Jeep Wrangler Pickup Truck Will Be Called ‘Scrambler,’ Feature Removable Top, Report Says
A drop-top pickup with off-road cred? Sign us up.
It's been a long 25 years since the last Jeep pickup—the mighty XJ Cherokee-based Comanche—bowed out in this country, and outside of a few enterprising conversion outfits we've seen neither hide nor hair of a new one since. That's all about to change. A new batch of information on the eagerly anticipated Wrangler-based pickup truck has leaked, and it points to at least one engine choice, a removable top, and the return of a legendary name: the Jeep Scrambler.
In addition to confirming the name with sources inside Fiat-Chrysler, the sleuths over at JeepScramblerForum got their hands on another round of FCA dealer network screenshots that seem to confirm a number of interesting details on the new pickup. The first is the "JT" model code, which lines up with the next-generation JL Jeep Wrangler set to debut later this year.
Additionally, the Jeep Scrambler will share the Wrangler's 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel engine with the company's start-stop technology. It's the only engine option listed in the network so far, but the source notes that no transmission options are indicated, so it's entirely possible the system is incomplete and we'll see the Wrangler's current 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 or the in-development 2.0-liter "Hurricane" turbo inline-four offered as well.
But perhaps the most interesting nugget are the three top options listed in the screenshots—two multi-piece hardtop options and a "Sunrider" soft top, all of which should be removable. That would make the Jeep Scrambler the only factory convertible pickup truck on sale in the world, and give it an enormous leg up on the competition in a crowded market.
Speaking of the competition, though, the Jeep Scrambler does appear to be making a few concessions to the whims of the American market. CAD images obtained by JeepScramblerForum show the frame is about 205 inches long, making it a full 33 inches longer than the current JK Jeep Wrangler four-door frame. That's good for stability and payload, but bad for off-roading. There's also no indication of a two-door option.
Topping things off is a peek at the axles, which the post's author believes to be a stronger Dana 12-bolt setup over the Dana 44 axle found in the current JK Wrangler.
The Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler made waves when it was introduced back in 1981, offering the capability of a pickup truck in the convenient package of a small 4x4. Jeep may be going a bit bigger in this new incarnation, but it looks like the automaker is keeping some important details true to form. Production is rumored to begin in Toledo sometime in the next two years.
