Jeep debuts awesome 650hp Wrangler EV concept
It's Easter Safari time again - here come some brilliant Jeeps
Without fail, Jeep will reveal an array of superb one-off concepts for the Easter Jeep Safari. Hosted by Moab’s Red Rock 4-Wheelers in Utah, the Safari first ran in 1967. It’s now a nine-day 4x4 extravaganza over the Easter period, one that Jeep always brings some very special vehicles to.
The highlight this year, alongside a 1978 Cherokee 4xe restomod and a stunning lightweight Scrambler 392, is something called the Wrangler Magneto 3.0. As the name suggests, this is Jeep’s third attempt at such a car, the Magneto concept created ‘to use the platform to test, discover and push the boundaries of 4x4 electrification.’
It goes to show how quickly progress is made in the EV arena that the first Magneto produced 285hp and 273lb ft; now there’s an electric Wrangler that’s making 650hp and 900lb ft ‘for serious rock-climbing challenges’. As well as a 20 per cent increase in range. Still powered by a bespoke axial flux electric motor (there isn’t a battery capacity mentioned), peak amperage has more than doubled to 600 amps, which would help explain the dramatic power hike.
There’s more innovation to help the Magneto 3.0 off road than sheer brute force, too, with a hill descent control that employs aggressive regen and two power settings; the standard 285hp/ 273lb ft might be useful for more delicate procedures in the rough than supercar power. It’s also fitted with a three-inch vehicle lift, 40-inch mud terrain tyres with 20-inch beadlock wheels and beefy Dynatrac axles. Plus, of course, a dramatic new look, because the Easter Safari concepts are never rush jobs. The windscreen is raked back 12 degrees, the B-pillar moved back, the wings reprofiled and the new paint job applied. Cool Jeep. Good luck keeping up with it on the trails.
Ok, a quick mention for the V8, not least because the 70s’ restomod is actually powered by - shock, horror - the 2.0-litre hybridised four-cylinder out of the Wrangler 4xe. The Scrambler 392 Concept looks like a more familiar fan favourite for Easter, reimagining the 1981 Scrambler with a 6.4-litre Hemi, custom carbon bodywork and chopped roof for a hot rod look. Jeep really does go all out for these things - the Scrambler was once a four-door Wrangler Rubicon. It also gets the chunky off road wheels and tyres as seen on the electric car, as well as the new AccuAir suspension kit just launched for the Jeep Gladiator. It looks fantastic, but then we’ve come to expect nothing less from these Easter Safari concepts.
“Every year, more than 20,000 Jeep enthusiasts descend on Moab, Utah, for Easter Jeep Safari to drive in the most extreme off-road conditions, where our engineers continue to push the capability of our Jeep vehicles to next levels,” said Jim Morrison, senior vice president and head of Jeep North America. “It’s the perfect place to showcase our seven new Jeep concepts, because it’s with these Jeep enthusiasts that we’ll be able to push the limits even more and get their feedback on where they want to take the Jeep brand into the future.”
A fun tradition. Nice sense of community.
While several of these appeal, my likely fav would be the 1978 restomod.
Loads more photos of all the vehicles in this year's crop, here:
https://www.autoblog.com/2023/03/30/2023-easter-je...
The annual event in Moab, Utah, has been going since 1967:
https://www.rr4w.com/about-us.cfm
"In those days, individual ice cream packages were dropped by airplane to the trails at lunch."
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