Motor Head {test drive}: Finding traction

JEEP RUBICON IS READY TO TAKE ON ANY TRAIL

By Ron Moorhead

The Jeep Wrangler has a long and illustrious history of fulfilling the needs of its drivers, from its roots in 1941 serving GIs in World War II, to working on the family farm, to today, when the Jeep serves as a versatile and rugged utility commuter vehicle.

Hundreds of Jeep owners have modified, fortified and personalized their Jeeps to the point where they are capable of conquering the most rough and challenging trails in the country.

One of the most challenging of those trails is the Rubicon, a 22-mile stretch of boulders, canyons and washes that run across the Sierra Nevada just outside Lake Tahoe, Calif. The Rubicon Trail is known for breaking both vehicle and individual, mentally and physically.

It is also the trail that every Jeep model must conquer before it gets its stamp of approval from the manufacturer. Plenty of stock production Jeep vehicles have traveled the trail successfully. But the Rubicon, a trail rated as a most difficult "class 10," has left its mark on many body panels and chassis components, so it isn't the place for just any ill-prepared vehicle.

With so many owners adding additional components to help their Jeeps, the engineers who have spent days upon days on the trail decided they would build a Jeep that could take on the trails right out of the box. And what better name for such a vehicle than the Wrangler Rubicon?

The job of making the Wrangler a Rubicon is more than just plastering a few decals on the body and calling it a special model. No, these Jeep guys and gals took their appointment seriously and gave the Rubicon the heart and soul of a real trail-buster.

Jeep started by adding large, brawny off-road tires. At 31 inches tall, not only do they add traction-grabbing hold of the trail, they help lift the Rubicon over those large boulders. Just in case the Jeep contacts one of those boulders, diamond plate sill-protectors protect the Rubicon's body from dents.

One of the biggest advantages and certainly one of the coolest are the locking differentials. That's right, plural. There is one at the rear axle and one at the front. Both are controlled from the driver's seat through a switch on the dash. Through these electronic switches, the driver can, when needed, lock the rear differential separately or in tandem with the front. For those not familiar with extreme four-wheeling, the ability to lock both axles gives you true four-wheel drive. That is, all four wheels drive the vehicle, so if three wheels are off the ground or lose traction, the remaining wheel can continue to drive the vehicle.

Along with this ability, the Rubicon is equipped with a transfer case that gives this Jeep the capability to crawl slowly through the toughest conditions. With a 66-to-1 crawl ratio, the Rubicon takes on the character of a farmer's tractor. You get the feeling you could plow a field with the Rubicon's power. Come to think of it, I remember my dad doing that with his 1946 CJ2A Jeep.

You probably won't be plowing any fields with your Wrangler Rubicon, but it's nice to know you could if you felt the urge. The thing you will not waver on attempting is taking an adventure into the deep forest, or a craggy desert canyon, or perhaps the Rubicon trail itself. Whatever your preferred adventure, you'll know you will arrive in comfort, complete your drive and return home in one of the most competent Jeeps offered in recent memory.