by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
A Wrangler with the look of a Gladiator. Or, perhaps, a Gladiator with the look of a Wrangler.
The latest Jeep concept rendering, released Thursday, doesn’t totally answer that question, but it does show off what appears to be another unique and powerful vehicle that will make the trek to Moab, Utah for the annual Easter Jeep Safari event next month.
”What if a truck dared to be more like an SUV to increase its departure angle?” the brand asked in a news release. “The latest Jeep concept heading to this year's Easter Jeep Safari reinvents what the ultimate terrain tackler dares to be, delivering an abundance of four-wheeling confidence and a pinch of open-air freedom.”
The concept rendering was the fourth one Jeep has released over the past few weeks, and a few more are expected as the days tick down towards EJS. Normally, the company will unveil its full concept lineup the week before the event begins.
This version depicts all kinds of things that gets an enthusiast’s heart pumping, including a modified cargo area with custom roll cage, an altered door configuration that eliminates the B pillar and perhaps doors altogether, and probably a Mopar suspension lift with oversized tires in the 37- to 40-inch range.
Additionally, the rendering does not depict any charging port so this won’t be an electrified vehicle. Instead, its hood bulge mimics the Wrangler 392, except this one has side vents and could mean a powerful Hemi engine will be included with this concept.
The mention of departure angle in this concept’s news release could also indicate Jeep designers took cues from the CJ8 Scrambler. That vehicle, produced back in the 1980s, saw the brand modify a CJ7 — giving it a slightly longer bed and better carrying capacity, while also allowing for better maneuverability over a pickup. Jeep, then owned by American Motors, produced just under 30,000 of those Scramblers from 1981-85.
Jeep has already teased three other concepts headed to Moab, including a possible 4x3 plug-in hybrid Grand Cherokee, some kind of Gladiator and a 20th-anniversary edition Wrangler Rubicon.
This year’s EJS event runs from April 9 to 17.
Related Articles:
Jeep Bringing 20th Anniversary Rubicon Wrangler To Easter Jeep Safari
Jeep Teases Grand Cherokee, Gladiator as 2022 Easter Jeep Safari Concepts
