Jeep Wrangler Sahara and Sahara Altitude are both unlimited production lines up of the renowned vehicle manufacturing company. However, for someone looking to make the best buying/review decision between both beasts, there are sharp differences to look out for.
What makes both models difficult to distinguish is the many similarities. For instance, both the Sahara and Sahara Altitude have Four-Wheel drives, the same Fuel Economy, equal Fuel Tank Capacity (21.5 gallons), and five-seater seat capacity.
So in the rest of this post, we will be placing the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara and Sahara Altitude side by side for a constructive comparison.
Wrangler Sahara Overview
The Jeep Wrangler Sahara is a standard four-door SUV. It is one of the most popular models. The Jeep Wrangler Sahara takes the signature manufacturing touches of Jeep when it comes to Off-road vehicles, but as an extra, it offers advanced technology and capability.
However, the Wrangler Sahara does not include all the off-road equipment necessary to tackle the toughest terrain, as seen in Rubicon and other special Lineups.
Another area of interest in this vehicle is the Sahara” embroidered seats that add a unique touch to the interior of the Sahara. The Sahara features a larger 18-inch wheel, which significantly improves the 16-inch or 17-inch wheel found on most JK Wrangler models. This distinctive feature makes the Wrangler Sahara look positively aggressive straight from the factory.
Wrangler Sahara Altitude Overview
The Sahara Altitude is a newer line inspired by the Sahara. However, it is unique for its blacked-out interior and exterior accents that give it a different look.
Unlike another production line in the Wrangler unlimited lineup, the vehicle features an extra that includes the black treatment of the wheels, the trail-rated exterior badging, and of course, the admirable headlight inserts. Another thing that makes the Sahara Altitude special is that it is among the few models that feature leather upholstery as standard with black interior accents.
That’s for the obvious, anyway. To get an up-close feel on how they perform, one will need to look at the engine and performance composition compared with the Sahara
What is included in the Jeep Wrangler Altitude package?
The Jeep Wrangler Altitude package details are similar to that of the regular Sahara wranglers. However, the distinguishing details in their packages are that the Altitude package includes:
- Gloss Black Wheels
- black grille surrounds
- blacked-out, badging the Jeep.
- Engine start-stop technology to save gas while idling.
- Black headlamp inserts
- A three-piece black hard-top
What is the difference between Sahara and Sahara Altitude?
It is difficult to tell the difference between the Sahara and the Sahara Altitude. The only difference is the black hard-top vs body color and the wheels. The Sahara Altitude is just a Sahara with an improved cosmetic/trim package.
For example, in addition to all the features you get in A Sahara, the Sahara Altitude comes with Black badging, Black gloss 18″ wheels, Black inserts/bezels in the grill, lights, and other areas around the vehicle which the Sahara presents in silver/chrome, Black Interior trim updates, Black leather interior, and even Mopar hard-top headliner which is not present in the Sahara.
So the improvement is more focused on the aesthetics than inside composition for different performances as there is no change to the suspension or wheel/tire size. Meanwhile, the feel of the Sahara Altitude caused by the updated cosmetic/trim package can influence the vehicle’s performance over the regular Sahara. While it is quite opinionated, it leads us to our final remark.
Is Sahara better than Sahara altitude?
Generally speaking, Sahara Altitude is supposed to be considered an improvement to the regular Sahara, which can indicate that the Sahara Altitude is better than the Sahara.
This appears evident when we consider all the extra details features in the Sahara Altitude, especially with the headliner included, which I consider an icing to the cake. Sahara Altitude is better than the regular Sahara because the Altitude package will provide you with extra feature options for a lower cost than adding them to a base Sahara.
These extra features include more aggressive tires, gloss black rims, and black badging, bonuses in the Altitude. Another point of view that makes the Sahara Altitude better than the base Sahara is when we consider those who do not like the SAHARA logo embossed into the seats. It will be a big bonus for those who go for the Altitude. Also, the slight difference in the dash (leather-wrapped vs. gloss black) says a lot about the preference for Altitude over regular Sahara.
Conclusion
Over to you. Will you prefer to go with the Sahara considering these additional features? Why and why not? I’d be in the comments.
