Rollin’ through the deep
An American icon that has stood the test of time has come to India in its latest form. It still has immense presence on the road and it still loves to rock and roll
When was the last time you did something for the first time? Cliché apart, when was the last time you had fun in a car? A time when you felt an answer to all those questions. It may seem intimidating at first with its huge wheels, mud-plugging tyres, and a front bumper up to there and a foot ahead, like an... never mind. The thing is, there’s a lot going on with the new Wrangler and I say “new” because, although the powertrain is the same as in the outgoing model, there are a whole bunch of changes behind that new front grille and beyond it.
The Wrangler Rubicon we have here is the more off-roadoriented model, with the other one, the Unlimited, just as capable of going anywhere and doing anything as a normal buyer woul t to and I say “normal” lightly. The Rubicon, named after the famed “Rubicon Trail”, a pilgrimage of sorts for Wrangler owners who want to push themselves and their cars to do unbelievable things with insane articulation over properly big rocks and boulders other non-4x4 “SUV” models wouldn’t even dream of trying. The Wrangler Rubicon is the hardest-core American series-production off-roader on sale today and it’s got a load of optional equipment and accessories available, some of which are included as standard.
The list doesn’t just include the de rigueur scuff plates, sideskirts, and cladding but, rather, 255/75 R17 M/T (mud-terrain) tyres, heavy-duty Dana 44 axles with “Tru-Lok” with a Dana 44 HD full-float rear axle—with the wheel hub independent of the axle. Unlike the Unlimited’s “Selec-Trac” full-time fourwheeldrive system, the Rubicon gets the more intense “Rock-Trac” system with “Truloc” locking front and rear differentials and an electronic sway-bar disconnect for maximum articulation capability. The Rubicon also boasts of a performance suspension setup and even four pre-wired auxiliary switches; used for additional lighting, for example. There is an integrated off-road camera and “Off Road Plus” mode, available at the touch of a button. And then there’s the powertrain: a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, direct-injection, turbo-petrol with 272 hp and 400 Nm of peak torque, all funnelled through a trusty ZF eight-speed automatic to the transfer case. What does all of that mean in the real world?
It means this is somewhat of a point-and-shoot car. Bad roads? Keep going. Ungainly speed-hump? No need to not blink. Sudden roadworks creating a pile of mud and a trench? No matter. Those aspects are nextlevel peace of mind and, in the grand scheme of things, towering over other road-users, even those in big urban SUVs; the ones regarded as large cars actually seem smaller, too! In the nearly untouched bits of the real world, however, the Wrangler lets you explore like few other all-wheeldrive SUVs would. It can scale grades over rough and untamed surfaces like you wouldn’t believe—at first. The M/T tyres have layers of rubber that lock and grip on surfaces ranging from loose gravel and stones to deep mud and slush. It’s almost like it skims the surface while simultaneously digging in, magically finding traction where there is simply no sign of it.
I had a first-hand experience of its immense capability when I went to get a plastic bottle someone had discarded by the shore out of the shot. One step suddenly had my leg in shin-deep slush and my other foot soon followed.
I had a sinking feeling—literally—and I panicked, believing it to be quicksand. I yelled out to Apurva to get the Rubicon closer so I could grab a hold of the door. He did, it arrived two feet away from me, flinging up mud in every direction but finding its way none the less. I realised my shoe would be swallowed by the demonic slush if I pulled any more, so I hand-shovelled the slush away and slowly withdrew my foot. Grabbing the doors, I pulled myself into the cabin and, drenched in sweat, heaved a huge sigh of relief. With a mud shower on the way back out, the Wrangler Rubicon made its way clear, seemingly effortlessly in 4L (four-wheel drive, low range).
Oh, and the Off Road Plus mode and axle combination make for a 4:1 crawl ratio for tackling the toughest situations. The three-piece “Freedom Top” comes off manual convertible style in sections with turn-fasteners and a flip lock mechanism for each of the two front sections. The roll-cage like surround holds the airbag units and more with the doors also removable.
The Rubicon rightfully gets the premium cabin package as standard. This includes acoustic laminated glass for the front doors and acoustic front seat carpet area for reduced wind and road noise. It also gets Alpine nine-speaker audio complete with a subwoofer, a 12.3-inch “Uconnect” touchscreen, complete with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus a slew of cool equipment in the cabin. And fishnets for doorpockets.
On the road, its manners are quite commendable. At first, the steering wheel may seem a little vague and, with over three turns lock-to-lock, it takes a little effort. That said, it takes a little getting used to. On the highway heading back, I was comfortable slicing through traffic and making my way through gaps that hatchback drivers were thinking twice about. The brakes, however large, feel somewhat inadequate. While planned manoeuvres are fine, sudden braking is not its forte. It needs a greater distance to collect itself and come to a stop with dignity.
However, switching over from concrete section to roadworks to off-road and dirt in between the everpresent diversions on the hefty toll road, the value of the package comes to the fore. It is an
extremely capable car and can even handle its fair share of high-speed bends and corners provided one respects its physical limits and their own. It may be magic in the mud and on rocks and boulders but, on public roads, it commands respect and restraint; and in equal measure, I’d say.
One of the key new additions is the level 2 ADAS (or the suite of semi-autonomous advanced driver assistance systems). The Jeep Wrangler now gets sensorbased adaptive cruise control with stop and go, with a forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking as well; equipment now mandatory in many parts of the world for a high safety rating.
At Rs 71.65 lakh (ex-showroom), Rs 4 lakh more than the Unlimited, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is an off-road icon that can be had without breaking the bank; relatively. The Defender 110 X or 130 X, as per one’s needs, cost
twice as much.