by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
MOAB, Utah — With all the chaos and constant blur of movement that Easter Jeep Safari week brings to this growing town in southeastern Utah, one thing always seems to remain the same each year.
Jeep’s concept vehicles.
Sure, the actual concepts change each year, but the physical location right in the center of town, just off U.S. Highway 191 and inside the Walker Drug parking lot, is a constant.
So after several days of trail riding, we were really looking forward to seeing this new batch of concepts early Thursday afternoon.
For those experiencing or enjoying EJS for the first time, a concept is simply a vehicle that Jeep designers build just to show off. Most, in fact just about all, will never see a production line. Instead, they are destined for a few days in the sun and then are hauled back to a Michigan warehouse for storage until another show or gathering beckons.
Often, these concepts come to fruition simply because of a designer with an idea. Something created to just be outlandish, or to test the limits of functionality. Or, well, just because. Other times a concept vehicle is built to display design ideas or cues that are destined to make it into production on some future Wrangler or Grand Cherokee.
Additionally, these vehicles offer a great way for Jeep Performance Products to show off its latest goods already bolted on a vehicle, and most are adorned with the requisite bumpers, side protection, racks, lights, wheels, and the like.
“Easter Jeep Safari is the perfect opportunity for the Jeep brand to push the limits of four-wheel-drive development and, most importantly, to stay connected with our customers,” Jim Morrison, senior vice president and head of Jeep brand North America, said in a company press release. “Moab is a rite of passage for many Jeep owners, and to own a Jeep is to truly understand the lifestyle – it’s what the Jeep brand is all about.
”Whether it’s a Jeep concept or the latest Jeep production vehicle, our customers have the chance to get up close and personal with our passion projects during this event. From a fully capable BEV off-roader to rugged and powerful terrain tacklers, every concept is a true reflection of what our customers tell us they want and give a taste of where the future of the Jeep brand and off-roading can go.”
Thursday, the Walker Drug lot was again packed with onlookers right around mid-day as people flowed around all six Wrangler concepts, and one Grand Cherokee, with smartphones and cameras in hand. The constant whir of shutters all clicking at the same time nearly rivaled the loudspeaker voice that puffed out information on each vehicle.
This year’s field included four Wranglers, a Gladiator, a Gladiator/Wrangler mix and a Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk.
Of the Wranglers, one was fully-electric and aptly titled Magneto 2.0 as it replaced and refined aspects of last year’s popular Magneto electric concept. Another was a 4xe plug-in hybrid military-themed vehicle simply called ‘Jeep ‘41’. A third celebrated the Rubicon series’ 20th anniversary and sported the brand’s powerful 392 V8 Hemi engine, while the fourth, titled Birdcage, sought to show off the Wrangler’s vast open-air capability.
This year’s Gladiator concept wasn’t so much an off-the-wall one-off vehicle, as it was a rolling advertisement for JPP items. Each product on the black and red Gladiator had a QR code sculpted into the product. All you had to do was point your smartphone camera at the code, and you’d soon know all there was to know about that particular part.
“Teaming up with the Jeep brand, there is no better place than the annual Easter Jeep Safari to show off our latest production and custom innovations to true off-road enthusiasts,” Mark Bosanac, North America vice president, Mopar service, parts & customer care, said in a company release. “Unlike any other aftermarket offerings, our factory-tested and factory-backed Jeep Performance Parts are specifically designed and engineered to face the toughest trails in the world.”
One of the remaining concepts isn’t quite a Wrangler, but isn’t quite a Gladiator, either. The Jeep design team created this hybrid, named Bob, simply to see what a mix of Gladiator and Wrangler would look like in the real world — calling it a playful spin on the popular trend of "bobbing" a long pick-up bed to better handle off-road terrain.
Finally, mixed in with the Wrangler concepts was a 4xe Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. Jeep just announced production plans for a standard 4xe Grand Cherokee, so the design team apparently also wanted to show off just where they could go with the line as that Trailhawk nameplate signifies the vehicle has upgraded components structured to help it perform much better off-pavement.
Of course, one of the best parts about attending EJS is being able to get up close and personal with all the Jeep concepts and seeing just which ones the crowd gravitates towards.
In past years, that meant Crew Chief 715, the two-door J6 truck, or Shortcut. This year, it definitely was Magneto 2.0 that shined in popularity, as well as sheer white and blue beauty. Its all-electric engine generates 625 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of instant torque, which would easily surpass every other Jeep brand engine if it went into production — something nearly everyone around the vehicle brought up when asked about its top feature.
And while this one will most likely never see past its one-off existence, Jeep does have plans to create an all-electric production Wrangler in the future. So, perhaps Magneto 2.0’s design style will eventually make it into a fully-realized vehicle after all.
