Jeep Invitation to Travel. What matters most to you: ends or the means? Surely achieve a goal is something outstanding, it makes you feel good, inflated ego, ready for another. But the means are much of the enjoyment of coming to an end. It is the media that you learn, falls, matures, try again, do best ... A track off-road is a good example of where the means are cooler than the end, or, more than that, which means They are "The" end - in the case is to have fun overcoming obstacles. Attend the Jeep Experience 2015 made me go back and find the part of the media that made me get where I am and who I am today. It does off-road in Moab, USA, in the midst of one of the most challenging rocky chains in the world, was a distant dream for a 18 year old kid who was entering automotive journalism through the gate off-road. We were in 2000 and 4 × 4 magazine & Co. was basically the bible of the off-roader: addition to the publication itself, the editor of events gathered a huge group of passionate with their preparations jipões, all with the magazine's adhesive.
Our Cherokee Trailhawk had no adhesive, only one paper on the windshield with the word "Brazil". Chosen because of the color, a solid gray that blends nicely with the trilheiro estilão this release. The ability to evil ways is stamped on the face: high ground height, pneuzões marshes, steel chest and anchor points exposed in front and behind (these hooks in red in the picture above). This version has leaves like plant, prepared by whatever comes.
Despite the appearance potboiler, comfort there is nothing to luxurious version Limited (see complete test). Joining off-road with luxury is nothing new (the Range Rover was doing it in the 1970s), but in these times of allergic crossovers to land, it is still exciting to find a real SUV, ready for real tracks, and not whose biggest challenge is to find place in front of the school children.
In the five years I worked in the 4 × 4 & Cia, and I followed several trails throughout Brazil, but never seen anything like this here. We are in the suggestive "Hell's Revenge" (Revenge of Hell), a jumble of huge boulders to look just like that of the roadrunner design ("Beep" "Beep") that escapes the coyote. Other references are the Indiana Jones films and the Last Crusade, or the harrowing 127 hours with six Oscar nominations. On the first climb hell longer intimidates. A narrow, sloping rock where the only guide are the rubber marks left on the ground. 4 × 4 traction, reduced and electronic locking rear differential case, the Cherokee Sport reveals a skilled climber, but look out the side window scares: A hesitation toward and that steel armor of two tons plummets ravine below with us in. Just tweak "Moab off-road crash" on YouTube and you'll understand what I'm saying.
The subidona the stone was just the first of many during the path 6.5 miles (10.5 km). But our car seems to have been developed exactly in this place - and it was the same: the Hell's Revenge is one of the challenges that the Jeeps have to meet to receive the "Trail Rated" seal. Impressive as the input angles (29,8º), central (23,3º) and output (32,1º) give the job done even in the deepest trenches - in some it seems that if there was one degree less the front bumper Whole shave. The span is also convincing, 22.1 cm, although they are inevitable some stone strokes under the car during the adventure. But we have to give a discount because all the way not seen an original car even: they were Hummers H1 (those for military use), Jeeps Wranglers levantadões and giant tires, highly prepared cages and even a small Suzuki Samurai armed to the teeth . And the people there in the comfort of air conditioning, the soft suspension and posting pictures on Facebook by Wi-Fi media center ...
More important in this hell is strength. Ramps with frightening slope, those in which you only see the hood and the sky, and down where you are hanging the seat belt are the main course menu. We turn on the 4 × 4 traction reduced at the trailhead and were only disable it to return to the asphalt. We also use the rear lock (which leaves each wheel with 25% strength) and Rock (Rock) mode drive system - which adopts a schedule of specific gear changes, basically using the first and second reduced. Another valuable feature is the electronic control descents (HDC), in which the ESP gives pulses the brakes through the ABS and secure the car on the steepest slopes. But I confess that it made the thing means "easy." For a little more excitement, dismissed the use of most of the time (except when the slope was huge and there were many stone steps in between) and was controlling the first reduced and brake. But if it had rained, the HDC would be essential. The lack of rain did not mean, however, no mud on the trail. Several times true cross flooded formed between the rocks, large pools with plenty of jagged, which required caution and take accelerator. Another test for the Cherokee, this time for sealing the doors, which proved to be perfect, without leaving even get a drop of water. The Jeep ensures that the model is capable of up to 50.8 cm immersion smoothly with air intake or electrical work. After a few hours of torture (for the car), we arrive at a fantastic plateau on top of a mountain for lunch. The menu had sandwiches with cherry-coke, cookies and a beautiful view of the cliff at 1,750 meters altitude.
The trip back did not mean relief in hard times: what was ascent became cliff and it was turned down wall ahead. Always with the 4 × 4 reduced traction, the Cherokee was practically a tractor with its 3.2-liter V6, which had 32.2 Nm of torque required quite on track. The exchange nine marches, usually mild in trade, it means harsh with the use of reduced giving leaps in changes. As for the 271 horsepower, they were in halter - on track almost did not use high speed, and on the road, well, try to accelerate in the US and see a police car come up where you least expect. After nearly eight hours behind the wheel, I confess that the warm Cherokee leather seat was not so comfortable as well. My back has asked for a pit-stop when we got to camp overnight. There was only choose a tent (which fortunately the staff of the Jeep had already mounted), changing clothes (without the right to bath) and enjoy dinner at the mouth of the cave, entitled to country music on the guitar.
Awakening the next morning came the sound of trumpets at Camp sound system. It was time to get ready (bath would only come at the hotel later ...) and swallow a breakfast because soon we were already running at "Wind Caves", a kind of high desert (with altitude ranging from 1128 to 2195 meters) that is in one of the last areas relatively "virgin" between Utah and Colorado. While not as radical as the trail the previous day, we face a very technical way, with lots of rocks and sand, resulting in an environment of millions of years of erosion and sedimentation. Interesting to note that although there are many loose stones in the mountains, not even seen a rolling hill. If there was still any doubt about the valor and the Cherokee Trailhawk capacity, the second day sealed the issue with a flawless presentation of the model, without hesitation even in challenging stone steps. When they finally emerged the asphalt and the comfort of the hotel bed, just came to mind the question I used the text from the beginning: the end is good, but there is no doubt that it is the medium that makes it worth the trip!
By Daniel Messeder, Moab (United States). Photos: Jeep Disclosure and author.
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