Jeep Scrambler 2010 becomes Jeep JT (Jeep Truck) Concept

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Introduction

Jeep Wrangler JT, also known and Scrambler, uses the Unlimited platform and turns the SUV into a pickup. Jeep added an off-road package giving the pickup the ability to traverse extreme terrain (see gallery below). Off road enhancements include 3-inch suspension lift, 35-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires, upgraded rear bumper and rock rails, all-new Ramsey 9500 UT winch.

The Jeep Wrangler JT was recently put to the test in Moab, Utah, where it navigated the steep climbs and descents on the slopes of the Hell's Revenge trail. It's 4×4 capability showed as it negotiated the slick water tubs and waterfalls at times nearly vertical to the ground.

Skunkworks Design

The JT is a one Wrangler based concept put together by Chrysler's SkunkWerks team that was fitted with a five-foot bed with a side opening tailgate as its main modification. The suspension is a coil setup from the Wrangler Unlimited and the vehicle has the same wheelbase as the Unlimited (116 inches), but with a lift to accommodate its 35-inch mudders. The vehicle was off-road ready enough to take on some serious rough stuff at Moab last month. And yes, the roof is removable. The powertrain remains unchanged from the Wrangler -- a 3.8-liter V-6 mated to a four-speed automatic.

JT is the second Jeep truck concept in two years - the first was the Jeep Gladiator seen at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show, so it is possible that something is brewing. With the Commander seemingly destined for the graveyard in the not too distant future, Jeep may once again look towards its stalwart signature vehicle. And why not make a Wrangler Pickup? After all, something has to carry spare parts up the Rubicon.

Known Information

The 2010 Jeep Scrambler is one of those projects that never seems to go away. This Jeep truck has been an on again, off again project for years, but recent rumors suggest it's going to happen soon. Jeep has shown several concept trucks over the last several years, but the recent Jeep JT concept suggests Chrysler is serious this time. The JT was built using the latest Wrangler chassis, and according to the engineers who worked on the project, only minimal modifications were needed. Whether this means that Chrysler's new owners will give it the go ahead is still up for debate, but for now the future of the Jeep Scrambler looks good.

In the five years of Chrysler's Mopar skunkworks program, where designers are given carte blanche with existing production vehicles, the biggest idea to make it into mainstream production is the Sky Slider full-length retractable canvas roof on the new 2008 Jeep Liberty. It hailed from the Liberator skunkworks project from almost three years ago.

But the informal group of volunteers at the skunkworks could gain major credibility if the automaker decides to go ahead with the Jeep JT (Jeep truck) concept; which is a pickup version of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.

JT (Jeep Truck) A Reality?

Like all skunkworks projects, the designers were just playing, says Ralph Gilles, vice-president of Jeep and truck design and ringleader for the program. Essentially, the team took an Unlimited, lopped off the second row and sealed the hole to create a short bed, which creates "cool" proportions.

This would be the easiest way to get a pickup back into the Jeep lineup, Gilles admits. Jeep's pickup history dates back about seven decades and includes such nameplates as Honcho and Jeepster. The last pickup, the Comanche, went out of production in 1992, and the automaker has found it difficult to get a Jeep with a bed back into the lineup ever since.

A Scrambler concept at the 2002 SEMA show got fans riled again, followed by the Gladiator concept pickup at the 2005 Detroit auto show, which was a variant of the Liberty and truly a concept only, Gilles says.

But talk of a production Jeep pickup has ebbed and flowed over the years. And Gilles agrees the JT is a more practical approach. A Jeep pickup is for fun and doesn't need the size and length of a real pickup such as the Dodge Dakota, Gilles says of the Jeep concept with only a five-foot bed.

The JT exists "because it was so easy to do it," Gilles says, adding the skunkworks team often builds things to test out an idea, to essentially cash out on a dare. In exploring possibilities, sometimes things emerge as feasible.

Gilles won't say if Chrysler is doing a business study on the JT as a production model, but he says the concept got a "lotta love" from purists when it made a surprise debut in April at a Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.

Putting the Jeep JT concept into production would be the first time a customized project has become a real-world vehicle, but Gilles says he expects more of that as projects are considered for the future.

At the skunkworks, Chrysler's designers, most of whom are enthusiasts, have competitions with sketches. The winning drawings are produced, with all work done in-house, and the winning designer becomes the project leader. It is up to the leader to become a networking genius as well, to wheel and deal with other departments, to talk to people in the metal, paint, plastic, and wood shops to supply what the car needs. Everything is on a volunteer basis, and the reward is to take the creation to SEMA in Las Vegas.

Getting to Know You

We got up-close and personal with what appears to be a mule for a Wrangler-based pickup truck, right along the lines of the Jeep Gladiator concept from 2005 and more recently the JT Concept. The rear doors of a four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited have been welded shut, and the black composite roof structure has been extended forward to the B-pillar. The roll-down side glass has been replaced with a solid window.

A peek inside shows what appears to be a makeshift truck bed, with a load floor that has been extended, allowing no room for any rear seats. More details that suggested a pickup truck are new leaf springs that have been added, to accommodate heavier payloads in the rear. Check out Caranddriver.com's early first review here

Jeep's JT concept was designed to use as much of the existing Wrangler Unlimited's platform, to allow for a seamless transition from concept to production. From what we have seen here, it looks like that process is under way.