Earlier today, we showed you the Jeep Wrangler JK-8 Independence pickup truck [DIY] conversion, and now its time to give you a sneak peek of the rest of the vehicles Jeep and Mopar are planning to bring to the upcoming 45th annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari in Utah on April 16.
The list includes the Jeep Compass Canyon, Cherokee Overland, Grand Cherokee Off-road Edition, Wrangler Renegade, Wrangler Pork Chop, Wrangler Blue Crush and the Mopar Ram Truck Runner.
One of the most impressive looking models is the Jeep Wrangler Blue Crush, which is said to combine “high-speed off-road racing and rock-crawling capability.” The high-riding Wrangler packs a Mopar 426 cubic-inch HEMI V8 with 540 horsepower that is paired with a 545RFE performance transmission and a gear-drive transfercase.
Other highlights include a baja-style full cage, massive 39-inch tires, short aluminum bumpers and a special off-road suspension system with internal bypass shocks, front stabilizer bar and full hydro-steering.
Next up is the awkwardly named Jeep Wrangler ’Pork Chop’, which started out as a 2011 Wrangler Sport model and ended up without doors, top, tailgate, bumpers, carpet, sway bars and other items in order to reduce weight. Jeep says the result is a weight savings of more than 850 lbs.
It features reshaped fender panels, a custom roll cage, bright red lightweight Sparco ‘Chrono Road’ reclining bucket seats, a modified suspension and Mickey Thompson 35-inch Baja Claw radials mounted on lightweight 17×8 E-T Vintage V wheels. In addition, the windshield height was reduced two inches.
The third modified Wrangler model is the Renegade that sports the Chrysler Group’s new 475 horsepower, 6.4-liter HEMI V8 mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Mopar fitted the Wrangler with a variety of items such as a heat dissipating hood, a new winch-mount front bumper, fuel door, sill guards, bikini top, rock rails, slush mats and a half-door kit.
To Renegade rides on 35-inch Mickey Thompson Baja Claw radials mounted on AEV Pintler wheels, and benefits from an AEV/Nth Degree 4-inch suspension lift.
The Mopar team also brought along the recently facelifted Jeep Compass equipped with Freedom Drive II drivetrain. The Compass Canyon show model is equipped with select items from the Mopar catalog including a cold-air induction kit, cat-back exhaust system, slush mats and a sport pedal trim kit
It also features a 2-1/8-inch lift kit provided by Rocky Road Suspension, which made room for Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ 225/75-R16 tires with 16-inch alloy wheels from a Jeep Liberty.
The last Jeep model is the Cherokee Overland, which is based on the built-for-export 2011 Cherokee (called Liberty in the States) and features a 2.8-liter CRD 4-cylinder turbo diesel and Selec-Trac II 4×4 system.
The Overland is fitted with an ARB 3-inch suspension lift and Old Man Emu shocks, as well as Mickey Thompson 265/75-R16 MTZ tires mounted on steel wheels. Traction is increased with the addition of an ARB air locker in the rear differential and on-board air compressor
Mopar provided numerous parts such as skid plates for the front suspension, transmission and transfer case, front and rear tow hooks, slush mats, cargo tray liner, sill guards and sport pedal kit, while the 4×4 is finished in a zebra safari pattern paint scheme.
Last but not least is the “Moparized” Ram Truck. Inspired by trophy trucks, the competition-like Ram Truck comes with a HEMI 5.7-liter V8 and a higher-road clearance. In addition, the steel front fenders and rear bed-sides were replaced with fiberglass layered in the Liquid Metal Mopar racing scheme.
You can check out all the vehicles in the video below – those that don’t want to hear what Jeep officials have to say about the models should skip to the 2:40 minute mark.
VIDEO