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@Alex Sidorov it started with me wanting a daily driver but also something that was capable to go for the occasional camping trip. I did look at a few other cars but have always liked Jeeps so settled for the JGC. 

When I joined Carnity in October 2018, I expected to do just a few drives to get a feel of the vehicle and see how it handles in this terrain. For a year, my drives were on and off mostly but I kept coming back for more as this grew on me.  

If you ask me if this is the best car for the desert, the answer is definitely a big NO for a few reasons. It is Jeeps luxury segment and has too many safety features that are excellent on tarmac but a pain when offroading. If you didn't know better, you would think turning it into sand mode kills the traction but the moment the 101 sensors find the wheels spinng or sliding, the system overwrites everything and kicks in and suddenly your traction control is back on and the only way around it is a kill switch. There are quite a few quirks like this to get around. Secondly, even if you do get around to living with the few flaws, there is always the lingering feeling that if something does go wrong, it's gonna cost an arm and a leg. 

To summarize it, I personally took it as a challenge to myself to find a way around most of the issues and it's been a fun ride so far. Would I buy a JGC again to do the same thing? Probably not. Get a cheaper toy that you will not worry about each time you enter the desert.  There are a lot of options out there depending on what you really want to do in the desert and how far you want to push yourself, the most common being the wranglers and pajero's but the Xterra is also gaining ground of late. 

Here is a pic of my JGC, it's a 2017 Limited. The only mods I've added are a skid plate, 2 inch levelling kit from Rough country in the front, 1 inch wheel spacers all round to maintain the COG due to the lift on the front end. 

Screenshot_20210126-085833_Gallery.jpg

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@ZakWarah @Umar Kamal @Alex Sidorov@Ashy @VipinShetty if you guys and any other JGC owners are interested, we can meet after the Friday morning drive and go over any questions or concerns you may have. If time permits, can also drive around for an hour or so. 

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@Alex Sidorov I have JGC 2019 and I bought this vehicle for the same reasons as Brette has mentioned above.

In my excitement I went to Maleha alone without any pre knowledge of dunes and even without deflating tires. i got stuck at first dune however was rescued.

Later i joined Carnity and realized this is whole new world. I faced the same issues. I removed only front lower facia but was not aware of any fuse options at all. During my 3rd ride with Carnity while doing one arch maneuver i crossed two hidden humps with speed and as a result all inner fender lining rolled with wheel and fell down. Rear pumper was damaged but not fully broken and later while driving on road noticed a bent in excel as it was noisy while full right steering.

My JGC is still under warranty therefore I went to Agency for repairs. Agency refused to fix these things without police report and was giving me estimate of 3500 AED. I know someone in Jeep Garage who told to fix it outside if do not want police report. After a little research I managed to fix these only in 700 AED. I bought genuine fender lining from Sajja scrap car market and fixed outside garage. 

Lesson Learnt!!

This is Jeep luxury segment for 4×4 and it is an excellent vehicle for tarmac with all technology. It does a pretty nice job on sand as well in sand mode only if you are crossing some simple dunes but as you go advance in your ride this is not good as others like Jeep Wrangler or FJ etc. Secondly some mod available to lift the vehicle and kill switches etc. But again its everyone's personal choice and money matter. One should consider all risk associated with off-roading before taking expensive vehicles in sand.

I decided to keep low for now and look for cheap options before it cost me a arm or leg😄

Edited by Umar Kamal
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2 hours ago, Brette said:

@Alex Sidorov it started with me wanting a daily driver but also something that was capable to go for the occasional camping trip. I did look at a few other cars but have always liked Jeeps so settled for the JGC. 

When I joined Carnity in October 2018, I expected to do just a few drives to get a feel of the vehicle and see how it handles in this terrain. For a year, my drives were on and off mostly but I kept coming back for more as this grew on me.  

If you ask me if this is the best car for the desert, the answer is definitely a big NO for a few reasons. It is Jeeps luxury segment and has too many safety features that are excellent on tarmac but a pain when offroading. If you didn't know better, you would think turning it into sand mode kills the traction but the moment the 101 sensors find the wheels spinng or sliding, the system overwrites everything and kicks in and suddenly your traction control is back on and the only way around it is a kill switch. There are quite a few quirks like this to get around. Secondly, even if you do get around to living with the few flaws, there is always the lingering feeling that if something does go wrong, it's gonna cost an arm and a leg. 

To summarize it, I personally took it as a challenge to myself to find a way around most of the issues and it's been a fun ride so far. Would I buy a JGC again to do the same thing? Probably not. Get a cheaper toy that you will not worry about each time you enter the desert.  There are a lot of options out there depending on what you really want to do in the desert and how far you want to push yourself, the most common being the wranglers and pajero's but the Xterra is also gaining ground of late. 

Here is a pic of my JGC, it's a 2017 Limited. The only mods I've added are a skid plate, 2 inch levelling kit from Rough country in the front, 1 inch wheel spacers all round to maintain the COG due to the lift on the front end. 

Screenshot_20210126-085833_Gallery.jpg

I have always loved this lovely beast regardless of all of the pain in the dessert. And @Brette I respect your perspective that along with your beauty you reached that far cause at end of the day it’s finally the one who is behind the wheel 👍🙏🏻

769FA700-9931-4D92-A8E3-B1920CDFDD04.jpeg

Edited by Mohamed Seidam
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1 hour ago, Brette said:

@ZakWarah @Umar Kamal @Alex Sidorov@Ashy @VipinShetty if you guys and any other JGC owners are interested, we can meet after the Friday morning drive and go over any questions or concerns you may have. If time permits, can also drive around for an hour or so. 

Sound good for me @Brette I have joined the Quadra fewbie this weekend. 
you are also leading there right ?

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1 hour ago, VipinShetty said:

Sound good for me @Brette I have joined the Quadra fewbie this weekend. 
you are also leading there right ?

Yes, I will be leading a newbie drive. Let's wait for everyone else to respond and will then fix a time and place. 

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@Ashy @VipinShetty none of the others have confirmed so its just the 2 of you now. I am still open to the 3 of us meeting as we would all finish our drives around qudra. 

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