Jeep Flights: More Teasers for the Easter Safari


Every year, gearheads at Jeep make a pilgrimage to the off-road mecca that is Moab, bringing along a yaffle of concept vehicles. Some of these rigs point to a future model, others too-cool restomods, and a few are tremendously bonkers one-offs.
We’re not entirely sure into which category today’s teaser will fall but, knowing Jeep, there’s a decent chance they’ll be putting this terrifically overpowered off-roader into production.
It’s apparently been two decades since the Rubicon name was first appended to a Wrangler, explaining the ‘20’ marked in superscript at the end of this Jeep’s bonnet banner. Other typical badges such as the Trail Rated icon are present and accounted for, plus a very entertaining ‘392’ tag on the flared hood. The latter tells us there is a 6.4-liter V8 under the hood of this concept, a mill already found in production Jeeps where it cranks out 470 horsepower.
Pro tip: Your author can confirm it is best to have the wheels of a Wrangler 392 pointed in a straight line before the dropping the hammer. This amount of power in a rig with a high center of gravity is as terrifying as it is grin-inducing. Fuel prices be damned, I’d gladly park one right next to my own V8-equipped Challenger.
Jeep has also teased a couple of other concepts ahead of Easter Safari, including what’s presumably an electrified variant of an existing model. The brand is all in with their 4xe line of vehicles, with company brass promising just about all its lineup will be powered by electrons in some form or another over the next few years. On the other end of the spectrum, a silhouette of a Gladiator pickup has been shown, featuring what appears to be burly accessories and a 392-style hood.
Elsewhere in Jeepland, all hands are busying themselves with an electrification strategy called Zero Emission Freedom, an effort which includes introducing the brand’s first all-electric SUV sometime in the 2023 calendar year. CEO Carlos Tavares showed a sketch of that vehicle during a Stellantis presentation earlier this year, revealing a machine which seems to be about the size of a present-day Compass while mashing together design cues from that model and the little Renegade.
[Image: Stellantis]
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- Art Vandelay Dodge should bring this back. They could sell it as the classic classic classic model
- Surferjoe Still have a 2013 RDX, naturally aspirated V6, just can't get behind a 4 banger turbo.Also gloriously absent, ESS, lane departure warnings, etc.
- ToolGuy Is it a genuine Top Hand? Oh, I forgot, I don't care. 🙂
- ToolGuy I did truck things with my truck this past week, twenty-odd miles from home (farther than usual). Recall that the interior bed space of my (modified) truck is 98" x 74". On the ride home yesterday the bed carried a 20 foot extension ladder (10 feet long, flagged 14 inches past the rear bumper), two other ladders, a smallish air compressor, a largish shop vac, three large bins, some materials, some scrap, and a slew of tool cases/bags. It was pretty full, is what I'm saying.The range of the Cybertruck would have been just fine. Nothing I carried had any substantial weight to it, in truck terms. The frunk would have been extremely useful (lock the tool cases there, out of the way of the Bed Stuff, away from prying eyes and grasping fingers -- you say I can charge my cordless tools there? bonus). Stainless steel plus no paint is a plus.Apparently the Cybertruck bed will be 78" long (but over 96" with the tailgate folded down) and 60-65" wide. And then Tesla promises "100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage — including the under-bed, frunk and sail pillars." Underbed storage requires the bed to be clear of other stuff, but bottom line everything would have fit, especially when we consider the second row of seats (tools and some materials out of the weather).Some days I was hauling mostly air on one leg of the trip. There were several store runs involved, some for 8-foot stock. One day I bummed a ride in a Roush Mustang. Three separate times other drivers tried to run into my truck (stainless steel panels, yes please). The fuel savings would be large enough for me to notice and to care.TL;DR: This truck would work for me, as a truck. Sample size = 1.
- Ed That has to be a joke.
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Dear Jeep. Can we have the 5.7L v8 and 8 speed automatic in the Wrangler? If you really want to make it irresistible offer it with the six speed manual. Pretty Please. The 6.4 is too pricey. Maybe make the 5.7 a 2 thousand dollar upgrade over the 6 cylinder. please and thank you.
KC.... Fricken A yes! I m in line behind you.