Wrangler Takes on Tank in Crazy War Off-road Challenge
We know that the Wrangler is a direct descendant of a true war machine but how does it fare when up against a 300 HP behemoth?
We’ll spare you the lengthy history lesson, but by know, you should know what makes up the Wrangler DNA. Capability, fortitude, with a dash of comfort and daily-drivability. It shows in the sales and popularity of the renowned 4×4 you’d be hard pressed to not spot a dozen or more on your way to the grocery store. After all, you are reading this one site that’s dedicating to highlighting cool Jeep stories, and we found just that. In this video presented by DriveTribe’s YouTube Channel, Mike Fernie goes up against the legendary Tiff Needell. Fernie knew Needell planned on showing up with a suitable 4×4 to take on the Wrangler, but he wasn’t anticipating a tank.
“Look, I’ve seen what those idiots do on The Grand Tour,” muses Needell from the tank. “When they have a challenge they muck about. This, is an off-road vehicle. Okay, it might be called a ‘tank,’ it may have a 122mm cannon that can fire shells 17 miles. It might have 300 HP, and it may have a top speed of 37 mph. But the trick is, it’ll do that top speed everywhere.”
In case it isn’t very well known, Needell was actually one of the original presenters of Top Gear before it was cancelled in 2001. When it was revived in 2002, that’s when the iconic trio of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond took over. So, we couldn’t help but notice that Needell took the time to make a pass at the trio’s unofficial Top Gear spin-off on Amazon Prime Video. Oh, and the Top Gear boys also sanction DriveTribe, so it was definitely a friendly dig.
However, before Needell made an appearance on early Top Gear, he etched his name in the history books due to his reputable skill behind the wheel. As he points out in the video, he’s raced successfully in Le Mans, Formula 1, Formula Ford, and even the British Rallycross. When on early Top Gear, he did a lot of driving for the show, so it’s not unsafe to say he was the Stig before there even was one. Therefore, Fernie was in for one hell of a race.
The Wrangler didn’t have a lot of the advantages that the tank had, and Fernie was not slow to acknowledge that. Though, he did have a few aces up his sleeves. For one, the weight difference. The weight of the tank wasn’t ever fully disclosed in the video, but they’re by no means lightweight. Surely more than a few tons are pushing into the wet, muddy landscape. Not the Jeep, though. The Jeep also doesn’t have 300 HP like the tank does, but it has a higher top speed. With the all the diffs able to lock, and advances traction system, tires, and weight advantage, the competition is fairly equal. Realistically, it would come down to who happens to be a better driver.
“To make this more interesting, a little wager,” Needell proposes confidently. “Loser cleans the other person’s vehicle… I’ll see you washing my tank.”
The two line up at the DriveTribe flags and get ready for take off. The race, which is just one lap around the site, started off with the tank barreling ahead of the Wrangler. The Wrangler, which took a little while to find its footing, quickly found traction and was slowly but surely catching up to the Needell in the tank. Fernie was a bit squirrely, which was understandable given the terrain, but he was steadily closing in. Before Needell could finish his snide remark, Fernie pulled ahead.
“This four wheel drive system is letting me dance around Tiff Needell.” says a confident Fernie. And just in time, too, because Fernie was able to haul the muddy Wrangler across the finish line just as Needell was creeping up to his bumper. In the time frame of almost a minute, a four door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon pulled ahead and beat a tank at its own game. Needell, who had by this point expressed multiple times about how venomously he hates washing cars, was definitely sore about losing to Fernie. Talk about a clever way to advertise a product.
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