The Wrangler has Jeep badging but the Thar is the willy’s great grandson
TTHE WRANGLER IS A CRAZY indulgence at the price it comes at, especially for an off-roader that begs to get its boots dirty every once in a while. Anyone with a single logical bone can skip this story too, as you would already have skipped the pages on the Rolls-Royce Dawn, the California or the Huracan... after all none of them can justify their price tags. Nor can a GT-R, or a Bentayga. Agreed, said cars are a price one pays for the badge, luxury and the thrills they come with but, there really is no logical reasoning to buying one. Now that we can move past the ‘I’d rather buy (insert XYZ car) for that money’ arguments let’s get on with how cool the Wrangler really is.
When we got all the cars lined up for the cover shot of this magazine and started to drop their tops we realised, much to our horror, we were missing a twenty rupee tool. An allen key. With light rising faster than we could curse at each other the Wrangler had to be shot with its roof in place. The next day we got the three roof panels off and there you go, within just a few minutes, the Wrangler was ready to roll topless. Actually you also cruise around with the soft top in place as it is fitted inside the hardtop, and while it eats up on the boot space, you have the option of going anywhere even after removing the hard top. It works very well on a road trip and suggests that somebody at Jeep has a very keen eye for detail. The Wrangler can also go completely naked if you take the doors off too. All you will have is the roll cage, some extremely comfortable seats, a California on your left and a Dawn on your right. And then you crank up the noisy diesel mill.
We got the Thar along for the story because it’s the ‘Jeep’ we have grown up with. In India, people recognise a Wrangler because of Mahindra. Both these vehicles trace their roots to the Second World War with the birth of the Willys reconnaissance vehicles, and soon enough the idea caught on to go anywhere and live life in the outdoors. And since they couldn’t do that in a Corvette or a Mustang, the Jeep just took off. The Wrangler may carry on the Jeep badging but it is the Thar that is the great grandson of the Willy’s Jeep, one that traces its roots most authentically, one that even shares many design attributes if not a few components. It is almost as bare-bones basic, and hence, as close a vehicle to the Willys as you can buy in our times. It brings a smile to our face every time we take it for a spin, and with the Maxxis Bighorns, the Thar can crawl over stuff you wouldn’t put this Wrangler through. The wheelbase is shorter, the off-road tyres give it a lot more grip while crawling rocks, and the Thar is a lot lighter, which means the huge power deficit isn’t felt when the tarmac ends. The Wrangler’s stock tyres were more than halfway through their life on our test car so that added to the slip in the wheels on a few large boulders we got it to climb over. And there’s that difference in price, you don’t go bashing a few rocks in an eight lakh rupee 4x4...
The Thar is the mountain goat. You will want to go everywhere with it and will be content with its simplistic nature. Even if you manage to break it, it won’t cost you much to fix. The Wrangler will punch a hole in your wallet. But while the Thar comes Sam-dune rated, the Wrangler is trail-rated, and for all hairy-chested offroaders, that badge on the fender means a lot.
The trails the Wranglers are rated on are hard on an off-roader. The two solid axles help though because they are tough enough for the beating they have to endure. The Wrangler may not be a very nice vehicle to drive on road because of this, but it is a price one pays for the invincibility. My only problem is that the five-door Wrangler was a dilution of the brand, because a longer wheelbase compromises its rock crawling abilities. And the massive size makes it look a lot less cooler than the three door. It is for a family full of adventurers, not the lone wolf (you might have surmised that Anand doesn’t have a girlfriend – Ed). There’s no shortage of luxury and safety too. You get an automatic gearbox, cruise control, traction control, power windows, an adjustable steering wheel, heaters and air-conditioning that works, all-weather alpine speakers that are as good as they get for a rugged off-roader and an archaic touchscreen infotainment system (with Bluetooth!).
The heavy weight, wide fenders and large panel gaps may be a bit off-putting but find me an offroader who complains about panel gaps and shut lines. Trivial things like these don’t matter as long as you can climb over rocks, cross rivers and enjoy a road trip to your favourite trail. Settle into a steady cruise and it will actually be a pleasant drive. The 2.8-litre diesel engine makes 197bhp and 400Nm, and as long as you aren’t giving it the beans and getting frustrated with the sluggish gearbox and long travel of the throttle pedal, the Wrangler will build good speed with its healthy
torque reserves. This torque comes in handy when you slot it in 4H or 4L as you tackle gravel or rocks though. It’s a big brick cutting through a lot of air and you constantly have to correct the steering to keep it in a straight line and it is vague as hell with a big dead zone.
That vague steering is actually a good thing offroad as the steering wheel isn’t snappy and it feels nice and light to manoeuvre over undulations and on rocky landscape. The flared wheel arches are good for the suspension travel and the hard interior plastics are easy to clean after a day’s off-roading. It doesn’t have the breakover angle of the Thar because of its long wheelbase, but besides that, the Jeep is more than a few segments better built than the Thar (if that justifies the price). The Jeep Wrangler is built to a purpose, but it is also built for luxury, comfort and a welcoming outdoorsy lifestyle for the rich adventurer with its flexible cabin. There are lovely details in the interior, the materials are perfect for an off-roader and with the correct choice of tyres you can conquer mountains with the Wrangler. You can do that in the Thar too, if you are a simpleton. Just like cars have their segments, off-roaders can have them too. Here are two prime examples – the Mahindra and Mercedes of the 4x4 world.
The Thar is six years old and the Wrangler is a decade into its life. It shows the shelf life of offroaders is a lot longer than most cars. A lot of it has to do with simplicity of a 4x4 vehicle’s design, its durability and willingness to take a beating. A bit has also got to do with simply being cool. Crossing rivers, climbing rocks, breaking axles once in a while, digging yourself out of a ditch, and finding that childish grin after a tough day in the jungle. You begin to embrace obstacles as an off-roader and smile in the face of it. Whether in a Thar or a Wrangler, these bruisers will make you happy and take you places. Most of all you’ll look really cool while you are at it.