Back in those days I didn't mind attracting unsolicited attention, and I got a lot of it; mostly sneering adults balking at the
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| From the outside, the TJ has purposely remained a throwback to the CJ, which itself was a throwback to the Willys. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
menacing sound of the growling V8 waking up the neighborhood and audio system blaring Talking Heads' Burning Down the House or Psycho Killer. While it might be possible to fix up a new TJ Unlimited similarly to the way the old CJ-5 was done up back in my heyday, I sure wouldn't want to. The new TJ, whether in base or extended wheelbase guise, is so much more refined that it's difficult to compare the two, at least from the inside. From the outside, the TJ has purposely remained a throwback to the CJ, which itself was a throwback to the Willys, which is still appreciated to this day by veterans the world over for so admirably fulfilling its duty in the Second World War.
The army sure could've used the added versatility of the new TJ Unlimited for carrying troops back then, not to mention the benefits of a smoother ride and better high-speed stability, each directly resulting from the lengthened wheelbase, up 254 mm (10 inches) to 2,616 mm (103 inches) from the regular TJ. I
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| The longer wheelbase provides a smoother ride and better high-speed stability. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
really noticed both attributes while circling the ring road that runs adjacent to the high-speed oval amid Chrysler Group's Chelsea, Michigan Proving Grounds. The roadway is purposely bad, with downtown Detroit-like worn stretches of pavement mixed with cement, featuring gut-wrenching ruts, potholes and ridges, and uneven concrete-slab surfaces. The old CJ-5 would have had to negotiate some of its bumps and grinds at a crawl not to bounce end over front, but the TJ Unlimited was hardly unruffled. Sure, the
Liberty and
Grand Cherokee handled the circuit better, which should be expected due to the comparatively luxurious bias of both vehicles, but the TJ Unlimited held its own, delivering a relatively compliant ride and stable lane changes.
