Jeep Reveals Concepts for Easter Jeep Safari
Jeep’s annual pilgrimage to Moab will feature several Wranglers, a Grand Wagoneer, a Gladiator and a throwback XJ. These concept models showcase Jeep’s ideas for future off-roading modifications and in the case of the XJ, a salute to its legendary past.
“Moab isn’t just a backdrop for us. It’s where we do a lot of our r&d training," said Aamir Ahmed, Jeep’s global head of off-road and EVs. “These aren’t concepts in a traditional sense.” In a short time, they will be banging off boulders.”
“There’s no such thing as a Jeep garage queen.”
With that in mind, let’s break down Jeep’s concepts for the 60th Easter Jeep Safari.
Jeep Grand Wagoneer Commander Concept
Jeep dips into its past for a famous name: Commander. It’s a fitting moniker for a military-themed tow vehicle. If you’re in trouble, the Commander can come to the rescue. It has 35-inch wheels, rock crawler suspension, skid plates, tow hooks, trail lights and topographic map graphics on the sides and roof. The interior is olive green.
Jeep Wrangler Laredo Concept
Speaking of long-running names, Laredo dates back to 1982 when it was first used on a CJ. This Wrangler Laredo started life as a modern Wrangler Willys, and it pairs a manual transmission with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. It has a two-inch lift from Mopa and 37-inch mud terrains wrapped around slotted mag wheels.
Jeep Wrangler Anvil 715 Concept
This beast of a Wrangler features the rhino grille that first appeared on Kaisers in the 1960s. It has steel bumpers, 37-inch tires on 17-inch rims and an interior covered in tactical green finishings. Most importantly, it runs the 392 Hemi V8. This overlander started life as a Wrangler Rubicon.
Jeep XJ Pioneer Concept
Jeep bought this 1984 XJ Cherokee from a Nevada owner, who was so meticulous, he logged every time he filled up his Cherokee with fuel. While many of the EJS concepts are on the wild side, this XJ is closer to a survivor. Jeep added a two-inch lift with quick disconnecting sway bar, custom carbon fender flares with larger wheel openings, 17-inch wheels wrapped in 33-inch BF Goodrich A/T rubber and rock rails.
Jeep Wrangler Buzzcut Concept
The Wrangler Buzzcut is perhaps the most striking concept. Done up in Vitamin C orange paint with satin black two-tone accents, the Buzzcut’s roof is chopped two inches, while it’s suspension is lifted two inches. The rear seat was removed; front are high back performance seats trimmed in black and grey katzkin leather. There’s also a gear carrying system, 37-inch wheels, a winch, rock rails and a snorkel. It runs a 2.0-liter four with a Mopar cold-air intake.
Jeep Gladiator Red Rock
This Jeep truck carries a trail maintenance theme with 360-degree lighting, steel bumpers, 37-inch tires, rock rails and off-road recovery kit. It also has a three-inch overlanding lift kit, custom graphics, grab handles and cargo system rack. It runs the 3.6-liter V6 paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
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Greg Migliore is AutoGuide's Editorial Director. He has covered the auto industry for two decades, most recently as editor-in-chief of Autoblog. He's also been an editor at Automobile and Autoweek. He's a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University and the Yale Publishing course. Greg is a member of the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards jury.
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"It runs a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four with a Mopar cold-air intake." This was under Buzzcut description. Since when did Jeep start using Ford motors? I'm guessing typo, but likely meant the 2.0 Hurricane, but would be nice to know if this is the older 270 horse vs the new Grand Cherokee 320 horse engine
Now if they could just make these damn things reliable, Jeep would really have something.