Best Concepts From Easter Jeep Safari? We Pick Two

Jeep unveiled this year’s crop of seven Easter Jeep Safari concept vehicles last week in Detroit. Now those concepts are cruising the trails around Moab, showing off their capabilities. And they look good.

Last week we gave you a sneak peak of all seven Jeep concepts. But they are so darned pretty we just had to share more photos and dive deeper into our two favorites. Let’s get a look at all the concepts in action in Moab!

It was incredibly hard to pick favorites. But we chose the two that have enough room for a night’s sleep and can carry a ton of gear. These are the Jeeps we’d want to take on our next outdoor adventure road trip.

But choose we did! Our top to picks were the Jeep Wagoneer Roadtrip and Jeep J-Wagon. The Wagoneer Roadtrip concept is a unique, classic, and thoroughly modern restomod. The J-Wagon concept is a super clean, sophisticated, and capable interpretation of the latest Wrangler. Both are ready for adventure!

Jeep Wagoneer Roadtrip Concept

Wagoneer Road Trip Exterior

Jeep designed the Wagoneer Roadtrip concept to conjure up visions of national park family road trips back in the 1960s. A fully reworked original 1965 Jeep Wagoneer, the concept retains its classic looks while offering up modern performance.

The Wagoneer Roadtrip retains the original 1965 Wagoneer chassis, body, dash, gauges, and seats. Jeep updated even those original parts to accommodate all the custom touches on this vehicle.

Jeep stretched the chassis by 5”, boxed it, reinforced it, and upgraded it with a custom 4-link coilover suspension system. The brand also reworked the body to accept the longer frame and features – reshaped wheel wells and custom fender flares – which accommodate the wider track created by the new Dana 44 axles.

And Jeep freshened up the grille while still retaining the classic style. The concept vehicle touts bottle-green architectural glass to give it that vintage feel and tie in nicely with the custom paint job.

Integrated rock rails, 17” classic steel wheels wrapped in aggressive modern 33” Mud-Terrain tires, and electronic locking differentials help to make this Wagoneer truly capable off road. While the “Trail Rated” badge wasn’t around in 1965, this modern interpretation of the Wagoneer should be sporting one!

Wagoneer Road Trip Interior

The veteran automaker retained the original controls to keep that classic look. Oxblood-colored leather is found throughout the interior on the original bench seats, door panels, kick panels, and rear panels. A wicker headliner and beadliner floor show that this vehicle is meant to be used and also retain its vintage appeal.

Jeep replaced the original 230 Tornado OHC-6 engine with a modern 5.7L Hemi V-8, mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. This Wagoneer should have no problem sustaining modern highway speeds and has enough power to tackle the hardest off-road obstacles.

The detailed touches on the Wagoneer Roadtrip concept are abundant. The most fun are the custom cooler, fashioned from period-correct luggage, and a toolbox made from the Wagoneer’s original 230 Tornado engine valve cover.

These accessories help take the vintage theme over the top.
 
The Jeep Wagoneer was one of the first luxury 4x4s ever offered, and it’s the first four-wheel-drive vehicle to ever use an automatic transmission. From 1963 to 1991, the Wagoneer graced Jeep showrooms across the country and pioneered the SUV craze in America.

The Jeep Wagoneer Roadtrip concept brings the classic Jeep SUV heritage to life in a modern, capable vehicle. Sadly, we won’t ever see this vehicle go into production. But with enough money, skill, and time, you too could accomplish the level of awesome that Jeep has with the concept.

Jeep J-Wagon

J-Wagon Exterior

The Jeep J-Wagon concept is a beautifully executed adventure vehicle. But it’s just as at home on your local city street as it is exploring way off the beaten path. It’s a production-quality concept and a possible Wrangler special edition. But a quality off-road shop could also create it relatively easily.

The J-Wagon, based on the 2018 Wrangler Sahara, is covered in production and prototype Jeep Performance Parts (JPP). The prototype JPP black metal rock sliders and roof rack add not only an aggressive look to this build, but also a lot of function and utility. JPP off-road lighting, hood, and snorkel let you know this truck means business.

The conceptual “Warm Neutral Grey” paint, “Brass Monkey”-colored accents, and a few touches of “Orange Crush” color combine to create a classy, stealthy, athletic look. Warm-tinted glass completes the dark look and makes the iconic Wrangler silhouette stand out. A black grille, pulled from a Rubicon, helps continue the off-road capability and urban styling of the J-Wagon.

Rolling on 17” slot-design wheels wrapped in aggressive 35” BFG KM3 tires, the J-Wagon is ready to tackle some serious trails. In addition, this wheel and tire combo enhances the aggressive but classy looks and will turn heads around town as well as out on the trail.

J-Wagon Interior

It’s all class and luxury inside the J-Wagon. The seats employ “Camel”-colored Katzkin leather, brown piping, and a triangulated pattern that mimics rock slider styling. The air vents, door handles, and steering wheel match the “Brass Monkey”-colored accents from the exterior.

Easter Jeep Safari Concepts: The Other 5

Don’t forget the other five Jeep concepts, shown below. All seven are being put to task on Moab trails this week. Which is your favorite?