The Defender arrived in a special SVX version – with an additional roll cage, a 2.4-liter diesel engine, and a six-speed manual gearbox. The Wrangler was only available at the dealership in the long-wheelbase (five-door) version and in the Rubicon trim – with all the lockers, a 1:4 low range, a disconnecting stabilizer bar, a 3.8-liter gasoline engine, and an automatic transmission. The short "Brit" costs $52,406 (419,248 UAH). The long "American" costs $26,593 (52,739 UAH)
Tula gingerbread and an Audi fighter jet
Where to go? No question – this is a beach option. Sand, sun, splashes of water. And no disappointments. How wonderfully the sand will crunch on your teeth, the sun will pleasantly burn through your head, and the water will gurgle merrily in the cabin. Or you can just hit the highway and go wherever your eyes lead you. The main thing is not to be blown off the seats by the side wind and not to be smoked black by the exhaust from trucks. And we drove until we hit the rocks that had grown long ago in the Tula region. We climbed over the rocks, ate Tula gingerbread, and returned to Moscow. What happened on the way is hard to describe in words made up of letters.
The first impression of driving an open car is as if you are running down the road yourself at the speed of the car, scooping the air with your hands, in which you hold the windshield. All the sounds that were previously inaccessible burst into the cabin, deafening you with their power and stunning you with their unexpected appearance. At some point, I thought there was a fighter jet taking off to my left. It turned out to be an Audi A8 overtaking on wide tires, the noise of which was like an aircraft engine.
At first, from such a shock, you want to veer to the side, so your hands grip the steering wheel tightly. Getting used to the cacophony of sounds from tires, engines, and wind, you gradually relax and notice how literally all fellow travelers are staring at you. For fifteen minutes, a Bentley drove side by side with me, whose owner, I'm sure, is not easy to surprise. But he was crawling at 70 km/h and couldn't take his eyes off.
Eat your own leg
Yes, from the outside it looks beautiful, but who among these gawkers knew what it was like for me inside! No matter what speed you're driving, whether it's 120 or 60 km/h, you're still going too fast. Only motorcyclists can get used to this noise and wind. When I turned on the heater in the Defender to avoid freezing, after fifteen minutes my left leg could have been cut off, because from the discomfort it lost sensitivity, and my right limb, seasoned with ketchup, could be served to the table – it was boiled. The head also suffers. Putting on a cap is pointless – it flies out the window immediately along with other things left on the seats. Even my hair tie flew off. It got a little better only when I tied a bandana.
You have to forget about your usual life. Do you like talking on a mobile phone? You won't hear its ring, let alone understand what they're saying on the other end. A headset? Look for it in the roadside bushes. Only a heavy walkie-talkie tied to your chest with a whole roll of duct tape will help. Smoking? My congratulations! You don't need to flick the ash; it flies off by itself into your eyes, ears, and down your collar. Don't throw the butt; you don't know where it will fly. The cigarette must go out on its own, and then put it in your pocket. How about a snack on the road? I didn't dare, because I drove the first half of the way in the short Defender, and it bucks so hard that hitting your mouth with a hamburger is harder than hitting a match with a rifle. It's better to drink water like a cyclist – from a "sippy cup." But you can basically ignore the traffic inspector. He won't talk to a person covered in ash on top of ketchup, with a burning butt in the hood, and with a concussion that requires the interlocutor to at least shout into a megaphone.
You won't crap your pants, you'll take the turns
Life became easier behind the wheel of the Wrangler. It's softer and has a longer wheelbase. Only behind the wheel of the Jeep did I remember again that I'm not running down the highway on my feet, but driving an open car. For the Defender, an open top is still exotic, but for the Wrangler, it's a standard "accessory," as ordinary as all-wheel drive. And most importantly – in the Jeep, you can easily get rid of the doors! You only need a special tool – an eight-point "star" wrench. You unscrew four bolts, disconnect four electrical connectors, and, if you have the strength, lift the doors off the hinges. The Defender SVX doesn't offer such transformation.
If anyone thinks it's just a matter of removing four pieces of metal, let them get that stupid misconception out of their heads. With the disappearance of the doors, a new car is born before your eyes. The Jeep in this form is a completely different machine. The weight changes – and consequently, the center of gravity of the entire structure. This means the Wrangler behaves differently on the road. Imagine, the smoothness of the ride and handling noticeably increase. The Jeep no longer shakes on asphalt cracks, and you can enter corners at a really higher speed. Off-road, the capability increases many times over. Not only because of the low center of gravity, but also because of the 100% visibility. You can control both the front and rear wheels with your eyes, and for heavily rugged terrain, that's almost half the success. What you simply didn't dare to do in a closed car now seems easy and effortless. You laugh on those dangerous hills where you used to fear tipping over. And don't try to repeat these tricks on the Defender – you'll crap your pants.
We uncovered two SUVs, but it was the Wrangler that I truly discovered for myself. How fantastic it is when a car transforms in a few minutes, becoming more harmonious and functional. But the open Defender SVX is just a car without a top, and there's no strong difference from the covered version.
The rain won't soak you, the assistant won't die
At the moment when you have to take the tops off and put them on, you get into the details. On the Jeep, one person of short stature with strong arms can do it; they'll have to climb into the trunk and lift heavy things. It's better to approach the Land Rover with an assistant. But the Defender's top can be removed pleasantly and quickly; you don't need to follow a strict order or read the instructions – you just unfasten everything that comes to hand and fold it into the body. It takes no more than 20 minutes. Putting the top back on takes about the same.
With the Jeep, it's more complicated. When we got rid of the roof for the first time, it took us about 40 minutes to figure out what-was-what-and-how. Then it got easier – we got the hang of it and managed to do it in 20 minutes. Installing the top took 25 minutes. By the way, we both dressed and undressed the Wrangler strictly against the written instructions, using our innate lack of logic. Everything worked out.
Do you need to quickly assemble and disassemble the tops? What if it rains? It turns out it's not so scary if it's short-lived and not pouring like from a bucket. There will be a little moisture in the area of the rear seats, but the front will stay dry. Not a single drop hit my face. Amazing. I thought that when I saw a cloud, I'd immediately brake under the nearest canopy.
Some people, when they undress the Wrangler in the spring, leave it like that until autumn, and some fans don't bother even for the winter. Instead of the factory cover, they install a non-standard one, much more convenient, and instead of iron doors, they use detachable plastic ones. Of course, a number of problems arise, but most of them are solved. First, theft is limited by the fact that all glove boxes lock with a key and there are aftermarket iron boxes. Second, to some extent, the excellent heater and waterproof seats protect against cold and moisture. That's enough for a fan.
What did I understand after our trip? Driving an open SUV on the beach is stupid, on the highway it's noisy and windy, and off-road it's pure bliss. Fans of the English off-road school can also experience it, but true delight will be given by an American car with all doors removed. After this test, I'm almost sure they are unnecessary altogether.
