Test drive conducted by Sergey Tokarev
In early March, the staff of the Dubai office of Daimler phoned the editorial board of the Russian Emirates Publishing House and suggested taking a car of one of the brands produced at the factories of this automobile concern for a test drive. After some negotiations, we stopped at the Jeep Wrangler - even then the idea arose to ride it on the dunes, which abound around Dubai.
Jeep cars are generally legendary, it’s enough to recall the first “raspberry-colored jackets” in Russia in the early 1990s, with the light hand of which Jeep Cherokee cars, which were driven by “new Russians”, were popularly dubbed the “ZhYP SHYROKIY,” and then all SUVs , regardless of brand, they began to call "jeeps." Jeep Wrangler - also a classic of the genre, and stopped on it.
Subject Examination
On March 26, Daimler's helpful and friendly representatives drove the SUV into the editorial office. We leave to get acquainted with the subject, and immediately the first surprise - before us is a four-door modification of the famous SUV. This model Daimler introduced to the market only in 2006, obviously wanting to satisfy the wishes of those for whom the Jeep Wrangler is not only an SUV, but also a car for everyday trips around the city. The base increased to 2946 mm allowed not only to provide a more comfortable ride on paved roads (this was confirmed during our tests), but also to accommodate an additional pair of doors.
Carefully look into the salon, where we are waiting for another surprise - for a test drive we prepared a modification with an automatic four-speed gearbox. Apparently, in vain we did not say that we are planning a sortie on the roads. Daimler representatives agree with us - the model range has a six-speed manual gearbox, which would be preferable for driving along dunes.
Nevertheless, we decide not to lose heart, changing the theme of the upcoming test drive on the go. Now it does not sound like "Once again make sure that everyone knows", but "Let's see what the urban equipment is capable of." We call the “urban” equipment conditionally, by the totality of signs - an elongated base, four doors, an automatic transmission and a hard plastic roof, while realizing that even in this configuration the Jeep Wrangler cannot be called an “urban dweller”, at least by inheritance . And there are plenty of signs. There is ground clearance, and the geometry of the body, and all-wheel drive transfer mode, and a removable roof, and a windshield that leans forward, and anti-slip plates under the bottom, which reliably protect the transfer case, crankcase and gas tank, and much more that makes the car an SUV.
What's inside?
We look at the interior in more detail. The roof immediately attracts attention - it is removable, three-section. For the sake of interest, we decide not to postpone a good deal for later, and without reading the instructions, in just a minute we remove the section above the passenger - everything is simple and simple. We remove the section in the trunk, and we understand why the designers divided the front section into two parts - so that they fit easily there. Even without removing the rear section, it is clear that, unlike the front ones, it will not fit in the trunk, and it will need to be left at home. When dealing with the roof, we pay attention to the fact that the manufacturer paid special attention to the noise insulation of the cabin - it differs from what we saw earlier, and clearly for the better. Even the plastic trim seems softer and more refined. Under the perimeter of the roof, we notice the usual tubes of the frame carefully draped with cloth covers. In place is the traditional arc in front of the passenger sitting in the front seat - above the glove compartment.
I catch myself thinking that the Russian Emirates magazine is not a specialized automotive publication, and I begin to look at what is interesting to the ordinary car owner, and not to the sophisticated off-road provider. Naturally, this is the screen of the music center, habitually located on the console to the right of the driver. We try to press the buttons, and another pleasant discovery - our car is equipped with a GPS system, and on the screen we see a map of Dubai, fresh, which is clear from the presence on it of two new bridges across the Dubai Bay. Click on the Eject button, and the screen slides down, opening the slot of the disc tray. If you believe the description, the disc player supports CD, DVD and MP3. At the bottom right, we notice the standard USB connector, which allows us to hope that the source of music can be not only disks, but also flash drives that have become popular lately.
I sit down comfortably (as far as the stool seat allows), and before starting off, I habitually look around the dashboard. I notice one "disturbing" light - the door is open. I and the three passengers each open their door and shut again. The light continues to light. I ask you to repeat the experiment, and again to no avail. Only after the passengers, having forgotten about how they trained at home on the refrigerator, slam the doors that they have the strength, the light goes out. Looking ahead, I’ll say that the problems with closing the doors haunted us all three days of the test drive. Maybe we just got such a car?
Having solved the problem with the doors, I get under way. Having left for the straight section of the parking lot, I press the gas pedal vigorously, wanting to feel the difference between the RAV4 (4 cylinders, 2.4 liter volume), on which the Jeep Wrangler (6 cylinders, 3.8 volume) also arrived. I am surprised to understand that, despite the "extra" almost one and a half liters of difference in dynamics, this is practically not felt. I drown the gas pedal to the floor until it stops, but in response, the car seems to be reluctant, melancholy picks up speed. It is not clear - the official Mercedes S350 behaves much more energetically, not even in sport mode. Focus on the box (maybe you turned it on?) Is prevented by passengers in the back seat with an unexpected request to lower the windows - the air conditioner has not “dispersed” yet, and it’s stuffy in the cabin. In response to my "but yourself, weak?" they shyly complain that they cannot find the necessary knobs or buttons. The express investigation revealed another surprise - the power window buttons are “successfully” located on the center console, in front of the driver. Maybe it’s supposed to be on an SUV, so that non-fun passengers on the bumps from the windows do not fall out? But there is also a pleasant moment - the windows of the rear doors are completely sunk to our satisfaction, so the "extra" 523 millimeters of the base (compared to the two-door counterparts) are used by the designers completely, and there is enough space for the windows in the rear doors.
Having decided that the car was not taken for city trips, we restrict ourselves to the “lap of honor” in the parking lot near the office, park ourselves, put in place the roof (also easy and simple), and go get ready for an outing into nature.
Long live the desert!
Dubai morning on March 27 meets us with the gentle sun, overboard a little more than +20 degrees, as reported by a digital thermometer on the dashboard. The weather is almost perfect for a trip to the desert. Another week is different, and the temperature rises to at least +30. We try not to think about what will happen in the summer. Twenty minutes to the gas station designated as the meeting point is enough to experience the Jeep Wrangler in an urban setting. Not wanting to devote much time to this, I confine myself to stating that there were no shortcomings, and that the owner of this car in urban conditions will feel quite comfortable. By the level of service in the cabin, the Jeep Wrangler is almost not inferior to middle-class sedans, well, except that there is no electric adjustment of the mirrors, but parking sensors.
At the gas station, we are waiting for two more “Ranglers” (real ones, with two doors, manual gearboxes, special rubber and severe off-wheel drives), Toyota Land Cruiser Prado and the brand new yellow Toyota FJ Cruiser, which the owner, taking this opportunity, also decided to experience “in battle. " Somewhat unexpectedly in our group is the Lexus RX350, which has the glory of a respectable, but still “SUV.” Knowing this, the hostess never ceases to remind others of the promise she had given her that you can even get to the camp on the Corolla. Guessing the true state of affairs, the rest of the participants bashfully hide their eyes, and with even greater love stroke the bagels of their Erdzhei, Kruzerov and Ranglerov. Looking ahead, I’ll say that I could really get to the Lexus camp only with outside help - I had to push twice, rescuing him from the sand captivity. Nevertheless, for the desert, two driving wheels (we learned about this feature of the “SUV” RX350 by pushing it for the first time) are clearly not enough.
By turning off the highway off-road, with the help of deflators we lower the tire pressure, sighing along the way about why the Daimler designers would not automate this process, as was done, for example, not only with the modern Hammer, a full-time SUV of the American military, but and the good old Soviet "Shishigi" (army GAZ-66), 1964 release.
The road to the parking lot did not cause any particular problems - the leader of the group, Yaroslav Kireev, an “off-road” with experience, remembered the presence of the Lexus parquet in the caravan, and chose the route easier. Stayed only two times, and both in order to pull the "SUV" out of the sand. Having set up camp and settled down, according to a long-established tradition, we form a "strike group" - for a sortie on a real off-road terrain. Actually, everything is with us, with the exception of Toyota FJ and Lexus, whose owners decided that the roads to the camp were enough to get their adrenaline rush.
A pleasant discovery - our car is equipped with a GPS system, and on the screen we see a map of Dubai, and a fresh one, which is understandable by the presence on it of two new bridges across the Dubai Bay
A real "cowboy" even in the sand ... cool!
It is probably very stupid to describe the behavior of the Jeep Wrangler on the roads, in particular among the dunes, therefore, heeding the call of our editor-in-chief to “have a conscience and curb up with an article,” I will be brief.
Firstly, even as standard, the four-door Jeep Wrangler has everything you need to please the owner with its cross-country ability and adaptability to hostile environmental conditions. An indestructible suspension, a powerful engine, thoughtful geometry and body structure easily allow the “Rangler” not only to be listed, but also to be one of the universally recognized leaders in the legendary world of SUVs. Add to this climate control, leather seats, Electronic Roll Mitigation (anti-roll-over system), ESP (stabilization system) and GPS navigation system - what else does a person need?
Secondly, only in the sands did some “lethargy” of the car during acceleration find its explanation, which I wrote about at the very beginning. It was this, as it turned out, a valuable feature that did not allow the wheels of our SUV to break in the sand in the slip if you wanted to "give in to the gas."
Well, and thirdly, we must admit that the “long” Jeep Wrangler is still inferior to its “short” brothers in cross-country ability. In particular, he could not climb the dune, which successfully conquered the two-door Wrangler. By the way, “laying between the steering wheel and the seat” has nothing to do with it - the same driver who conquered the dune on the short “Rangler” could not repeat this on the long one. Although, maybe the automatic transmission is to blame?
So, in quality, conclusion: the Jeep Wrangler was, is and hopefully will be a real SUV! But if you plan to use it exclusively for off-road driving, then choose the two-door option with a manual gearbox. Well, if, in addition to the crazy love for dunes, steppes and swamps, you have a dreary need to move around the city, then the four-door “Rangler” with “city bells and whistles” is your option. Take it without hesitation, he will not let you down!
