The wait for Jeep’s Wrangler-based pickup truck is
almost over as the model’s LA Auto Show debut has been confirmed. Not by Jeep, mind you, but by
AutoMobility LA, the company that organizes the Los Angeles Auto Show that
starts later this month.
In a press release about “more than 60 debut
vehicles,” LA Auto Show organizers confirm the world premiere of “a pickup
truck from Jeep.” In other words, the Wrangler-based Scrambler (JT). Interestingly, Jeep hasn’t made
an official announcement about the JT’s LA Auto Show debut. Therefore, we don’t
know whether AutoMobility LA had the automaker’s approval to confirm the
Scrambler’s debut.
Anyway, what matters is we’re only weeks away from
seeing the truck without camouflage. Unfortunately, Jeep continues to keep test
prototypes heavily covered, as this latest sighting proves. Reddit user lukedennair spotted a
Jeep Scrambler prototype yesterday in Detroit, Michigan. The photos prove the
automaker continues to be very secretive about the new model. That’s because
the truck is completely covered by a black “blanket” blocking any design detail from view.
Still, we do know that the 2019 Jeep Scrambler will
look very similar to the Wrangler — at least from the front bumper to the
C-pillars. Behind the crew cab with a custom hardtop, there will be a truck bed
with a spare wheel and Ram 1500 suspension underneath. The rear bumper will be
different than the Wrangler’s too.
Don’t expect any changes in the engine compartment,
though. The Scrambler will offer the same choices as the off-roader, namely a
standard 285 hp 3.6-liter V6 and an optional 270 hp 2.0-liter turbocharged
four-cylinder. A 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel and a regular cab version may arrive
after launch.
