Trail Rated - Just Not for the Rubicon

wayoflife

wayoflife

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Even if roads were built and tow straps were used throughout the journey, I was always under the impression that a Jeep model could not be "Trail Rated" unless it had been able to cross the Rubicon Trail. Well, today I found that is not necessarily and really, it all makes total sense now.

Renegade and the Rubicon
jeep-renegade-trailhawk.jpg

After the presentation of the Jeep Renegade, I was able to talk to Philip M. Jansen, the Vehicle Line Executive, A/B Segment, Minivan, and current C/D Segment.

I asked him if the Renegade had crossed the famed Rubicon Trail, and he said that it had not, but had been on one of Jeep’s testing grounds. He elaborated that for the “Trail Rating” of the Jeeps, they assign a ranking of 1-10 with 10 being the best. The rating equate to what kind of trail it should be able to handle.

Mr. Jansen gave the Renegade a rating of a 4 out of 10, which would mean they would not recommend it for a trail such as the Rubicon. Part of the reason, according to Mr. Jansen, is the Renegade’s focus on power over torque; the latter would be needed to climb boulders and such for the likes of the Rubicon trail. He then said that the Wrangler is rated at a 8 – 9 out of 10, and would be able to go over the Rubicon trail with no problems.

When I had asked him if the Renegade had any styling or influence from the Fiat 500L, he said that were some shared modules such as the seating, steering column, and other small things. The differences were the wheel openings (which have the typical Jeep trapezoid opening), a unique front suspension, different transmission, and some other things. Mr. Jansen also said that while both the 500L and the Renegade both use the small wide design, the design is different due to 500L using the front wheel drive version while the Renegade uses the AWD version.

Chrysler has several off-road trails for testing purposes, including one which faithfully replicates difficult portions of the Rubicon trail, as they stood in the 1990s. This both allows Chrysler to test off-road vehicles in secret, and provides a stable benchmark, since the actual Rubicon trail is in a constant state of change.

Article can be found on AllPar here:
http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2014/04/renegade-and-rubicon
Click to expand...

Having said that, I still like this new Jeep BU Renegade and still think it would be fun to do some light exploring in. Fortunately, if I want to play harder, I have several other options to choose from :D
 
never heard of the rating system, i always thought it was if it could get through the trail. i think a video on jeep says they have to have certain ground clearance and such. oh well, times are certainly changing i guess:naw:
edit, here is the trail rated video. i guess they changed their policy on what vehical get the badge
http://www.jeep.com/en/jeep-capabilities/trail-rated/
 
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To be honest. I always thought the whole "trail rated" badge was just a marketing thing... I had no idea there was actually thought put into it and a whole rating system. Interesting!

I'm with Eddie. I kinda like this little bugger. I don't know if I would buy one, but it would make for a fun rental :yup:
 
That's a bummer. Now I'm not sure if my trail rated Tj will be able to handle the rubicon! I thought since I had the badge, I was good to go!


Back in 2002 or 2003 I was on the rubicon and ran into a herd of h2 hummers that were being tested before their release.. It was great because the rocks were all painted with such beautiful and vibrant colors from the sides of all the h2s! I guess the days of testing things in public are gone. 😞


My ride- 2001 power wheel, 11" plastic tires, upgraded battery, boat sides, custom bumpers, tow hooks, new paint.
 
olram30 said:
never heard of the rating system, i always thought it was if it could get through the trail. i think a video on jeep says they have to have certain ground clearance and such. oh well, times are certainly changing i guess:naw:
edit, here is the trail rated video. i guess they changed their policy on what vehical get the badge
http://www.jeep.com/en/jeep-capabilities/trail-rated/
Click to expand...

See now, that's what I remember as well. Guess I'm not crazy and that their policy had in fact changed. I have to say, that is a shame as I would be totally understanding if this new BU Jeep wasn't Trail Rated - seems kind of lame that they would lower their standards just for marketing purposes. :rolleyes2:
 
My question is if the 8-9/10 rating on the wrangler is for Sport and Sahara models as well as the Rubicon model? Just wondering if they get this rating from the base model wrangler's capability and the Rubicon performs that much better or if they base it off the Rubicon model.
 
I always took "trail rated" as meaning it could handle being driven off pavement, hence the reason for a rubicon model which indicates that it has completed the actual rubicon trail. So I guess in my mind there would be other rubicon versions of other vehicles if they could actually cross that trail.
 
I have to say I was in the same boat. Thinking that the trail rated badge meant they completed the Rubicon.

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I remember when I was buying my jeep (back in 2011) reading about the trail rated badge and I read somewhere on the site about how trail rated badges were earned by ground clearance, water fording ability, and other things, and that they had to meet a certain criteria. Maybe it just so happened that every trail rated jeep up until now has completed the rubicon? :idontknow:
 
I find it funny that it doesn't mention the water depth of water fording.. A stream could only be an inch.. Guess it gets trail rated then.
 
So if you modified the Renegade would that increase the trail rating :thinking:
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Since it is going to be built in China I don't think I would be buying one.
I don't mind foreign built vehicles - just not from China.
It's cute, my wife would kind of like it, but other than to just buy a Chinese Jeep brand - wouldn't do it.
 
pastorwug said:
Since it is going to be built in China I don't think I would be buying one.
I don't mind foreign built vehicles - just not from China.
It's cute, my wife would kind of like it, but other than to just buy a Chinese Jeep brand - wouldn't do it.
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Starting late this year, the subcompact Jeep Renegade will begin arriving in U.S. dealerships. Fiat Chrysler plans to build the Jeep alongside the upcoming Fiat 500X at a Fiat plant in Melfi, Italy. from the http://www.toledoblade.com/Automoti...North-America.html#auQfvVm0yB66CRQF.99....The jeeps built in China as of right now are supposed to be for the Chinese market as the Chinese bought 60,000 Jeep last year. That being said I don't remember the Italians building cars much better than the Chinese. So I would be leery of the build quality but I bet the interiors will be nice.
 
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I'm in the market (somewhat) for an SUV/x-over for my wife and so far jeep (besides the GC) is sucking at life. The Liberty, which she owned, sucked and felt like it was built by blind retards. The new Cherokee is fugly and this new little Fiat bastard child is hideous.

Jeep just wants to sway the soccer moms by saying the thing is "Trail rated" maybe a jogging trail but that's about it. It's like the old IROC, remember when Dodge took over the series and badged the Daytona with an IROC icon...weak sauce!
 
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