In Part 1 of the story, Jeep® Blog chronicled the capability of the stock 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sport on one of the most difficult trails at the 46th Annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari. In the second part, the stock Jeep Wrangler Sport ascends to the top of the Cliffhanger trail, earning a new fan along the way.
Upon reaching the last portion of Cliffhanger, it became clear how the trail got its namesake. A narrow, single-lane ridge with a particularly drastic tippy ledge (not for the faint of heart) forces the driver to hug the wall as close as possible.
Our expert spotter helped us along the way. He directed the wheels to keep the center of the vehicle high and eventually tossed some a few large rocks down at the bottom of the ledge to help the Sport ease down easier.
By mid-day, we had reached the end of the trail – in the case of Cliffhanger, that meant turning right back around at a plateau at the top to make the return trip. But first we ate lunch and admired the views. For Jeep Blog, it also meant gazing back at the terrain we just climbed, marveling at the stock Jeep Wrangler Sport’s capabilities.
Jim Repp, Jeep Brand engineer and expert rock crawler, told us that we weren’t the only ones impressed by the Wrangler Sport’s performance. “We’ve had a lot of comments out here. At the trail head the other day, people were a little skeptical because we were riding a hard trail. By about halfway through, people were going, ‘That little stock vehicle did everything we did!’”
One of the many mountain bikers that we shared the trail with that day hopped off of his bike to watch a few Jeep Wranglers navigate another huge ledge. When it came time for the Wrangler Sport to make the climb, the wheels spun a little, the brake traction control kicked in, and it crawled over the rock without a problem. The biker asked, “That’s not a stock Wrangler, is it?”
“It’s actually a stock Wrangler Sport,” we responded.
His jaw dropped. “Unbelievable. That’s amazing.”