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The Jeep Wrangler is one of the most well-known cars on the market, and one of the main reasons for that has to be with how well it can off-road. With that being said, owners who want a comfortable ride quality probably don’t want to go for the trim that’s the best off-road. Instead, here’s a look at the Jeep Wrangler trim that’s going to have the most comfortable ride quality of them all.

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon was built for off-roading and not on-road driving

Jeep currently has a lot of options available for the Wrangler, and the Rubicon is the best option for off-roading. The automaker also offers two versions of the Rubicon. The standard version costs about $47,500, while the Rubicon 392 is the most expensive trim available on the Wrangler, and it costs about $82,500. For context, the Wrangler’s base trim starts at about $35,000.

The Rubicon’s expensive price tag adds a lot of off-road features to the SUV though. For example, it has 17-inch wheels that have 33-inch all-terrain off-road tires wrapped around them. It has an upgraded suspension, an upgraded all-wheel drive system, locking front and rear differentials, and more.

A drawback of these off-road features is the fact that they’ll hurt the Jeep’s ride quality, especially when it’s on paved roads.

The Jeep Wrangler trim that’s the most comfortable on roads right now

The Rubicon’s poor ride quality on paved roads isn’t a surprise since most off-road vehicles were not designed with on-road driving in mind. The Wrangler does have a trim that’s more comfortable on paved roads though, and it’s the Sahara. It doesn’t have a great ride quality, but it’s much better than the Rubicon since it was designed for on-road driving in mind. For example, it comes with 18-inch wheels, and the tires are all-season rather than all-terrain.

However, the main reason for its superior ride quality mostly comes down to the fact that it doesn’t have all the off-road upgrades that the Rubicon has. The other main difference between the two is under the hood. The Sahara comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and it gets 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The Rubicon, meanwhile, has a 3.6-liter V6. It gets 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque.

On top of that, the Rubicon’s engine is paired to a six-speed manual transmission, while the Sahara is paired to an eight-speed automatic. This powertrain setup allows the Sahara to have a much better fuel economy too. It gets 21 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on highways, for 23 mpg combined. The Rubicon, meanwhile, gets 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on highways, for 20 mpg combined.

Car shoppers who truly value ride quality should just buy a different car

Ultimately though, the Wrangler Sahara and the Rubicon are both very similar. Both have similar amounts of seating room, both have an 8.4-inch touchscreen, and both have similar interior designs. What this means is that, while the Sahara may have the most comfortable ride for any Wrangler trim, it won’t be as comfortable as what car shoppers can find elsewhere on the market.

This is true even if folks are only interested in buying a Jeep. For example, the Cherokee and its larger sibling, the Grand Cherokee, are both very comfortable SUVs from Jeep. Thanks to how the automaker designed the two cars, their ride qualities are simply better. In the case of the Grand Cherokee, it’s a larger vehicle that comes with a lot of comfort and convenience features too.

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