The Jeep® brand has shown off a lot of interesting concepts over the past decade at the annual Easter Jeep Safari. While the brand has had a lot of success with its 2020 Jeep Gladiator pickup lineup, there was a smaller concept that caught the eye of many mini truck buyers, a few years back. The Jeep Comanche Concept pays homage to the 1986 to 1992 compact pickup that the brand carried, while using the underpinnings of its compact offerings today.
Based on the Jeep Renegade Trailhawk, the Jeep Comanche Concept was designed to be off-road ready featuring practical utility. The Comanche takes styling cues from military and civilian Jeep heritage. Using a stretched wheelbase of an additional 6-inches over the standard Renegade Trailhawk, the Comanche utilizes a very functional 6-foot pickup box. The Jeep design team originally planned to create a box that was flush with the cab, however, after some thought the team designed a separate box using design elements from the popular Nukizer Concept which makes it Comanche feel more militaristic.
Inside, the Comanche Concept features a full cage that protects the passengers and allows the vehicle to feature a soft top covered roof. There are custom seat covers with the headrest removed which may not crash test standards but does allow the cabin to have a more retro look. Custom pedal covers, door sill guards, and Mopar all-weather mats, pretty much tie the interior with the militaristic feel from the outside.
Painted in a concept exterior paint called, “Beige Against the Machine” (those who lived in the 90s will get it), the Comanche is accented with a Satin Black hood, a concept lower front fascia, winch, a custom steel rear bumper from a Wrangler (JK), and even a bed-mounted spare tire. The concept lower front fascia improved the Comanche’s approach angle while allowing the front of the vehicle to feature a winch, something a Renegade had never had done before.
Under the hood of the Comanche Concept, was a 2.0-liter Multijet inline-four-cylinder diesel from the European market. The Multijet diesel is rated at 170 horsepower and 203 ft.-lb of torque (350 Nm) at 1,750 RPM. It was paired with a ZF-based 9-speed automatic transmission and in the Renegade can do 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in about 8.9-seconds. The stout little diesel is paired up with Jeep’s Active Drive Lock 4×4 system, which includes a low-range and locking rear differential.
Also adding to its off-road prowess, the Comanche Concept features some Jeep Performance Parts like a set of off-road rock rails, as well as a 2-inch lift kit. To help with traction, the Comanche rolls on 16-inch painted wheels and 32-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires.
While the Comanche Concept will likely never make it to production, it is still an amazing little package that could work in areas around the globe where the Gladiator is too pricy for the majority of the public. We could see such a vehicle being a hit in Latin America as well as India.
What do you think of the Comanche Concept? Leave your comments below, we’d love to hear them.
2016 Jeep® Comanche Concept Image Gallery:
