The oft-teased idea of pickup version of the Jeep Wrangler has gotten a new lease on life, thanks to a recent report in Automotive News. Springing from Fiat-Chrysler’s recent dealer meeting, the report says that a Jeep-branded mid-size pickup “could begin production in 2018,” depending on what happens with the Toledo, Ohio, factory that has long been the home of the Wrangler. The report also says the truck would have a short bed and make use of Wrangler suspension bits and powertrains.
Jeep fans have long memories, and they have not forgotten the 1981–85 Scrambler, which was based on the CJ. The Scrambler featured a stretched wheelbase, a removable roof, and (naturally) four-wheel drive. Jeep itself has certainly been guilty of stoking the fires with a series of Wrangler-based pickup concepts. The most recent was the J-12 (which we drove) that additionally featured the retro goodness of the early ’60s Jeep J-series/Wagoneer front end.
Back in 2005, we saw the more straight-up Wrangler pickup notion in the form of the Gladiator concept shown above. Its production-ready look and sweet-looking side-mounted spare had the faithful salivating, but the project never went anywhere. Then there was the Wrangler JT concept, which wowed the crowds at annual Jeep Easter Safari in Moab in 2009. Yet another two-door Wrangler pickup, this one was built on the four-door Wrangler Unlimited chassis. To fill the void, conversion and aftermarket companies have stepped in, such as AEV and its awesome Brute.
Enough already. With a new Wrangler on the way in 2017, Marchionne and friends need to figure out a way to add a pickup variant. There’s a reason this idea just refuses to die.
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