Jeep presents seven special adventurers

Every year, in the run-up to the Easter Jeep Safari in the Moab desert, Jeep indulges in various models. Especially the Wrangler often has to believe it and that is the case again. Perhaps the most striking Wrangler-based concept car is the Jeep Magneto 3.0. As the name suggests, this is a further development of the previously shown Magneto 2.0. An electrically powered Wrangler, again with a 70-kWh battery pack, but now the electric motor is good for a peak power of no less than 650 American horsepower (was 625 hp) and a shocking 1,220 Nm of torque. Jeep has also worked on special ‘one-pedal-driving’ for the Magneto. Even in the roughest terrain, you should still be able to descend gently with one pedal, because the car then goes into an aggressive regeneration mode. From the outside, the Magneto 3.0 looks pretty familiar and with its 40-inch all-terrain tires and 7.6 cm extra ride height you won’t get stuck easily.

Jeep Magneto 3.0 Concept.

The Jeep Magneto 3.0 has some internal competition from the six other concept cars. How about the 1978 Jeep Cherokee 4xe Concept, for example. It is of course not from 1978, but you could have believed it. The carriage comes from a real Cherokee from that year, but is folded over the chassis of a Wrangler 4xe Rubicon. As a result, it has a longer wheelbase and there were also some new recesses for the huge wheels. The beating heart also comes from the plug-in hybrid Wrangler. The whole is doused with 1970s details and there is, for example, a cassette player. Nice detail: the fuel cap comes from an AMC Pacer.

1978 Jeep Cherokee 4xe Concept.

Besides a pink Wrangler Rubicon 4xe (photos 7 and 8), an extra long and light Wrangler with a Gladiator butt and Hemi-V8 (photos 9, 10 and 11), Jeep attracts attention with the Grand Wagoneer Overland Concept. That is a short wheelbase Grand Wagoneer with the new 510 hp 3.0 Hurricane in-line six that is equipped as a camper. Among other things, it is 3.8 cm higher on its wheels, with no less than 35-inch mud tires on it, but the most remarkable thing happens inside and on the Overland Concept. After all, the second and third row of seats have been removed and, in addition to a mountain of camping space, this provides enough space to get from the car to the brand new roof tent via a kind of loft ladder. Ideal for when it rains and you don’t want to climb to the bedroom via the outside. The roof tent, which is largely made of carbon fiber (is it still a tent if it consists largely of hard material?) is quite luxurious, with integrated LED lighting and air conditioning, among other things.

Jeep Grand Wagoneer Overland Concept.

Finally, Jeep Performance Parts has a few things up its sleeve again. For example, there is the Wrangler Rubicon 4xe Departure Concept (photos 12, 13 and 14), which, as the name more or less indicates, has a larger departure angle than usual. This is due to a simple but effective gadget: the spare wheel on the back can be folded from the back of the car to the cargo box in one smooth movement if desired. Then you surrender your luggage space, but you stick out a lot less far at the back. A somewhat similar dexterity can be seen on the Sideburn Concept based on the Gladiator (photos 15 and 16). There the bullbar can be folded down, making it a seat. Handy if you want to sit by a campfire in the evening and you don’t have a chair with you, for example.