Jeep Moab ute concepts unveiled

The all-ute line-up celebrates the arrival of the Jeep Gladiator Wrangler-based pick-up which carsales drove for the first time last week. Our launch review of the Jeep Wrangler Gladiator will be published this Friday (April 12).

The desert four-wheel drive Jeep Moab Easter Safari has running for 53 years. For the past 16 Jeep has made it its own, pairing with parts and accessory arm Mopar to use the event as a platform to launch its latest concepts.

This year its six concept span from customised ‘restorations’ to wild one-off rides. It’s an exercise that aims no only to allow Jeep designers to think outside the box, but to source ideas from fellow “Jeepers” that may further inspire Jeep’s future range.

Mixed through the six-pack of Jeep Gladiator concepts is an extensive selection of Mopar’s parts and accessories range. Jeep says the customisation offered by Mopar on the new Gladiator is the most extensive yet. The parts are rated and warranted to the same degree as Jeep’s trail-rated vehicles, the company says.

“Customization is one of the highest priorities for Jeep brand enthusiasts,” said Mopar parts and service head, Steve Beahm.

“This is why we have proactively developed a portfolio of 200-plus exclusive parts and accessories for the all-new Jeep Gladiator.

“The portfolio is backed by a factory warranty and has been put through tens of thousands of hours of development, testing and validation, providing our customers a great array of products and peace of mind,” Beahm stated.

“At the 2019 Jeep Moab Easter Safari, we will be inspiring our customers by showcasing just a fraction of what is currently available – as well as some conceptual accessories that might make it into production in the near future,” he stated.

Here’s our rundown on the 2019 Jeep Moab Easter Safari Gladiator concepts.

Aussie buyers are certain to relate to the Jeep Wayout. Its on-roof tent and custom canopy are ideal for outback trips – not to mention the steel rims and Gator Green paint (which will soon be available in the Jeep palette).

A custom bed rack with integrated ladder supports the roof-top two-man tent while LED lighting in the bed and beneath the 270-degree rear awning make nights beneath the stars a more comfortable affair.

Auxiliary fuel tanks are set into the bedside while an in-built ARB air system provides air-ups in just a few moments. Jeep Performance Parts supplied the Wayout’s two-inch lift kit, the 17-inch steel wheels shod with 37-inch mud-terrain tyres in a nod to the Willys pick-up.

Finally, the Jeep Wayout is fitted with a 12,000lb Warn winch, Mopar/Deckbed system, and brown leather-trimmed seats with laser-etched topographical maps.

The Jeep Flatbill has bikesales customers front of mind. Set-up to haul two dirtbikes, the Flatbill is admittedly “loud and rowdy”.

A vented hood and fluoro paint scheme are paired with custom shortened bumpers and skid pans to further improved the standard Jeep Gladiator’s off-road ability.

Jeep says the concept is named after flatbill baseball caps. It features Dyantrac Pro-Rock 60 front and rear axles, plus an Off-Road Evolution four-inch lift kit. Larger rear bypass dampers and 20-inch wheels are also included, as well as 40-inch tyres.

Inside the cabin, the ‘bright’ theme is continued with custom trimmed seats.

Like all bar one of the concepts on display, the Jeep Flatbill is powered by the Gladiator’s 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission. The Flatbill adds a Mopar cold-air intake for a little more bite.

As the only resto-mod in the 2019 Jeep Moab Easter Safari concept line-up, the Jeep M-715 Five-Quarter really stands out. The “Five-Quarter” nameplate is a historical nod to the military truck’s one-and-one-quarter ton payload.

The donor vehicle an ex-service 1968 M-715 which has been retrofitted with a carbon-fibre front, bobbed six-foot custom tray and chopped roof. The headlights have been replaced with HID and LED custom lighting, while the LED halo taillights have been installed in the original buckets.

Jeep reinforced the original M-715’s frame to improve off-road ability ahead of the Moab Easter Safari, adding a Dynatrac Pro-rock 60 front axle and a Dynatrac Pro-rock 80 axle in the rear. The 20-inch beadlock wheels are wrapped with 40-inch tyres.

Inside, new Jeep Wrangler seats are installed without the head-restraints to give a “low-back” visual. A water-jetted aluminium instrument panel and door cards reference the military motif of the original. A repurposed vintage 8-71 supercharger casing now serves as the transmission and transfer case housing.

The Jeep M-175 Five-Quarter is the only one of the six concepts to feature “non-standard” power -- a 6.2-litre supercharged Hellcrate HEMI V8 with 707hp.

The monster engine is matched to an old-school Torque Flite three-speed automatic transmission.

Jeep says it’s the only gearbox that would fit and handle the power!

We’ve asked, and no it won’t be built. But the Jeep J6 certainly looks like it could be! Mixing 1970s era design and Brilliant Blue paint (from the 1978 Honcho), the J6 combined prototype and Jeep Performance Parts from Mopar to make a very believable single-cab Gladiator.

The concept began as a Gladiator Rubicon matched to a Wrangler Limited cab and custom six-foot tray. The tray is sprayed in colour-coded hard paint while a 2.25-inch prototype sport bar protects the cab. The tray bed carries a set of four, five-inch Jeep Performance Parts LED lights and a spare tyre carrier capable of holding a 37-inch rim and tyre combo.

The spare matches the J6’s prototype 17-inch beadlock deep dish in a Brass Monkey finish.

Contrasting black bars protect the front and rear of the Jeep J6 body against off-road obstacles.

The grille of the Jeep J6 is custom Mopar Satin Black, and the stock Jeep Gladiator Rubicon hood is accented with Mopar hood latches. It’s a theme mimicked inside the cabin with its Katzkin seats, retro stitching, and auxiliary switch bank.

The retro theme continues with the CJ8-series Scrambler-inspired Jeep JT Scrambler Concept.

The JT Scrambler’s colour palette, and Punk’N Metallic Orange and Nacho body stripes, cross with Jeep Performance parts and conceptual touches to recall the early 1980s; ditto the Vintage Amber rood.

The spray-in bed liner and two-inch prototype sports bar extend the length of the tray, and offer eight-tie down points for cargo. Diffused LED task lights illuminate the tray at night.

Again based on the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, the JT Scrambler hosts a swathe of Jeep and Mopar Performance Parts, including a set of four, five-inch LED lights stationed atop the sport/roll bar and on the A-pillars. The 17-inch wheels are from the same catalogue, but are finished in a bronze hue to tie in with the 80s colour theme.

The theme continues in the cab where Katzkin Amaretto Brown leather seats and dash panels are bordered with an orange thread and embroidered with a Jeep grille logo in Light Tungsten.

With the exception of its custom graphics, the Gladiator Gravity shows what can be built from the existing Mopar accessories catalogue. Painted in Punk’N Metallic Orange, the Jeep Gladiator Gravity includes a bed-mounted cargo carrier basket, tray-bed storage drawers, and Jeep Performance Parts two-inch round steel tube doors.

The “bikini style” mesh sunbonnet keeps the UV rays at bay, while Jeep’s factory tie-down straps hold the windscreen to the bonnet.

The Gladiator Gravity rides on a two-inch lift kit with 17-inch wheels and 35-inch tyres. Heavy-gauge steel Jeep Performance Parts rock rails are thicker and wider than the standard Gladiator parts, and are finished in a non-slip powder coat.

With LED accessory lights, a cold-air intake and cat-back exhaust the Gladiator Gravity looks and sounds the biz.

In the cab, there are Katzkin leather seats, additional grab handles, MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) bags for storage and all-weather floor mats with a unique “plug” system that allows for direct draining of water and debris.

The 2019 Jeep Moab Easter Safari kicks off at Moab, Utah (USA) on April 13 and runs through to April 21.

The annual event is expected to see thousands of off-road enthusiasts gather for a week of technical off-roading in some of the most unique terrain the USA has to offer.

“The Moab Easter Jeep Safari provides the perfect venue to interact with and gather feedback from our most loyal and passionate customers – the diehard off-road enthusiasts who attend the event each year,” said Head of Jeep Brand North America, Tim Kuniskis.

“This year’s Safari will mark the debut of the highly anticipated all-new Jeep Gladiator on Moab’s scenic and demanding trails. To celebrate, we are showcasing six fun and ultra-capable new truck-based Jeep concept vehicles that are certain to turn heads and delight the crowd,” he concluded.