!

Isn't Rubicon the "top of the line"??

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[BillyHW]

Short answer:

The Sahara, when optioned with Selectrac, would be better in winter driving conditions. The street ride may be more smooth too, since it has more street-biased tires and suspension.

Otherwise the Rubicon is better in every other way.

From what you've described it sounds like the Sahara would be the better option for you.

The Sahara is kind of placed as the more luxury trim, while the Rubicon is placed as the more off-road trim. But the Sahara is still plenty capable off-road.

 

[sjgirl]

Thanks

 

[Jrbrannan]

I know this question has been posed before but....I'm going to be a new Jeep owner and wanted to put my
situation out there.

I am leaning towards buying the Rubicon because I like the rugged look of it. Truth be told, I might never take it off road except maybe the beach. This will be my only car and main mode of transportation (20 mile ride to work). If it was just based on looks it would be a no brainer.

But everything I read talks about the Sahara having a nicer/more comfortable ride?? Is the difference that noticeable?
I can't lie -- I want to be comfortable!

Isn't Rubicon the "top of the line"??

Go test drive both and see what you think. You will not go wrong with either. I preferred the Rubicon so that is what I bought, but I am sure you would be happy with the Sahara as well.

From my understanding the springs are the same in all the Jeep's so the difference in ride will come down to the off road shocks which are cheap and easy to replace if needed and the tires.

 

[Rockmaninoff]

But everything I read talks about the Sahara having a nicer/more comfortable ride?? Is the difference that noticeable?
I can't lie -- I want to be comfortable!

Isn't Rubicon the "top of the line"??

Another way to look at this is, hardcore off-roaders aren't satisfied even with Rubicon features and they replace most things with much more heavy duty parts.

So a Rubicon means you're a taking a knife to a sword fight. Sahara means you're taking a slightly more plush knife to a craft workshop where everyone else is using safety scissors. Only one of those is a winner.

 

[Jrbrannan]

Another way to look at this is, hardcore off-roaders aren't satisfied even with Rubicon features and they replace most things with much more heavy duty parts.

So a Rubicon means you're a taking a knife to a sword fight. Sahara means you're taking a slightly more plush knife to a craft workshop where everyone else is using safety scissors. Only one of those is a winner.

I disagree with this. A Rubicon can be great for most people including myself. Most really hardcore people will buy the sport because all that stuff gets torn off anyways.

 

[That One Guy]

I disagree with this. A Rubicon can be great for most people including myself. Most really hardcore people will buy the sport because all that stuff gets torn off anyways.

That being said, the places a stock Rubicon can go is something of a modern miracle on a 2018 vehicle with a good warranty, burdened by modern requirements.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

But everything I read talks about the Sahara having a nicer/more comfortable ride?? Is the difference that noticeable?

Yes it is noticeable, but there are also major updates between the JK Sahara/Rubi vs the JL Sahara/Rubi with regards to axles, suspension, etc. A place to look for balance is in the springs. Funny thing is that you never knew for sure which Springs you had until you looked underneath. Some Sports were shipping with Stiffer springs than some Rubicons in the JKs.

Some of the ride characteristic is also tyre selection of course, but if you are looking for aggresive tyres, then the KO2s on the Rubi are likely the softest/comfiest of the bunch, and KM2, Duratracs, and even more aggresive tyres would likely be heavier and less forgiving as a daily driver.

For what you are looking to do, you could try to do what most people did in the JK, change the spring rate on the coils and get softer shocks.
IMO just change the springs, leave the Rubi shocks as the springs will give you a smoother/forgiving ride but the shocks will also keep it less bouncey/wobbley than the Sahara, it’s kinda the best of both worlds IMO.

I don’t know if anyone has decoded the Springs on the JL(U) yet, and haven’t checked into the options available to either platform. While many dealerships are unhelpful with this, some are very good with suspension work, so it’s worth checking with a dealer you’re comfortable knows what you want and what they are doing/can do.
Even with the taller factory stance and easy 2” lift now in the JLs, there will still be a bunch of people lifting their JLs further, so aftermarket companies will have spare parts available too, so worthwhile checking with them too, and their experiences with what’s going on underneath.

 

[Jeepsmashin]

The JL Sahara is very capable I'm not sure what engine this is but check out this video

 

[ThirtyOne]

You should really just drive them back-to-back.

Rubicon is not top-of-the-line in the traditional sense. It is more like the brand splits with the Sahara being the premium trim and the Rubicon being the performance off-road trim.

It would be like considering the Raptor to be the top-of-the-line F-150

 

[BillyHW]

The JL Sahara is very capable I'm not sure what engine this is but check out this video

That is the 3.6L.

 

[Paluss]

test drove both Sahara and Rubicon for about 30 minutes each yesterday. Been on the fence to which model suited me best. after doing a build on the jeep site the prices between the 2 where around $1500 which made the decision even harder. I had seen a few Sahara's but not a Rubicon, and I was not sure I would like the red dashboard, I thought the red dash was very nice seeing it in person, but may not match well with all exterior colors. I really did not feel a difference in ride or handling between the 2 models, Rubicon maybe felt just a tad bit more "hunkered" down but hardly noticeable. Things I noticed, The heated package works good, nice alpine stereo, nav works well, side monitoring, 8 speed tranny is smooth, and first gear makes the engine feel really peppy and it moves from a stop quickly and seems to be in the right gear all the time.

So in the end I have decided on the Rubicon, I like the more aggressive look of the hood and wheels, and as I said the red dash should look great in the 2 colors I like white and stingray, I decided to go with the stingray and placing an order Tuesday.

 

[ThirtyOne]

test drove both Sahara and Rubicon for about 30 minutes each yesterday. Been on the fence to which model suited me best. after doing a build on the jeep site the prices between the 2 where around $1500 which made the decision even harder. I had seen a few Sahara's but not a Rubicon, and I was not sure I would like the red dashboard, I thought the red dash was very nice seeing it in person, but may not match well with all exterior colors. I really did not feel a difference in ride or handling between the 2 models, Rubicon maybe felt just a tad bit more "hunkered" down but hardly noticeable. Things I noticed, The heated package works good, nice alpine stereo, nav works well, side monitoring, 8 speed tranny is smooth, and first gear makes the engine feel really peppy and it moves from a stop quickly and seems to be in the right gear all the time.

So in the end I have decided on the Rubicon, I like the more aggressive look of the hood and wheels, and as I said the red dash should look great in the 2 colors I like white and stingray, I decided to go with the stingray and placing an order Tuesday.

Thanks for the review. I suspected people probably overstate the ride difference between the two but i haven't test driven them back to back so i couldn't say.

Sorry to disappoint you but i don't think you can order sting-gray yet. Let us know if you can.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

Thanks for the review. I suspected people probably overstate the ride difference between the two but i haven't test driven them back to back so i couldn't say.

I think it also depends on if the people would notice the difference between minor changes in anything, be it axles, engines, etc especially coming from another vehicle. It’s like people noticing a difference in road manners between Duellers vs the SRAs vs the Silent Armors, etc. but the differnce with the KMs is obvious to all immediately. This isn’t that dramatic, but it’s stillnoticeable.

You might not notice much difference on a test drive on generic roads. Where you notice the difference the most IMO are road imperfections and how it absorbs pot-holes or road seam repairs or highway gaps , cornering, gravel roads, and swaying on trails. Not much of that will come out in a test drive. They are close, but the difference is noticeable, especially on longer daily commutes.

 

[Rockmaninoff]

I disagree with this. A Rubicon can be great for most people including myself. Most really hardcore people will buy the sport because all that stuff gets torn off anyways.

You'r free to defend your purchase but how is it different to what I said?

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