They must be mud!

Auto Express has invented a new sport: caravan off-roading. Actually, we’re joint pioneers. The crazy idea was dreamed up by Jeep, and the US company needed a test pilot. That’s where we came in.

Now, you might think hauling a perfectly good two-berth along a demanding off-road course until it falls apart is a completely stupid thing to do.

Normally, of course, it would be. After all, most ’vans never face anything more taxing than a gentle pull along the motorway and a couple of weeks in the sun before being taken back home again. But this is extreme ’vanning! In the spirit of breaking new ground, we were going to push this one to the limit by dragging it up steep inclines, down fearsome descents, through deep gullies of water and across all sorts of muddy, messy terrain.

Would the Wrangler tow car and our ’van be able to cope? Given that a number of journalists were present to see our efforts, Jeep’s PR manager Nick O’Donnell was understandably nervous. He explained: “I don’t think anyone has done off-road caravanning before. The last thing that we want is something going horribly wrong – especially in front of a load of hacks! ”

And his biggest fear? “We have no idea what will happen to the caravan,” Nick said. “It might tip over and take the car with it, or it could come loose and smash into the body.”

What if we got damaged? This was of more concern to us! However, there was no time to worry about that. Before we knew it, the caravan (bought on eBay for £60) was attached and we were facing the first obstacle – a daunting downward slope. What an introduction to our new sport!

Normally, if you’re towing a trailer that starts to move out of line, increasing your speed a little can help to pull it straight. But you can’t do that on a slippery decline littered with massive boulders.

We were relieved when the caravan’s wheels followed the grooves laid by the Wrangler’s tyres, and we survived the first challenge unscathed.

That was downhill – so how about going up? Maintaining momentum would be vital. However, while a Wrangler has toughened suspension that can cope with hitting rocks at speed, a caravan doesn’t. So it was a surprise that the two-berth hung together, despite being ricocheted into the air numerous times.

Before our next hurdle, a water splash, Nick said: “Proper all-terrain trailers, such as those used by the army, have a high ground clearance that’s often even greater than that of the towing vehicle.”

Sadly, ours wasn’t one of those. Its very low chassis had been designed to reduce drag on motorways. And there was a risk that this set-up could have the opposite effect when we hit the water. “The low metal frame might end up acting like a giant plough in the silt. It’s highly likely you’ll get stuck,” Nick warned. Amazingly, we didn’t. To our surprise and relief, the caravan floated. We were as impressed with its apparent resilience as we were the Jeep’s towing ability.

Flush with our success so far, it was time for something a little more challenging – tricky rock steps. At last, here was a real risk of a dramatic rollover! It was highly likely the massive undulations would upset the balance of the caravan, causing it to tip. Again, though, it proved tougher than we had expected. It remained upright throughout, even when we flew down the obstacle course at such a speed that it actually took off. Nick revealed: “You had some serious air there! Luckily the caravan stayed straight, otherwise there would have been trouble.” That was to come at the next stage...

Bizarrely, it was the easiest part of the course – a slightly rutted straight track – which was the caravan’s undoing. The route looked so simple that we went at it too quickly, and while the Jeep’s big tyres ironed out the bumps, the small wheels on the caravan struggled to cope and the constant vibrations caused the rear of the body to separate from the chassis. For good measure, the door and jockey wheel fell off, too.

Our efforts were beginning to take their toll on the caravan, which was starting to look decidedly the worse for wear.

A quick trip trough the woods finished it off. We took a wrong turn, made a botched attempt to spin round and ended up having several noisy collisions with trees. The ’van’s chassis was bent so badly that it had to be winched.

With that, our test was over. And despite our ’van’s demise, it was hailed a success. Jeep had been keen to see if the course was suitable for hacks to tow trailers on during the launch of its Cherokee, and staff had seen enough. As long as certain obstacles were avoided, it was fine. As for us? We’d discovered a thrilling new extreme ‘sport’!