- Jeep’s Wagoneer S Trailhawk Concept shows us what a trail-ready BEV looks like.
- The concept features 31.5-inch tires, a lifted suspension, and a rear axle locker.
- Interior has been decked out for extra off-road ability.
If you were concerned about the dearth of off-road mentions with the launch of the new 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S, then this all-new concept will go some way in restoring your faith. After all, what is a Jeep if not an off-road machine?
Unveiled alongside the standard, production Wagoneer S it is based on, the Trailhawk Concept continues to be 100 percent electric, but this time leverages the 4xe subbrand for some Jeep-like goodness. And, while it’s officially a concept, it’s hard to imagine a world where a Wagoneer S Trailhawk doesn’t exist in production form sometime down the line.
Read: New Jeep Wagoneer S Packs A 600 HP Punch, But Will It KO Tesla At $72K?
While the 2024 Jeep Wagoneer Launch Edition is all about beating the Tesla Model Y at its own game, competing with it on performance and range, the Trailhawk Concept can take some liberties. As such, you get massive 31.5-inch all-terrain tires that are sure to wipe off several miles from the base car’s estimated 300-mile range. That chunky rubber wraps some rather fetching 18-inch multi-piece wheels.
Whereas the launch Wagoneer S is all about becoming as slippery as a slippery thing, with the best Cd of any Jeep made, the Trailhawk Concept throws that out the window with a laser-cut aluminum roof rack and a beefy, tree-stump-traversing suspension lift. You’ll also notice the revised front and rear design, which includes heavy-duty tow hooks.
Evidently, aero is still of some concern, with the higher ride height sure to have an impact. To that end, Jeep has added in functional extractors to relieve pressure where air could build up during highway driving. To ensure that the Trailhawk stays true to the whole Trail Rated concept, this Wagoneer S comes with a locking rear axle and a dedicated Rock Mode in the Selec-Terrain drive mode selector.
Read: New Jeep Wagoneer S Will Be Made In Mexico
Arguably, the interior sees the most upgrades, though. First up, there’s a handy modular cargo system that uses mix-and-match elastic straps on the doors and center console to secure any manner of cargo—particularly useful for keeping valuable and/or skull-shattering equipment securely tied down when off the beaten path.
It’s not just bits and bobs that can be secured within the cabin. The front seats feature a more aggressive design, while passengers can anchor themselves with a functional cross-car grab bar. This upgraded Jesus handle is multipurpose, with exposed fasteners and 1/4-20 threaded inserts to mount gear, devices, and accessories.
Having a grab bar is fairly useless if the driver doesn’t have anything to hold on to properly, so Jeep has come up with a new octagonal steering wheel. Color us skeptical about the wheel’s actual use, but it’ll probably be more useful than a yoke in pretty much every driving situation. Jeep says that the steering wheel has two main features. It has a rounded profile for hand-over-hand maneuvering over any terrain, and it has a tactical-inspired grip section at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions for all-terrain driving.
Now, the question remains whether this Concept will see the light of day and, perhaps more importantly, how much it would cost. With the Launch Edition Wagoneer S starting at over $71,000, we dread to think what a Trailhawk may cost—especially when a 2024 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe has an MSRP of just over $66,000.
