Sahara or Rubicon?

[KellyHatcher]

Help me decide guys. Love the rubicon looks but is it worth it if. Is it worth it to get Rubicon over Sahara if you only do basic dirt trails. Not Rock Crawling.

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[BostonBilly]

For me, yes, but you will need to make that decision for yourself. Good luck

 

[Goes]

I only plan on light trails, but I chose the Rubi over the Sahara because I like the hood a lot better, the high front fenders mean I will never have to pay for a lift, I like the tires and wheels that come on the Rubi so I have no need to trade those out till the tires are done at least. Mine will be a daily driver, so there is a trade off with ride ( according to JK and initial reports), and not being able to get limited slip or selectrac.

 

[JHJLUR]

I will mostly be doing light trails, went with the Rubi, sure you’ll be fine with the Sahara and you can go wrong with either... I’ve owned a boat load of Wranglers, but until my latest order I’ve never owned the rubicon, it’s the one I really wanted, so it’s the one I purchased.

 

[Lurvis33]

I’d say it’s more road warrior vs rock warrior. If it’s your daily driver but you go on trails a lot I personally would still go Sahara with Selec-Trac but Rubicon is worth it. If it’s your daily driver and you occasionally go on trails the standard Sahara should suffice. Coming from the Mustang world it’s like Premium GT vs a GT350. They’re both great but one is going to perform even better on the track.

 

[Jrbrannan]

For me it comes down to what works best short and long term for the family. For the first couple of years based on my research the Rubicon will. hold its value just a bit better than the Sahara, so if I choice to upgrade to the diesel in a couple of years then I should be able to recoup a larger portion of the initial payment back (ymmv) and if I decided to keep it longer I will want to do more rugged terrain, running 35's on a stock suspension locked up the deal for me. Again it comes down to personal preferences and there is no bad options but for me and my family the Rubicon all the way.

 

[KellyHatcher]

I’d say it’s more road warrior vs rock warrior. If it’s your daily driver but you go on trails a lot I personally would still go Sahara with Selec-Trac but Rubicon is worth it. If it’s your daily driver and you occasionally go on trails the standard Sahara should suffice. Coming from the Mustang world it’s like Premium GT vs a GT350. They’re both great but one is going to perform even better on the track.

I own a 350

 

[LMontes]

I went with a Sahara, I am not a fan of all the red accents on the Rubicon (I know I am the minority on this). I also prefer the interior in the Sahara as well. I may do some light off-roading around my cabin, but nothing hard core, so the Sahara will be just fine for me.

 

[TsundereKaho]

You don't need lockers and a Rock-Trac TC to drive on dirt roads.


FWIW you can do this with open diffs and a Dana 35c.


So I think you'd be better off with the Sahara. You can always build onto it later on if you want to do more with the Jeep.

 

[Coffeebeen]

I was leaning towards the Sahara, but after seeing it next to the Rubi this weekend, you might as well get a Sport and save a few bucks. The Rubicon is next level on looks and features and is only a few grand more. I just placed my order for a Rubicon today, and couldn't be happier!

 

[The_Phew]

I was leaning Sahara for the 4Auto transfer case and LSD, but then found out that Selec-Trac isn't offered with the manual transmission, so I'm reconsidering. I had sworn off open diffs, but the aftermarket has options here.

The things that matter to me:
Sahara:
cheaper, better fuel economy, ~250 lbs lighter, LSD for snow/cornering, can get more exterior colors with a black cloth interior, probably cheaper insurance, better on-road ride/handling

Rubicon:
better OEM tires for snow, I irrationally love the hood, the cloth interior looks better (although I haven't seen a 'real-world' picture of the Sahara cloth yet), the initial cost premium over the Sahara basically doesn't depreciate

My perfect trim would probably be a Sahara with the Rubi hood and tires. They will definitely sell such a thing as a special edition eventually, but those are probably years away. I'm waiting for the 2019 model for the V6+BSG anyway, so maybe something will change by then. I'm also not sure I can spend $40k+ on a vehicle that doesn't have adaptive cruise control, so hopefully FCA adds that for next model year as well.

 

[Lurvis33]

I'm waiting for the 2019 model for the V6+BSG anyway, so maybe something will change by then.

This might even deserve its own thread but which will be better the 2018 V6 or 2019 V6+BSG? I’m going with the 2018 because of worries that the BSG just adds another thing to possibly break. Even though ideally the 2019+BSG will be beneficial to quicker starts.

 

[The_Phew]

This might even deserve its own thread but which will be better the 2018 V6 or 2019 V6+BSG? I’m going with the 2018 because of worries that the BSG just adds another thing to possibly break. Even though ideally the 2019+BSG will be beneficial to quicker starts.

It's an FCA vehicle, so assume everything will break (even the stuff that's unchanged for the past decade). I plan on buying an aftermarket extended warranty (Route 66 from Penfed).

Technically, nothing is mechanically different about the BSG, since all cars have an alternator anyway (and an alternator and a motor are the same thing, just different operating modes). BSG does add the high-voltage battery and electrical system, and experience tells me to expect electrical problems as a result. But I'm a sucker for any advanced powertrain technology that is coupled with my sweet, antiquated manual transmission. The whiz-bang VAQ electromechanical differential lock in my GTI produces such a ridiculously fun experience when accelerating out of a corner; press gas pedal, then computers defy physics. I expect BSG to provide a similar thrill, albeit in a totally different sort of application.

 

[Beowulf]

I went with a Sahara, I am not a fan of all the red accents on the Rubicon (I know I am the minority on this). I also prefer the interior in the Sahara as well. I may do some light off-roading around my cabin, but nothing hard core, so the Sahara will be just fine for me.

At least you have company. I don't like all the red accents either. The red in the Jeep badge and the trail rated badge are just silly. The red outline on the RUBICON is a little too stylized.

Sadly, I will still go with a Rubi.

 

[K9Jeeper]

My vote is yes, because of the drastic differences between the two in the JL. Height difference, stock 285s, dual D44s that are both locked, the 4:1 transfer case, sway bar discos, high line fenders, etc.... That alone is worth having, just for resale if anything.

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