Rubicon vs. Sahara

[swyman]

It's my wife's turn for a new vehicle and she wants a Jeep. So I was thinking Sahara the whole time....I had a '13 Rubi for me but thought a Sahara would be better and save a little money. I am not a huge fan of a stock Jeep, want 33" tires for her and maybe a 2" lift. Well after building one online there was only a $2k difference and the Rubi comes with 33's so there is about $1500 right there in tires. Then add the Dana 44's with lockers and cooler looking hood (my preference) it was a no brainer....Rubicon it is!

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[nola22]

If the JL follows the JK, the springs are dependent upon the configuration (and resulting weight load on suspension), and not the trim line, ie all else being equal a similarly equipped Sahara (hard top, tow package, etc) would have the same springs as a Rubicon (or sport for that matter). The difference was in the shocks, and in the case of the rubicon the front axle.

The big problem in comparing the 2 back to back is going to be the difference between the stock tires. It would be hard to truly compare the ride of the Sahara that has street biased all seasons vs the off road biased rubicon tires, but again following the JK shocks expect the Sahara shocks to be slightly more compliant, the rubicon slightly more responsive.

 

[Goes]

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"??

I just picked up my Rubicon yesterday. The ride is substantially better than the Chevy Colorado pick up I traded in. A very nice ride. This is my daily driver as well and I have no regrets at all.

 

[Mrjimmystewart]

I too am on the fence as to Rubicon or Sahara.
I plan to use as a second or third vehicle, tow behind my motor home for traveling around the country and gaining access to hiking, camping and 7/11's. I will occasionally tow a trailer short distances, possible Home Depot and nursery trips. National parks, Montana, Washington state, east coast etc. Cost is not a factor. I'm soon to be 68 and appreciate the extra comfort, bad joints etc.

Rubicon : I like the look of the larger tires, don't like the red dash, extra capability is probably wasted on me, but you never know. I regularly go to the desert, but have more specialized vehicles that are far more radical than even a beefed up Jeep.
Sahara: fancier trim, and should go anywhere I need it to. Unsure if it'll be more challenged with towing than the lower geared Rubi.

Comments?
Thanks

 

[sjgirl]

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 doing the leg work on this..........

 

[sjgirl]

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.

I agree about the red dashboard. I want orange and I think this will not be a good match

 

[passingnotes]

i wanted a sahara, but only a two door. that means rubicon or sport in the JL line

that price gap is big, so i opted for sport. for the price diff, i can swap tires, bumpers, maybe even buy a mopar rubi hood - and still have change with other similarly options (alpine, heated seats etc)

 

[That One Guy]

i wanted a sahara, but only a two door. that means rubicon or sport in the JL line

that price gap is big, so i opted for sport. for the price diff, i can swap tires, bumpers, maybe even buy a mopar rubi hood - and still have change with other similarly options (alpine, heated seats etc)

Awesome. It's sad to see the 2 door Sahara go. Hopefully jeep adds other trims. A JL Willy's would be awesome, and likely, but I don't think I'd end up waiting around for it.

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