The Jeep Wrangler proves its off-road mettle against a Suzuki Jimny and a Mercedes-AMG G63 in an off-road competition.
Carwow has put on a bunch of vehicle tests where cars drag and rolling race, but that doesn’t really work for off-road vehicles. So instead, they decided to take the G63, Wrangler, and Jimny to an off-road rally park in the rain where they could get down and dirty.
First up, the Mercedes-AMG G63. This is easily the heaviest SUV of the three at 5,500 lbs, but also the most powerful thanks to a 4.0-L twin-turbo V8 engine with 577 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. A 9-speed automatic provides power to all four wheels, but a set of complicated computers can decide where to send that power whenever it wants. The driver can also lock the differentials and set the transmission to either hi or lo-range in order to further micromanage their off-roading.
Next, we have the Suzuki Jimny, an affordable off-roader that’s sadly not available in North America. Its 1.4-L 4-cylinder engine might not sound like much with just 101 hp and 83 lb-ft of torque, but the Jimny only weighs 2,500 lbs making it the featherweight of the group. A 5-speed manual puts power to all four wheels all the time because the Jimny doesn’t have locking diffs or much in terms of complicated machinery. It’s just got a pair of solid axles and a tight turning circle keeping it above the worst of the mud.
Finally, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. This is the European model so it has the 2.0-L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine which outputs 272 hp and 290 lb-ft of torque. The Wrangler has an 8-speed automatic transmission, both hi and lo-range, locking diffs, and can decouple its anti-roll bars for greater articulation. Although middle of the road when it comes to power and weight, the Wrangler can easily match the G63 in terms of technology.
In Carwow’s competition, each vehicle is given between 1 to 3 points for completing a series of challenges. Whichever SUV has the most points at the end wins. Challenges include going up and down hill, a mogul run, a drive over an embankment, and a timed race around a muddy and tight-turning woodland path.
Check out the video above to see which vehicle gets crowned the best off-roader.