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It was still so dark at five o’clock in the morning on the stretch of LA Highway 1 leading to Grand Isle, I completely bypassed the little bakery in Galliano that opens its doors at 2:45 a.m. for the anglers heading out in the pre-dawn hours. By the time I reached the new toll bridge, my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited...




It was still so dark at five o’clock in the morning on the stretch of LA Highway 1 leading to Grand Isle, I completely bypassed the little bakery in Galliano that opens its doors at 2:45 a.m. for the anglers heading out in the pre-dawn hours.

Photo by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune

By the time I reached the new toll bridge, my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4x4 — a mouthful to say especially at that hour of the morning — seemed itching to go off-road. Even if this meant a photo shoot on a sandy beach (with the permission and help of the folks at the Grand Isle Tourist Commission and local police department).



Timing was critical. Yet I couldn’t just dust off the burly guy in the convenience store parking lot who was checking out the Rubicon’s beautiful Red Rock Crystal exterior color and three-piece modular hard top and tinted windows, all of which imbues this legendary off-road beast with a cool aesthetic.



“Can I look inside? I promise I’m not trying to steal it,” he said laughing, explaining he belonged to the hordes of workers in Grand Isle who came to help clean the beach following the Gulf oil-rig disaster.

Photo by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune

The guy stuck his head inside the cabin. It turned out he and I had a lot in common: We both liked the austere, bare-bones interior, constructed of quality hard plastic materials, which featured a tiered center-console stack that recessed from top to bottom away from the driver — the inverse of most designs. The no-fuss, driver’s-side instrument cluster also met with his approval. He said he could probably get used to the leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel and leather-trim upholstery.



“My wife, she got the Grand Cherokee — too fancy for me. The Wrangler is what I wanted,” the worker said.



I didn’t have the heart to tell him the 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon also comes with an audio jack input for mobile devices, power locks and windows, remote keyless entry, reclining front seats and rear 60/40 split folding seats. It would have burst his bubble.



Time to meet the sunrise.



Hardcore bushwhacker

For many if not most hard-core off-roaders, the Jeep Wrangler (and especially the top-of-the-line Rubicon) is tough to beat. At its heart of hearts beats a jack-of-all-trades bushwhacker that comes with state-of-the-art engineering capable of leaving the lion’s share of competitors in the dust — literally and figuratively. This includes an electronic stability program, traction control, hydraulic brake assist and hill-start assist, and a 4:1 ratio part-time 4WD system. Add to this a transfer case skid plate (armor to protect the undercarriage), electronic locking front and rear differentials (for rough terrain), rock rails (to protect the exterior from dings and scratches) and new Dana 44 heavy-duty front and rear axles (to add strength and reduce drive shaft joint angles for smooth and quick response), and you’ve got yourself one helluva all-terrain roustabout.

Photo by James Gaffney/The Times-Picayune

So much so that the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon can tackle grades up to 45 degrees and up to 30 inches of water. Just tell me this rugged yet family-friendly 4x4 doesn’t have “hurricane dream vehicle” written all over its puss.

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So true to its school is the Wrangler that Four Wheeler magazine editors named the Rubicon and Unlimited Rubicon the Best 4x4 Vehicle of the Decade. Likewise gushed Popular Mechanics: “This is simply the gold standard of four-wheel drive.”



Despite its lackluster fuel rating of 15/19 city/highway miles per gallon, respectively, the Jeep Wrangler, whose roots can be traced back to

Tags: Jeep, is-featured

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A SHORE THING: When bush comes to shove, the Jeep Wrangler still sets the gold standard was originally published by New Orleans Auto Reviews: Jeep. Read the full story by clicking here.