December28
Chrysler will unveil its Jeep Trailhawk concept at the Detroit auto show in January. The vehicle combines the core off-road features of the new body-on-frame four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with luxury features of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Built off the new Wrangler platform, the Trailhawk is a more refined highway cruiser with comparable off-road capabilities.
“The key to the look of the Trailhawk,” said Nick Vardis, principal exterior designer, “is the vehicle’s distinctive proportions, due in part to its 116-inch wheelbase. The dash-to-front-axle dimension is dramatically long, giving the vehicle a sense of forward motion, while the front and rear overhangs are tight and abbreviated.”
The side windows retract fully into the body, leaving no B-pillar above the belt, while the diagonal quarter windows are also fully retractable. Gray-tinted twin longitudinal glass panels over the first- and second-row seats and the glass panel over the cargo compartment are removable, as is the swing-up backlight. With all the glass lowered and removed, the Trailhawk offers occupants virtually the same open-air ambience as a typical soft top Jeep. Gallery after the jump…
This is what the Patriot/Compiss should have been, but leave out the fancy interior. Jeeps should be pretty utilitarian and simple, and that’s not to say it has to be low-quality. Just make them simple, useful, and rugged, they’d have their own market niche. No one makes ‘em like that anymore…
Whoa.. finally, an attractive Jeep for a change.
If fuel economy with a base 6-cylinder engine is decent (which has always been Jeep’s downfall IMHO) I’d be all about one of these. And like golf4me, the interior is really nice, but in a Jeep I’d trade a simpler interior for better pricing. I just hate how in most cars you can’t get a decent stereo w/o all the options…and this stereo looks pretty nice w/ the subwoofer, ipod connector (why in the back?) and navi. But obviously the dash that makes it to production will probably look nothing like that to keep the accountants happy.
Man, that chop-top look seems to be a formula for Chrysler. I like it, and then again I don’t.
Cool.
Too bad they won’t have the balls to produce it.
THIS is the Jeep of the future..current designs have done nothing to push Jeep forward.
Hope this gets put in to production, but by then will it be too late?
Raise the roof a couple inches and we’re basically looking at the next Grand Cherokee.
I’m not too awful thrilled with this concept though. It looks like every other Jeep concept. if someone said this concept was from 2001, I’d believe them.
didn’t quite like the Envoy XUV thing in the back…the interior is quite impressing.
The headlight assembly is hot, and would look good on the Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe (where RR seriously f’d-up).
Looks like a killing machine, and it could be crazy enough to work!
No one mentioned the BEST part of this rig. The CRD on the back! It’ll get over 20mpg hwy, AND have a ton of torque. Plus it’s built with solid axles out of the JK, so it’ll be easy to lift and play with offroad. BUILD IT!
I really like this. It has a strong look and stance to it. A very cool overall design, plus I like the T-tops.
Unless they give it independent suspension, it will be just another pig with lipstick.
The upscale offerings from LR, MB, VW and Volvo all have IRS, and even Ford’s Explorer and Expedition!
Renton, that’s what people said about the 300 when it first showed up as a concept back in 2000. I hope that the Trailhawk will go into production similar to this. Could really be worth a look.
I like it, it already looks like an SRT version of its self.
Awesome! Build it! I’m seriously considering the jeep unlimited, but would much rather have this thing! Maybe tone it down a bit. The base version could have less bling.
Im not fan of jeeps but this one is really nice. Its gonna sell like hot cakes.
That is sweet. Once the wheel wells get toned down for production (if that happens) it’ll be a home run in style.
Exterior: A little over-the-top…typical of Chyrco’s showcars.
Interior: Fine for a Chrysler-brand SUV, but for a Jeep? Fire those designers as they do not know the brand.
Trying for Jeep to pretend to be Land Rover is a shame…far different customer base…the German’s will eventually figure out Jeep.
A little too angry looking for me. Looks like a snarling dog.
Don’t chop the roof, and make this the Grand Cherokee.
This car looks good….if Jeep can keep most of those concept elements on the production car.
Kinda reminds me of megatron.
I’m sure many of these elements will make it to the next Grand Cherokee.. problem is, the next one is at least 3 years away. This is the direction Jeep should be going for its upscale models (GC, Commander) while leaving the boxy, utilitarian look to their entry models (Cherokee/Liberty, Patriot, Wrangler) — sort of what Land Rover/Range Rover have planned for their two tiers.
Of course, the Compass should be euthanized immediately.
Nice truck, they should produce it better than the current gen of wrangler(luv the ipod speakers)
whoa that’s pretty hardcore
okay
Damn, that is one cool truck. I don’t like the slant of the back but it’s grown on me little. I hope they build it as is.
This jeep has the typical jeep attitude you would expect(other than the compass). I like the bold chisled look. As for no B-pillar, it looks nice in concept but will almost never fly in terms of safety. As for leaving out the fancy interior all i have to say is, why? If you can have the best of both worlds take it! i say good job on this one!
Let me be the first to order one. AWESOME VEHICLE!!!
The Jeepster nears production?
I like how this looks a lot, however I don’t know if they could have possibly written “JEEP” larger on the tailgage
This could be a great car, however minor details in the making could make it almost useless. I want to replace an aging ZG/ ZJ Grand Cherokee. The latest WH Grand carries the spare wheel underneath - where it is very vulnerable to damage and should be moved in a car going off road. The fuel tank is too small and the design of the rear frame has defied anyone to design a larger fuel tank, even if the spare wheel could be relocated. The airbag configuration makes it impossible to fit a cargo barrier - and this is a safety issue in the event of a rapid stop. Drivers of 4WDs in the bush, as opposed to urban areas, ideally would wear boots. My feet wearing boots foul on the underside of the dash!
The new four door Wrangler also fails the test of boots clearing the underside of the dashboard. I guess the new Wrangler would be superb off road, but most of us have to drive a long way on the highway to get to the place where we four wheel drive. The Wrangler fails as a long distance tourer.
The Commander is designed for ’soccer mums’ rather than as a real four wheel drive. I didn’t even bother to give it a ‘boot test’ or to look at the potential to fit a larger fuel tank. The spare wheel is still underneath and very vulnerable.
There are other minor inadequacies that these cars have, as do most other 4WDs, however the above factors stop me buying them. With any luck the Trailhawk might be the answer I am looking for.