Jeep Cherokee (Liberty) test drive since 2007 SUV
Under the white sun desert
What does the American Indians of the Che Roki tribe have to do with the African desert? The most direct, Denis Harutyunyan was convinced, having drove into a sugar sand jeep. Photo by the author and jeep. The only runway, lonely police helicopter, burning sun and complete calm-airport in the small Moroccan town of Er-Rashidiy. A briefing in one of the two small clay buildings right on the adjacent territory is a front before a jump to the hot African air. And the briefing is serious, the mentors without stopping repeating: do not forget, this is Africa! Fear everything: adults and children, camels and donkeys, stones and sand! It turned out that some warnings are really justified
The caravan goes into the sky Near the passage airport, three groups of seven brand new Cheroki sparkle. The Axel instructor indicates where to sit down. He himself is going to go to one of the escort vehicles (with each caravan, two armed cables, winches, radio stations and other equipment of Jeep Rangler performed by Rubicon and Sahara will go).
The body of the new Chearoka is the conventionally squeezed out by the ax, the rectangular headlights in the style of the senior commander, the minimum of decor - this one is precisely oriented to the strong half of humanity.
At the wheel settled on the go: the caravan does not wait! While we are going slowly along a narrow highway, I try to evaluate
the convenience of the salon. At first it seems cramped, but you quickly get used to it. It is worse that there is no site under the left foot - it has to be squeezed for yourself. A good seat, covered with soft skin, spoils the roller sticking out under the shoulder blades: why? The hard plastic of the front panel in some places puffs - not at all to the face of a new car. Later, representatives of the company convinced that copies for the test - from the pre -production party, would not be in commodity vehicles and fabrications: we will take a word for a word. Moreover, there are no other complaints - everything is done pleasantly and soundly. I especially liked the convenient wide flag that switches the operating modes of the center differential. Choose one of the three provisions (2WD, 4WD-Auto and 4WD-mod), electric drives will take care of the rest. At a halt, he appreciated a considerable volume of the trunk and found an interesting thing in it. If you turn the large panel of the false floor, it turns out a plastic pallet with a 10 -centimeter side - just right to put dirty boots or load something not very clean, without staining the pile upholstery. 
Elements of luxury - skin finish and aluminum, climate control, a large screen of the multifunctional Mygig system give a rude all -terrain vehicle the features of a casual car. Yes, and Cheroki runs on uneven African asphalt very calmly. The power of a 3.7-liter six gasoline is generally enough, although when overtaking I would still like to add a couple of dozen horses. The elastic work of the suspension hints at its outstanding energy intensity (and the truth: it was pierced only with the storm of dried up streams). If some vibrations reach the riders, then only strongly dumped. It seems that this even helps not to relax completely, not to lose the sensation of the road. 
Desert climbing Having said goodbye to the kids at the highway, who waved our hands, we turn on a slightly noticeable track leading to a low mountain pass. Under the wheels - a scattering of small pebbles with sand. Che Roki behaves on the African grader comfortably: it holds a straight line perfectly, obediently walks at the wheel, carefully isolates from shaking. So the winding rise to the top, and it seemed to him that it would be difficult to move here. Well, you can test the assistant - Hill Descent Control. A strange sensation: you release the pedals, practically hang on the belt, and the car itself confidently crawls down, crunched by the brakes. Going down to the foot, he looked around -and paid tribute to modern electronics: the slope is really cool. And there is still sugar in front - a section of the famous Dakar.
Khan told me Contrary to a common error, deserts by only 20-30% are covered with sand. It was necessary to go to real dunes for about an hour and a half. But the magnificent sight of the huge margins was worth it! To begin with, they invited Sand School - a sand school - to master the specifics of driving in the sand. In the right seat, an instructor, under the alert control of which you need to drive a small training circle. Full -wheel drive with a lowering gear, the box selector to position 1 - let's go!
I admit, I was surprised: what is complicated here? Yes, the car goes tangibly harder, but on gentle bulk slopes it is quite easy. Moreover, especially dangerous places marked with bright flags.
But when we were released to real dunes, it began! According to the walkie -talkies that each car was supplied, the instructors only kept repeating: gas! Gas! Davi to the stop!. And in response: White Cheroki got stuck, Krasny stuck. In a word, everyone visited the sand captivity. This happens instantly: I did not know the gas - and already stuck. There is no slightest guilt of the car in this, it interferes
own caution. Indeed, in order to climb the crest of a dunes, you need inertia. And at the very top, the car must be sharply besieged, because there can be hidden by a steep and dangerous descent on which to overturn the jeep is a second business. Some of the stuck our accompanyers simply dug up, others had to be pulled out on a cable. Having got out on a more or less solid land, he was surprised: how do Dakarov-vzov go here? Do not just drive - they rush! Sharks, gorillas, other dangers
They returned normal tire pressure and got out on the highway again. In town
Erfud got already in the dark. This is where the warnings were remembered at the introductory briefing. Children cross the road right in front of the wheels, adults calmly walk in the middle of the roadway, donkeys, pulling carts appear from darkness with ghosts, and cyclists behave simply defiantly. Summing up the impressions, I thought: Cheroki is woven out of contrasts. Despite all the bullying, in extreme conditions he showed himself to be a real fighter - he goes forward to the last, while the wheels cling to at least something. And in a calm atmosphere, it seems to rest with me. The roar of the motor, fountains of sand from under the wheels - all this remained in the desert. Now Cheroki has turned into ordinary
automobile. But the roller under the shoulder blades seemed to have grown up again - jumping on the dunes, I did not notice it The next morning, already from the aircraft I saw a retreating column of jeeps. He looked at them with some sadness. The Indian hooked me stronger than I expected him. So there is a white Cheroki in front of the eyes under the white sun of the desert.
The heir to the highest people
The name of the tribe, which gave the name to the car, comes from the word of the bachelor, which in Iroquois languages \u200b\u200bmeans speaking not in our opinion. This tribe itself used to be called byniinviya (higher people), now the most common self -name is
Chlags (the first among warriors), although they do not mind when they are called Cheroki. The number of Cheroka was greatly reduced from the diseases that Europeans brought to America (by 1830 it fell from 50 to 20 thousand people). Another 25% of the tribe died during the war of the north and south - neither white, nor black, nor other Indian tribes suffered such losses. The liberal laws on adoption in Cheroki have now allowed to increase the number to 310 thousand, but only 15 thousand of them are purebred Indians. Most now live in East Oklahom and in the west of North Carolina.
Jeep-Kabrio
Strange as it may seem, not off -road abilities, not a motor or suspension, but a huge, almost all of the roof, hatch, are most remembered in Cheroki. From the cold weather and bad weather, passengers are protected by a sliding curtain of reinforced acrylic. The awning can be moved almost to the very end of the roof or stopped in any position. Only the back can be pulled forward, providing passengers with a sunny bathroom.
Jeep Cherokee - again confirms its image. You can ride every day around the city or visit less -in -lived places, remembering: its possibilities are not unlimited
Source: The magazine "Driving"
