Exotic V8-powered two-door Jeep Gladiator takes shape via lightweight off-road concept
Is this the two-door Gladiator ute that Jeep enthusiasts have been waiting for?
There’s no doubting the new Jeep Scrambler concept has appeal – visually and mechanically – via its gritty and aggressive design, hard-core rock-crushing chassis and thumping 6.4-litre V8 engine with 351kW and 637Nm.
Launched at the 2023 Easter Jeep Safari alongside half a dozen other driveable concepts, the all-American SUV brand says the concept is designed to inspire and excite the Jeep faithful by channelling the early 1980s Jeep Scrambler pick-up.
But Jeep execs wouldn’t rule out the idea of a smaller two-door production ute to slot underneath the dual-cab Gladiator in future.
On the eve of the Easter Jeep Safari at Moab, carsales questioned Jeep’s global head of design, Mark Allen, about whether Jeep would ever sell a two-door Gladiator and he responded “possibly”.
The design boss pointed out that previous concepts from the Easter Jeep Safari have made the transition to production vehicle, the current-generation JL Wrangler being chief among them.
“I do try to populate the minds, not just of consumers or you guys, but the [Jeep] people in the building. That’s pretty important and if we get good reactions there’s usually some action,” he said, referencing the journey of new ideas from concept to reality.
The Scrambler is a radical two-door ute concept inspired by the 1981 CJ-8 Jeep Scrambler, the brand’s first convertible compact pick-up, and employs a number of weight-saving features to improve performance in every regard – off-road and on.
The doors, rear seats, bumpers and even the carpets have been removed to lower its weight, while carbon-fibre body panels replace metal and plastic elements on its flanks and front.
The off-road pick-up rides on massive 40-inch all-terrain tyres shod to 20-inch alloy rims and has been augmented with air suspension to deliver almost endless ground clearance (1.5 to 5.5 inches) that can be adjusted remotely via Bluetooth devices.
Its thumping 392 cubic-inch petrol V8 is borrowed from the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, a special version of the iconic mud-plugging vehicle that never made it Australia and, as Allen explained, the Scrambler concept will resonate with a lot of enthusiasts.
“I think it’s got high appeal, it really does,” said Jeep’s design boss, who explained plenty of work was required to modify the body of the donor car to make it a two-door ute.
“The only thing is the 392 [V8 engine] only comes in the four-door chassis for a few good mechanical reasons. And then pulling all the weight off of it is going to make it a pretty rowdy car I think.”
The two-door off-roader’s windscreen features an extra 12-degrees of rake to line up with its lower roof, adding a bit of a hot-rod look, while a custom rear sports bar shrouds a unique rear bed with a colour-coded tubular tray insert.
“When we showed Gladiator there was a lot of people asking ‘is there going to be a two-door version?’ And we’ve done one concept already of that and, you know, the four-door trucks way outsell the two-door trucks so that’s going to win that kind of volume,” he said, referring to 2019’s Jeep J6 concept.
“But if you think about it as an alternative to a Wrangler, somewhere in between the short-wheelbase two-door and the [LWB] four-door, I think it kind of fits better there for me,” said Allen.
“We reused the four-door chassis and we didn’t change anything mechanically there. It was just our desire to think of another body style that could work,” he explained.
Jeep is acutely aware of how well an ultra-hardcore off-road vehicle like the Scrambler would promote the brand, particularly as rivals such as the Ford Bronco continue creep into Jeep’s heartland.
But we won’t hold our breath for a Gladiator two-door.
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Keyword: Scrambler concept could spawn smaller Jeep ute