Okay, so I'm watching this Jeep commercial and the ad goes something like this:

"Every Jeep is trail-rated. If your truck isn't trail-rated you are driving a piece of crap."

So what are the qualifications here? I want the little "trail-rated" sticker on my X! Does the X need to take a test to get trail-rated? Do I have to drive the Rubicon without getting so much as a scratch or do I just have to roll over some obstacle course in the parking lot at the Jeep dealer? Anyone know how to get "trail-rated?"

Isn't "trail-rated" a Jeep trademarked term?

Basially Jeep made up the term and started calling all their vehicles "trail-rated", so that they could sound special.

My X rolls over "trail rated" POS Jeeps

My X is:



Looks like 5 areas are covered:

• Traction
• Ground Clearance
• Maneuverability
• Articulation
• Water Fording

As soon as I saw this latest ad game I knew I had to get one of these badges to rib Jeep owners.
Now where do I get one of those badges?

Jeep dealer? :p

Answered my own question:

Wouldn't you know it eBay has everything!

Ebay's got them:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=50446&item=2450170909

You beat me by mere seconds!

It's a running joke on JU as well.
Just don't include the TJ in your "ribbing".

I couldn't resist, I bought one!

"NEW JEEP TRAIL RATED 4X4 NAMEPLATE. EVERY JEEP IS SUBJECTED TO THE RUBICON TRAIL BEFORE IT IT PUT TO ASSEMBLY. THUS BEING TRAIL RATED. ALL THE NEW 2004 JEEP WRANGLER, LIBERTY, AND GRAND CHEROKEE'S COME WITH THIS NAMEPLATE FROM THE FACTORY! BE THE FIRST WITH YOUR LATE MODEL JEEP TO PROUDLY SAY YOUR RIG IS TRAIL RATED AS WELL! THIS PRICE IS FOR ONE NAMEPLATE ALTHOUGH MORE ARE AVAILABLE. IS YOUR JEEP TRAIL RATED?"

Grand Cherokee has run the Rubicon, stock? I'll have to find pics of that!

I'm gonna grab one of those things for my bumper, thats funny!

The GC's with Quadradrive and the upcountry suspension package will go places that will give Xs trouble. Solid-axle flex front and rear and gerorotor diffs at both ends will take you places.

Jeep tests all their products on the Rubicon, they just don't say how far they get with them. They ran the wussy Liberty on the Rubicon too.

God only knows how many thousands of rocks they had to stack for the Liberty

Pics of the libery testing on the rubicon.





This looks like big sluice


Article

I find the ad campaign cheap and embarassing. Only Jeeps can be "Trail Rated" by DaimlerChrysler, since it's their slogan. Hopefully the American buying public is smart enough to understand that.

What they should have done is create a system with a sanctioning body, and allow all manufacturers to participate.

What they did is create a very cheap way to say other SUVs aren't off-road worthy, when that is completely untrue.

Uhmmm, what should we call it? An "X-Rated"? Oops, already taken.

From the article:
How much travel do xterras have? My 2nd gen 4runner has about 8inches stock and the 3rd gens have about 9inches with aftermarket shocks.

Something funny in this picture:



The symbol for articulation shows absolutely no articulation

I agree. I was thinking the same thing. Great post!

I have to say when I first saw the adds remarking how every Jeep is "trail-rated" I was pretty interested in how they came to that conclusion....So I immediately went to the Jeep home page and started poking around...Yeah they have like 5 catagories to rate each vehicle on in order for them to become "trail rated" but they dont say what the guidelines for each catagory!!! Like the "ground clearance" catagory...all they mention are non-specific things like "must be able to go up and over real world obstacles"...for all I know that means to them that a Jeep has to be able to clear some little kids wiffle-ball bat left in the road to be declared "Trail Rated"....What a joke!!

It's a marketing campaign.

These are the same people who ran a commercial showing a 100%-submerged Cherokee being used as a bridge by female hikers to cross a stream . . .

If you guys keep whining about "truth in advertising", I can see Ian creating a new, and quite busy, forum . . .

Bump!

This had to be done. You decide which is better.

The first one is a bit hard to read - but I like it the best.

It would be cool if there were a place (cheap) to get some die-cast... or maybe just some stickers that really look like it.