The Jeep Wrangler Slim is one of six new concepts heading to Moab for the annual Easter Safari.
Chrysler is heading into the annual Easter Jeep Safari, about to get underway in Moab, Utah, with a half dozen concept utes intended to show just how far Jeep and the Mopar parts division can stretch the brand for the thousands of enthusiasts drawn to the western wilderness.
The new concept vehicles include the Jeep Wrangler Flattop, which features 37-inch tires and a go-anywhere package, to the curiously named Jeep Wrangler Slim, which the maker says is designed for “affordable, extreme weekend fun.”
“We go to this extremely popular event in Moab each year to showcase the latest production vehicles from Jeep, as well as a host of new customization and personalization ideas. In doing so, we connect with and receive a tremendous amount of feedback from our most loyal customers,” said Mike Manley, the Jeep brand CEO, during a background session in the wilds of Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
The Trailhawk starts out as a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The most extreme offering Jeep plans to take to Moab – generally conceded to be home to some of the country’s toughest off-road trails – is the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk II Concept. It starts out as a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee equipped with Chrysler/Fiat’s 3.6-liter V-6 EcoDiesel and then shod with 35-inch off-road tires mounted on 17-inch wheels. The blood-orange Trailhawk’s hood is lifted from the Grand Cherokee SRT, and the concept adds a matte black roof, front and rear skid plates, custom-made roof rails as well as rock rails supplied by Mopar, flared fenders and slush mats. The Trallhawk is available from dealers.
The Flattop also gets rock-crawling 37-inch tires to handle the torque from its 3.6-liter gasoline V-6 engine. At the same time, the center of gravity was kept low by shaving two inches off the height of the vehicle. “I believe in a low center of gravity for off-road vehicles,” notes Mark Allen, the director of Jeep Design, who supervised the creation of this year’s fleet of concept vehicles for the Moab Jamboree.
The Jeep Wrangler Flattop gets big off-road tires and a chopped top.
“The vehicle wouldn’t be out of place going out to dinner but underneath it’s a cool off-road vehicle,” said Allen.
The Flattop’s windshield also was chopped by two inches and the B-pillar was removed to create a massive opening from front to back. The bumpers are customized versions of those found on the 10th Anniversary Wrangler Rubicon, matched with customized fender flares.
Underneath, the Flattop is equipped with DynaTrac 44 front and Dana 60 rear axles and features a Teraflex sway bar and full traction controls arms.
Allen also said the Jeep Wrangler Stitch, another of the vehicles Chrysler intends to prove out in Moab, was deliberately slimmed down to improve both fuel economy and overall performance. It weighs in at a relatively modest 3,150 pounds or significantly less than the stock Wrangler, at an even 4,000 pounds.
The Jeep Wrangler Stitch adopts lightweight architectural fabric to replace much of its sheet metal.
“You see a lot of vehicles at Moab where the owners have added weight,” Allen said. The goal was to show it was possible to create a light-weight, high-performance vehicles capable of maneuvering off road. The Wrangler Stitch also comes with 17-inch aluminum wheels, light-weight rock rails and LED headlights. Another unique feature on the Stitch is lightweight body panels wrapped in architectural fabric.
Jeep designers and engineers also removed more than 850 pounds from the Wrangler Slim. The concept ute comes with lightweight carbon fiber racing seats borrowed from the new SRT Viper and an aluminum block V-6. During the design phase ever single bracket and bolt used on the vehicle was reviewed as engineers looked for additional ways to save weight.
The other three Jeep vehicles Chrysler plans to show at Moab include the Mopar Recon, a 470-hp Wrangler featuring a number of parts lifted from the Mopar catalogue. These include the 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 crate engine, 39-inch off-road tires, Stinger bumpers modified for off-road use and prototype LED headlamps.
The Jeep Wrangler Sand Trooper II made its debut at last autumn's SEMA show.
Mopar officials note they have created a special group dedicated to finding new ways to customize Jeep vehicles. Jim Morrison, Jeep’s director of marketing, said the Jeep Wrangler is already the most customized vehicles sold today. Fully 20% of all Wrangler are modified in some fashion and it isn’t at all unusual for owners to spend thousands of dollars re-fitting a Wrangler, Morrison said, something that is more a “passion” than a hobby for many owners.
The final Jeep concept heading to Moab will be the Wrangler Sand Trooper, which actually made its first appearance at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas last November. The Sand Trooper II features a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 making 375 horsepower, a five-speed transmission, rear Portal axles for added ground clearance, Jeep Performance Parts prototype beadlock wheels with 40-inch tires, and LED off-road lights and headlamps.
Jeep officials pointed out that owners can recreate much of what they’ve done with the six Moab concepts using parts from the Mopar catalogue and other aftermarket suppliers.