The wait for Jeep’s Wrangler-based pickup truck is almost over as the model’s LA Auto Show debut has been confirmed.
Not by Jeep, mind you, but by AutoMobility LA, the company that organizes the Los Angeles Auto Show that starts later this month.
In a press release about “more than 60 debut vehicles,” LA Auto Show organizers confirm the world premiere of “a pickup truck from Jeep.” In other words, the Wrangler-based Scrambler (JT).
Interestingly, Jeep hasn’t made an official announcement about the JT’s LA Auto Show debut. Therefore, we don’t know whether AutoMobility LA had the automaker’s approval to confirm the Scrambler’s debut.
Anyway, what matters is we’re only weeks away from seeing the truck without camouflage. Unfortunately, Jeep continues to keep test prototypes heavily covered, as this latest sighting proves.
Reddit user lukedennair spotted a Jeep Scrambler prototype yesterday in Detroit, Michigan. The photos prove the automaker continues to be very secretive about the new model. That’s because the truck is completely covered by a black “blanket” blocking any design detail from view.
Still, we do know that the 2019 Jeep Scrambler will look very similar to the Wrangler — at least from the front bumper to the C-pillars. Behind the crew cab with a custom hardtop, there will be a truck bed with a spare wheel and Ram 1500 suspension underneath. The rear bumper will be different than the Wrangler’s too.
Don’t expect any changes in the engine compartment, though. The Scrambler will offer the same choices as the off-roader, namely a standard 285 hp 3.6-liter V6 and an optional 270 hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. A 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel and a regular cab version may arrive after launch.