Episode 550 – High Tech Jeeps Equal Stupid Drivers
This Week In Jeep
The 2022 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 – Four Wheeler 2022 SUV of the Year
It’s that time of year again when the Four Wheeler Network announces their Four Wheeler SUV of the year award. This is a big deal, as it gives the winner big bragging rights in the offroad world when it is announced. Four Wheeler’s SUV of the Year competition is open to all-new or significantly revised SUVs for the upcoming model year and culminates in the annual award judged by the editors of the long-standing 4×4 enthusiast publication. Four Wheeler’s weeklong testing regimen includes ramp travel index (RTI) testing to gauge each vehicle’s suspension articulation; track testing, including 0-60 and quarter-mile acceleration times, and 60-0 braking distance; and on- and off-road evaluation in the mountains and deserts of Southern California and Nevada. The vehicles tested are subjected to a variety of off-road conditions, including sand, rocky trails, loose-surface trails, rutted backroads, and loose-dirt hill climbs.
Night driving was also integrated into the competition to gauge the performance of each vehicle’s lighting equipment as well. No aspect of performance is neglected, and in the 48 years this award program has been running, Jeep has won it only 10 times. So there’s something to how stringent all this judging really is. Speaking of judges, their conclusion for the award of the 2022 Four Wheeler SUV of the Year?
…The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392! And it may just be the absolute pinnacle of factory off-road SUVs. The Jeep Wrangler 392 is the first vehicle in decades of testing to hit a bullseye on everything that the Four Wheeler judging staff has ever wanted to see out of an off-road capable SUV. With solid axles, front and rear lockers, a disconnecting sway bar, flexy link and coil suspension, 35-inch tires, and V-8 integration boasting a whopping 470 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of actually usable torque. The Wrangler 392 takes Jeep’s iconic off-road vehicle to a whole nother plane of existence, clearly setting the bar for factory off-road performance by which all others will be measured. For decades, Jeep Wrangler fans have been desperately asking for the automaker to equip the award-winning off-roader with a powerful V-8 engine. Jeep’s inclusion of the 470-horsepower 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 engine in a Wrangler both shocked and delighted the off-roading world while fulfilling all our wildest dreams. And the fact that you can pair it with all of the goodies that come with the Rubicon package, …35-inch tires through Jeep’s Xtreme Recon package, and that it all comes with a factory warranty is a combination made in heaven and a dream come true for anyone who can afford it. If that’s you, congrats. You’ve got a helluva machine.
If you’d like to see a list of the 10, well now 11 Jeep winners of Four Wheelers SUV of the year over the last 48 years, go check out the show notes for this episode at Jeeptalkshow.com
Four Wheeler
1974 – Jeep Cherokee SJ
1984 – Jeep Cherokee XJ
1986 – Jeep Comanche MJ
1993 – Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ
1996 – Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ
1997 – Jeep Cherokee XJ
1999 – Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ
2002 – Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland WJ
2007 – Jeep Wrangler Rubicon JK
2011 – Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland WK2
2022 – Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 JL
Jeep Is Shoving This Down Your Throat Whether You Like It Or Not
Car communications systems and an agonizingly growing list of nanny-like driver assistance systems mean modern vehicles can foresee dangerous situations even if you’re too oblivious to see them for yourself and prepare accordingly. Soon, millions of Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, and Dodge drivers in the U.S. will experience this first-hand thanks to an OTA (over-the-air) update that will allow the vehicles to warn the driver when an emergency vehicle is nearby. Because your eyes and ears apparently have stopped working. For those of you who are white knuckle terrified to get behind the wheel of anything with an engine, then this new forced software update will be like a warm security blanket in a safe zone with hot cocoa and butterflies. It’s because of you, and your ilk who drive down the road completely oblivious to your own actions or anything around you that 63 emergency responders were killed in 2021 when they were struck on the side of the road by another motorist. To prevent these accidents from happening, we could actually teach people how to drive, but that makes too much sense and would be, like, hard, and stuff. So Stellantis thinks you need things like software and additional levels of driver assistance technology more than say, I dunno, someone like me in the seat next to you yelling at and shaming you for trying to merge onto the freeway at 42 miles an hour. Instead, the automaker has implemented a feature that will now display a warning message in the Jeep’s dashboard when an emergency vehicle is approaching or the Jeep drives towards one. Because again, ….they believe that you are incapable of using your eyes and that your ears have fallen off your skull, and you will in NO WAY freak out the first time this thing goes off like a fire alarm inside the cab of your Jeep and you start wildly looking around in every direction to find some hope of figuring out why your ear-holes are being assaulted and you completely miss little billy chasing a ball into the middle of the street!
The Emergency Vehicle Alert System (EVAS) will initially be available in North America to more than 4 million drivers of Chrysler, Jeep, Ram, and Dodge vehicles.
Stellantis could roll it out across the 14 brands the automaker sells around the world, but the new system still needs support from the emergency services from other countries, so it will be on a country-by-country basis for now until the other countries are ready for their drivers to be indoctrinated into ineptitude as well. The Company will officially announce the new system during CES in the coming days followed by the large-scale deployment by the end of the month.
Mystery Surrounds Closure Of Off-Roading Hotspot Durhamtown (GA)
Durhamtown, a massive 6750-acre off-roading resort in Union Point Georgia, a very popular destination for all breeds of off-road enthusiasts, has closed. It is the first thing you now see on their website, and its owner Mike McCommons made the official announcement on the resort’s Facebook page Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.
Taken straight from the website, ((QUOTE)) “It is with a heavy heart that we announce Durhamtown will be closed effective immediately. We appreciate each and every one of you over the years and your continued support.” The announcement has provoked widespread speculation on what prompted the decision to close such a popular wheeling destination. Though many have reached out in hopes of offering help, support or just wanting closure, the owner has declined to lift the veil over what has become a mystery for fans of Durhamtown. Since the news broke earlier this week, as we record this, it has come to our attention that Mike McCommons has sent a correspondence to the Athens Banner-Herald a local publication in Union Point, saying ((QUOTE))
“You can write what you feel comfortable with, but I have been advised not to comment. Thanks, Mike.”
To me, that sounds like legal speak, which means there’s an attorney involved, and that’s never a good sign. Here’s something to consider though; Between October of 2019, and July of 2020, the park saw three dirtbike rider fatalities in those nine months.
Three deaths in nine months, whether the owner of the park was responsible or not, this happened on private property, and although I’m sure waivers were in play, that doesn’t mean someone hasn’t paid big bucks to find a loophole to get compensation for a loved one’s death. Public pressure, a loss of the ability to carry insurance on the park, it could be anything or none of this at all. Either way, time will tell if this park will ever be open to Jeepers or other offroaders ever again.
Jeep Talk Show Gladiator Update
Many of you know Randy at not-a-rubicon productions, a YouTube channel with both Jeep and GMRS radio information. We interviewed Randy back on episode 475 about GMRS Radio. If you’re new to GMRS it is basically CB radio in as much as it is a 2-way radio, but it’s 50 watts instead of 4 watts output, and you can use equipment to make it easier for your radio to be heard at a much further distance. Very much like HAM radio does. Well, I was watching Randy and he was talking about a radio that I haven’t been able to talk to you, the Jeep Talk Show listener since I found out about it in June of 2021.
See I can keep a secret!
I’m talking about the MIDLAND MXT-500. It’s a mobile 50-watt GMRS 30 channel radio. The very first from Midland. I’ve been playing around with one, a brown box version, since June. But there’s no reason for me to go on. Let’s hear from Zak of MidlandUSA.com!
Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!
Alpine Electronics X409-WRA-JK 9-inch Navigation System
For All Jeep Wrangler (2011 – 2018) https://amzn.to/3qTXZbc $2899.99
Fits every single model of ’11-’18 Wrangler.
9-Inch mech-less weather-resistant receiver with built-in navigation with off-road mode and dash bezel Alpine engineered for 2011—2018 Jeep Wrangler.
Weather-resistant touch screen and bezel rated at IP53 for protection against dust with limited Ingress and freshwater spray up to 60° vertical. The off-road mode provides vehicle data, trail and campground information, and an off-road camera interface (when used with a front or rear camera, sold separately). Built-in Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, and HD radio. SiriusXM ready. (releasing at CES now – Avail in Feb – IP55, lossless audio, $1k less)
Camp Fireside Chat
Is the use of forward-facing trail cameras or backup cameras and in-dash displays (like Alpine’s TCAM system) when wheeling considered cheating?
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Links Mentioned in this Episode
NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/
Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/
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