Suzuki Jimny vs Jeep Wrangler Rubicon vs Ford Ranger Raptor 2019: off-road comparison

Our 4WD course included sand, gravel paths, corrugations, steep rocky hills, rutted descents and lazy pub crawls – just a joke.

It was basically low-speed 4WD, so we lowered the tire pressure on all three cars to XNUMX psi for better off-road ride and handling, and improved traction. We planned to reduce this pressure if necessary.

The Jimny has a ladder chassis, solid axles, coil springs and is mounted on a Bridgestone Dueler H/T.

This Rubicon has a ladder frame chassis, drive axles, coil springs and BF Goodrich Mud Terrain light truck tires.

The Raptor has a ladder chassis, double wishbone front suspension, a solid axle and coil springs at the rear, plus, as mentioned, Fox Racing twin-chamber 2.5-inch shocks and BF Goodrich All Terrain tires.

First we took a section of river sand. If you ride quad bikes in Australia, chances are you'll spend a significant amount of your time on the sand - on the beach, in the bush or in the desert.

The Jimny has a part-time all-wheel drive system, and the AllGrip Pro suite of driver assistance technologies includes hill descent control, hill hold assist and more. Staying true to tradition, the Jimny still has a short knob - in front of the shifter - for 4WD, 2WD High Range and 4WD Low Range operation.

It's a light and compact SUV, and its 1.5-liter engine tends to be pretty good at punching a small device through the sand.

The Jimny has a ground clearance of 210mm, so lumpier patches of sand are not a problem, but the problem is that when the Jimny is driven in long-range 4WD mode (good condition for driving in sand), the Electronic Stability Control kicks in at speed. XNUMX km/h, robbing you of all your momentum, which isn't ideal when you're riding on sand.

In addition, it is so tall and narrow for its size that it is more vulnerable than most XNUMXWD vehicles to sudden changes in direction, forced or deliberate, as well as gusts of wind on open slopes, any sudden change in onboard loads, and even abrupt changes. in a gradient.

The Rubicon has a dual-range transfer case (with a short shifter to switch between high gear 4WD and low gear 4WD) and off-road useful driver assistance technology, including a reliable hill descent control system, off-road pages (with display specific off-road information, including slope) and tire pressure monitoring system.

It has a ground clearance of 252mm (specified), ample sustained torque, a nice, wide balanced stance and those grippy dirt (tyres) so riding at a constant pace on sand almost floating on its surface is easily achieved.

The Raptor has a dual-range transfer case and a six-mode switchable terrain control system, and it looks like it's made for fast sand riding where it feels right at home.

The Raptor is taller, wider (1860mm), longer (5426mm) and taller (1848mm) than the other two by a decent margin, and also bigger in every way compared to the Ranger.

Its wheel track is 150mm wider than its main stablemate and it always sits firmly and firmly on any surface. Ground clearance is 283 mm.

The Raptor was the quickest of the group for sand riding - with the added bonus of being able to switch it to Baja mode via a five-button steering wheel switch that adjusts throttle response, transmission and suspension to better suit road conditions. terrain. Lots of fun.

During a standard crossing through the water, none of our rivals risked not being on time. It had rained the night before, and indeed it was still pouring for most of our test day, but the water level wasn't above the windshield or anything like that.

The Jimny has a fording depth of 300 mm, and despite the fact that the little Zook swayed quite strongly and swayed over the submerged stones in the stream bed, the impossibility of moving forward was excluded. However, there was so much bouncing and bouncing around - and water splashing against the sides of the Jimny - that at times I really felt like I was fishing in a tin... in heavy seas... during a storm.

The Rubicon has a standard fording depth of 762mm. It has slightly more ground clearance and almost 40 cm more fording depth than the Jimny, so underwater obstacles such as rocks and fallen tree branches are easier to navigate than the Jimny. However, we scratched the Rubicon's belly a few times on larger rocks.

The Raptor has a standard 850mm wading depth, and its taller stance protects it from rocks and any water ingress, and because it's longer, wider and heavier than the Jimny and Rubicon, it's less likely to wobble during low speeds. -4WDing speed like this.

We then took on a steep, rocky hill with slippery clay patches and deep wheel ruts, which the rain made even deeper and stronger. XNUMXWD coaches and clubs use the hill as a crucial scenario, so this is the best track to test these XNUMX XNUMXxXNUMXs.

Jimny's part-time all-wheel-drive system generally does the job, but it doesn't have a differential lock. When you get the Jimny into a deep rut or any other loss of traction situation, you have to rev quite aggressively and spin the wheels for the traction control to kick in. hard work in such terrain, but it's still a lot of fun.

Its off-road angles are 37 degrees (entry), 49 degrees (exit) and 28 degrees (departure) - but one look at the Jimny is enough to understand that it is built for all-wheel drive.

A differential lock, aftermarket suspension and off-road tires will greatly improve the off-road performance of the Jimny.

The Rubicon excels in this kind of terrain. Its deep low end gearing is second to none, always delivering the maximum possible torque to the tires.

It has approach, exit and approach angles of 41, 31 and 21 degrees, and its long wheelbase "eats" that approach angle, so this Jeep must be handled with care on steep sections of rocky steps as well as deep wheel ruts with sharp corners.

Should its Selec-Trac 4×4 system ever fail (which is unlikely), the Rubicon has front and rear diff locks, as well as an anti-roll bar disengagement, which comes in handy when you want even more wheel travel. so you can point your tires into the dirt and get hooked on the ground instead of spinning in the air.

Otherwise, the Rubicon is practically unstoppable.

The Raptor is designed to be a straight-from-the-showroom, high-speed off-road racer, but it also handles low-speed work quite well.

Powerful downshifting, a rather tricky automatic transmission, those very grippy tires, good ground clearance and plenty of wheel travel mean the Raptor can tackle the toughest of deep-rut climbs and descents non-stop.

Its extra-wide track and ultra-soft suspension help it stay stable and stable even on the toughest terrain.

While its off-road performance of 32.5 degrees (approach), 24 degrees (departure), 24 degrees (acceleration) isn't the best due to its size, the Raptor still feels very nimble when needed.