Currently reading: Seven Jeep concept models revealed ahead of Easter Safari

Bespoke models show brand’s engineering prowess and demonstrate customisation

Jeep is boosting the launch of its all-new JL Wrangler with design concepts based on the rugged off-roader and they will be revealed at the Easter Safari meet in Moab at Easter.

Four of the Wrangler concepts take the 4x4 in a new direction, having been designed by Jeep under design chief Mark Allen at its Auburn Hills ‘Design Dome’, while a Renegade, Wagoneer and further Wrangler concepts focus on Mopar tuning and aftermarket kits.

“For us, the Jeep Wrangler is the nucleus of everything that Jeep does. Everything comes from the Wrangler,” says Allen.

Jeep has made the Easter meet at Moab a focus for its design concepts because thousands of owners descend on the famous trails every year.

Showing them at Moab is seen as a better way of targetting Jeep owners and potential buyers than glitzy motorshows, a policy understood to be pushed by FCA boss Sergio Marchionne.

Jeep Sandstorm

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The most radical of Jeep’s Moab Wrangler concepts, the Sandstorm, is a Baja desert-racer with a cut-down body, smaller rear doors and high-articulation off-road axles, claimed to give 14 inches of front travel and 18 inches at the rear. Power comes from a 392 cu in (6.4-litre) hemi V8 and sand-grip 39-inch OD tyres help transmit the power to the ground. “We have really gone to town with the Sandstorm and created a real high-performance off-road Wrangler,” says Jeep boss Michael Manley.

Jeep 4Speed

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The Jeep Wrangler is the classic all-American heavy-duty off-roader. It is brilliant off road, but compromised on the tarmac

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Lightened by 950lbs, the 4Speed is a speedier, more nimble Wrangler inspired by earlier lightweight concepts: the Stitch (2013) and Pork Chop (2011). The HVAC and radio are removed, and have been replaced by a carbonfibre bonnet and wheel arches, while the roll-cage is fashioned from thin-wall cro -moly tubing. Power comes from the Wrangler’s new 2.0-litre turbo with 48V mild hybrid tech, which delivers higher performance courtesy of the reduced kerb weight.

Jeep B-Ute

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The Renegade based B-Ute is named after a play-on-words of the 4x4’s internal codename - BU. Based on the off-road-focused Trailhawk model, it features a 1.5-inch suspension lift and disconnected front sway bars to improve off-road rock crawling. “This is a modern military look,” says design chief Allen. Inside, the luggage compartment is fitted out with military-style MOLLE universal equipment hangers.

Jeep Wagoneer

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An all-new Wagoner is not far off launch, so as a styling and brand exercise Jeep has renovated a 1965 Wagoneer and updated it in an “Americana road trip style”.

A rust-free donor car was sourced in California, stripped to a bare shell and the chassis boxed-in to boost rigidity. With new coil springs replacing the original leaf suspension, new steering, and modern disc brakes, Jeep prepped the Wagoneer for a 5.7-litre Hemi ‘crate’ engine, normally found under the hood of RAM trucks.

Jeep Nacho

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The most realistic of all Jeep’s Moab concepts, all the bits on the Nacho can be sourced from Jeep Mopar dealers. Jeep says the whole kit of parts is priced from around $14k to fit on the two-door Rubicon donor car.

To boost off-road performance the Nacho benefits from a 2-inch lift kit, 37-inch OD off-road tyres and 2.5-inch Fox off-road shocks. The tube doors, fuel-filler door and all-weather mats boost the looks. The extensive spotlight system is a prototype developed with Magnetti-Marelli.

Jeep J-Wagon

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Based on a Wrangler Sahara, the J-Wagon is intended to add an urban look while retaining off-road performance.

The bigger off-road tyres lift the chassis, while the raised intake stops dust entering the inlet of the J-wagon’s 3.6-litre V6 and new front wings from the Rubicon model boost trail performance. The paint job is known as “brass monkey”. “The colour scheme is warm grey with orange highlights for that urban style,” says Joe Dehner, Mopar’s design boss.

Jeep Jeepster

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The second most-extreme Wrangler to be shown at Moab, the Jeepster features a 2-inch roof chop and 2.5-degree screen lay-back to re-create the ‘speedy’ styling of the 1966 Jeepster. The red and white paint job is a similar nod to the 1966 original.

The Jeepster is also influenced by the aftermarket trend of relocating the Wrangler’s spare wheel into the rear cabin, so the outside wheel carrier can be modified to carry accessories.

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Bazzer 20 March 2018

The big wheels and tyres

The big wheels and tyres (which just look SO good) is something which Land Rover have never understood.