If there’s one name that conjures up images of muddy tracks left behind in the wake of victory, it has to be Jeep. It may not be the best ad campaign, but the Second World War did make the Willys Jeep a household name. In India, we are never really far from it as the Mahindra range of vehicles, especially the Thar and the Bolero, bear more than just a passing resemblance to this legendary design. So when the phone rings, giving you a day’s notice to pack your bags for a trip to the western US, you hardly ever argue with the voice on the other side. This was a chance to get to know Jeep up-close, in its natural habitat.
The plan was to survive the 36-hour journey from Mumbai to Reno and then embark on an off-road adventure that many would only be privileged to experience once in their lifetime. If it sounds relentless, that’s maybe because it was. Except that when you prepare yourself and your car at base camp, looking at the 35km route map of the Rubicon Trail, you can’t help but feel the adrenalin rush gushing through your veins and your right foot twitching to bring some of the 280 horses to life. I say “some” because this trail is not about outright power but more about torque, articulation, traction and of course, manoeuvring through the toughest terrain any production car will ever be exposed to.
