It’s that time of the year again and Jeep is all set to showoff their seven latest concept vehicles for the annual Easter Jeep Safari Event in Moab, UT. For Jeep owners, the pilgrimage to this event is kind of like performing the Hajj in Mecca. Every year, Jeep brings forth a number of concepts but only a few really steal the show although they are all beautiful in their own way.
The Jeep concepts use a combination of production and prototype Jeep Performance Parts from the guys over at Mopar. These vehicles are more than just a production ready Jeep with a few extras. No, these are one-off SUVs that showcase the passion, dedication, and skills of the engineers involved.
Jeep Chief
It’s pretty clear that the first Jeep concept people will be interested in is the vintage looking Jeep Chief. This Wrangler-based concept is a tribute to the classic Jeep Cherokee of the 1970’s. The vehicle features a unique and attention-grabbing Ocean Blue paint with a white roof. The Jeep Chief also has a custom razor grille, chrome bumpers, removable sides, and old-school looking 17-inch wheels.
The Hawaiian-inspired interior with touches of the “surfer lifestyle” is a bit much for me but others may be into it. Inside, you will find surfer-inspired pink, blue, and white cloth mixed with leather trim. The Jeep Chief not only looks cool but it is also off-road worthy with a two-inch life kit, Dana 44 axles at the front and rear, Fox shocks, and a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. The Jeep Chief is definitely my favorite of the bunch.
Jeep Staff Car
This Jeep Wrangler is clearly a salute to the Jeep military vehicles of the past. The open-air concept is based on the four-door Wrangler featuring design cues of the past generations. Although the vehicle looks extremely vintage, everything about the vehicle is brand new.
The Jeep Staff Car features the iconic Sandstorm color, old-school military style steel wheels, a stretched canvas roof, painted steel floor, bench seats, and a built-in cooler. The Jeep also features an axe and a shovel.
Jeep Wrangler Africa
This Wrangler Unlimited is painted in Desert Tan and called the Jeep Wrangler Africa. Instead of the 3.6-liter V6, this vehicle features a 2.8-liter diesel engine perhaps hinting at things to come in the 2016 or 2017 model lineup. People have been requesting a diesel Wrangler for years now and it looks like they just might deliver on that.
The Jeep Wrangler Africa is my second most favorite of the bunch here and this concept features 17-inch wheels wrapped in 35-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires. It also features a two-inch lift kit, Dana 44 axles, Fox shocks, front winch, power step rock rails, a power dome vented hood, an extended rear body, and a high-top roof.
In my opinion, the rear of the body and high-top roof really works on the Wrangler. It looks amazing!
Jeep Grand Cherokee Overlander
Now that my favorites are out of the way, we can move along to the rest of the concepts. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Overlander concept features a Sage Green paint along with new front fascia, a winch, tow hooks, SRT taillamps and hood, skid plates, off-road rock rails, and 18-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires. Underneath the hood, it features a 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
As a final touch, there is a two-person, hard-shell rooftop tent for those camping adventures or long road trips.
Jeep Renegade Desert Hawk
Jeep’s newest vehicle, the Renegade, also got some much needed attention. As expected, this particular model only receives Jeep’s Performance Parts and Mopar accessories rather an a complete rebuild from the ground-up. The Jeep Renegade Desert Hawk features Desert Tan paint with a JPP decal, hood decal, and also features a Mopar trailer hitch and roof rack.
On the interior, you will find Katzkin seat covers, all-weather floor mats, body-colored bezel accents. The vehicle is powered by a 2.4-liter Tigershark four-cylinder engine and mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Jeep Cherokee Canyon Trail
I was never a fan of the all-new Jeep Cherokee and these modifications are not exactly helping it any way. This Jeep Cherokee Canyon Trail concept uses the iconic tan paint theme with a satin black hood, roof, and roof spoiler. Interior features Katzkin leather with JPP embroidered logos.
In terms of performance enhancements, the vehicle features a two-piece under body skid plate, front suspension and oil pan ski plates, and custom 17-inch wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. This Cherokee also features a 2.4-liter Tigershark engine. Not much to see here so we’re moving along to the next beast.
Jeep Wrangler Red Rock Responder
We started off with a very cool vehicle and we’ll finish it off something just as awesome. The Jeep Wrangler Red Rock Responder is a support vehicle capable of traveling on the toughest of terrain. The vehicle comes equipped with plenty of spare parts and tools in built-in drawers and compartments along with a fire extinguisher, road side accessory kit, a first-aid kit, and much more.
The Wrangler is painted in Vibrance Responder Red featuring high-top fender flares and 17-inch beadlock wheels wrapped in 37-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires. The vehicle also features LED headlamps and fog lamps as well as LED A-pillar and off-road lamps. It also comes equipped with Fox shocks and Dana 60 axles with 5.35 gearing.
So, which vehicle is your favorite? For me, it will have to be the Jeep Chief and the Jeep Wrangler Africa as my top picks.
