Easter Jeep Safari Concepts
Saturday, April 8 marked the start of the 51st Easter Jeep Safari, and this time around, Jeep and Mopar have partnered up to create a variety of special Jeep concepts for the event. This year, Jeep and Mopar brought seven concepts to the event in Moab, Utah and each concept has a different purpose.
Jeep Grand One
The Jeep Grand One was created to celebrate the 25-year anniversary of the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee. Some of you may remember the old classic 1993 ZJ, and will find some of its likening in the Grand One design. The concept features high-clearance fender flares, an extended wheelbase, trimmed fascias, and a little wood grain treatment on the body for that aged feel. Riding on 18-inch, lace-style wheels, and paired with 33-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires, the Jeep Grand One is a great off-road vehicle with front and rear selectable locking differentials and a two-inch suspension lift.
On the inside, get ready for some nostalgia. Materials inspired by that ol’ ‘90s style can be found in the interior, along with a durable bed liner and old school car phone. When it comes to power though, there’s no going back – a 5.2-liter V8 engine powers this pup, paired with a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Jeep Safari
Maybe the Grand One doesn’t suit the consumer shopping with a family in mind. No problem, because the Jeep Safari is the real deal for a family car. Jeep Wrangler’s are known for their removable roof and doors that creates an open-air feel, but Jeep took the open-air feel to a new level by making the Jeep Safari’s doors and roof transparent. Jeep calls these creative new doors “windoors,” and they are lightweight aluminum and clear vinyl doors that also have zippers to open the windows for fresh air.
The exterior is also a little decked out with a two-level aluminum cargo rack with incorporated drone on the roof, a raked windshield, boatsided rocker panels, LED headlights and custom LED tail lights, and parking/turn lamps.
The Safari also has performance parts. They include a front and rear Dana 44 axle equipped with selectable differential lockers, a two-inch lift suspension, cold air intake, custom 18-inch wheels with 35-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires, custom full-length skid plates, steel front and rear bumpers, and upgraded brakes. The award-winning Pentastar V6 3.6-liter engine is under the hood and it is paired to a 5-speed automatic transmission.
Jeep Quicksand 
Are you a fan of rock crawling, or are sand dunes more your thing? If you said sand dunes, then the Jeep Quicksand concept is definitely a concept you will appreciate. Powered by a Mopar 392 Crate HEMI engine with eight-stack injection, and paired to a 6-speed Getrag manual transmission, this thing is all about the power of going off road. It also has some hot rod style, with a “peekaboo” cutout in the hood and gasser-style downturned open headers.
We would point out the longer wheelbase, but we think the fact that the front and rear body have pretty much deleted the wheel arches speaks for itself.
With a chopped hard top you can pop open, roll down the windows and get some serious wind in your face. The interior is a little toned down, designed with red accents, two front low-back bucket seats, flat aluminum door panels, tilt-out windshield glass, and a chrome roll bar. For all this off-road wonder, this Jeep concept comes with 18-inch vintage “kidney bean” alloy wheels, outfitted with 32-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires in the front and 37-inch tires in the rear, coilover shocks, a Warn winch concealed in a front-mounted Moon tank, and a recovery rope located in the rear.
Jeep Trailpass 
Now this concept is a little interesting, and it is based off the all-new 2017 Jeep Compass Trailhawk. With a 1.5-inch lift kit and 18-inch wheels that sport a unique pocket accent wrapped in Continental TerrainContact all-terrain tires, the Trailpass is built for off-road trekking. Other components consist of a Mopar/Thule roof basket with roof bag, cross rails, and rock rails.
Unique style can be found on the outside and the inside of the Jeep Trailpass. The exterior features Gloss Black side mirror caps, a custom hood graphic, side stripes, tinted headlamps and tail lamps, and traction mats. Inside, there’s Katzkin leather seats and armrest, body-matched bezel accents, and Jeep Performance Parts all-weather floor mats. Under the hood is the the 2.4-liter Tigershark engine, paired to a 9-speed automatic transmission.
Jeep Switchback 
The name makes you think Jeep is taking a trip to the classics, but this concept actually has an assortment of modern Mopar and Jeep Performance parts that enhance off-road performance. Featuring front and rear Dana 44 axles, a four-inch lift with Remote Reservoir Fox shocks, heavy-duty cast differential covers, 10th Anniversary steel front and rear bumpers, an axle back exhaust, and a Rubicon winch and winch guard, the only thing that makes this concept even better is the cold air intake feeding cool air into the award-winning 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine (paired with a five-speed automatic transmission). All that rides on 17-inch wheels outfitted with 37-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 tires for even more off-road capability.
Of course the mechanical specs are just the beginning. On the outside, drivers may find a custom hood and half doors topped off with a concept “Safari” hard top and roof rack system. In terms of Jeep Performance parts, the Switchback has high-top fender flares, a Mopar black fuel door, and tail light guards, as well as Jeep Performance Parts plus a swing gate hinge reinforcement and an oversized spare tire carrier.
For off-roading at night there is the concept LED off-road windshield light bar, concept LED off-road A-pillar lamps, LED tail lights, and Jeep Performance Parts LED headlights and fog lights. The inside has Switchback sports Katzkin leather seats, body-color bezel accents, concept sport bar grab handles, spray-in bedliner on the floor, Mopar all-weather mats, and a Mopar swing gate storage rack with first aid and roadside safety kits in the cargo area.
Jeep CJ66 
Now this is definitely more like the classic Jeep we all know, something that almost looks like an overgrown dune buggie. Consisting of a Jeep Wrangler TJ frame that supports a 1966 Jeep Wrangler CJ universal Tuxedo Park body, there are plenty of Jeep Wrangler JK elements on this Jeep, such as the iconic seven-slot Jeep grille and bezels of the Wrangler JK headlights. With a 5.7-liter HEMI (paired to a 6-speed manual transmission) Mopar 345 Crate Engine Kit, this concept produces 383 horsepower. Of course with Mopar involved, there’s also a Mopar cold-air intake and cat-back exhaust, along with front and rear Mopar Dana 44 Crate axles for off-road performance.
The paint job is pretty out there – it looks a little orange, but the name is “Copper Canyon”, and covers the entire body. There is some contrast with custom matte black CJ66 graphic stripes that run along both sides of the Jeep and the hood, as well as on the concept hood, bezel, and latch. Riding on 35-inch BFGoodrich all-terrain tires with Jeep Performance Parts 17-inch beadlock wheels, the CJ66 will definitely have some off-road specific components like a two-inch lift kit and a two-way air system that lets off-roaders quickly fill tires up with, or relieve them of, air pressure. The inside surprisingly comes with Dodge Viper seats with seat risers and a custom-built roll cage. A little bikini top netting is there to keep cool in the sun.
Jeep Luminator 
With a name like “Luminator” one can expect plenty of advanced lighting features for superior visibility. The Jeep Luminator concept has:
- Magnetic underbody rock lights
- Powerful seven-inch LED projector bi-function headlights
- Unique LED tail lights
- A-pillar-mounted high-powered LED spot lights
- Upper bumper LED auxiliary lighting with cornering fog lights controlled by the steering angle
- Low-profile integrated overhead LED auxiliary spotlights protected behind the windshield
- LED versions of the standard 100 mm fog light
- Grille-mounted turn signals
- A scanning LED light bar module with active spot and dynamic following technology on the hood
- A center high-mount spot light that can serve as a lamp with four-color LEDs in the back
We said there was plenty of light. How to top it off? With a roof-mounted solar panel and a drone landing pad with a lighted drone. All that’s left is a removable spare tire storage case and a touch interactive display on the driver’s side rear window that is linked to GPS and internet services.
Wow, Jeep sure has been busy lately. They have perfected the craft of coming up with unique concepts for the annual Easter Jeep Safari, and we can’t wait to see more next year.
