Take a test drive on a Jeep 101 driving course

(from a DaimlerChrysler press release)

Jeep® brand is redefining the auto show experience for consumers this year at the 2004 New York Auto Show with the first indoor Jeep 101 driving course.  The 45,000-square-foot exhibit will give auto show attendees a chance to experience the extreme on- and off-road capabilities of Jeep vehicles without leaving Manhattan. 

The course is comprised of several obstacles that simulate the rigorous Trail Rated® testing that Jeep vehicles endure before earninga Trail Rated badge.  What this means to consumers is a first-hand look at the capability standard of Jeep vehicles for Traction, Ground Clearance, Maneuverability Articulation and Water Fording. 

The Jeep 101 course will be comprised of six different surfaces –dirt, gravel, rocks, water, wood and asphalt – and includes a 20-foot vertical climb through the ceiling of the Javits Center, a two-foot deep 15 x 20 ft. water test and a 12 x 15 ft. section of terrain simulating fallen logs measuring 18-inches in diameter.

“Jeep created this course because we know if a picture is worth one thousand words, then a physical experience is worth one thousand pictures.” said Jeff Bell, Vice President, Marketing Communications, Chrysler Group.  “Jeep is taking the auto show experience to the same level as Camp Jeep and Jeep Jamborees. Our legendary capability is best lived first-hand.”

The Down and Dirty Details:

Despite being indoors, the Jeep 101 course encompasses obstacles found outdoors.  To make this trail come to life, dirt, rocks and other recyclable course materials will be transported from Staten Island each evening to maintain the exhibit.

• More than 4,000 yards of dirt will be used to construct the TrailRated course which equates to over 200 truckloads.  All the dirt used will be recycled and returned back to original source.

• More than five tons of rocks, boulders and gravel and 4,500-square-feet of burlap will be used for decorations.

• More than 15,000 feet of electrical cabling – the equivalent of more than three miles of cable--will be used for lights, power and displays.

• Course construction will take eight days.

• There will be 11 vehicles driving the course.

• It will take ten minutes to ride through the entire length of Jeep 101.

While waiting to experience the Jeep 101 course, Camp Jeep New York attendees will be entertained by all week long by live music as part ofthe kick-off for a new program called Jeep Music Trax.  This program will feature live performances by established and emerging musicians at Jeep lifestyle and music events across the country.

The Jeep 4x4 vehicles driven on the course - Grand Cherokee, Libertyand Wrangler - will wear the Jeep Trail Rated badge, indicating that every Jeep 4x4 has been designed to perform in a variety of challenging off-road conditions.  Identified by five key consumer-oriented performance categories, Jeep Trail Rated includes Traction, Ground Clearance, Maneuverability, Articulation and Water Fording.

Jeep Trail Rated is an industry-leading methodology to objectively measure and predict off-road performance for all Jeep vehicles today and into the future.  Through a combination of natural and controlled field tests, as well as computer simulated environments, Jeep TrailRated provides a repeatable and consistent measurement of off-road performance for all Jeep vehicles.  Only Jeep vehicles are Trail Rated.

The 2005 New York Auto Show runs through April 18th.