Why or Why Not - Sahara Trim?

[MrSahara19]

So being my first Jeep and now seeing the culture and crazy amounts of Jeeps out there (esp in NC) and the fact that 9x out of 10 I see Rubis I wonder why people choose trims other than the Sahara being I feel (imo) that's the black sheep of the bunch (less sighted) … maybe Im wrong

For me it was the added price, wheels, and red trim inside that made me stray away (love the hood, aux option, etc..., however not knowing about the extra accessories until after purchase and off road capability now I see why people go for it, but purely minor aesthetics and again price did it for me …

The Sahara had the painted matched fenders hardtop and LED package and with Sting Gray just jumped off the lot for me ...and I was looking originally at a 19 Sport S w/soft top in white with 37' fuel wheels, front bumper and pod lights dealer installed and couldnt get passed the smaller interior screen, non painted fenders look to vehicle ..not hating any of the trims at all and honestly each model you get has gives and takes, wish I would have had the wheels at this point as that proves to be most cost upgrade yet ...

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[Steven]

The Rubicon is great for off the showroom floor ability. The problem for me is that the price is outside of my budget. Also, I don't actually need the d44's, 4:1 t-case, or 4.10 gear set, even though I would like to have them.

The Sahara is plenty capable for my intended purpose of minivan/weekend adventure buggy. I can spec it out to within my budget. All the upgraded components that you would get with the Rubicon are things that I would want to swap out eventually. Granted with the Rubicon, that time would come later, but no Jeep stays stock forever.

The Sport and Sport S are just as capable as the Sahara, but not as luxurious. I know that sounds ridiculous since this is a Jeep, but minivan duties... in suburbia. The Sport doesn't come with many of the convenience items such as the garage door opener or cold weather package. The Sport S isn't available with the 8.4 radio or a couple of other little inconsequential things. I wanted the navigation system because my sense of direction in the city sucks. Also, since my wife likes the keyless entry on her Prius, she wanted that option if we could swing the budget to include it.

 

[johnparjr]

Love my Sahara I didn't need or want the rubicon as I don't see myself crawling across rocks. But we do go out in the snow and a lot of forrest trials and heck even part of the rubicon and my Sahara did fine with 33 inch tires

 

[multicam]

The Sport and Sport S are just as capable as the Sahara, but not as luxurious. I know that sounds ridiculous since this is a Jeep, but minivan duties... in suburbia. The Sport doesn't come with many of the convenience items such as the garage door opener or cold weather package. The Sport S isn't available with the 8.4 radio or a couple of other little inconsequential things. I wanted the navigation system because my sense of direction in the city sucks. Also, since my wife likes the keyless entry on her Prius, she wanted that option if we could swing the budget to include it.

Not exactly... I would say they're differently capable. If you get the Sahara with Selec-Trac then it has the ability to be in 4WD at all times. But your point is well taken.

 

[TJ2018]

.not hating any of the trims at all and honestly each model you get has gives and takes

You'll find those who say if it's not a Rubicon it's not worth it. You'll find others who take a Sport and turn it into a beast. And you'll find folks who drive it more or less stock. There is no wrong Jeep. Only wrong attitudes. The amazing thing about the JL is you can make it whatever YOU want it to be. Don't matter what ANYONE else says you do what you want. I find something appealing in EVERY version (ok... the MOAB is a stretch... ) ... (JUST KIDDING... I really like the MOAB!!! ). You wanna take a Rubicon to the mall every day! So what? You wanna make a Sport a Rubicon killer... great! It's hard to go wrong with a Jeep other than not getting what you really wanted in the first place. No one needs to justify their Jeep to anyone else. Period.

Whatever you do... ENJOY your Jeep! It's one of the few unique vehicles around and it can make every ride an adventure no matter where your road takes you.

 

[offset_98]

I drove both, liked both but saved several grand by going Sahara b/c at the end of the day, I'm not rock crawling...if pavement ends, mud, sand, etc...that's all i'm doing. Sahara is just fine for that. I didn’t need Selec-Trac either, I can shift it myself as needed.

I went Sahara over Sport S to gain access to options I wanted.

You have to be the judge though.

 

[ThirtyOne]

I think it's a misconception. I think the last numbers I saw was about 45% Sport, 30% Sahara, 25% Rubicon (Could be a little off but that is generally correct).

If anyone has better numbers I would like to see them.

Sahara has 2 advantages from a capability standpoint - that is in winter mixed conditions with Selec-Trac. And in 2020 it will have BSG options the other trims don't have.

Otherwise it is just personal preference in styling and budget.

 

[ThirtyOne]

Sahara trim is not for me because I actually use my Jeep in the rocks off road. Also; that trim is not available for the JL, only the JLU. But I agree, probably 90% of JLU Rubicon owners would be better served by a Sahara instead.

@Sean L uses his Sahara in the rocks off-road with stock tires! And I see a lot of modded Saharas that are very capable off-road. No question the Rubicon is more capable off-road for relatively small premium. But we all spend 95% of our time on-road so I don't think off-road prowess should be the only factor for anyone.

 

[rkj__]

So being my first Jeep and now seeing the culture and crazy amounts of Jeeps out there (esp in NC) and the fact that 9x out of 10 I see Rubis I wonder why people choose trims other than the Sahara being I feel (imo) that's the black sheep of the bunch (less sighted) … maybe Im wrong

For me it was the added price, wheels, and red trim inside that made me stray away (love the hood, aux option, etc..., however not knowing about the extra accessories until after purchase and off road capability now I see why people go for it, but purely minor aesthetics and again price did it for me …

The Sahara had the painted matched fenders hardtop and LED package and with Sting Gray just jumped off the lot for me ...and I was looking originally at a 19 Sport S w/soft top in white with 37' fuel wheels, front bumper and pod lights dealer installed and couldnt get passed the smaller interior screen, non painted fenders look to vehicle ..not hating any of the trims at all and honestly each model you get has gives and takes, wish I would have had the wheels at this point as that proves to be most cost upgrade yet ...

In and around St Catharines Ontario, Canada (South of Toronto), it seems that the Sahara is the most popular JL trim I spot, followed by the Sport S. I don't see too many Rubicons, because you would have to drive 3+ hours to find some rocks you can legally drive your Jeep on. After you get a few hours north of Toronto, you see a few more Rubicons or other vehicles / toys that actually get used off road.

 

[TJ2018]

@Sean L uses his Sahara in the rocks off-road with stock tires! And I see a lot of modded Saharas that are very capable off-road. No question the Rubicon is more capable off-road for relatively small premium. But we all spend 95% of our time on-road so I don't think off-road prowess should be the only factor for anyone.

ANY Jeep is more capable off-road than 98% of vehicles badged as "off-road". I went Rubicon because I do off-road and wanted the clearance, lockers, and sway bar disconnect without having to add these goodies (we have the lifetime warranty and wanted to stick with accessorizing rather than heavily modifying). I don't feel a need to crawl over every rock and boulder I come across but I do want the ability to get through whatever may come. I won't deny I LOVE the look of the Rubicon, but we got it for what it offers out of the box. Some will understand that logic... some won't... whatever.

 

[Strommen95]

Sahara is best if you're keeping your Jeep stock and don't use it to go mudding/rock crawling. Jeeps excel with snow, slush, rain, beach driving, and taking mega pot holes with ease(I get a lot of those here in NYC.) Sahara offers the nicest on street ride and auto 4WD is a sweet feature to go with other creature comforts. For pavement driving, Sahara is the best trim level out there. I just wish they didn't put so much chrome on the Sahara with the JL, looks really ugly IMO.

 

[MrSahara19]

You'll find those who say if it's not a Rubicon it's not worth it. You'll find others who take a Sport and turn it into a beast. And you'll find folks who drive it more or less stock. There is no wrong Jeep. Only wrong attitudes. The amazing thing about the JL is you can make it whatever YOU want it to be. Don't matter what ANYONE else says you do what you want. I find something appealing in EVERY version (ok... the MOAB is a stretch... ) ... (JUST KIDDING... I really like the MOAB!!! ). You wanna take a Rubicon to the mall every day! So what? You wanna make a Sport a Rubicon killer... great! It's hard to go wrong with a Jeep other than not getting what you really wanted in the first place. No one needs to justify their Jeep to anyone else. Period.

Whatever you do... ENJOY your Jeep! It's one of the few unique vehicles around and it can make every ride an adventure no matter where your road takes you.

I feel like I just watched / listened to a Jeep commercial !! Well said!!

 

[TJ2018]

I feel like I just watched / listened to a Jeep commercial !! Well said!!

LOL! Thanks! Think Jeep will hire me for their marketing department?

 

[Wanted33]

While deciding which trim level was good for me at first I settled on the Sport S. But, as I worked on the build/price page there were must have options that didn't come with the Sport S, so I went with the Sahara. But, to be honest both of those trim levels are more capable than I'll ever be.

 

[S2k Chris]

I went with a loaded Sport S, and the ONLY thing I really wish I could've gotten from the Sahara was the LED lights. A couple of other options (8.4" screen, proximity key) are "nice to haves" but I don't really feel like I'm missing out without them. And for 2020 you can get the LEDs on the Sport S, so they solved that problem. And to add those LED lights would've required several thousand dollars more than my Sport S cost to upgrade to the Sahara. So Sport S for me. And frankly, I didn't love the "mall crawler/girl's version" (sorry) reputation of the Sahara. Call me shallow, I know.

But now that I've had my Sport S for 1 year of my 3 year lease, I'm 95% sure I'll be getting a Rubicon next go-around, I'm taking my Sport offroad more often than I expected, and I want the chance to do even more, even more capably.

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