The group stage of the 4×4 Diariomotor World Championship has already ended, and it has done so with predictable results. All SUVs except the Volkswagen Touareg have been eliminated, with only the best SUVs on the market making it to the quarterfinals. In the group stage we have experienced epic moments, and we have seen how far a modern SUV can go. But now it’s time for the big boysand in this first quarterfinal, a showdown in style: Jeep Wrangler Rubicon against Ford Ranger Raptor.
This first crossing will eliminate a 4×4 that could have had a chance of reaching the final, but coincidences have made them have to face each other at an early stage. On one side is the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon in its plug-in hybrid 4xe version. Don’t let its environmental credentials confuse you: it mounts off-road tires as standard, has a low gear, detachable stabilizer bars and its main weapon: triple mechanical lock of their differentials. Unbeatable in traction, but not in dimensions.
The Jeep Wrangler has triple mechanical locking differentials, but it has a weak point: a mediocre breakover angle.
As a four-door, long-wheelbase Wrangler, it has a breakover angle of just 20 degrees. On the other hand, there is the atomic Ford Ranger Raptor. The more off-road Ranger doesn’t have a locking front diff, but it has a better breakover angle than the Jeep and its off-road tires are the biggest of this World Cup, in addition to having a ground clearance of no less than 283 mm. The battle is served and the obstacles grow in difficulty, maintaining the same game rules already established.
Three obstacles of extreme difficulty
The excitement starts right from the beginning: a mechanical problem prevents the Jeep from locking its front differential and it stays with the same weapons as the Raptor, which beats it unceremoniously in the “Rompepalieres” and “La Batidora”, showing less slippage of its wheels and a much higher fluidity than the Jeep. However, seriously injured, the Jeep fights and manages to overcome the obstacles. The real reveal comes at the third obstacle, “The Wall”: a triple obstacle with a 70% gradient, a bridge crossing and a huge dirt step.
They are two great and capable all-rounders, but only one of them can go through to the semifinal.
This obstacle tests the traction, at the beginning, and the dimensions at the end. Without wishing to create a spoiler, I will just tell you that The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe recovers the lock of the front differential in a miraculous way. The problem seems to be correcting itself and he has all his weapons to face the Ford Ranger Raptor in this last obstacle. The outcome of the battle will surprise you, and you will have to see for yourself. Above these lines is the video that you should not miss. What a quarterfinal!
