It’s undisputedly rough and ready and the complete antithesis of all things opulent and yet it is commonly found in some of the most affluent parks in South Africa. At this beautiful time of the year, I spend much of my time in the parks and of late have noticed this impressive beast gathering in droves around the waterholes at sunset. Oh, by the way I am talking about the well-known “parks” of Northern Johannesburg: Parkhurst; Parkview; Parkwood and of course, Parktown. And the beast in question is non other than the pavement dominating and attention-demanding Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Since its introduction earlier this year, it has sold in excess of 100 000 units and easily rubs shoulders with other status brands in the parks such as Diesel, Puma, Ed Hardy, True Religion and Replay, but what’s it like out of “the Parks”? Its off-road performance is nothing short of astounding. All angles and clearances are designed to complement the business-like approach it has to rough terrain. The “Roc-Trac” selectable 4WD system, coupled with auto locking hubs, means one can laugh in the face of danger. And with 4:1 low ratio, front and rear lockers too, danger might as well hide in a corner. Nothing is too tough for the Rubicon. And, if by some chance the going gets beyond tough then you can improve your rear axle articulation by disengaging the rear anti-sway bar.

When I drove the vehicle off-road the track had benefited from three days of solid rain and the big 17” all-terrain tyres really came into their own in the slippery conditions. And although it’s rough, there is just the right blend of luxury features to make one happy. I loved the “Infinity” sound system with seven speakers and the DVD player for the kids, as well as the connections for other external sound sources. Aircon was perfect and the controls were all to hand and well laid out. Cruise control was a necessity as the 146kW motor tempted me to cross another Rubicon –the dreaded AARTO traffic system! The seats are hard-wearing patterned gray cloth that look super suave and if one could get excited by car mats, then these were certainly the best I’ve ever seen — with funky tread design that caught the mud and really protected the carpets. But it’s the space that really takes the cake.

The back is simply cavernous and perfect for the Lebombo trail or to simply cast a few flies in Dullsville. I didn’t get to fold the windshield down (what a cool feature though!), but I did get to take the top off. A vehicle that boasts a removable roof with fully integrated roll bars and a removeable windshield is the bees knees in my book. Once again this car subverts the norm. It’s serious value for money and at around R370k offers performance way above many of its higher-priced competitors with high levels of spec and quality. Perhaps, not the vehicle you would choose to traverse Africa but definitely one to challenge the best that South Africa can throw at you. Then when you are back and the dust has been washed off, you can park outside Espresso in Parkhurst, grab a table, pull out your Apple and show off the photos.