Beyond capable, living up to its predecessors
RUBICON TRAIL, CALIF. • Danger is everywhere. It’s in the rocks, the trees and the cliffs. The danger is just not in flipping this open-top 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, tossing us down an incline that could kill us, but also in the possibility of severing a vital artery of this Jeep on some sharp outcrop.
The name of the Rubicon Trail, a 35-kilometre scar in the Earth just west of Lake Tahoe, is deceptive. Some sections are not trail at all, just lonely and narrow gaps of boulders. Heck, goats and horses would refuse to walk among these ruins of rock. In some sections, the Rubicon is like trying to traverse Mars; it’s unpredictable, unreliable, unknown. Established, more or less, in the early 1950s, the Rubicon Trail earned its status when a group of friends believed their Jeeps might be able to cross the tortuous path of granite.
The trail is not maintained and changes from day to day, season to season. At one point, the trail crosses a river close to Lake Tahoe that was named Rubicon by early settlers and came to mean the point of no return.
Many who attempt the Rubicon fail, their vehicles simply unable to withstand the constant abuse and punishment the trail inflicts on tires, shocks, frames, body panels, fuel tanks, steering components, suspension bits, brake lines — just about everything a vehicle needs to keep moving.
It’s not for the weak — driver or vehicle.
Yet those who first made it proved that with the right vehicle and equipment, and an abundance of caution, patience and perseverance, the trail could be conquered.
Today, the most off-road version of Jeep Wrangler is banging and scraping away on factory rock rails, steel frame, protector plates, bumpers, body cladding and differential, a little like those first trailblazers. Except we have air conditioning for the hot afternoon sun, and heated steering wheel and seats for the cool mornings of the two-day trip. We also have satellite radio, LED headlamps, an electronically disconnecting front sway bar, differentials in the front and rear that lock with the push of button, burly 33-inch BF Goodrich KO2 all-terrain tires, and automatic transmissions.
All that makes it sound like conquering the Rubicon in a $50,000 Rubicon would be a breeze. Not quite.
The Jeep Wrangler has always been a capable off-roader. Even its look, highlighted by the seven-gap grille, round headlamps and open top, has stayed consistent. Purists who don’t mind dust or bugs can still fold down the front windshield and remove the doors. On the new version, however, a wider stance, lower beltline and larger windows improve visibility.
A Rock-Trac 4x4 transfer case with a 4LO ratio of 4:1 paired with locking front and rear Dana 44 differentials underpin the new Rubicon body that can step into inclines as steep as 44 degrees. It can go over, without scraping, angles of 27.8 degrees and leave them at 37 degrees, in part because of a ground clearance of 10.9 inches and standard 33-inch tires on 17-inch wheels.
Countless times on the Trail, mostly when uttering “there’s no way we’re going to get through this,” the Rubicon kept moving forward, upward and over all obstacles in its way. “I can’t believe we just did that,” became a familiar response.
Should a pond be in the way, the Rubicon can ford up to 30 inches without leaking water into the cabin. It can tow 3,500 pounds, too.
Should departure and approach angles be steeper or more dangerous, as they so often are on the Rubicon Trail, Jeep’s disconnecting front sway bar and long-travel, multi-link suspension allow for more wheel travel, so the tires can find purchase when the vehicle is pushed into awkward situations that would stop the majority of stock SUVs.
Underbody skid-plate protection is standard, and the plastic wheelwell edges do an excellent job of limiting damage to a few superficial battle scars. The doors, hood, fenders and windshield frame are aluminum, the rear swing gate is magnesium. Front and rear heavyduty steel bumpers with removable end caps, and a winch-ready mount on the front, are available.
Two new engines join the familiar 3.6-litre Pentastar V6, which was upgraded to 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. A new, turbocharged 2.0-L, direct-injection in-line four, paired with an eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic, gets 270 horsepower and 295 lbft of torque. Yes, that’s more torque than the V6 and it feels perfectly suited to the Rubicon. A 3.0-L EcoDiesel V6 with 260 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque is coming in 2019. The 2.0 also gets FCA’s eTorque system, first seen on the 2019 Ram, which handles power for auto stop/ start and several other key electric-power assists.
Inside, the interior has been sharply refined with better materials and fit. FCA’s fourth-generation Uconnect infotainment system has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the choice of five-, seven- or 8.4-inch touch screens with pinch-and-zoom capability. It’s one of the better infotainment systems in the business.
Starting at $34,945 for the base Sport and going up to $49,745 for the Unlimited Rubicon, the Wrangler can, of course, be had with two or four doors, with dozens of different door, colour, windshield and top combinations.
The Rubicon has taken all that was good about previous models and made the 2018 immeasurably better. Such ability not only demands respect, it deserves it.