2005 Jeep TJ Unlimited On- and Off-Road Test

The TJ Gets Practical

Chrysler Group opened up its Chelsea, Michigan Proving Grounds to journalists again this year, showing off all 2005 models and

While at Chrysler's Chelsea, Michigan Proving Grounds, one of my top priorities was to test out the new TJ Unlimited. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

letting us test the various cars, trucks and sport utilities in a myriad of road conditions. My priority was to test all the vehicles that I hadn't had the opportunity to drive up until that point, which meant I had to leave such tempting models as Dodge's Viper SRT-10 to the end if at all. One of my top priorities was to test out the new TJ Unlimited, the extended wheelbase version of the legendary 4x4 that put Jeep on the map.

I remember how odd the 93.5-inch "long-wheelbase" CJ-7 looked when it debuted back in 1975 as a '76 model. It looked so long next to the "perfectly proportioned CJ-5, or so I thought. Up to that point only the CJ-5 had been offered, which was extremely crude in comparison to the 7, despite being sensational off-road. The new 7 offered the first-time option

I can still remember how strange the "long-wheelbase" CJ-7 looked when it debuted back in 1975 as a '76 model.

of an automatic transmission, all-metal doors with roll-down windows and vinyl door panels, an optional one-piece injection molded hardtop, plus a new steel liftgate offering easier access to its larger cargo area. Being a "purist," whatever that means, I was a CJ-5 fan, and had the most obnoxious example on the planet. It didn't even have a softtop or doors, plus it featured massive aftermarket audio speakers hanging from the roll bar connected to a powerful Alpine AM/FM/cassette deck, Renegade decals on the hood and Jeep's overkill 304 cubic-inch V8 underneath. It made more than a rumble at start up thanks to headers and dual short side pipes that poked out from under the front fenders, just behind the front wheels.