Camp Jeep: Exploring The Wilderness In Some Seriously Capable Jeeps Feat. Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Compass And Jeep Grand Cherokee

Jeeps are synonymous with the off-road and Camp Jeep was the perfect event to check if they can live up to its brand tag “Go Anywhere, Do Anything”

Jeep India invited us to Mumbai to attend Camp Jeep, an event designed to showcase the off-road capabilities of its SUVs. While this event was mainly curated for customers, a bunch of auto journalists were also invited. When the opportunity was presented to me, I grabbed it with open arms. After all, who wouldn’t want a spot of off-roading on a nice Saturday morning? 

During this event, we got back behind the wheel of the Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Jeep Compass to see how these models fared over the rough stuff. 

Easy Peasy 

Now, before I pen down this experience, I must mention that I have my fair share of off-road experiences. Dune bashing, rock crawling, driving in trails… all of it in capable vehicles such as the Mahindra Thar and Isuzu D-Max V-Cross. After a quick cup of coffee and registration formalities completed, I opted for the obvious - the Jeep Wrangler. 

This is the first time I’m driving off-road in such a massive car, and I was intimidated by its massive size, especially when navigating through some narrow lanes before heading to the track. The course was a Level-3 plus track, perfect to put the Wrangler through its paces. 

At the start point, we switch the transmission to 4-Low, where it delivers most of its power and torque in the lower part of its rev range. This not only provides plenty of torque for tackling difficult terrain, but also has plenty of engine braking when going down a slope. 

The first obstacle was driving down a steep and uneven slope that had very minimal grip. This was where I got to experience the Wrangler’s hill descent control. Once selected, my friendly instructor asked me to let go of the brakes and throttle, and the Wrangler started to crawl down this slope like a snail. One can adjust the speed of the hill descent control by using the Tiptronic function of the gearbox. All I had to do was just to correct my lines and ensure the car was coming down a straight line. 

A lesson I learnt from here was to be very gentle and precise with my steering inputs. Fast inputs could result in the car veering away from the track. Nevertheless, at the bottom of the descent lay a challenge, where I had to make a tight left turn with a steep drop on my right. This definitely gave me jitters. I tell the instructor - No way we are going to make it in one single go. 

He smiles back at me, switches on the 360-degree camera for additional assistance and asks me to take a wider-than-usual turn. Beeps and bongs from the parking sensors, and some back and forth later, we make it in a single piece. No doubt that “TECHNOLOGIA” came to my rescue during this manoeuvre. 

The Jeep Wrangler didn’t break a sweat with the next challenge. We had to drive over a series of rocks, which was a slice of cake for this behemoth. It also showcased its cushy ride quality by barely letting the shocks through the cabin. 

However, soon after that, things started to become tricky. The track becomes narrower, and my anxiety about ensuring the car remains scratch-free starts running in my head. After we pass through a narrow path, a tricky obstacle comes up on my way. 

We needed to take a sharp right and drive on a 50-degree incline. This is where the instructor shows another party trick - it's disconnectable sway bars for more suspension travel.

Also Read: Driving the MG Hector Through Scenic Himachal Pradesh

As I prepare my lines and attack the course, I can feel the differentials underneath me smartly deliver the power to the tires with the most grip to get me on the rocky slope. Once I encountered the slope, all I could see was Mumbai's clear blue skies, but once again, the 360-degree camera made life so much easier for me, giving me a clear view of the trail ahead.  

Post that, we face the sky and start climbing up the slope, where it takes a U-turn and goes down a sharp decline. The weird angles did give me anxiety, but if you are a newbie, we say you shouldn’t be worried because these vehicles are designed for stuff like this. After a bit of driving in the wilderness, we headed back to the camp with a big smile plastered on my face. 

Luxury Meets Off-road - Grand Cherokee 

A quick talk to the head of sales for the Jeep Mumbai division reveals that we are allowed to do multiple rounds. So without further ado, I signed up for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which I’m driving for the first time. 

This was a vehicle designed for the road primarily, so we had a different and easier course. Nevertheless, it started off with the same downward slope, however, things were slightly different this time. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t have hill descent control or the 4-Low option, both of which are provided with Jeep’s other models. 

Therefore, more human control is needed. Its gargantuan dimensions were also trickier to handle, especially in the tighter sections. I needed the 360-degree camera for assistance, but my friendly instructor restrained me from using it, as relying on TECHNOLOGIA wouldn’t give me the learning curve associated with its size. 

The first challenge we faced was the articulation challenge, where the vehicle would be driven in small pits with at least one wheel in the air. Lack of 4-low meant I needed to be a bit harder on the throttle to get the differentials activated and keep the vehicle moving. But nevertheless, we managed to finish it without much drama. 

Also Read: A Rookie’s First Time Off-road Experience With The Mahindra Thar

The side slope challenge was up next. A slight incorrect judgment of the line resulted in a minor scrape in the Grand Cherokee’s belly as we were tackling the course. I immediately got conscious and was worried if it would have caused any damage. The instructor then told me that these cars have underbody protection to protect vital components and asked me not to worry. 

The last challenge of the day was climbing up a steep incline and coming down. Once again, the lack of a low-range gearbox was evident as more throttle input was needed to clear this obstacle. But with a bit of effort, we managed to conquer it successfully. 

This car is mainly designed as Jeep’s luxury offering, primarily for the road. But when the tarmac stops, it still can prove that it’s up to any challenge, albeit with a bit of effort.

Star Of The Show - Jeep Compass! 

Now, the Jeep Compass is a car that I’m very familiar with. My extremely close friend or brother from another mother, as we say, owns one, and I have done tons of road trips with it. Hills, long highway runs, tight city traffic and twisty sections of road - it's a car that I absolutely adore thanks to its grunty 2-litre diesel and tight handling characteristics.

But while I had my own share of fun on the road, I was yet to experience how it feels like off the beaten path. So to do that, I went in for another round of registration to check out its off-road prowess.

We did the same course in the Compass as we did in the Grand Cherokee. And truth to be told, it felt a whole lot effortless when compared to its big brother. The smaller dimensions and familiarity with the car made me feel at home. It also has all the important gizmos to play with - 4-low, 4-lock and hill descent control.

Thanks to the TECHNOLOGIA, the Compass felt like a mountain goat that could scamper up any challenge without breaking a sweat. My main thought all this while was that the Compass, a car that’s primarily designed for the road, would struggle a lot. But boy, it proved me wrong. It’s also clear proof that having a car with all-wheel drive tech will come to your rescue on a day that might be unprepared for. 

Final Takeaway 

After a day of off-roading, I caught up with other media colleagues and folks from Jeep over some coffee and snacks. It was clear that the Jeep Wrangler, a true blue off-roader, is designed to do this and did all the challenges without breaking a sweat. Throw an even tougher course, and it’s sure that the Wrangler will get the job done. 

However, what caught our attention was how capable the Grand Cherokee and especially the Compass was. These cars were designed mainly for road usage. However, they have clearly proved that they can be more than up to the job when it comes to off-roading. While the Grand Cherokee needed a bit more effort over the course, the Compass felt unchallenged and did these obstacles like a piece of cake. Truth to be told, my heart was always set on the Compass, and after this activity, my love for the car just became stronger. 

After all, Jeeps are known for off-roading and that’s built in their DNA. This event demonstrated that their cars are more than capable enough regardless of the hardware and mechanicals they boast. Obviously, the driver’s skills matter to make the most out of them, but that’s where events like Camp Jeep comes in, which not only teaches you the skill needed for off-roading, but shows how much the vehicle is capable of. 

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