Jeep reveals new concepts for 51st Moab

By Perry Mack, photos courtesy Jeep

My email inbox is, for the most part, filled with the mundane mind numbing press releases of companies vying for exposure in 4WDrive. But the announcement of the Jeep concept vehicles for the Easter Jeep Safari is like finding that coveted Easter Egg when you’re four years old.

For those of you who are new to the Jeep culture and lifestyle, the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab is attended by thousands of off-road enthusiasts for a week of unadulterated rock crawling and exploring on some of the USA’s most venerable trails in Moab, Utah. The Jeep team uses this as an excuse to vent all the pent up creative ideas that they haven’t been able to implement – yet. They watch our reactions to the modifications on these concepts, and then choose the best ideas in an attempt to sway the corporate neckties into unleashing them on salivating Jeep enthusiasts.

Some body mods and parts are fresh concepts that we’ve never seen, and may never be able to buy, but many of this years’ modifications are off-the-shelf Mopar/Jeep Performance parts that anyone with a fat wallet can buy. And similar products are available from hundreds of talented and creative after market companies.

Jeep Grand One

The Jeep Grand One pulls at the heartstrings of anyone lucky enough to have owned a new 1993 Grand Cherokee ZJ 25 years ago. As with all memories, you typically remember only the good things. For this 25th anniversary version Jeep gives us everything we wished we had right off the bat, back then (if you were planning to leave the dealership and head immediately to the trails).

33-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires aggressively embrace custom 18-inch lace-style wheels. Front and rear axles are equipped with selectable locking differentials and the Grand One stands a little taller than the original with a 2-inch suspension lift.

High-clearance fender flares, an extended wheelbase, and trimmed fascias also enhance your off-road driving experience. The interior pays tribute to the original Grand Cherokee with ’90s-inspired materials and touches, and Jeep has accessorized it with an old-school car phone – sounds like a great way to disguise an extra battery (for anyone who had a carphone in the late eighties.)

The Grand One gets its grunt from a 5.2-liter V-8 engine, mated to a four-speed automatic transmission.

Jeep Safari

The Jeep Safari looks more like a tech executives' JKU modified for trail tours, than a concept Jeep. On the tech side is an instrument panel-mounted iPad and a two-level aluminum cargo rack with incorporated drone. Items that should come standard with all new Jeeps are LED headlamps, and LED tail lamps and parking/turn lamps.

For running those ‘off-road tours’ it features two rear bucket seats that rotate outward, making it easier for rear passengers to view out the side, a translucent hardtop roof panel and “windoors,” made of lightweight aluminum and clear vinyl. The rear doors are hinged from the rear, also called as ‘suicide doors’ (not by Jeep though), which, while they raise safety concerns, are a cool feature.

Performance features include a front and rear Dana 44 axle equipped with selectable differential lockers and 2-inch lift. Improved traction comes courtesy of 35-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires on custom 18-inch wheels. Further ‘basic’ trail upgrades include custom full-length skid plates, steel front and rear bumpers, integrated on-board air system, upgraded brakes and unique cold air intake.

The Jeep Safari is powered by the same 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine and is mated to the same five-speed automatic transmission all new Jeep owners enjoy.

Jeep Quicksand

Based on the Wrangler platform, here’s a vintage-style concept that is a loud, fast and fun. It is powered by a Mopar 392 Crate HEMI® engine with eight-stack injection, mated to a six-speed Getrag manual transmission, yes a manual! The “peekaboo” cutouts in the hood and gasser-style downturned open headers add to the vintage hot rod feel.

A number of features stir our vintage hot rod emotions. The wheelbase has been lengthen, the front and rear body trimmed and the hardtop and windshield chopped. The interior is simple like the dune buggies of yesteryear with two front low-back bucket seats, flat aluminum door panels, tilt-out windshield glass and a chrome roll bar.

A staggered tire setup debuts for the first time in a Jeep Concept. 32-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires in the front and 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires in the rear, wrap 18-inch vintage “kidney bean” alloy wheels.

Adding some off-road cred is a Warn winch concealed in a front-mounted Moon tank, with a recovery rope is located in the rear (instead of a traditional drag chute), and the whole ‘buggy’ is held up by a coilover shock suspension.

Jeep Trailpass

Stepping away from the Wrangler, the Jeep Trailpass concept vehicle equips the Compass Trailhawk with features for more rugged exploration.

The 2.4-liter Tigershark engine is mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission, driving a 1.5-inch lift kit and 18-inch wheels surrounded by Continental TerrainContact all-terrain tires. Jeep Performance Parts featured on the Trailpass include cross rails and rock rails, with a Jeep roof basket supporting a Mopar/Thule roof basket.

Gloss black side mirror caps, a custom hood graphic, side stripes, tinted headlamps and tail lamps add a little zest to the outside, while inside, the custom Katzkin leather seats and armrest will have you loving every minute behind the wheel.

Jeep Switchback

The Jeep Switchback is a blend of concept features and off-the shelf Mopar and Jeep Performance Parts (JPP). It is light on the ‘concept’ and heavy on the ‘look at our after-market parts’.

Off the Mopar/JPP shelf are a front and rear Dana 44 axle, a 4-inch lift with remote reservoir Fox shocks, heavy-duty cast differential covers, 10th Anniversary steel front and rear bumpers, Rubicon winch, grille, winch guard and cold air intake. Also high-top fender flares, black fuel door and tail lamp guards, plus JPP swing gate hinge reinforcement and an oversized spare tire carrier.

So if all this is bolt-on-for-everyone, where are the concepts in Concept Vehicle? Once again, LED’s enhance visibility with a concept LED off-road windshield light bar, concept LED off-road A-pillar lamps, LED tail lamps, but just JPP LED headlamps and fog lamps.

The 17-inch concept wheels grip 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires. Other exterior features include a concept hood and half doors, topped off with a concept “Safari” hardtop and roof rack system.

Much of the balance of the Jeep Switchback, including the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 mated to the five-speed automatic transmission, is pure aftermarket parts, not ‘concept’.

Jeep CJ66

The monster created by Dr. Frankenstein was never this handsome, but nevertheless, the CJ66 is a monster created from other bodies, as Jeep themselves confess. “Take a Jeep Wrangler TJ frame, hang a 1966 Jeep Wrangler CJ universal Tuxedo Park body on it, add in Wrangler JK elements, power it all with a Mopar 345 Crate HEMI Engine Kit-enabled 5.7-liter HEMI and you have the Jeep CJ66.”

We originally saw this concept at the 2016 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas last November.

Mopar cold-air intake and cat-back exhaust bump the 5.7-liter HEMI engine to 383 horsepower, harnessed by a six-speed manual transmission, which drives power to front, and rear, Mopar Dana 44 Crate axles.

With a two-inch lift kit, 35-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tires surround 17-inch beadlock wheels. A concept two-way air system lets you quickly air up or air down tires and the fender flares and rock rails are engineering concepts but bumpers, skid and front bumper plates are off-the shelf Mopar/JPP.

The custom matte black CJ66 graphic stripe gives it a great retro look. Along with the custom, race car-inspired fuel filler cap inside fender wheel well.

Jeep Luminator

And Jeep said, ‘let there be light’. With the help of the Automotive Lighting division of Magneti Marelli, Jeep has bolted on a lot of lumens on the Luminator.

“Magnetic underbody rock lights, powerful 7-inch LED projector bi-function headlamps, unique LED tail lamps, A-pillar-mounted high-powered LED spot lights, upper bumper LED auxiliary lighting with cornering fog lamps controlled by the steering angle, and low-profile integrated overhead LED auxiliary spot lights protected behind the windshield. The Jeep Luminator also includes LED versions of the standard 100 mm fog lamp and grille-mounted turn signals unique to the Wrangler.”

“But wait there’s more!’ says the infomercial announcer. Up front, the Luminator’s hood has a scanning LED light bar module with active spot and dynamic following technology, while out back, the center high-mount stop light acts as a scouting/trail lamp with four-color LEDs for trail rides, indicating stop (red), -5 kph (amber), 5-40 kph (green) or providing rear flood lighting (white).

Naturally, who could do without the roof-mounted solar panel, and drone landing pad with lighted drone.