JK-Forum Hits the Trails in Jeep Concepts

By Marcus Amick - August 4, 2015

There’s a lot to discover when you have an opportunity to drive Jeep concepts like the Chief, Staff Car, Wrangler Africa, and the Mighty FC on the trails of Malibu with Mark Allen, the head of Jeep design.

There’s the obvious, such as which concept you’d want to keep. For me, that would clearly be the Chief from the 2015 Easter Jeep Safari, especially since the hot Red Rock Responder wasn’t on hand to drive. Then there’s narrowing down which one of the Jeeps was the most fun during off-roading, which was definitely the Mighty FC. Still, the thing that I learned most from the one-day excursion with the Jeeps was how big the brand’s potential is, which was what the concepts were meant to show.

Here’s a quick rundown of my take on all four of them:

Jeep Chief

A throwback to the great full-size Cherokees of the ‘70s, the Chief is a shining example of how the brand has stayed true to its core roots, all while showcasing the appeal of the Jeep nameplate beyond the trails. Painted in Ocean Blue, the Wrangler-turned-Chief is by far the coolest-looking of the concepts. While it certainly offers the capabilities of a Jeep, you tend to find yourself wanting to venture more on-road than off- when driving the Chief because it’s such an attention grabber. However, since Allen’s team clearly wasn’t going to let me drive its one-of-a-kind prototype to downtown Santa Monica to show it off, I really don’t feel as if I got the full experience of the main appeal of this Jeep, which is its eye-catching design.

Mighty FC

Hands down, no off-roading experience I’ve ever had in a Jeep compares to being behind the wheel of the wild Mighty FC. It’s as mind-boggling driving on the trail as it would be to see it pulling into a McDonald’s drive-thru in Hollywood. Although it’s based on a Wrangler chassis like the other concepts, its cab is so awkwardly positioned in relation to the front wheels that you find yourself thinking the rig is going to tip over when traveling down a decline. Instead, the Mighty FC, introduced at the 2012 Easter Moab Safari, just settles into the terrain while holding its position, proving that the Wrangler platform is even more versatile than most imagine.

Jeep Wrangler Africa

Although it proved its capabilities as well, the Wrangler Africa was a better demonstration of how much cargo space can potentially be incorporated into a Wrangler more than anything else. Still, given that extra footage compared to a Wrangler Unlimited, there was a question of whether or not it would be as easy to maneuver on the trail as the four-door model, which certainly has its own limitations compared to the two-door version. You actually don’t even really notice the Wrangler Africa’s larger size when off-roading. However, that extra four inches of height and foot of cargo space, with the addition of that roof rack, would certainly be a huge benefit on a family expedition.

Jeep Staff Car

A tribute to Jeep’s rich military roots, the Jeep Staff Car was probably the most difficult to drive on the trail. Allen would probably attribute a lot of my challenges with the Jeep to me needing to brush up on my manual skills when off-roading, though. In all honesty, he would have a point. Of all of the four concepts, the Staff Car was probably the most difficult for me to get used to off-roading, which I later learned could have stemmed from some previous wear and tear on the clutch. Ultimately, the experience of driving an open-door military-style Wrangler on a trail was well worth the ribbing Allen gave me about my shifting.

Summary

It’s clear after spending time with the Staff Car, Wrangler Africa, the Mighty FC, and the Chief that, despite all the buzz about the new smaller Jeeps like the Renegade and the Cherokee, there’s even more to love about the Wrangler. The versatility of the platform showcased in the different concepts is pretty impressive when you have an opportunity to experience them firsthand. Even more, the prototypes show how far the company is willing to go to explore new frontiers with the Jeep nameplate, which will prove pivotal to the brand in the future.