Asterix2112
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- John
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2020
- Threads
- 19
- Messages
- 144
- Reaction score
- 227
- Location
- Vienna, Va
- Vehicle(s)
- Wrangler 4xe
- Thread starter
- #1
Just got back from my annual beach trip in Corolla, NC. For those who don’t know just north from Corolla to the VA border is 11 miles x 3 miles of beach, roads, developments, woods all in the sand, which allows for a lot of fun 4 wheeling in sand, mud (lots of big, deep puddles), backwood trails etc…
Previous I had a Liberty and then a Cherokee Trailhawk. Now I have my 4xe Sahara, and boy is that electric engine nice.
First just driving down the beach, which I first did early on a Monday morning when hardly anyone was out there. My doors and roof are off and it was so much nicer not having any engine noise. It was just so peaceful and tranquil driving down the beach just hearing the surf.
The other thing I notice is how nice the extra torque is. While some of the sand is hardpacked (especially back in the neighborhoods and woods) the sand by the beach can be very loose and difficult to drive in (as I see every year, a couple of people always get stuck). I really felt the difference in the torque. I did a weird little experiment where I stuck it in ICE only mode and set the cruise control on 20mph (slowest cruise control can go) and it would constantly kick out of the cruise control in the soft sand. But when I set it in electric only on cruise control it never kicked out.
The sad thing is driving to the border and back; in the woods and out is probably about 25-30 miles of driving, and of course the soft sand is almost like driving through water, so my electric range went down the tubes. So whenever I was on nice hard sand I stuck it in ICE mode, leaving the electric for soft sand and back in the woods. Will be great to have more electric range.
(Note the pic - a friend also brought a Wrangler - was before we went back in the neighborhood. I learned that taking the doors off can be risky as I got quite a bit of mud/water in the car. But that's ok, it was a blast and that is what a Jeep is for!)
Previous I had a Liberty and then a Cherokee Trailhawk. Now I have my 4xe Sahara, and boy is that electric engine nice.
First just driving down the beach, which I first did early on a Monday morning when hardly anyone was out there. My doors and roof are off and it was so much nicer not having any engine noise. It was just so peaceful and tranquil driving down the beach just hearing the surf.
The other thing I notice is how nice the extra torque is. While some of the sand is hardpacked (especially back in the neighborhoods and woods) the sand by the beach can be very loose and difficult to drive in (as I see every year, a couple of people always get stuck). I really felt the difference in the torque. I did a weird little experiment where I stuck it in ICE only mode and set the cruise control on 20mph (slowest cruise control can go) and it would constantly kick out of the cruise control in the soft sand. But when I set it in electric only on cruise control it never kicked out.
The sad thing is driving to the border and back; in the woods and out is probably about 25-30 miles of driving, and of course the soft sand is almost like driving through water, so my electric range went down the tubes. So whenever I was on nice hard sand I stuck it in ICE mode, leaving the electric for soft sand and back in the woods. Will be great to have more electric range.
(Note the pic - a friend also brought a Wrangler - was before we went back in the neighborhood. I learned that taking the doors off can be risky as I got quite a bit of mud/water in the car. But that's ok, it was a blast and that is what a Jeep is for!)
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