Drop a Top, Again: Upcoming Wrangler Pickup May Be a Convertible

The leaks concerning Jeep’s next-generation Wrangler have been like a screen door on a submarine, with FCA itself fueling the fire by releasing a couple of official images during the recent SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Rumours of a Wrangler-based pickup began swirling ages ago, with Fiat Chrysler eventually assuring us that one will appear at some point during the new Wrangler’s product cycle. Now, in a report from Automotive News, there is speculation the new-age, four-door Scrambler will be offered as a convertible.

The report claims “a source with direct knowledge of the design says the Scrambler, like the current and next-generation Wrangler, will come with an optional soft top capable of being removed or lowered, making the Scrambler a true convertible.” Dandy, if true.

Screencaps and surreptitiously taken photos of dealer information systems have surfaced on the interwebs over the last few months, revealing what seems to be firm(ish) plans for a Wrangler with a pickup bed, perhaps called the JT. If the shots are to be believed, the JT will have a frame much longer than that currently found on the JK Unlimited, leading one to speculate that a four-door Wrangler pickup will actually have a usable bed (unlike that which was found on the Hummer SUT, for example).

In the official photos, we see a Rubicon in bright red paintwork with its top off, doors removed, and – joy of joys – windshield folded down. It appears that the folding windshield may be a bit easier to use in the JL than in the JK, where bugs-in-yer-teeth wheeling involves removing part of the roll bar system. Here, the roll bars remain intact, with the windshield seeming to pop out of a frame and fold forward. Sounds like a good solution to us.

BFGoodrich All Terrain KO2s, natty fender vents, and six-speed manual transmission are all present and accounted for on the Rubicon. The overhead shot shows off a pair of hood vents, the removable front bumper end caps, and Rubicon logos on the front seats.

This author sincerely hopes FCA retains the Scrambler name for production. It’s a fantastic throwback to the CJ-8 Scrambler, which was a long wheelbase version of the CJ-7. Expect to see a production version of the new Jeep Wrangler JL at next week’s 2017 LA Auto Show, with production ramping up just after the big reveal.

TTAC will be covering the show live from the floor, where our intrepid Managing Ed will be wearing out the soles of his shoes to bring you coverage of all the news.

[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]