Jeep Reveals 2023 Easter Safari 4x4s Including A Hemi Powered Scrambler
There are gearheads of all shapes and sizes. Some prefer sleek, European performance machines, while others like doing sideways drifts in the JDM community. Others prefer to take their exploits off the tarmac and into the wilderness, racing up impossible inclines and crawling over technical rocks. Jeep is again celebrating the off-road community with the 57th Annual Easter Jeep Safari out in the Moab desert of Utah.
Aside from the jaw-dropping landscape and off-road fun, Jeep has collaborated with Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) by Mopar to show off some head-turning off-road concept vehicles for us to gaze at enviously.
First off, and possibly the most intriguing for EV fans, is the Jeep Wrangler Magneto returning in the Magneto 3.0. The fully electric vehicle, introduced in 2021, is an offroad-ready two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon retrofitted with a single custom axial flux electric motor that delivers 285 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. The manual gearbox allows for unrivaled control in crawling situations, while an output selector lets the driver up the power and torque figures to 650 horsepower and 900 lb-ft. The Magneto 3.0's configuration loses the simplicity of something like the Rivian R1T but makes up for it by keeping the traditional driving experience and superior control.
An electrified 1978 Cherokee and a HEMI-powered retro scrambler
Also shown off at the event in Utah is the Jeep Scrambler 392 Concept, which takes inspiration from the compact 1981 Jeep Scrambler CJ-8 convertible, cramming a 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 motor — normally only found in the four-door Wrangler Rubicon 392 — into a modern two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
The result is an impressive 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque in a potent, lightweight offroad attack vehicle with a wheelbase of only 94.8 inches — almost four inches shorter than the 2022 two-door Ford Bronco. More interestingly, the Scrambler 392 concept has a trimmed roofline, sloped windshield, and custom carbon-fiber bodywork, allowing it to run monstrous 40-inch tires fitted to custom 20-inch rims. The Scrambler 392 Concept also features the newly-released adjustable AccuAir air suspension specifically developed for the Wrangler and Gladiator.
The 1978 Jeep Cherokee 4xe Concept takes the classic two-door Wagoneer and artfully adapts Jeep's hybrid-electric underpinnings from the Wrangler Rubicon 4xe to modernize it slightly. The blend of old and new results in a classic look and feel, but with the power and dependability of a modern drivetrain featuring dual electric motors backed up by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine. Sitting atop 37-inch rubber, the 1978 Jeep Cherokee 4xe is as capable as it is handsome in its retro paint job.
