If the interest is there that the Jeep XMT could start production the second half of next year
The latest Jeeps are pretty cool, but despite the off-roader’s camouflage origins, there hasn’t been a military Jeep in quite a few years. That’s changing with the Extreme Military-Grade Truck concept based on the Jeep Gladiator and built by AM General.
Yes, that’s the same AM General that builds the real Hummer. The HMMWV that’s still a staple of the US Army fleet. The company is a descendent of the original Willys-Overland that built the first Jeeps during World War II. The company builds commercial vehicles, and even the R-Class for Mercedes-Benz to be sold in China.
Jeep and AMG General aren’t saying much about the XMT, but we can figure out a few things based on the info given and the photos. For a start, the vehicle would be offered with three different powertrain configurations. Expect those to be the same three that the civilian Gladiator will be offered with. A 3.6L V6 with 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque for one, and likely the V6 that comes equipped with the eTorque mild hybrid system as well. But the army isn’t always all that interested in saving fuel, and they are interested in having a vehicle that can run on the same fuel as everything else, so expect the Jeep’s 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 with 260 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque to be a popular choice, though likely modified to run on the JP-8 fuel that the US Army prefers to put in everything.
The concept vehicle shows off a beige Gladiator with the top off, the doors dropped, and some aftermarket accessories. AM General says that the vehicle has been modified with “both custom-built and commercially available military-grade parts to create an even more rugged truck that can traverse the toughest of terrains in adverse conditions and is ready to meet varied military customer requirements.”
Obvious modifications include that beefy front bumper and front winch, and it looks like they’ve been careful to pick a bumper that doesn’t block too much of the nose. Cooling is important here. There are tubular doors replacing the original solid ones and some new seats with what look to be five-point harnesses. They would get the standard Gladiator’s locking differentials, skid-plates, tow hooks, and other off-road-ready bits.
Using production-based vehicles for military use is hardly a new concept. For example, the Canadian Forces LUVW is based on the Mercedes-Benz G Wagon and the MILCOTS pickup used by US and Canadian forces is based on an off-the-shelf Chevrolet Silverado 2500. Jeep and AM General say if the interest is there that the Jeep XMT could start production the second half of next year, though it’d probably take a few years to end up in Call of Duty.
Keyword: Jeep and AM General go Back to Roots for XMT