Given my limited access to exhibits, by noon the New York International Auto Show had been somewhat of a disappointment to me. As Jeff and Al were busy typing up stories for the website, they recommended that I go try out the Camp Jeep course in front of the building to kill some time. At the time, my only opinion on Jeeps was that they were cheaply built American cars.
Surprisingly (thanks Camp Jeep!), I was allowed to get in one of the Wrangler-based Rubicons they had on hand and go for a ride As I settled into the front passenger seat, I thought to myself “I hope this is more fun than not getting into the auto show.” Our first obstacle: A ramp tilted at a thirty-degree angle. It really didn’t look like much, but when we started to drive over it, I was no longer looking at the Manhattan skyline through my side window. I was staring at the pavement. This was way better than looking at any Lamborghini or Ferrari!
After that ramp, we went over a second one which tilted the vehicle to the other side. The Rubicon had no problem handling it. We then moved on to a series of logs in the middle of the course, and I could have drunk a cup of hot coffee with no problem as we went over them. At this point in the ride so far, I was already having more fun than I had the whole day.
The next part of the course was a large frame that had stumps of various lengths sticking out of it vertically. It was no match for the Rubicon; we conquered it, and stayed fairly parallel to the ground while doing so.
The best and most frightening part of the course was next: The Hill. A thirty-five degree incline doesn’t sound like much, but inside a vehicle on The Hill, it felt like you were going vertical. Try this in your average car and you are asking to get flipped. Of course the Rubicon had no problem climbing up the hill obstacle, and going back down it was fun, too. The only thing keeping me from kissing the dashboard was my seatbelt. I was no longer on my seat, I was on my seatbelt.
I ended up going on three runs total, all of which were a complete blast.
Camp Jeep taught me a few things: A) If you want to total a regular car quickly and effectively, take it to the Camp Jeep course; B) A thirty degree angle is A LOT steeper than you think it is; C) Camp Jeep is fun. Really fun. — and D) If you need a quality vehicle that can take a heavy beating, get a Jeep Rubicon.
Those things are tough.
Images courtesy of Jeep
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