The highly-anticipated Jeep Scrambler has been
caught undergoing off-road testing on the Rubicon trail. Posted by a member of the Jeep
Scrambler Forum, the pictures show a heavily disguised prototype which appears
to have some rear-end damage. The Scrambler is a
crew cab pickup that is based on the redesigned Wrangler.
Much of the design carries over, but the Scrambler
has a unique cab and a custom hard top. Of course, the biggest change is the addition
of the rear bed. The truck will also come equipped with a new rear bumper and a
spare tire that is located underneath the bed.
Jeep has been tight-lipped about the upcoming model,
but previous reports have suggested the Scrambler will go into production
during the fourth quarter of this year. The model should then arrive at
dealerships by April of 2019.
When the model goes on sale, it will face stiff
competition from a booming mid-size truck segment which includes the Chevrolet
Colorado, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger, Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Frontier and Toyota
Tacoma. The Scrambler will likely be one of the most capable off-road, but the
Colorado ZR2 isn’t exactly a slouch on the trails and it’s available in an
extended cab configuration.
Regardless of which truck is more capable, the
Scrambler should be offered with three different engines in the United States.
The entry-level unit will likely be a 3.6-liter V6 that develops 285 hp and 352 Nm of torque. We can also expect a turbocharged
2.0-liter four-cylinder with 270 hpand 399 Nm of
torque as well as a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 with 260 hp and 598 Nm of torque.
