This is the long termer that elicits more long stares than anything in recent memory. Motorists at signals turn around and stare at the high bonnet, the deep-set headlights, the wide stance, and the chunky off-road tyres. And there’s no denying, the Rubicon has tons and tons of effortless attitude or swag. Even better, all the bravado is backed up with real ability. The great, great, great grandson of the off-roader that started it all – the Willys MB – the Rubicon is one of the more extreme versions of the current Wrangler. The question is, does it feel like a fish out of water in the urban sprawl? Or does it have a good balance of crazy-cool?
First up, what exactly do we have here? It’s a Wrangler, so it’s fair to call it one of the world’s best off-roaders. This means a body-on-frame construction, selectable four-wheel drive, locking differentials, anti-roll bars that can be disconnected for better wheel articulation and a dedicated off-road plus mode that optimises the vehicle in various conditions. Under the hood sits a petrol two-litre turbo four that puts out plenty of grunt. It makes an impressive 270hp and 400Nm of torque – more than the VW Golf GTI does from its own two-litre four. It even gets tougher, with uprated Dana 44 solid axles at both the front and rear.
Talking dimensions, it’s almost two metres wide, has a seriously tall cabin and gets unique powered seats up front, with switches and motors that can even be submerged. And yeah, you can take the roof off, get rid of the doors, and even open out the entire rear section. To allow you easy ingress to the high cabin, this car also gets a JCBL-sourced electrically folding footstep… a massive boon.
Now understandably, in the city, all of this feels like overkill. Sort of like using a chainsaw to slice a loaf of bread, driving it on city streets initially feels like you are piloting a military-spec vehicle that wants to take U-turns over dividers. And, sat high on wide, arthropod-like limbs, the Rubicon feels like it wants to scale every traffic island and obstacle in its path.
What you also have to get used to, and it takes a bit, is the almost two-metre width and the fact that the plastic-fendered wheel arches extend well past the bonnet. And then every time I get onto one of Mumbai’s open roads or intra-city freeways and hit around 90 or 100kph, it feels like a swarm of bees is on my tail. Believe me, I know the sound. Then there’s the fact that there isn’t much space in the back, the seats are low, and knock the roof above you or the one at the rear, and you realise they are made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic.
Now, with so many compromises to overcome, you’d think the Wrangler Rubicon would be poorly suited to the daily grind. Thing is, it isn’t so bad. First up, visibility is just fantastic, and you have a bird’s-eye view of the goings-on outside. Then, the engine really hits the spot. It delivers a nice, meaty shove above 2,500rpm, giving it tremendous agility. Tap the throttle once it is at these engine speeds, and it just shoots forward. Then the steering is nicely weighted and fluid, and the leather front seats are comfortable.
It even rides superbly, the tyres and suspension both super absorbent and well damped. Secondary movements, as a result, remain very controlled, even over really bad sections. Tired of having to deal with bad roads, potholes and broken sections of tarmac, this is the antidote. You can fling it over just about anything, and the suspension and tyres will deal with all the blows, the chassis almost never getting tossed around.
But the best bit, it makes you want to go out and drive trails and reach places you normally can’t access. Something we can’t resist doing; coming up next.
Ameya Dandekar
Sergius Barretto
Gavin DSouza
Hormazd Sorabjee
Lenny D'sa
Saumil Shah
