2011 Jeep Wrangler: Chicks dig it...

As a military vehicle, the Jeep is and has always been for men. When it first came out in the 1940s, this 4x4 gave new meaning to the word rudimentary... Unspeakably weak in accelerations but able to get itself out of the worst jams, the Jeep (the origin of this name, undoubtedly from GP – General Purpose – is still not proven), had no roof, an extremely hard suspension, no heat and outrageously iffy steering.

So, it goes without saying that the original Jeep was built for the most hardened of soldiers. And since it was impossible to bog down, people found other uses for it after the war and the public at large started to realize that it offered a multitude of possibilities. So was born the CJ series, destined for the general public. Improved and refined over the years, it became the Wrangler as we know it today.

Call a shrink

Interestingly – and fortunately – the contemporary Jeep has lost none of its off-road capabilities, despite having become more refined. Sure, men still admire it, but it has also managed to attract women as few other vehicles have. Could it be its aura of invincibility or is it quite simply its charm? Sounds like a question for a psychologist, not an auto journalist!

Jeep just has a way with the ladies. In her article about her test drive of the Wrangler in the 2011 edition of Le Guide de l’auto, my colleague Nadine – the most fervent of “off-roaders” – very succinctly summed up the love/hate relationship that you can have with this charismatic 4x4. It has its faults and its virtues. But we’ll come back to that. During my week-long test drive of the Wrangler, my old friend Josée was able to live out her dream of driving a Wrangler. And not just any Wrangler... I had the Rubicon, the most extreme 4x4 version, whose name comes from “Rubicon Trail,” an incredibly difficult trail in Northern California that only the most gifted 4x4s (and the least jittery drivers) can take on. The Wrangler Rubicon, in spite of being adapted for the road, can take on this mythical route with ease.

Life’s beautiful moments

Right from Josée’s first instants behind the wheel, this fortysomething was struck by the feeling of confidence that this moving bloc of metal gave her. After familiarizing herself with the vehicle, she attacked her first snow bank, an icy little heap that didn’t faze the Wrangler in the least, even though only its rear wheels were engaged. With a few snow piles behind her, my friend from the Eastern Townships had already gained confidence and started looking for bigger and bigger banks to attack. The next morning she sent me an email that said: “Dear Alain, you are the smartest and most attractive man that I know and I can no longer...” Whoops, sorry, wrong e-mail. Here’s the right one: “I loved test driving the Jeep Wrangler :) It was great!!!!! Bring on the snow banks! Good thing I’m not the reckless type... For me, that’s what they mean by carpe diem!”  Indeed, Josée, it’s a good thing you aren’t reckless. But if you drove a Wrangler all the time, you would become reckless in no time.

And that’s where the problems begin. A Jeep Wrangler, even Rubicon, can go anywhere, defying the laws of physics . . . until the law catches up with it. By going anywhere, you get used to its prowess and you inevitably end up getting caught. Often in the worst way, far from civilization! In a Jeep world, you must always, always, keep your cool. That’s what 4x4 clubs are for...

Despite its off-road capabilities, gone are the days where the Wrangler was synonymous with discomfort. Sure, it’s still no Lincoln, but you no longer need to see a chiropractor after driving it two kilometres... Now it takes at least five kilometres. Seriously, the vehicle is very high and getting into the passenger compartment will take some experience. Sure, running boards would help, but adding this accessory to a 4x4 would run counter to the most basic rule of off-roading: the most ground clearance possible.

On the road, wind noise is ubiquitous, rear visibility could hardly be poorer thanks to the large spare tire and the windshield wiper motor, there’s no footrest for the left foot, the leather seats seem to be covered in leatherette taken from the leftovers of an upholsterer who went bankrupt in 1975 and the materials used in the passenger compartment are very ordinary thank you very much.

The turning radius is too large (but what else would you expect from loose steering?), the shifting distance is very long and imprecise and the clutch has a very high friction point. If you apply the brake even the slightest bit abruptly, you’ll notice a significant weight transfer and the brake pedal is as soft as ice cream in a heat wave. Take a curve a little too enthusiastically and you’ll be reminded, sometimes by heart palpitations, that the very high centre of gravity is terrible for sport driving.

And yet...

And yet, you’ll find yourself loving this gas-guzzler. Did I forget to mention its shameless fuel consumption? During my week-long test drive, during which I hardly took it off-road at all (I leave that to experts like Josée and Nadine), this Jeep guzzled an average of 15 litres of gasoline per 100 km. On the highway, at a constant speed of 100 km/h, we’re talking approximately 12 L/100 km. In the city, that number becomes 16 or 17... Off-road, it’s better to focus on where the wheels are than where the needle is on the fuel gauge. Can’t wait for the 3.6-litre V6 Pentastar. For now, you’ll have to make do with the old 3.8-litre V6 and its 202 HP and 237 lbs-ft of torque.

Aside from these small details, the Wrangler has what it takes to win people over, especially folks who are into off-roading. So do up the chinstrap on your tuque and all of the aforementioned peccadilloes become true blessings. The vehicle is high up from the ground? Great! The steering is loose? Steering that is too precise becomes a handicap if the wheel hits a rock. And so on and so forth...

The truth is that very few people will actually get the maximum out of the Wrangler’s all-terrain capabilities, especially the Rubicon. The Rock-Trak system provides gear reduction that is rarely equalled on a vehicle built for the general public, the two differentials can be locked and the antiroll bar can be deactivated. And then there’s that little lever that lets you change the mode of the transfer case (2H, 4H, N and 4L). While most 4x4s use a button attached to the electric motor, the Wrangler continues to offer this stubborn but virile lever, and that’s exactly why we love the Wrangler. At the wheel, you feel in complete control in all situations and you know that it will never let you down. Just ask Nadine and Josée!