I currently have a 2014 Wrangler Rubicon (2DR), and have driven pretty much nothing but Jeeps for the past 22 years. As others have already written, they may not be for everybody, but suit me and my needs nicely. The Rubicon is not a trim level, it's a performance level and is available in both the 2DR and 4DR (Unlimited) versions. Off the showroom floor, the Rubicon will be slightly higher with bigger wheels and tires (which will drop your mileage a bit). The Rubicon also has a Dana 44 axle at the front and rear (the sport and Sahara have a 44 at the rear and a lighter axle up front). This is a robust axle but with the lower gear ratios of the Rubicon is optimized for off-road performance and will also decrease your mileage. The Rubicon's big advantages over the Sahara and Sport are the electronic disconnecting sway bar and locking axles which are for extreme off road situations. The OEM tires on the Rubicon are designed specifically for it and will increase your road noise. If you plan on doing off road stuff on a regular basis, the Rubicon is the way to go. If it's going to be more of a daily driver with some occasional off-road use, you will be better of paying less for the Rubicon's off road features and putting the money towards some more of the creature comfort interior options.
This is not to say that the Rubicon is not suited for the highway; I'm about to take mine on it's third annual trip from Louisiana to PA for the holidays. Is it the most comfortable ride in the world? Nope, but if I did not use it the way I do throughout the rest of the year here, and didn't need the capabilities of the Rubicon, the sport or Sahara would certainly be the better option (and both are certainly fully capable off roaders in their own right).
If you are looking at a family SUV, with some off-road capabilities and are more of a tech oriented person, take a look at the Cherokee in the trailhawk edition. I prefer a standard transmission which is only available in the Wrangler, but the trailhawk Cherokee has some amazing tech features that seem pretty interesting.
Thank you. I think that the Rubicon is more than I can manage, although I like it very much.
I think the Sahara has more of the features that I need or want. I will not be doing much offroading unless the leftists are chasing me during CWII.