FOR REAL DRIVES

Genuine off-roaders go anywhere — but may take comfort and safety short-cuts

pamper you while pounding trails into submission.

We’re in the range-topping Rubicon, $63,950 plus on-roads of go-anywhere Wrangler loaded with heavy-duty axles, diff lockers, low-range 4WD and interesting toys such as off-road mapping and digital readouts for lean angles.

There are little Jeep silhouettes on the wheels and windscreen that recall the brand’s heritage, and oh-so-American names for features such as Rock-Trac (that’s the 4WD, not a Bon Jovi single) and removable “freedom panels” — the roof.

We take off the panels, the better to light the photos. Then three grown men cry in frustration trying to wrestle them back in place.

Taxing, noisy, thirsty and arguably less than safe on the road, the Wrangler sings in its preferred environment.

It’s the only contender here to give you full confidence to tackle the tough stuff, handling the tracks that made the Jimny and Troopy pause for a run-up or rethink.

The Wrangler does it easy, serving up superior traction and sophisticated wheel articulation to keep the tyres in touch with the ground. Its clever eight-speed auto effectively has 16 gears when you factor in low-range, making the most of a powerful 209kW V6. “Yeah, mate, you’ll be fine. Come on through.” Having ploughed through knee-deep water in the LandCruiser and Wrangler, our guide for the day pumps up editor Blackburn at the wheel of the Jimny.

He then turns to the rest of the party to say “this should be interesting”.

The Jimny promises go-anywhere motoring on a budget. And it delivers. The Wrangler was smashed with a one-star ANCAP safety rating following European testing that revealed structural flaws in its crash performance. Suzuki fared little better, taking home a three-star score after an airbag could not prevent the driver’s head from slamming into the steering wheel. The Jimny’s body also deformed excessively in the EuroNCAP crash test, which the authority described as an “unstable collapse”. ANCAP gave the 70 Series two-door ute a fivestar rating following a thorough re-engineering program to keep it on safety-conscious mining company fleets. But the beefed-up chassis, new side and knee airbags and thicker dashboard padding are only on the ute — the Troopy couldn’t come within cooee of five stars.

It romps through our water crossing, sending chocolate-coloured liquid splashing over the bonnet like a frenzied kid whipping up an arvo glass of Milo.

The dubious recipient of the World Urban Car of the Year trophy, the Jimny will go pretty much anywhere you can manage in machines that cost three times its $23,990 starting point. Ours isn’t quite that cheap, as it’s optioned with the $2000 four-speed automatic and $1250 paint job, two-tone black over kinetic yellow.

Its humble 1.5-litre engine produces a meagre 75kW and isn’t helped by ratios set a little further apart than buyers should expect in 2019.

But it’s about half the Troopy’s 2.3-tonne mass and that lack of weight helps the quattro Suzi scramble up hills like a mountain goat full of Red Bull.

Much more interactive than the Wrangler’s point-and-squirt approach, the narrow Jimny requires a degree of creativity as you clamber across ruts created by much larger vehicles. There’s genius in its air intake mounted as high as possible off the ground. Its boxy shape helps you place the car with confidence — you know where its corners are.

It’s the only one here without locking differentials, relying instead on traction control to pinch the brakes on free-spinning wheels to send power to the wheels with more grip. That works reasonably well in the wild, proving you don’t need expensive hardware and dirtdigging tyres to find adventure. They all feel like winners, even if each is compromised by the need to do more than your average car. Blowing away our expectations, the Jimny kept up with the best off-roaders you can buy for less than $100,000. The endearing and enduring Troopy still has what it takes to handle the bush. And the Jeep blends modern technology with strong fundamentals such as lofty ground clearance and dedicated allterrain tyres. Buy any of them — but only if you promise to go exploring from time to time.