Wheel off the asphalt and the Wrangler hits its stride. With approach and departure angles of 44.4 and 40.5 degrees, unbeaten by any other 4x4 including the nemesis Toyota FJ Cruiser, climbing hills and getting down from them is child’s play. The front and rear live axles assure that at least one of two wheels is touching ground. In low range, the Wrangler is strong, yet its throttle tip-in is perfect for inching your way slowly over rocks and logs and abandoned rustbuckets.
The Rubicon is especially capable in these situations, as it’s equipped with exclusive features such as: 32-inch off-road tires; an Active Sway Bar system that lets you disconnect the front stabilizer bar for extra wheel travel; Jeep’s Rock-Trac two-speed transfer case; and locking front and rear differentials. Bottom line: you gotta be really dumb to get stuck.
I got stuck.
Lesson number one: don’t go off-roading with only one vehicle. I was warned by an off-road expert, and my stubbornness made me ignore that all-important piece of advice.
Lesson number two: bring a winch. I didn’t have one, because my aforementioned stupidity led me to believe I didn’t really need one.
Lesson number three: don’t go off-roading in sandals. I learned a lot that day.
Basically, I was creeping down a trail with deep ruts. I tried to avoid them, but the soil in certain areas was in the shade and muddy, and the Wrangler slid into the ruts. The underbody of the Jeep, including the front sway bar, was scraping the ground. The Wrangler had all four wheels spinning and would no longer move, looking at me all the while with an expression that meant “way to go, doofus, look what you got me into now”.
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| Climbing hills and getting down from them is child’s play. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
The Rubicon is especially capable in these situations, as it’s equipped with exclusive features such as: 32-inch off-road tires; an Active Sway Bar system that lets you disconnect the front stabilizer bar for extra wheel travel; Jeep’s Rock-Trac two-speed transfer case; and locking front and rear differentials. Bottom line: you gotta be really dumb to get stuck.
I got stuck.
Lesson number one: don’t go off-roading with only one vehicle. I was warned by an off-road expert, and my stubbornness made me ignore that all-important piece of advice.
Lesson number two: bring a winch. I didn’t have one, because my aforementioned stupidity led me to believe I didn’t really need one.
Lesson number three: don’t go off-roading in sandals. I learned a lot that day.
Basically, I was creeping down a trail with deep ruts. I tried to avoid them, but the soil in certain areas was in the shade and muddy, and the Wrangler slid into the ruts. The underbody of the Jeep, including the front sway bar, was scraping the ground. The Wrangler had all four wheels spinning and would no longer move, looking at me all the while with an expression that meant “way to go, doofus, look what you got me into now”.
 |
| The underbody of the Jeep, including the front sway bar, was scraping the ground. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |