Jeep Crew Chief 715
Jeep take their heritage very seriously, probably more seriously than any other 4X4 manufacturer out there. This big unit is a big shout-out to that heritage, modelled off the military workhorse Kaiser 715. Visual cues to this old model abound, with bar tread tyres and that Jeep Gladiator front end. Underneath is Jeep Wrangler running gear, so maybe this is a bit of a taste of what Jeep’s dual-cab ute could look like?
Jeep Shortcut
Showing how much has changed over the years, and how little has changed over the years, Jeep’s Shortcut harks back to the current JK’s granddaddy, the CJ-5. CJ stands for Civilian Jeep, essentially demilitarised and sold to the public as a no-nonsense, capable and cheap 4X4. Have a go at those plaid seats, hey? Awesome.
Jeep Comanche
Ever thought of doing a ute chop on Jeep’s smallest car? No, no, we haven’t either. Whether you asked for it or not, here it is, in all of its glory. It doesn’t make a tonne of sense, but it does show that Jeep designers do have utes on the mind. It’s been toughened up with a lift and variety of bolt-on kit from the Mopar catalogue, and has been given a bit of a military look. Why? Because who doesn’t like a bit of Desert Sand, here and there. Oh, sorry. Jeep called this colour ‘Beige Against the Machine’. Interesting.
Jeep Renegade Commander
This unit shows just how tough a Jeep Rengade can get, without going to the extremes of a ute chop. A 2”lift and bigger rubber compliments another long list of bolt-on Mopar goodies. Like the factory models, this Renegade unit runs a 9-speed automatic gearbox, with special electrickery to help with off-road driving. Is it any good? We aren’t sure yet, but are planning to find out.
Jeep FC150
Personally, I think this is my favourite. It’s one of those designs that shouldn’t really make sense, but is still great. It’s not a concept, rather a 1960 model FC150 (Forward Control) that has been modified under the skin for better driveline and diffs. Once again, Jeep is pushing the utility heritage hard this year, I think smoothing the road for a Wrangler-based ute release.
Jeep Trailcat
Here’s where they really let the cat out of the bag, please excuse the pun. Trailcat refers to the Straight-Outta-The-Fiery-Pits-Of-Hell powerplant: Chrysler’s ridiculous Hellcat V8. It’s a 6.2 litre supercharged Hemi, spitting out 527 crazy, crazy kilowatts. If you want to see this motor in action, google ‘Hellcat’. If that’s not enough, 39.5 inch tyres are used, and the roof is chopped. And the paint is, well, a bit of a shame.
Jeep Trailstorm
A bit of an ‘overland’ tourer, under the Minecraft-inspired paintwork sits the Pentastar V6, upgraded diffs front and rear, and extra room for fuel and supplies. Interestingly, the interior of the Trailstorm has been finished off in bedliner, allowing for a full hose-out after a day of fun.
Do you think Jeep are going to release a Wrangler ute?
5 comments
Hi Pat, I just a Jeep Renegade Comander about 20 mins ago in Bathurst. Check it out on YouTube, Dirt Everyday with Fred Williams. A great test of this 4×4
Tell me, when will someone bring out a reasonable size vehicle, apart from the American monster trucks, with a 4 tonne tow rating?
It’s all about the tail not wagging the dog. Why are semi’s big?, they need to be
The Crew Chief 715, given a nice 3L turbo diesel, and appropriate transmission, could well be seen some distance from the inner suburbs of the capital cities, where all the others are likely to be confined.
I think it will happen. Mopar have a kit you can buy and take to a dealership were they will replace panels and convert your wrangler into a pickup. Also jeep were providing vehicles for the Australian Grand Prix over the weekend where they had at least one of these wrangler pickup conversions running around as a tow car. It was covered in jeep and mopar branding. The mid size pickup market is massive globally and with Mercedes now planning on entering the market and talk of other marks like Hyundai also wanting to be a heavy hitter in the segment, I’d be surprised if Jeep didn’t come out with a mid size, wrangler based pickup. They would have a unique selling point in the historic offroad ability of the wrangler product and if they retained the solid axle configuration, they would be the only midsize pickup with that feature.