Rental report: Jeep Wrangler (pt. 2)

This is the second of a three-part report. Also see the first and third parts.

When all you own is a hammer, the saying goes, all the world looks like a nail. The corollary to this is that when all you drive is a Jeep, everything looks like something to drive over. and I'm not kidding here—I've had to resist the urge to roll over errant rocks and curbs on multiple occasions.

And it isn't even because the Jeep Wrangler has poor road manners—as I detailed in my last article, it doesn't. It's still a big and clunky open-top utility vehicle with crap aerodynamics and a tendency to wander at speed, but despite these flaws it's actually a good deal more roadworthy than many front-wheel-drive passenger cars. Safer, no—but definitely more driveable.

But I promised to get to the "fun" part of the Jeep after that first article, so here we go.

With the windows off and the transfer case locked into 4WD, the Jeep can be driven from pavement to rocky and muddy roads with practically no indication that the ground underfoot (undertire?) has gotten substantially more challenging. Even with standard-issue rental car tires, gri premains superb in deep troughs of runny soil, and across slick boulders. Dirt roads with gaping potholes aren't intimidating enough to make even reasonable drivers feel like they should slow down—the big brakes (discs at all corners) arrest oodles of speed and even if you did drop a tire into one of these holes, the sturdy axle and frame would pop right out without any of the shudder or drama you would expect from most other vehicles—even most SUVs.

And I think that confidence—the sturdiness of the vehicle and its ability to traverse treacherous terrain without shaking, clunking, or thudding—is what really sets the Jeep apart. There is ample power, control, grip, stability, and durability to make any driver feel at home on practically any surface.

The surface I tried all this out on was the road past Opeaka'a waterfall, which turns into a rutted dirt path and finally a rocky mess of enormous potholes and muddy tracks. I made it about 4 miles in before turning around due to time—and even then I made it further than I would have in any other car since I was able to push the Jeep so hard on the trail. Tremendous road, great fun, and well within the capabilities of this vehicle.