Jeep's Best New Concept Vehicle for the Easter Safari is a 1993 Grand Cherokee

For over half a century, Jeep has held an annual safari in Moab, Utah, where 4×4 enthusiasts come to tackle the rough terrain in all manner of off-road vehicles. It’s also become an opportunity for Jeep to showcase its modern concept vehicles.

While Jeep has in past years leveraged nostalgia as a theme for its based-on-current-model concepts, the crème de la crème from this year wasn’t even from the current millennium and comes to us — via Craigslist — in the form of a 1993 ZJ Jeep Grand Cherokee.

With the notable exception of the plaid headliner TTAC staff couldn’t quite agree on, Jeep’s ZJ had been tastefully improved. Dirt-friendly enhancements include added clearance and 33-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires. Exterior styling saw the addition of higher-clearance fender flares, an extended wheelbase, new fascias, a muted wood grain treatment beneath the paint, and 18-inch lace-style wheels that wouldn’t have looked terribly out of place in 1993.

With the exception of some new fabrics and materials, most of the Grand Cherokee’s interior remained untouched. There’s durable bed liner applied to replace the carpet and a ’90s-era car phone, but Armor All seemed to be the standout addition. The ZJ is powered by a stock 5.2-liter V8 motor mated to the stock four-speed automatic transmission.

Less tastefully done is the chopped, Wrangler-based Jeep Quicksand concept — which seems to be a take on vintage Ford hotrods crossed with dune buggies. While it is definitely interesting, oil and water don’t mix.

Power comes via a breathed-on 392 Crate HEMI featuring an eight-stack fuel injection system sticking out through the hood. It also has a staggered-tire setup with slightly larger Mud-Terrain KM2s fitted to the rear. Jeep says it’ll do wheelies in the sand and comes with a winch for when you need to inevitably dig yourself out of an inescapable hole.

Jeep’s Safari concept focuses on the family by installing a translucent hardtop and four aluminum-and-clear-vinyl doors, with a special emphasis on giving the backseat passengers a superior view of the great outdoors. It doesn’t offer much in the way of privacy, however.

The Switchback concept is essentially a rolling Mopar and Jeep Performance Parts catalog. The company gave it front and rear Dana 44 axles, a 4-inch lift with remote reservoir Fox shocks, heavy-duty cast differential covers, 10th Anniversary steel bumpers, Rubicon winch, grille, winch guard and cold air intake. The interior is equally kitted out and it has some concept body panels and LED lighting.

However, if you really dig off-road lighting, Jeep went absolutely insane on its Luminator concept. Teaming up with Magneti Marelli, Jeep gave the Wrangler a front-mounted light bar that perpetually scans for obstacles, 7-inch LED projector bi-functional headlamps, unique LED tail lamps, pillar-mounted high-powered spot lights, upper bumper auxiliary lighting with cornering fog lamps controlled by the steering angle, low-profile integrated overhead LED auxiliary spot lights protected behind the windshield, and several underbody rock lights. It even has a roof-mounted light-up landing pad for a remote-controlled illumination drone.

Take it easy, guys. You’re building an ORV, not a second sun.

The least exciting concept on Jeep’s Moab list was the Trailpass. It’s based on the new Compass Trailhawk, but gets a 1.5-inch lift kit, rock rails, and larger wheels wrapped with Continental TerrainContact all-terrain tires. FCA also threw on a roof rack with some traction mats for good measure.

All of the above concepts will be appearing in Moab from April 8-16 for the 51st Annual Easter Jeep Safari, accompanied by the CJ66 concept that appeared at SEMA in 2016.