COVID19 Compliant - Morning Intermediate Desert Drive - Al Bataeh Technical Challenge - Sharjah - 4 Jun 2021

[Abu Muhammad]

1 hour ago, varunmehndiratta said:

Thanks @Lorenzo Candelpergher as i said it's the maneuverability of Jeep on tech terrain  and ease of following @Jeepie that made it easy for me ... and ofcourse 6 months of guidance by seniors at @Carnity

 

Dear @varunmehndirattayoure praising the Jeeps which not a problem but today from what we witness from the back Jeeps had more refusals and stocks by the way did you know that some heavy cars in the back were not Jeeps and did not had any refusal? Or not as much as cars in the front So surely from what we saw from the back it was the Jeeps and other white cars that had the most problems. 

[Varun Mehndiratta]

1 hour ago, Abu Muhammad said:

Dear @varunmehndirattayoure praising the Jeeps which not a problem but today from what we witness from the back Jeeps had more refusals and stocks by the way did you know that some heavy cars in the back were not Jeeps and did not had any refusal? Or not as much as cars in the front So surely from what we saw from the back it was the Jeeps and other white cars that had the most problems. 

Hahahah @Abu Muhammad so true.. .. though in your case it's not the car it's the awesome smooth and always in control driver ..who rules irrespective of the vehicle...😉😉

 

 

Reference to vehicle was only for me...😃😃

[Abu Muhammad]

2 hours ago, varunmehndiratta said:

Hahahah @Abu Muhammad so true.. .. though in your case it's not the car it's the awesome smooth and always in control driver ..who rules irrespective of the vehicle...😉😉

 

 

Reference to vehicle was only for me...😃😃

Yes @varunmehndiratta or it may well be both the driver and the car 😂. From what I heard the Jeeps are made for off roading and it’s so relaxing, most of the times it does all the job for you. By the way I never owned a Jeep so no first hand experience. 

[Rizwanm2]

9 hours ago, Abu Muhammad said:

Dear @varunmehndirattayoure praising the Jeeps which not a problem but today from what we witness from the back Jeeps had more refusals and stocks by the way did you know that some heavy cars in the back were not Jeeps and did not had any refusal? Or not as much as cars in the front So surely from what we saw from the back it was the Jeeps and other white cars that had the most problems. 

Totally agree and impressed with all the heavy monsters at the back of the convoy today. Welldone guys 👍

[M.Seidam]

19 hours ago, Thomas Varghese said:

Wonder why they named it Rubicon instead of Unicorn. 

Interesting story behind the RUBICON 

https://www.jeep.ca/en/articles/the-meaning-of-the-rubicon-name

[Lorenzo Candelpergher]

Dear @Abu Muhammad, dear @varunmehndiratta, I can share my own experience: as you know I've been driving a Nissan Patrol Y62 for over a year in the desert. I made it to @Carnity Expert level driving it and I was honestly very happy about it. 

Then a very unfortunate distraction made me miss a nasty pocket in a flat area and  I fell nose down, smashing the front front bumper and mud fenders (I could anyway complete another 40km in the drive) resulting in a very small bending of the main chassis. Because of this bending the insurance prescribed (and covered, luckily) the full chassis replacement, for which - however - several months would be needed as the part would have to be manufactured in Japan and sent to UAE before replacement. This was happening on Feb 26th, and the outlook is to get the car back in September...

Because of these circumstances, I decided to get myself another drive , as I didn't want to stay grounded more than 6 months and given that anyway our 2nd family car (a very old LR4) was meant to be replaced soon I took the chance to get a more off-road oriented car. 

I opted for a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited (ie LWB), with the intent to put it to the test well enough to decide what to drive from September onwards. 

Now I've been driving my JLU for 2 full months and taken it to the desert 25 times. Here are my first impressions:

- JLU is way easier to drive; very capable, more agile; notably, less prone to fishtailing; despite the smaller engine, the power to weight ratio is similar to the Y62 but traction is slightly better; I seldom used the front diff-lock, but the rear one works better than the Y62 (which would often struggle to engage); I got in trouble on some rocks once and got away unlocking the sway bar;

- the Offroad+ mode of the JLU changes the gearbox and engine behavior significantly, giving a very prompt response but, believe it or not, it results in more fuel consumption than the Y62, to the extent that I now tend not to use it unless I need to do extreme stuff;

- the driver's comfort in the Y62 remains unmatched: you may be doing an extreme drive, but you still do so from a comfy living room; in particular, the A/C is way better in the Y62; i never sweated inside my Y62, I do every time in the JLU;

- visibility is better in the Y62, as windows are bigger; the sense of 'where the car ends' is also better in the Y62, as the bumpers are compact and closer to the body, while the JLU has very prominent bumpers and the external spare wheel;

- I seldom get to use the full raw power: 400hp vs 285hp may seem much, but compared to the weight, there isn't honestly a huge difference. What does really make a difference are the 560 Nm of torque (vs the 350Nm) which make the Y62 sustain raw power-driven climbs longer with spinning wheels; Y62 climbs on power (that requires less driver skills), while JLU climbs on agility and goes as far as the driver is capable of (by the way I didn't change the 255/75R17 wheels, which are way lighter than the 285/70R18 ones I had on the Y62). 

- wheels on JLU are closer to the front rear and bumpers are higher, so attack/depart angles are way better than the Y62 ones; this gives more comfort while riding, which however had been largely achieved by means of cut bumpers and skid plates also with the Y62; it must be said, however that the rear plastic bumper and the mud guards were real a weak point in the Y62; also, the presence of the spare tire under the car was often a serious reason for difficult stucks with the Y62, as the wheel itself becomes an obstacle to moving forward (or backward): having the wheel on the back door as in the JLU is way better;

- the tailgate opening upwards in the Y62 is better, as if you park with the car inclined sideways to the left, the laterally hinged door of the JLU simply won't stay open (I'll have to install a door holder of some kind).

Beyond this, everything else is emotional, so it boils down to totally subjective and personal feelings.

Driving a Y62 at the top of Area 53 gives a sense of achievement that you don't get doing the same with a JLU: it is more difficult, it takes more skills and more guts, as the car is heavier and way more challenging to control; on the other hand, driving a JLU is easier, it allows more time to read the terrain, it is more forgiving of mistakes, it can do more in tight spots or extreme maneuvers, it gets stuck less frequently and, if you lead, it leaves you more time to focus on choosing the best line and checking your navigation. Either you drive a JLU with a bit less effort or you push it to a bit higher level, but if you are in for the most challenging experience as a DRIVER, the Y62 will challenge you more. 

What will I drive in September? I honestly don't know. My guess is both, depending on the mood of the day!! 

 

[Varun Mehndiratta]

2 hours ago, Lorenzo Candelpergher said:

Dear @Abu Muhammad, dear @varunmehndiratta, I can share my own experience: as you know I've been driving a Nissan Patrol Y62 for over a year in the desert. I made it to @Carnity Expert level driving it and I was honestly very happy about it. 

Then a very unfortunate distraction made me miss a nasty pocket in a flat area and  I fell nose down, smashing the front front bumper and mud fenders (I could anyway complete another 40km in the drive) resulting in a very small bending of the main chassis. Because of this bending the insurance prescribed (and covered, luckily) the full chassis replacement, for which - however - several months would be needed as the part would have to be manufactured in Japan and sent to UAE before replacement. This was happening on Feb 26th, and the outlook is to get the car back in September...

Because of these circumstances, I decided to get myself another drive , as I didn't want to stay grounded more than 6 months and given that anyway our 2nd family car (a very old LR4) was meant to be replaced soon I took the chance to get a more off-road oriented car. 

I opted for a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited (ie LWB), with the intent to put it to the test well enough to decide what to drive from September onwards. 

Now I've been driving my JLU for 2 full months and taken it to the desert 25 times. Here are my first impressions:

- JLU is way easier to drive; very capable, more agile; notably, less prone to fishtailing; despite the smaller engine, the power to weight ratio is similar to the Y62 but traction is slightly better; I seldom used the front diff-lock, but the rear one works better than the Y62 (which would often struggle to engage); I got in trouble on some rocks once and got away unlocking the sway bar;

- the Offroad+ mode of the JLU changes the gearbox and engine behavior significantly, giving a very prompt response but, believe it or not, it results in more fuel consumption than the Y62, to the extent that I now tend not to use it unless I need to do extreme stuff;

- the driver's comfort in the Y62 remains unmatched: you may be doing an extreme drive, but you still do so from a comfy living room; in particular, the A/C is way better in the Y62; i never sweated inside my Y62, I do every time in the JLU;

- visibility is better in the Y62, as windows are bigger; the sense of 'where the car ends' is also better in the Y62, as the bumpers are compact and closer to the body, while the JLU has very prominent bumpers and the external spare wheel;

- I seldom get to use the full raw power: 400hp vs 285hp may seem much, but compared to the weight, there isn't honestly a huge difference. What does really make a difference are the 560 Nm of torque (vs the 350Nm) which make the Y62 sustain raw power-driven climbs longer with spinning wheels; Y62 climbs on power (that requires less driver skills), while JLU climbs on agility and goes as far as the driver is capable of (by the way I didn't change the 255/75R17 wheels, which are way lighter than the 285/70R18 ones I had on the Y62). 

- wheels on JLU are closer to the front rear and bumpers are higher, so attack/depart angles are way better than the Y62 ones; this gives more comfort while riding, which however had been largely achieved by means of cut bumpers and skid plates also with the Y62; it must be said, however that the rear plastic bumper and the mud guards were real a weak point in the Y62; also, the presence of the spare tire under the car was often a serious reason for difficult stucks with the Y62, as the wheel itself becomes an obstacle to moving forward (or backward): having the wheel on the back door as in the JLU is way better;

- the tailgate opening upwards in the Y62 is better, as if you park with the car inclined sideways to the left, the laterally hinged door of the JLU simply won't stay open (I'll have to install a door holder of some kind).

Beyond this, everything else is emotional, so it boils down to totally subjective and personal feelings.

Driving a Y62 at the top of Area 53 gives a sense of achievement that you don't get doing the same with a JLU: it is more difficult, it takes more skills and more guts, as the car is heavier and way more challenging to control; on the other hand, driving a JLU is easier, it allows more time to read the terrain, it is more forgiving of mistakes, it can do more in tight spots or extreme maneuvers, it gets stuck less frequently and, if you lead, it leaves you more time to focus on choosing the best line and checking your navigation. Either you drive a JLU with a bit less effort or you push it to a bit higher level, but if you are in for the most challenging experience as a DRIVER, the Y62 will challenge you more. 

What will I drive in September? I honestly don't know. My guess is both, depending on the mood of the day!! 

 

Very insightful @Lorenzo Candelpergher coming from direct experience...

What i enjoy most on JL is its almost flat Torque/Rpm curve .. it's as powerful at low rpm as at high...so maneuverability on soft sand and going up the steep dune is equalñy good... Again as @Abu Muhammad rightly indicated both are awesome vehicles and it takes a good driver to get result out of them ...i remember my first newbie drive where with same JL i struggled to climb up the pink rock and then we have @Luca Palanca Falsini who rocks the 2.4ltr engine on every terrain...so potential on these vehicles is crazy cool both need a driver who can tap it.

@Abu Muhammad someday maybe we switch rides...and enjoy the beauties with diff perspectives, perhaps at a newbie drive...😃

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by varunmehndiratta

[M.Seidam]

If I am not mistaken Luca’s fortuner Has a 4.0 L V6 under the bonnet .. but this doesn’t change the fact that it’s the Driver “ weight “ what matters 😉

[Abu Muhammad]

Dear @Lorenzo CandelpergherTjank you so much for taking times and giving us the insight information between them highly appreciated. Yes there has been many times that I gained the proper momentum that needed for the drive then it comes the challenge of controlling. 

42 minutes ago, varunmehndiratta said:

Very insightful @Lorenzo Candelpergher coming from direct experience...

What i enjoy most on JL is its almost flat Torque/Rpm curve .. it's as powerful at low rpm as at high...so maneuverability on soft sand and going up the steep dune is equalñy good... Again as @Abu Muhammad rightly indicated both are awesome vehicles and it takes a good driver to get result out of them ...i remember my first newbie drive where with same JL i struggled to climb up the pink rock and then we have @Luca Palanca Falsini who rocks the 2.4ltr engine on every terrain...so potential on these vehicles is crazy cool both need a driver who can tap it.

@Abu Muhammad someday maybe we switch rides...and enjoy the beauties with diff perspectives, perhaps at a newbie drive...😃

 

Totally agree yes that would be good idea I know yours would be easy to control but you might feel the big difference I don’t know. 

[Tero Vallas]

HI

What a drive, it was really more technical as ever ! Surprising soft sands required us to keep really focused to driving and route selection all the time.

We had few stucks there in the back, actually really challenging ones in tight pocket. We used @Abu Muhammads monsters winch and it looked a while that even with that we wouldn't get @Gaurav Soni out from pocket. But slowly Mitsubishi got up which required quite a lot of power from Gaurav, resulting overheating of gearbox & engine. @Gaurav Soni, I think you car was missing some power after that  in last stages of the drive. Please have it checked so that there is no further damages.👍

As @Lorenzo Candelpergher explained in advance, technical dunes took some toll, but drive was definitely different with slower pace needed and wonderful terrain. Thank you @Lorenzo Candelpergher for challenging and educative drive. And yes, I really enjoyed a lot to be sweeping !😃

Will add few photos to the gallery. See you on the sand again !!