In an era where a solid front axle is a rarity in a 4x4 vehicle, Jeep's Rubicon models are the North American kings of the hill when it comes to straight-from-the-factory off-road readiness. Check it out:

• Limited-slip differentials front and back that can switch to spool mode at the push of a button.
• Spacious wheel wheels that fit up to 32" tires without any lift (or even 33" skinnies).
• Rocker and drivetrain armour.
• 4:1 transfer case gears.
• Front anti-sway bar that can be remotely disconnected from inside the vehicle.

Straight off the showroom floor, the Rubicons check-off almost all the items on the avid fourwheeler's to-do list. Install a winch and lose the front and rear bumpers and you're all set. Oh, and you've got a factory warranty to cover those drivetrain parts.

There's no doubt that the Rubicon looks good on paper but for those of us who came up from the stock truck ranks and built up our own 4x4s, would a Rubicon perform up to our expectations? That was the question we set out to answer when we borrowed a 2-door and 4-door JK Rubicon from Daimler-Chrysler.

Considering the pristine state of most Rubicons on the roads, I don't think I'm going too far out on a limb when I say that Wil and I are not representative of the Rubicon's target market. Wil 'wheels a mid-'80's Toyota pickup and I think the only remaining Toyota pieces are the cab, fenders, and frame. It rides on 39" IROKs and I have to make the ol' "fatty grunt" sound whenever I climb into it. I 'wheel a '91 Jeep YJ and the only original pieces on it are the body, frame, and most of the transmission. It hasn't had a hard-top or soft-top on it for about 8 years. It is shod with 37" IROKs and like Wil's Toyota, it is no fun at all to drive on the street or highway. With that in mind, I have to be very circumspect in reporting my reactions to the Rubicon. For instance, I'm tempted to compare the Ruby's driving comfort to a limousine but compared to my YJ, a ride on a city bus would elicit a similarly gushing response. So I'll try to moderate my opinions of comfort and luxury because I realize that in that regard, I'm coming from a state of poverty.

We had a few days with the Jeeps before we planned our big outing, a drive up to the Squamish area, where we would explore some roads along the Elaho River. It was a beautiful day and temperatures were expected to be high. I met up with Wil in Vancouver and we proceeded along Hwy 99. The pace was slow for most of the drive due to road improvement work in preparation for the 2010 Olympic games up in Whistler. But there were a few sections where we were able to pick up the pace and enjoy driving a 4x4 vehicle at high speeds without death wobble or going deaf from tire and wind noise.

To ensure a complete test of all the vehicle's aspects, I brought along my buddy, Clay, his 4 year-old, Scotty, and my 4-year old, Cam. This would let me simulate a typical family outing in the Jeep...with the minor exception that Clay's not my wife. Since Clay hadn't been fourwheeling in several years, I did the highway driving but as soon as we reached the gravel, we switched places and I let him drive. Although the JK's suspension was doing an admirable job of soaking up the bumps and washboards, I lowered the tire pressure to improve our traction. Now, we didn't need more traction at that point. It's just that it's a habit with me and considering the small tires of the Rubicon (small compared to what I'm used to) I figured that I'd have to do it sooner or later, anyway. The only difference is that on my Jeep, the main reason I lower air pressure when reaching gravel is to soften the ride!

Driving along the gravel roads, there was nothing about the Rubicon that distinguished it from the non-Rubicon JK that I had borrowed the year before. The Rubicon might have had a slightly firmer ride but that was about it. And like the other JK, I appreciated that it had a solid top, nice sound system, and a/c. The problem with a nice sunny day is that when you're exploring backroads with another vehicle, it means that one of you is going to eat dust! The a/c let us keep the windows rolled up while we followed Wil's 2-door Rubicon. This was one day when I wouldn't be going home with my hair powdered white from dust.

Here's a reminder of the kinds of scenery you can enjoy when you go exploring the backroads of British Columbia with a 4x4.

It was only when we started exploring the spur roads that the Rubicon's unique features really came into play. The side roads we were exploring twisted their way up the mountain sides before dead ending at logging landings. Although Clay hadn't fourwheeled in a long time and was unfamiliar with the Jeep, he found it very easy to turn around in the tight quarters despite the hazards of drop-offs and the challenge of clutch modulation (in an unfamiliar vehicle) on steep inclines. In this respect, the transfer case's 4:1 gears were a huge benefit. You've got to be pretty clumsy to stall a Rubicon when it's in low range, first gear. There was never a need to over-rev the motor to avoid stalling. In fact, you could start moving without using the gas pedal at all; just let it idle and slowly release the clutch. The low gears did all the work.

The excellent handling on the way to Squamish was partly due to the anti-sway bar, but on these uneven trails and cross ditches, it would have been a major detriment to traction. Having the ability to turn it off with a push of a button was a tremendous advantage and convenience. With the bar decoupled, the front axle was free to follow the terrain and keep the tires firmly planted in the dirt where they could get traction. When the terrain became too difficult for the limited slip differentials, we flipped a couple of switches to engage the spools. With all four axle shafts locked together, we could keep going without missing a beat.

The approach angle was pretty good but that valance under the bumper is a prime candidate for becoming a trail casualty.

The Rubicon's excellent visibility made it easy to navigate through tight obstacles like squeezing between this proverbial rock and a hard place.

Obviously, the sway bar disconnect, 4:1 transfer case gears, and front/rear lockers were fantastic features. But having been involved in the fourwheeling world for so long, none of these are particularly unique (well, the remote sway bar disconnect is!). What is unique, though, is that all these features are straight from the factory in a vehicle that is extremely comfortable, quiet, and suited up with a full factory warranty. This mix of comfort and serious off-road capability is a potent source for a full day of stupid grins. Exploring kilometres and kilometres of dusty backroads on a hot day was a breeze. The a/c kept us cool, dust-free, and bug-proof. The factory suspension was a little bit firm but far more comfortable than what we're used to. And because we could keep the windows rolled up, we didn't have to crank up the stereo to hear the music and our kids were absolutely happy to be strapped into the Jeep for the better part of 12 hours (PLEASE don't report us to social services).

If I had to list complaints about the JK Rubicon package, it'd be these:

1. Ground clearance needs to be higher, particularly on the 4-door. As it was, we did manage to get it high centred on a small-ish log laying across the trail. Fortunately, this isn't a costly thing to do. A modest coil spacer lift to gain 2" of lift is about enough to fit wide 33" tires under the JK's cavernous wheel wells. A 3" or 4" lift will accomodate 35" tires.
2. Lose the front bumper valance and lights! Any serious fourwheeler is going to end up smashing the lights and tearing off that valance within the first 3 months of use. The JK aftermarket is chock-a-block with accessories including a huge range of front and rear bumpers, so fixing this issue is dead easy. I'd add a winch as well.
3. The V6 engine was fine but doesn't have the low-to-mid-range torque and feel of the legendary Powertech 4.0 that powered Jeep 4x4's for so many years. The engine simply feels uninspiring even though it did a perfectly adequate job of powering the Jeep. But just to reiterate: functionally, the V6 works just fine.

So after a very long day of fourwheeling, we came away very impressed and more than a little bit desirous of this pair of Rubicons. In our opinion, they're the best-equipped 4x4 you can buy off the showroom floor in North American. And while our heavily modified 4x4's can tackle the really hard-core trails, we cringe at the thought of taking them on any kind of long-distance exploration trip. The Rubicon represents a much more versatile vehicle and gets serious respect for its offroad capability.