{"id":114957,"date":"2017-03-30T16:51:18","date_gmt":"2017-03-30T20:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=114957"},"modified":"2017-03-30T16:51:18","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T20:51:18","slug":"jeep-goes-forward-into-the-past-with-latest-moab-concepts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2017\/03\/jeep-goes-forward-into-the-past-with-latest-moab-concepts\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeep Goes Forward into the Past with Latest Moab Concepts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Jeep Switchback is meant to highlight the range of parts in the Mopar catalog.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Forget the Easter Bunny and all those chocolate eggs. If you\u2019re an off-road fan, you know the real sign of spring comes with Jeep\u2019s yearly trek out to Moab. And for the 51st<\/sup> annual Easter Jeep Safari, the Fiat Chrysler brand is blending together some future and some retro designs.<\/p>\n

Among those looking forward into the past, the CJ66 pulls us back to the days of old by borrowing frame, body and components from a variety of different, classic CJ Jeeps \u2013 otherwise known as the Wrangler. The Grand One Concept, meanwhile, starts out as a 1993 Grand Cherokee before undergoing an extensive list of more modern modifications.<\/p>\n

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The Full Story!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s truly a labor of love for the Jeep team to develop exciting, capable concept vehicles each year for Moab and the Easter Jeep Safari,\u201d said Mike Manley<\/a>, the head of Jeep Brand, as the seven new concepts were unveiled. \u201cWe look forward to the reaction and feedback from enthusiasts and our most loyal customers as these new Jeep concepts are put through their paces on the trails in Moab.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Jeep Grand One starts out as a 1993 Grand Cherokee before getting extensive mods.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeep claims \u201cthousands of die-hard off-road enthusiasts\u201d regularly attend the Safari, which runs from April 8 to 16. Here\u2019s a first look at the seven new Jeep Moab concepts they\u2019ll get to see out on the trail:<\/p>\n

Jeep Grand One<\/strong>. Start out with the original, 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee and stretch its wheelbase ever so slightly. Now, give it some bold new details, and mix in a few retro touches, like the 33-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain tires mounted on18-inch lace-style wheels and stuffed underneath the Grand\u2019s high-clearance fender flares. The body panels get a \u201csubtle wood grain,\u201d while the interior cargo area gets a more modern and durable bedliner instead of the original carpet. The original 5.2-liter V-8, paired with a 4-speed transmission, stays in place. And to complete the classic look, there\u2019s even what Jeep calls \u201can old-school car phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Another retro concept, the CJ66 pulls together parts from classic Wrangler models.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeep CJ66<\/strong>. This is a bit of an off-road Frankenstein, blending an original Jeep Wrangler TJ frame, an old CJ Tuxedo Park body, details from a Wrangler JK, and a modern Mopar 345 Crate Hemi 5.7-liter V-8. Painted Copper Canyon Orange \u2013 with contrasting matte black wheel flares and accents — the narrow-bodied concept \u2013 which was first shown at the SEMA show last November, seems like the perfect sort of ride to challenge the wicked trails of Moab. As with the Grand One, the CJ66 isn\u2019t entirely retro, adding such features as LED fog lamps and a new Mopar Warn winch. Completing the package, there\u2019s a cropped windshield and custom roll cage, with bikini top netting.<\/p>\n

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Look past the Safari Concept's clear doors for a hint of what the next-gen Wrangler looks like.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeep Safari Concept.<\/strong> Jeep goes skeletal with this appropriately named Wrangler Mod. The most obvious updates include a translucent roof and \u201cwindoors\u201d which are a blend of aluminum frame and clear vinyl. Fittingly, the back seats angle slightly outward for an even grander view of the world. The buzz suggests that what we\u2019re actually looking at is a thinly disguised take on the next-generation Jeep Wrangler. Oh, and if you can\u2019t quite take it all in, there\u2019s even a roof-mounted drone that can head off and send back images you can view on an iPad mounted on the dash. The overall body length has been shorterned slightly, though the Safari gets two-inch lifts to handle the 35-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain tires.<\/p>\n

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The Jeep Quicksand concept is the love child of a hot rod and a dune buggy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeep Quicksand<\/strong>. Moab is a mix of challenging hills and gulches, boulders and deep sand. And the Quicksand is built for handling the dunes. Another \u201cminimalist\u201d Wrangler take, it\u2019s a hot rod dune buggy, distinguished by its chopped windshield and roof, as well as the \u201cpeekaboo\u201d hood and gasser-style open headers. As opposed to the Safari, the Quicksand\u2019s wheelbase has been stretched slightly. Inside, it feature two front low-back bucket seats, tilt-out windshield glass and a chrome rollbar. It picks up those Mud-Terrain tires, here 3-inchers, and the Quicksand draws power from a Mopar 392 Crate Hemi paired with a 6-speed Getrag manual box.<\/p>\n

Jeep Switchback<\/strong>. The Moab Safari is more than an adventure. It\u2019s an off-road marketing event, showing off a range of aftermarket parts from the Mopar catalogue. And none of the concepts gives a better look at what that offers than this next Wrangler spin-off. That includes the hood, as well as the half-doors and roof rack system, high-top fender flares, and even the black fuel door and swing gate hinge. Inside, you\u2019ll find Katzkin leather seats, concept sport bar grab handles and a spray-in bed liner. Mopar\u2019s LED off-road lights and taillamps round out the exterior, while there\u2019s a Dana 44 axle under the body, along with a 4-inch lift with Remote Reservoir Fox shocks. Switchback is powered by a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6.<\/p>\n

(Mopar marks 80th anniversary with limited-edition Mopar Challenger. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> to check it out.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Anybody got a light? The Luminator concept.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeep Luminator Concept. <\/strong>The final Wrangler Concept is, as its name suggests, ready to light up the night. Jointly developed with the automotive lighting unit of Magneti Marelli, it features LED lamps everywhere you look, from the 7-inch bi-function headlamps to the A-pillar-mounted LED spots. There are auxiliary LED lights on the bumper, LED fogs and turn signals, even LED spotlights. Add a scanning LED light bar module on the hood which helps a driver watch out for wildlife and other hazards. And a rear, center-mount lamp use four-color LEDs to alert other drivers to its speed, as well as offering rear flood lighting. Oh, and to capture a little daytime energy, there\u2019s a roof-mounted solar panel.<\/p>\n

(First drive: Jeep Compass. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a> for the review.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Compass Trailhawk-based Trailpass concept.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jeep Trailpass.<\/strong> Rounding out the Safari concepts, this one is based on the new Jeep Compass Trailhawk, taking it to new extremes. It makes room for 18-inch Continental TerrainContact tires with a 1.5-inch lift kit. Up top, there\u2019s a basket holding traction mats to help get the Trailpass moving on even slick terrain. The exterior is an earth-friendly green with contrasting Gloss Black accents on the mirror caps and grille, a custom hood graphic, side stripes and tinted lamps. There are Katzkin leather seats, and all-weather mats. The Trailpass is motivated by a stock 2.4-liter Tigershark four mated to a nine-speed automatic.<\/p>\n

(To see more about the new Chrysler\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Pacifica conversion by Braun, <\/em>Click Here<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Forget the Easter Bunny. If you\u2019re an off-road fan, the real sign of spring is Jeep\u2019s yearly trek out to Moab. And for the 51st annual Easter Jeep Safari, the Fiat Chrysler brand is blending together some future and some retro designs. TheDetroitBureau.com checks out seven Jeep concepts headed for those Utah trails.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":114947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114957"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114957"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=114957"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=114957"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=114957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}