First Jeep Wrangler ute previewed

Jeep has confirmed the Crew Chief 715 concept that debuted at the 50th anniversary Easter Jeep Safari on the weekend is a direct preview of its first ever four-door Wrangler ute.

The iconic US SUV brand has already said it will produce a ute version of its next-generation Wrangler due next year, and has previously shown a number of tray-backed show cars including the 2005 Gladiator single-cab concept.

But now Jeep chief designer Mark Allen says the striking dual-cab Crew Chief – one of seven concepts created for this week's annual Jeep enthusiasts' meet – provides a number of pointers to the look of the 2017 Wrangler pick-up.

“We’ve hidden some hints about what’s going on behind the scenes right in front of you,” Allen told Outside magazine about Jeep's 2016 Moab concepts.

Allen said the compact Renegade-based Comanche pick-up was nothing more than a styling exercise, but said many design elements of the stretched Wrangler-based Crew Chief would reach production.

"We’ve never done a crew-cab pick-up [concept] before. Hint, hint,” he said, adding: “There may be things you see on the Crew Chief that you might see on that truck.”

Allen told Outside that the Crew Chief's stamped-steel tailgate will not be seen in showrooms, and nor are its military tyres, front and rear winches or steel bumpers likely to grace dealer forecourts.

Nor is it clear whether the Wrangler ute, like the concept and the production wagon on which it will be based, will be offered in convertible form with a removable roof.

However, the overall proportions, five-foot cargo bed and cab-integrated side steps of the open-top Crew Chief twin-cab, which Jeep describes as salute to legendary Jeep military service vehicles — in particular the Kaiser M715 — are likely to become reality.

Powered by a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission and painted in 'Tactical Green' paint, the Crew Chief rides on 20-inch bead-lock wheels with 40-inch NDT military tyres, and also adds a four-inch lift kit with Fox 2.0 Remote Reservoir shocks, Jeep Performance Parts off-road rock rails and Dana 60 front and rear axles.

There's also an onboard air compressor, upgraded brake master cylinder, cold air intake, modified exhaust, aircraft-inspired control switches, Mopar all-weather mats a rear seat, a compass, front bucket seats and leather/canvas trim for the all seats including the additional rear bench.

Despite the historical references of the Wrangler-based concept, Allen told Outside: “I don’t have a lot of interest in doing retro. The neat thing with Wrangler is that it doesn’t need to be retro, since it’s never gone away.”

Co-inciding with the 75th anniversary of Jeep and expected to be the biggest ever, the 50th annual Easter Jeep Safari kicked off on Saturday (March 19) in Utah and runs until March 27.