Every year (well, until recently — thanks for nothing, COVID-19) engineers from Jeep bring a bevy of concept vehicles to the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. The overarching event has been around for the better part of five decades, and is held by a local Jeep club, not the Jeep brand itself — though the latter does surely provide support and hype in a myriad of ways.
Some of that excitement comes from Jeep’s decision to treat the Safari as something of its own little auto show. While official concepts are usually reserved for the carpeted halls of convention centres in Detroit or Los Angeles, this brand likes to take its one-offs and plunk them in rocky environs smack dab in the middle of its fans. As you’d expect in the current climate, four of the seven rigs this year have an electrified powertrain.
We’ll have boots on the ground this year at Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, taking full advantage of the opportunity to drive these concepts and provide our impressions. Yes, gearheads — Jeep makes sure to tell everyone the machines it brings to Safari aren’t show-queens but fully mission-capable vehicles which can be driven hard in their intended environment. You can be sure we will be testing that statement to its fullest. Here are the seven rigs on tap.
Jeep Bob Concept
Jeep® Bob Concept
Jeep® Bob Concept
Built from the bones of a diesel-powered Gladiator, this pickup is 12 inches shorter than stock versions of Jeep’s truck, thanks to an entire foot of length being ‘bobbed’ off its rear (hence the name). Engineers told us they’ve spoken with owners who appreciate the Glad’s long wheelbase for stability but the machine’s overall length can make it a handful in certain off-road situations. This solution is the result of more than simply taking a Skilsaw to metal, with plenty of thought put into cutlines and amputation points. Note the wide-open cab with no B-pillar, surely a flight of fancy thanks to crash-test regs.
They went ahead and added a 40-inch tire on 20-inch beadlock wheels, mounted to Dana 60 axles front and rear. That’s an AEV front bumper, while the fenders and hood are carbon-fibre concept pieces which may or may not make the accessory catalog at some point in the future. When asked why they went with a diesel powertrain, Jeep spoxs acknowledged the ‘sunsetting’ of diesel in this country but maintain the engine’s power characteristics are respected in the off-road community, not to mention their desire to showcase the entire Jeep powertrain lineup at this year’s event.
Jeep Magneto 2.0 Concept
Jeep® Wrangler Magneto 2.0 Concept
Here’s where future concept notions meet a rolling development lab. Referred to as an ‘open door’ to what Jeep is thinking behind the scenes about all-electric off-roading, Magneto is a beefed-up and refined continuation of last year’s rig. At that time, the crew yanked a Wrangler’s internal-combustion V6 engine in favour of EV motors, but kept the manual transmission and running gear. This time around, they chucked some stock bits in favour of a Dana 60 front and Dana 80 rear axle, then stretched the wheelbase a full 12 inches and gently recrafted some exterior styling. Now, the Magneto’s electric motors make a whopping 625 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque.
According to its builders, this machine’s one-pedal driving – a side benefit of EV power – permits tremendous slow-speed control crawling in gnarly off-road environs. Unofficially, it’ll pull a sub-three-second zero-to-60-mph acceleration run on a closed course. All this power required a new transmission, showing up in the form of a stickshift from the Hellcat that’s been beefed up in unspecified ways. Axle gearing wears a number of 5.28 and its transfer case is the stock 4:1 ratio as in a Rubicon.
Deploying a manual transmission with an electric motor is unique, but Jeep says it works well, if a bit counter-intuitive in practise. One doesn’t need the clutch to get underway – start in third or fourth, if you want, apparently – but clutch is required to change ratios while rolling. Since this is a rolling lab, Jeep’s not concerned with battery range at the moment, but thinks it’ll get about 200 kilometres out of a single charge. To quote the project lead: “We’ll figure that stuff out later. We want to nail the off-road EV experience first.”
Jeep ’41 Concept
Jeep® ’41 Concept
Jeep® ’41 Concept
Back in the land of internal-combustion, we find this concept based on a four-door Rubicon 4xe. It is equipped with accessories like half-doors, a soft top, and military-like Olive Drab paint. The headline here is a set of 35-inch tires mounted on steel-looking wheels. Why? Jeep doesn’t officially do a Wrangler 4xe with 35s, but project managers told us to “watch this space.” Elsewhere, there’s a winch on the front bumper, plus a bumper hoop from Jeep Performance Parts (JPP).
Jeep Rubicon 20th Concept
Believe it or not, two decades have passed since the first Rubicon-branded Wrangler emerged from a Jeep factory. According to company lore, a group of gearhead engineers called the Lunatic Fringe convinced top brass to let them develop the trim, sometimes buying parts on their own credit cards. At the time, it was expected the Rubicon trims would amount to a pittance of sales and be quickly forgotten.
The opposite happened, of course, and Rubicon now makes up roughly 30 per cent of Wrangler sales. This 20th anniversary model has steel bumpers, a winch, the tasty 392 V8 engine, and a two-inch lift from JPP. Add in wheels from the 392 plus a Skyslider roof and you’ve the ripe pickin’s for an upcoming special edition trim.
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk PHEV
Jeep® Grand Cherokee Trailhawk PHEV Concept
Jeep® Grand Cherokee Trailhawk PHEV Concept
This rig isn’t a total concept, since the model was launched on a media press drive a couple of weeks ago in Texas. However, the Jeep crew wanted to beef it up for Moab by adding 33-inch BFG mud-terrains on 20-inch wheels, gonzo ground clearance from an air suspension, and steel rock rails from JPP. Industrial Blue paint looks good on this thing and, no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you — the roof is indeed finished in bed-liner material. Inside you’ll find butterscotch upholstery with houndstooth accents, a style which needs to make a return to the showroom post-haste.
Jeep D-Coder Concept
Jeep® D-Coder Concept by JPP
Jeep® D-Coder Concept by JPP
This vehicle is more of an accessory showcase than an outright concept car, one which basically said ‘yes’ to the entire catalog. Every item you see that’s shown in red paint can be found in either the JPP or Mopar family of accessories. At its core, it is a Gladiator with tube doors and snorkel, plus other available goodies from the parts counter.
The name ‘Decoder’ is a reference to the fact every accessory on this thing bears a QR code, provided so fans can look up details on their phone while drooling over the vehicle while visiting Moab. There are apparently 35 QR codes on this vehicle (anyone up for a game of Spot the Difference?).
Jeep Birdcage Concept
Jeep® Birdcage Concept by JPP
Jeep® Birdcage Concept by JPP
Rounding out this year’s festivities is another rolling accessory catalog. However, this vehicle also includes some JPP concept pieces not yet available for sale, but included here to gauge customer reaction. The scaffolding on its roof and utility bars on the back give this vehicle its name, while that bumper reduces front overhang to improve approach angles by seven degrees.
Its fenders are one of the concept pieces, increasing clearance by a couple of inches in addition to the JPP two-inch lift kit. Around back is an Add-a-Trunk accessory with dry storage and tie-downs, plus an on-board compressor. The brand’s 4xe powertrain lurks under its hood.
Keyword: Jeep previews 7 (mostly electric) rigs ahead of Easter Safari