The inside story on all the key concepts at this year’s Jeep Easter Safari
Jeep has torn the covers off its annual line-up of Jeep Easter Safari concept cars ahead of this year’s event in Moab, Utah and some of them actually preview what’s coming for customers of the US off-road brand over the next couple of years.
Kicking off with the concept most likely to spawn some sort of production derivative, the Jeep Rubicon 20th Anniversary Concept has been designed as one of the most capable out-of-the-box Wranglers to date and features the same 6.4-litre HEMI petrol V8 as it donor car.
Built to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fabled Rubicon package, the Rubicon 20th Anniversary Concept has been fitted with a heap of extra off-road goodies including a 2.0-inch lift kit, 17-inch Mopar beadlock-capable wheels shod with 37-inch mud-terrain tyres, steel bumpers front and rear, a Warn winch and steel belly pan to ensure it can get over, through or out of anything.
An active exhaust system allows the 351kW/637Nm bent-eight to breathe better as well as deliver an even more raucous soundtrack, while a performance bonnet, custom half doors, Sky One-touch powertop and custom decals make up the rest of the 20th Anniversary package.
Despite saying that none of the concepts you see here would go into production as-is when asked directly, Jeep Design Studio boss Mark Allen said the Rubicon 20th Anniversary Concept and Jeep ’41 Concept were “a little closer to production”, although we expect their outlandish designs to be toned-down for showrooms.
While the US might get a dressed-up Rubicon 392, we expect Jeep Australia will offer some sort of special-edition Wrangler Rubicon next year, most likely finished in a bespoke pain finish and unique decals as per previous special-edition Wranglers.
Designers also looked to the past when creating the Jeep ’41 Concept; a modern homage to the original Willys Jeep used by the US military as of World War II.
Blending classic design cues with modern hybrid technology and off-road capability, the ’41 is a retro-inspired take on the latest Jeep Wrangler 4xe finished in ‘olive D.R.A.B. ‘41 matte green’.
Headline features include black powder-coated steel bumpers, a Warn winch, JPP bumper hoop, tan soft-top, half doors, custom stencilled graphics package and accent-coloured tow hooks, while off-road capability is ensured by the presence of a 2.0-inch lift and 35-inch mud tyres.
The toughened-up retro theme is continued on the inside too by a retro shifter, canvas-covered seats with digital camo inserts, heavy-duty floor and a couple of Willys graphics smattered about the cabin.
Like the Rubicon 20th Anniversary, we wouldn’t be surprised if a special edition Wrangler 4xe came along featuring at least some of these military-inspired visual cues, but given the Wrangler 4xe is still yet to be confirmed for our market, we doubt we’ll see one Down Under any time soon.
The same can be said of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe Concept, which Allen confirmed point blank would not be going into production any time soon.
Nevertheless, this vehicle in particular serves a particularly tantalising prospect for off-road enthusiasts, especially those with a need for seven seats.
Described by Jeep as having already “conquered the Rubicon Trail in full-electric operation”, the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe Concept is fitted with Jeep Quadra-Lift air suspension as well as a new electronic sway bar disconnect pinched off the Wrangler Rubicon.
The usually metal roof has been swapped out for a Rhino Liner unit in order to make it more robust against damage inflicted by roof-stored recreation gear like kayaks, while the under carriage has been beefed up with a set of Mopar rock rails.
Riding on 20-inch alloys and 33-inch mud tyres, the Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk’s extended wheel-arches and custom vinyl side graphics do little to hide its identity, as do the blue exterior highlights reflective of its electrified powertrain.
Moving to the more outlandish vehicles, the Jeep Bob Concept blurs the lines between the Wrangler Unlimited and Jeep Gladiator pick-up truck and caters to the emerging ‘bobbing’ trend in which owners improve their vehicles’ departure angle by removing the rear portion of the tray.
A full 300mm shorter than the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon it’s based on, the highlight of the Bob Concept is no doubt its optional bikini strap canvas roof – the car hypothetically comes as standard with no doors or B-pillars.
Custom steel bupers have been fitted front and rear, while the whole body has been raised three inches thanks to the custom off-road suspension components acting on Dynatrac Pro-Rock 60 axles.
The Bob Concept’s height increased further by the standard 40-inch mud tyres encompassing 20-inch beadlock wheels.
Unlike the Australian Gladiators, the Bob Concept utilises Jeep’s 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine which has been fitted with a Mopar cold air intake to further enhance low-end torque and fuel economy.
The final concept shown this year was actually an evolution of a 2021 concept in the form of the Jeep Wrangler Magneto 2.0 Concept.
Building on the first version, the second-gen Magneto is still fitted with a six-speed manual transmission but now features a 466kW/1152Nm electric motor instead of the original’s 213kW/370Nm unit.
With a claimed 0-100km/h time of less than three seconds, the collective 70kWh battery packs are still dispersed throughout the vehicle, however, the body itself has grown by around 300mm, all of which can be found between the axles.
40-inch mud tyres, 20-inch wheels and a 3.0-inch lift kit ensure the Magneto won’t go unnoticed, while a Dynatrac 60 Pro-Rock front axle and Pro-Rock Dynatrac 80 rear axle – each fitted with locking differentials – ensure its toughness and capability off-road.
During a media roundtable at the concepts’ presentation, Allen said the intent of these vehicles wasn’t to show off what was coming next in terms of production, but rather to gauge enthusiast interest and demand to help shape the direction of future products.
Head of RAM Truck and Mopar Exterior Design Mark Trostle on the other hand revealed that some of the aftermarket Mopar products also debuting in Moab were more likely to go into production pending consumer feedback.
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