The concept of “jeeps” has been around
for a while, and the Jeep Wrangler is one of the latest
versions. Our Down-Under correspondent John Weinthal spent
some time with one and describes it as a Tonka Toy for big
kids. Here are the Words from Weinthal.
“For this week we will drop all serious
judging criteria. The vehicle is the Jeep Wrangler - the
latest interpretation of the four-wheel-drive which started
the whole game way back in the Second World War. By now it
serves no real purpose beyond amusing some semi-crazies who do
not care who thinks of them in that light. Approach the
Wrangler with all this in mind and I defy you to have anything
but fun. Purposeful, practical motoring is not on the Jeep
menu.
“This
thing is as basic as a car can be, a veritable Tonka Toy for
big kids. It has four wheels with large balloon tyres, an
unstressed 130 kW, 4 litre six cylinder engine and a five
speed manual gearbox in which fifth gear is very, very rarely
called for.
“Power windows? This baby’s windows are
zippered in and sealed with Velcro. Remote locking? Forget it,
there’s not even central locking. You use the key for the
doors and the tailgate as well as the fuel filler, glovebox
and console bin. Carpets - no thanks. A steel floor with
rubber mats is so much easier to hose clean after a day’s
fun in beach sand or muddy paddock.
“Needless
to say there’s no wiper for the easily scratched plastic
rear window, and while the front wipers probably meet legal
requirements, they are noisy as they scrape their single-speed
way across the flat, fold-down windscreen.
“Of course the Jeep is a very competent
and rugged off-roader. It is also a four seater with quite
good room for a couple in the rear. Hood up it can feel a
little claustrophobic and luggage space is sparse to put it
mildly, even with the rear seat folded forward. Practicality
was not a priority. There are tiny door bins and a small glove
box and central cubby.
“The
soft-top is extraordinarily difficult and time-consuming both
to remove and to replace. To stay dry it might be best to
listen to the forecast a few hours ahead and call some skilled
and muscular friend to raise the roof and sidescreens should
rain be headed your way. It is no wonder one seems only to see
Wranglers topless on fine days. There are hardtops available
but surely they defeat the entire point of this fun machine.
“It is truly difficult to imagine anyone
choosing a Wrangler as their everyday car. But Wrangler rides
surprisingly well and the front seats are extremely
comfortable. The centre armrest and cutaway doors transform
them into virtual armchairs and the steering wheel adjusts in
the vertical plane ensuring a fine driving position.
“Wrangler has adequate performance
on-road and there’s heaps of torquey urge when the
off-roading gets truly serious. The air-conditioning will
rarely be used I suspect but the powerful heater could be
handy on crisp evenings. The stereo is easy to use and can be
played loud without too much distortion.
“For those who want to experience an
original the AUD 36,000 Wrangler takes up the challenge. Auto
adds AUD 2000. It is an option many would enjoy as the
five-speed manual is nothing special and fifth is a joke until
you are on the highway, preferably pointed downhill. (In
Thailand it comes with just the three speed auto and costs
around 1.6 million baht - Dr. Iain)
“Impractical, expensive and frequently a
right pain to live with, Jeep’s Wrangler can also be huge
fun for any extrovert pair or quartet in their more carefree
moments. Driven single-handed you can choose to enjoy or
ignore the bemused looks from bystanders, but it’s an
experience best shared with friends - a right jollymobile,
specially in the day-glow yellow of the review car.”
(Thank you John. The last time I drove a
Wrangler, the ‘fun’ aspect was what stayed most in the
memory too. Dr. Iain.)
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Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked you to take a look at
this photo. What was the make of this car, and what movie was
this still from? The correct answer was a tricked up Ford
Falcon (that’s a dummy supercharger on top) and the movie
was Mad Max, and that’s a very young looking Mel Gibson
sitting on the mudguard.
 So
to this week. Let’s get right away from movies (but
congratulations to Dusit Dave Garred who got the Mad Max
question correct and first in, and who admits he knows nothing
about cars, but has wasted several lifetimes in the back row
of movie houses in Sydney) and this is for our American
cousins who often complain they’ve been left out. What was
the first American car to win an international sports car
race? Clue - it was 2,000 km long.
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be
the first correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
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Bangkok
International Motor Show
Just a reminder that the Bangkok
International Motor Show is on from March 26 through to April
4. This is, in my opinion, the ‘real’ motor show, as this
is where the manufacturers showcase their cars and the concept
cars of the future, not just a chance for the distributors to
try and sell off the cars before the year’s end. This year
there are around 130 participants from 11 countries
represented. By the way, there is also a good selection of
motorcycles as well as accessories and 4WD off-roaders.
I must admit I am looking forward to seeing
the Maybach. Anything that has a price tag of around 100
million baht had better be breathtaking. And for those not so
engrossed in the actual machinery, most manufacturers have
presenters with particularly nice chassis’ as well!
The show hours are 12 noon until 10 p.m.
weekdays and 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
If you want to know more you can visit the website
www.bangkok-motorshow.com
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What did we learn from the
Malaysian Grand Prix?
Well the first thing we learned in
Qualifying is to never count your chickens till they’re
hatched. Bird Flu might get ‘em - or the driver may get it
all wrong like Sato (BAR) and Alonso (Renault). Up till the
run that counted, all the pundits were predicting a fight
between Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso for pole. Their
predictions were about as good as those from the turbaned
gentlemen who stroll along tourist stretches telling fortunes.
The second item we learned from Qualifying
is that two hours is far too long. If I can’t keep
concentrating or being excited by the TV, then nobody will.
The two sessions to get pole are repetitive and boring, and
the oaf commentator for Star Sports who gleefully shouted,
“Who said Formula 1 Qualifying isn’t exciting!” after
Alonso spun, doesn’t know what motor racing is all about. If
the epitome of excitement is someone spinning, then
gawdelpusall!
By the way, I also received an email from a
DC fan (never mind, just keep taking the tablets, or perhaps
double the dose, you’ll get over it) to say “Anyway my
point of writing is that you seem to not be enjoying the F1
coverage this year. Have you thought of checking out the
coverage on our local cable channel? The coverage of the OZ
G.P. on Sophon was coming from South Africa (I think), and
used the UK channel ITV’s coverage - not only did we get
Martin Brundle, James Allan etc. but no adverts, which made it
better viewing than what we get in the UK.” Worthwhile
checking out, because the blethering oafs on Star TV are
hopeless.
So what did we learn from the race? Well
the first thing was that Michael Schumacher is still the class
act, motoring away from the pack very easily. Forget the TV
twats trying to say that Montoya was going to be able to take
the fight up to him. He was not.
The one engine rule for the weekend seems
to have caught out more than a couple of teams. Ralf
Schumacher’s engine did very convincing hand grenade
impersonations, as did Takuma Sato’s BAR and Kimi Raikkonen
(for the second race in succession). Raikkonen can no longer
be called the ‘iceman’ after he punched a track marshal
after his McLaren failed. Kimi will have to keep his
disappointment in check in future.
Many others did not live up to expectations
- Barichello was a very distant fourth, behind his team mate.
Alonso seemed to be going well, but then faded by mid race and
was never in contention. Mark Webber, after getting all the
glory in Qualifying had a nightmare race. His Jaguar not
selecting gears at the start, dropping him right back to the
tail of the field. He pulled back up to have a coming together
with Ralf Schumacher and get a puncture, then was penalised
for a drive through penalty for speeding in the pit lane and
eventually spun off and could not get out of the kitty litter.
A fitting end for a sh*tty day!
One driver who had a great day was
Englishman Jenson Button in the BAR, coming in third for his
maiden podium finish. The BAR team this year looks so much
improved over last year’s patchy efforts. Perhaps the money
that was saved by not having the expensive Villeneuve around
their necks has gone towards improving the machinery!
The next round in one week will be at the
new circuit in Bahrain. Can the rest stop Schumacher? At this
stage it does not look like it. So much for those who
predicted that Schumacher had lost his edge over the Xmas
break and was no longer motivated.
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