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Sahara Wrangler as daily driver

Bomfy

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We've been driving a JLUS because of a situation reference in another forum, and I can say it would make a pleasant DD. We have an '18 JLU Sport.

The leather is a good jump from the cloth (thought not as nice as the Katzkin we plan for ours) and the larger display is stellar! Proximity door handles and the LED headlights are phenomenal!

I have two dislikes. I am far and away more of a fan on the V6 over the T4. For me the low end grunt is missing some with the T4 and a few times I've been surprised by the turbo lag. I had a MAZDASPEED3 for years so I am used to turbo lag. Also, I don't like the 18 inch rims. I'm convinced it handles differently and not in a favorable way. Though in reality that could just be me, because it's not out JL.
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AJ_4xE

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Would you like to explain
"We've been driving a JLUS because of a situation reference in another forum"
 

Bomfy

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guarnibl

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Same here.

I’ve owned five Rubicons and four Saharas. Rubicons look great and are amazing on the trail, but for me Saharas provide that sweet spot between daily comfort and trail capability.

Modding is a slippery slope: we start little by little with a 2.5” lift, then replace the five 40-lb OE tires with 80-lb MTs, steel bumpers, a 100-lb winch, thicker armor, etc. By the time we are done, and despite what we like to think, we’ve added 800-lbs and the Jeep doesn’t really handle, ride or drive as well as the day we drove it off the lot.

This time I added a 3/4” leveling kit and 33” KO2s, but otherwise I’m purposely leaving this Sahara close to stock. I want to enjoy the cushiness of the factory specs for awhile.
Yeah, this is actually really misunderstood by people and extremely important. People coming into Wranglers that have never owned one are often misinformed or simply don't know enough about these vehicles to understand exactly what to pick for their use case. It's not as simple as people think. You could easily end up with a vehicle that rides like complete dog crap if you choose the wrong setup -- and it's usually a single part that you can change out to adjust it but you might throw money at it trying to identify. Granted, it's harder for that to happen with the JL.

Things like tires (weight, tread pattern, load rating, manufacturer), bumpers (style, size, weight), wheel choice (weight/offset/scrub radius) matter greatly. On top of that, selecting a lift (incl. shocks, springs, stabilizer, track bars, arms) also matters based on what other selections you made. It's just really not that simple.

The Rubicon is great from the factory. Honestly, we took it bone stock through pretty much every trail in Moab rated as a 6, and on a few trails in the 7 without issue. Went up things that heavier/lifted jeeps with big tires struggled on because their suspension/wheel setup wasn't ideal.

Given how capable the new Wrangler is, it's best to start out very slowly. If I didn't want to run the harder stuff in Moab (like Pritchett) I would have done the same as you -- leveling kit and 35's (315 KO2s) just to clean up some of the high center situations you get. With a non Rubi I would probably add some Rubi take off wheels and some stock skids.

I will say, the v6 Auto Start/Stop system is loud. I had a rental in Maui for 10 days and it annoyed the living hell out of me. The 4 cylinder version is not loud at all! I was surprised. Additionally, after driving the v6 I'm glad I got the 4 banger -- it's got more highway power.

Overall, OP go drive a stock Sahara -- try to get them to lend you it for the day and go from there.
 
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guarnibl

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26k miles on my Sahara as a daily + driving weekly between LA & the high desert - a good mix between city highways, dirt roads, and off-roading through Johnson Valley, Big Bear, etc. I don't picture myself ever driving another vehicle. Bettie the Jeep performs as well going 80mph on the highway as she does on rocky trails. She's fancy enough to drive around my million-dollar clients (realtor) and capable enough to feel powerful driving up & down sandy hills when it rains in the desert. I frequently have to take business calls through the speakers while driving on the highway in my soft top - probably a little loud for the person on the other end but no issues on mine. My husband has the 2-door sport soft top & his is considerably louder for some reason.
Yeah love how the Wrangler just is accepted by pretty much any socio-economic group. It's the perfect vehicle IMO for any occasion. Two door will be louder because everything is closer to the passenger compartment due to wheel base. Less space, more NVH, exhaust is closer, etc. Of all my vehicles I have ever owned in my entire life, nothing comes close to making me as happy as my Wranglers do.
 

ObiMatt87

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Late to the party here, but my two cents: I drive my 2018 Sahara JLU to work on a 34-mile round-trip daily. As mentioned by so many, there are definitely some compromises vs. vehicles/SUVs designed specifically for the road only (such as wind noise, stiffer ride), and some folks might not be willing to put up with the trade-off, but I personally can't recall ever owning a vehicle I just love to jump into and drive. It's a blast and I love most everything about it. For me, it's totally worth it and would recommend!
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