It’s hard to believe that that 56th annual 2022 Easter Jeep Safari is right around the corner. Scheduled for April 9-17, 2022, and hosted by Moab’s Red Rock 4-Wheelers club, the Easter Jeep Safari (EJS) attracts thousands of Jeep enthusiasts and off-roaders. It’s predominantly a Jeep thing, but other manufacturers have crashed the Jeep party in the past. During EJS, Moab, Utah—home of some of the best off-roading and rock crawling in the world—becomes a beacon, a destination, a mecca for like-minded adventurers who spend the week off-roading, congregating, and fully immersing themselves in all-things off-road.
Jeep and Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) never miss out on the EJS action. Part of the automaker’s annual presence includes concept builds, many of which hit the trails during the week to show off the Jeep brand’s 4×4 capability, if anyone needed convincing. Over the years, some pretty wild concept Jeep Wranglers, Gladiators, and totally custom Jeep mashups have debuted at the Easter Jeep Safari: fully-electric Jeep Magneto, Jeep Red Bare, Rubicon 392, Jeepster Beach, Jeep Farout, Orange Peelz, and Jeep Top Dog, for example. So, what’s in store for 2022?
Jeep and JPP haven’t divulged the deets on what they’re building for the 2022 EJS, but have confirmed that they’ll attend the event with concepts promised to be “bigger, better, greener, faster, and ultra-capable.” To whet our appetites, they’ve released two cryptic sketches of what’s to come. It’s likely Jeep and JPP are working on more than these two builds, one of which looks like a Gladiator project (at top) and the other some kind of new Grand Cherokee concept, with plenty of blue accents (pictured below) hinting at a 4xe plug-in-based deal.
The first sketch shows the blocky outline of a Jeep Gladiator, but that doesn’t mean it’s actually a Gladiator. Jeep could concoct something with Gladiator-ish looks and supercar (read: Hellcat V-8) power. We don’t know much more about this JPP build, but the sky’s the limit when it comes to cool Gladiator builds.
The second sketch focuses on a headlight, and the blue-tinted theme indicates this is likely a project based on the forthcoming 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in-hybrid, the second addition to the electrified 4xe lineup after the Wrangler 4xe. (Both are in fulfillment of Jeep’s quest to electrify its lineup.) The two-row Grand Cherokee is brand new for 2022 (though it’s essentially the short-wheelbase version of the three-row Grand Cherokee L introduced last year), and the Grand Cherokee 4xe is coming in the spring. The new Grand’s modern, chiseled exterior would lend itself well to a full off-road build. In addition to the stylized blue hues depicted in the sketch, the blue tow hooks, fog light opening, and charge port on the fender betray its 4xe roots. Could this be a longer, three-row 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L 4xe soon to join the currently two-row-only 4xe? Probably not, but that would definitely be news.
It’s probably way too early to tell, and it regards a sister brand, but we’d love to see a Ram EV. It’d also be awesome to see a Moab-ready 2022 Wagoneer or Grand Wagoneer beefed up with big suspension, big wheels, and all the off-road fixin’s. A three-row Grand Cherokee L, which was brand new for 2021, would also make for a unique Moab concept build for inspiring family’d Jeep fans. None of these are depicted in the sketches, though, so we’ll need to wait for more details on the others as those are revealed.
Keyword: Jeep Teases Grand Cherokee 4xe, Pickup Concepts for 2022 Easter Jeep Safari