Cross-country spirit forever young test drive jeep shepherd Rubicon

Rubicon (hereinafter referred to as Rubicon) is the fourth generation product of Jeep Shepherd. Although it is a brand-new model, it still retains the typical characteristics of the previous generation in outline. Just like the classic off-road vehicle such as Mercedes-Benz G-Class, in the process of replacement, the body contour will not be adjusted too much, but more design elements that keep pace with the times need to be integrated on the basis of classics.

Rubicon's circumference has become longer, wider and shorter, which conforms to the current development trend and the wheelbase has also changed. Starting from this generation, the wheelbase of the four-door version has broken through the 3m mark, reaching 3008mm. Don't worry that lengthening the wheelbase will affect the passing angle. Rubicon's passing angle can still reach 22.6 degrees, which is better than the Sahara four-door version of 2 1 degree, and it is easy to surpass the ball control. Of course, if you want stronger passability, the Rubicon two-door version with a wheelbase of only 2459 mm is the most correct choice, and its passing angle can reach 27.8 degrees. Except the passing angle, the change of body size has not had a negative impact on approach angle, departure angle and minimum ground clearance. On the contrary, all the parameters related to the passing ability of Rubicon and Sahara have increased more or less than the previous generation.

Although the outline has not changed much, it is easy to identify a new generation of herdsman through details, such as the circular LED headlights distributed on both sides of Jeep's classic seven-hole air intake grille and the LED daytime running lights at the wheel eyebrows. Yes, the new generation of models finally adopted LED light source. If you want to find the difference between Rubicon and Sahara, it's easy. In addition to the word "Rubicon" above the fender, the larger hood vent, the black wheel cover and the tire size are the characteristics that distinguish them.

In order to cope with the worse off-road conditions, Jeep equipped Rubicon with Mud-Terrain from Bailuchi? T/A？ KM2 tire, size 255/75? R 17, while the Sahara model is equipped with Bridgestone's DUELER? AT tire, size 245/75? R 17. In contrast, the tire equipped on Rubicon has better mud passability and climbing ability, and the full-size spare tire of the same wheel hub is still located outside the tailgate.

Also incorporating more fashion elements is the design inside the car. Unlike the appearance based on the classic outline, the design of the interior is almost brand-new. There is still a mechanical dashboard behind the new steering wheel, but a 7-inch LCD screen is added in the middle of the dashboard, through which many aspects of information can be read. The red plaque runs through the center console, with an 8.4-inch touch screen in the middle, which is 7 inches in size on the Sahara model. The design of the roof is still detachable, which has always been the pleasure of herders. Only a few wrenches are needed to easily split the front roof into two parts. It is worth mentioning that Jeep has also prepared a four-door electric convertible version of Sahara for some consumers.

The control buttons for doors and windows are still located under the center console. One side is the cigarette lighter interface, and the other side is the USB interface and the Type-C interface that keeps pace with the times. In addition to two sets of Type-C and USB interfaces, the rear passengers also have a 230V power supply, which is very intimate. Below the door and window control buttons is the core control part of Rubicon. Through the joystick, the driver can choose to lock the differential lock of the rear axle or the differential lock of the front and rear axles. Next to it is the front stabilizer bar release button. By separating the stabilizer bar, the front wheel can get a longer suspension stroke, thus having the strongest off-road ability. Of course, it is also possible to separate the stabilizer bar on the Sahara model, but it needs manual operation. As for the differential lock of the front and rear axles, it is impossible to realize on the Sahara model, which also determines that Rubicon has absolute off-road performance advantages.

Today, Rubicon and Sahara have exactly the same power plant. The 2.0-liter turbocharged engine replaced the 3.6-liter naturally aspirated engine used by Rubicon and the 3.0-liter naturally aspirated engine used by Sahara. The 2.0-liter turbocharged engine is equipped with an 8-speed automatic manual transmission. In the United States, consumers can still choose a combination of a 3.6-liter naturally aspirated engine and a 6-speed manual transmission as the powertrain of Rubicon, or they can choose a 3.0-liter diesel turbocharged engine. Compared with the 3.6-liter naturally aspirated engine in the past, the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine on Rubicon does have stronger torque, but the power is slightly reduced, and the fuel number has been upgraded from 92 to 95. This is not a good thing for a model that is open to the world. After all, not all gas stations can provide high-grade fuel.

Moreover, the concern that the power output of turbocharged engine is not as linear as that of naturally aspirated engine has become the focus of debate since this generation of herders switched to turbocharged engine. This is indeed an indisputable fact, but Jeep has also prepared a good solution, that is, a 48V light mixing system. In the future, the 48V light mixing system named "eTorque" will be used as the auxiliary power of the 2.0L turbocharged engine, which has been successfully applied to the Dodge RAM 1500. In addition to lower fuel consumption, the 48V light mixing system will make up for the lack of initial power before turbine intervention, thus making the power output smoother.

Back to Rubicon, it optimizes the daily driving performance that has been complained about in the past while maintaining passability. Although the steering is still vague, the accelerator pedal and brake pedal are not heavy, and the steering assistance mode has been upgraded from mechanical hydraulic assistance to electro-hydraulic assistance. The lighter driving experience makes it almost the same as an urban hard-core SUV in daily use. Excellent ALPINE sound system can compensate tire noise caused by Bailuchi tires more or less when the speed exceeds 80 km/h. In fact, as far as the actual driving experience is concerned, tire noise and wind noise are acceptable as long as the speed does not exceed120km/h. ..

If you own a Rubicon, what do you want most? Perhaps most people will answer to conquer nature, and so will I. But these days, because of time, I have been driving in the city except shooting in the suburbs, just like "falling in love with a wild horse, but there is no grassland at home". The most regrettable thing is this. If I have another chance to test drive, I think I will definitely take Rubicon around the world.

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.