Every Jeep to earn the coveted Trail Rated badge is put through a series of rugged off-road tests. These tests cover five areas: water fording, articulation, maneuverability, traction, and ground clearance. The goal is to make sure that every Trail Rated Jeep is ready for whatever adventure lies before you. So here’s a deeper look into what it takes to earn the Trail Rated badge.
Water Fording
If you’ve ever encountered a washed-out creek or a clogged storm drain that has flooded the roadway, you’ve probably crossed your fingers and hoped that your vehicle would make it through without flooding the engine, or worse. You don’t have to worry about that when driving a Trail Rated Jeep because you’ll have no problem fording through waters others wouldn’t dare to enter.
Every Trail Rated Jeep has sealed electrical connections, so you know your Jeep won’t stall out. Body openings are also sealed, preventing your feet, and anything else inside your Jeep, from getting wet. Jeep has also designed a higher air intake to make sure your engine can breathe, rather than choking out under water.
Articulation
You don’t have to drive through the wilderness to appreciate Jeep’s superior articulation. Articulation refers to the amount of side to side and up and down movement in each individual tire as they travel. Construction sites and dirt roads that see little or no grading often present large potholes and ruts that create an uneven surface. You will often find rocks, logs, and other obstacles if you’re an off-road adventurer.
Regardless of where you encounter these conditions, the Trail Rated Jeep is engineered to deliver higher levels of articulation. That means that more of your tire surface stays connected to the ground over uneven terrain. More surface contact means more traction, which means you continue to move forward.
Maneuverability
A Trail Rated Jeep has the flexibility to handle both a tight switchback trail and a potential collision with another vehicle. The steering is precision engineered, and the wheelbase is optimized so you can avoid an obstacle on the trail or a car that suddenly brakes in front of you.
Traction
Jeep’s legendary four-wheel-drive systems have always given drivers confidence when the road surface gets sketchy. Whether it’s snow or ice, mud, soft sand, or wet leaves on a forest trail, a Trail Rated Jeep is equipped to handle it all.
Ground Clearance
Ground clearance isn’t just about how high your vehicle sits, it’s about giving you room between your Jeep and whatever obstacle you need to get over. Trail Rated Jeeps do sit higher, but the engineering doesn’t stop there. They are all designed with optimized approach angles that keep the nose of your Jeep from hitting obstacles. Break over angles are also part of the engineering to keep the underside from bottoming out. Your departure angle is also maximized, so your rear end doesn’t scrape against anything when you pull away.
Being Trail Rated means a lot of things to Jeep engineers. To Jeep drivers, it means you can go wherever your next adventure leads you. Come test drive a Trail Rated Jeep today, and see what adventure awaits you.
Image via jeep.com
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