Episode 634 – We Give Away a Lava Jacket!!!
This Week In Jeep
Jeep Most Patriotic Brand… Again!
There’s no denying that a couple of the Detroit-based brands that are unfortunately under the Stellantis umbrella – namely Ram, Dodge, and Jeep – are arguably truly American brands. With Dodge “Hellcatting” all its models, the burnout brand may as well sell apple pies with each new vehicle. Ram has its “Built To Serve Edition” pickups that literally have American flags on the bed. But in the latest Brand Keys survey, it’s Jeep that people find the most patriotic brand of all. Mind you, this ranking isn’t just about the automotive sector. The annual Brand Keys patriotic survey is all-inclusive for pretty much everything in the for-profit sector, from retail chains to online services, television networks, sports, anything, and everything is open and included. So Jeep is the king of the hill once again. But let’s put this into perspective by looking at who else is on this list and where they are placed. Walmart came in at a distant number two, Disney has been slipping over the years and is now in third, proof that if you go woke you go broke.
Ford and Amazon tied for fourth, which sort of surprised me as Amazon sells a lot of Chinese crap.
Of any companies that could have rounded out the top five, it was a newspaper of all things. The New York Times came in fifth and I wouldn’t have thought that something like the (failing) New York Times came in before brands like Chevrolet or Hershey’s. Focusing on the motoring sector, Harley-Davidson placed 14th and Tesla just made the cut in the 30th spot, tied with Zoom. No other automotive-related companies appeared on the list. The survey sampled nearly six thousand consumers ranging in age from 16 to 65. And for those who would fall into the snowflake category, Brand Keys says the survey group was balanced with regards to gender and political affiliation, and they were drawn from the nine different US Census Regions spanning the United States. Over 1100 different brands were part of the survey, with 50 ultimately chosen as the most patriotic. The list only includes 30 positions because many brands are tied in rankings. While the movement of brands on the list is common, Brand Keys says Jeep has consistently remained number one since the very first study was released in 2003.
Another Jeep vs. Ford Test – Drag Race!
The Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler have had an interesting relationship ever since the Ford fanboys have been saying that the Bronco is finally the only competition the Wrangler has seen since its inception. The Ford Bronco Raptor edition and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 are at the top of their segment without question. They are the most powerful models for Ford and Jeep in the off-road-focused SUV market. Both have over 400 horsepower and a litany of upgrades for conquering the most rugged roads less traveled. But what about a paved drag strip? They say the Bronco is designed to go offroad, but reality has said otherwise when compared to the Wrangler. Despite the purpose of both these rigs being designed to go offroad, you know there will be pavement-based showdowns from time to time as well. One of these has happened in a controlled environment and was published by “The Fast Lane” earlier this week. On paper, it shouldn’t even be close. The Wrangler’s naturally aspirated 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine holds a significant power advantage. It makes 470 horsepower compared to the 418 hp from the Bronco’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6. There is an important factor to consider here, and it’s not (just) weight. This race takes place in the Colorado mountains, a full mile above sea level. A general rule-of-thumb for engines is a 3 percent loss of power per every 1,000 feet of altitude, so the Jeep’s Hemi could be down as much as 15 percent for the race. Engines with forced induction also suffer the effects of less oxygen at higher altitudes, but not nearly as bad as naturally aspirated mills. In short, this could actually be a close race. But it wasn’t. Sorry Ford fans.
The Wrangler’s high-output V8 is a monster, and it shows in this competition by absolutely beating the panties off the Raptor. Timed runs reveal nearly a one-second difference between the off-roaders in the quarter-mile, with an average of 15.2 for the Jeep and 16.1 for the Bronco Raptor.
So When Will The US Market See ThIs New Gear For The JT Gladiator?
The Jeep brand in Australia has just revealed a range of new genuine accessories for the JT Gladiator. These new accessories comprise a soft tonneau cover, a sports bar, and a RollTrac electrically operated aluminum roller cover. They can be purchased individually or in bundles. All of these new accessories for the Gladiator are said to be locally developed in Australia and are now available to order at any of the 60 Jeep dealerships across the country. The soft tonneau cover has adjustable tension and a bungee system for transporting oversized and bulky items.
When it’s not needed, it can be rolled back and stowed away like many other soft bed covers. The sports bar is finished in a matte black powder coat and can be used to fit other accessories such as light bars and antennas. When these two genuine accessories are paired together the soft tonneau cover is “custom-trimmed” around the legs of the sports bar to “optimize water management and ensure safe storage of goods”. The electrically operated RollTrac roller cover comprises aluminum slats that are powder-coated in black.
The roller cover can be opened and closed with a push of a button from either side of the rear corners of the tub. It can also be paused anywhere through its range of motion with these buttons too. There’s an anti-pinch function that automatically stops the roller cover once it detects a certain amount of resistance, so you won’t have to worry about the kids trying to decapitate the dog or each other in the bed of your truck. The electric roller cover’s wiring system is integrated straight into the vehicle’s electrical architecture, which has factory waterproof connectors and body grommets to ensure “seamless electrical operation” while preventing water from getting into the cabin.
At the front of the RollTrac unit is a separate lockable storage box that can be used to stow valuables. These new accessories bring Jeep’s genuine accessory range for the Gladiator to just over 60 in total. Some of the existing genuine accessories Jeep offers include a front skid plate, cargo bed drawer system, canopy, roof racks, and a range of decals, among many others. Although these are released right now in the Australian market, that’s not to say there aren’t export options for those interested parties here in the states. If you are such an individual, I would talk to your local dealer to see what they can do to help.
Mr. Vanderquack
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Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
Patience when mentoring
I love the Jeeping world; there is so much knowledge out there, some not so good, but mostly really good information. As we wheel more we gain experience and I feel it’s part of our job to pass that info along when someone is new or perhaps isn’t aware. Being a mentor is not an easy task. It does take patience and it’s not for everyone.
Mentoring is being able to help that newbie at their level of understanding. Not just “telling” the newbie what they need to do, but rather helping them to understand why they need to do something. We run into this all the time teaching and leading runs. I’ve learned over the years that people, in general, learn several ways; some by doing, some by reading about it and some by listening, and others by a combination of all these.
At the 4 Wheel Parts Great American Campout this past weekend in Big Bear we were asked to lead a trail run. There were three trail choices and Don, Bill, and I led one of the runs. These were “easy” runs, but as with any terrain in the mountains, there are some hill climbs, rutted-out roads, and some erosion from rain and/or use. Well, this was an easy run for us considering all the trails we do, but for the 9 jeeps on this run, it was not so easy. Now every jeep on the run was capable, but some of the drivers had no experience at all off-road other than smooth dirt roads. I mean this is their first time driving off-road!! At an event like this, people sign up for a run and you don’t get a chance to ask what their qualifications are. This event allowed people to come camp out, experience the weekend and go on a trail run. Seems like a perfectly planned weekend to me.
We did have everyone air down and talked a little bit about why, but this wasn’t a class so the info was limited. Have you ever had this situation? As a leader (mentor)? There’s a fine line between too much info and just enough.
Once on the trail, we encountered two minor hill climbs with some line picking needed. I got out and helped spot the Jeeps through. What I discovered was that several jeepers had never done anything like this before and it was a bit overwhelming for them. One Jeeper even wanted to turn around and go back. I felt bad that they were kind of thrown onto the trail with not much experience in wheeling. My style of patience is to take each driver and build confidence by helping them through. I wasn’t mad, or upset, I was calm and ensured that their jeep was certainly capable and that the trail was an easy trail and that they could do it. Long story short, they all got through this trial and everyone was surprised at how their jeep performed.
It turned out to be a very successful “introduction” to off-roading for these drivers. I was happy to see several of them come to us after to ask about further training and help to do more off-roading. I felt like my patience and understanding with the newbies helped me coach them through their initial fears and gave everyone a successful trail run.
I share this to help others who are mentoring new drivers. Try to take the time to guide them at their level of understanding. Had I shouted, or acted like “wow, this is so easy they should know this”, I would have pushed newbies away from the experience. Instead of being patient and treating each one individually they all had fun and are looking forward to more off-roading. Our level of experience can be overwhelming to someone brand new, but keeping it simple and helping where needed with the basics is a great way to give back and help keep our love of Jeeping growing.