Adventures in a Jeep Wrangler TJ

Fuel economy which doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the word economy, road noise at seventy that would make the deaf irate, and ingress and egress that involves dodging mud caked side rails. Who would want a car like this? Loads of people, mad people, including my friend Matt. His specific money pit has been somewhat modified, apparently not that uncommon in the off road community… In brief: 31” tyres, 2.5” lift, LSD, extra armour and ‘lights for days’.

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I have had a few goes in ‘TJ’, both on road and off, and it’s a pretty impressive and brutal thing to hustle. Off road, the car is pretty damn competent. Pick a technical route in 4-LOW and enjoy absurd articulation from the axles, or stick it in 2-HIGH and send it sideways through thick mud. Your choice. Either way you’re probably going to have a massive smile on your face. It’s easy to place with the wheels right at the corners. The only bug bare I’ve got is the crappy 90’s immobiliser, thankfully I’m not the one who has to live with it on a daily basis.

A little bit sideways

A little bit sideways

On the road it can feel strangely fast, even with only 120bhp from its 2.5L, petrol 4 pot. Not sure what the current weight is, but it’s not going to impress a Lotus owner. Corners are scarily fast at most speeds. You roll around in the raised body and try to forget the rear brakes are only drums. The aftermarket exhaust sounds brilliant, and is loud enough that you don’t need to ring the doorbell when you arrive at your friend’s place. The controls feel weirdly direct, though agricultural, a mechanical throttle and hydraulic steering so rare nowadays. You can even heel and toe, if the mood takes you.

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Now, due to the vintage and nature of the intended use of this vehicle, stuff breaks. And rusts. And well, generally requires a fair bit of maintenance. Upside, a lot of it is quite accessible thanks to the raised ride height. Matt and everyone else in the community tend to enjoy a bit of wrenching anyway. And if something isn’t broken, they’re trying to see if they can squeeze an even bigger set of tyres into the arches. So, like most car communities, it’s an obsession bordering on clinical condition.

Disappear into the wild

Disappear into the wild

This car would demolish most of the scenic off road courses you see journalists trundle around in the latest Land Rover launch event. Modified off-roaders like this are the tools if you’re actually looking for the utmost capability. Although, the stuff that roles off the production line is just a lot comfier on the tarmac. If you want to crawl up rocks and felled trees far from anything resembling civilisation then grab the keys to this. And if you need to go across a damp field to pick up little Jonny from football practice then buy whatever trash Vauxhall is currently peddling as an SUV.

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