When the COVID-19 (or Coronavirus) pandemic started, several automotive events were immediately canceled. One of those events, that struggled to say the course was the annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari. The Jeep® brand made the painful decision not to attend this year and decided to finish eight concept vehicles that the iconic off-road brand and Mopar were working on for the event and show them off at a later time. Well, this morning the Jeep brand rolled the covers off of one of those concepts, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Farout Concept.
The Gladiator Farout Concept builds on the popularity of last year’s Jeep Wayout Concept, creating a truly remarkable Overlanding platform based on the midsize Gladiator pickup. The Gladiator Farout uses the recently unveiled 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 for Gladiator, which produces a stump-pulling 260 horsepower and 442 lb.-ft. of torque with engine stop-start (ESS) technology. The diesel powertrain is good enough to produce generates 28 mpg highway, allowing the Farout to be fuel-efficient and long-range-capable.
“Although we didn’t get to celebrate in Moab this year with our latest round of concept vehicles, we’re pleased to introduce the Jeep Farout concept today as a vehicle that blends Gladiator EcoDiesel’s fuel efficiency with an area of features fans of Overlanding will love,” said Jim Morrison, Head of Jeep Brand – FCA North America. “Building on the popularity of last year’s Gladiator Wayout concept, and as Overlanding continues to grow in popularity, this year’s Farout concept is another opportunity to gather feedback from our passionate customer base.”
The Farout Concept features a customized deployable roof-top tent, which provides a spacious 16-foot-long by 7.5-foot-tall recreational residence opens and retracts in a matter of seconds. Once unpacked, it comfortably sleeps up to four.
Designers working on getting rid of the cold, monochromatic look and feel of a traditional Overlanding vehicle. Instead, Farout offers a warm and inviting wood-lined interior with ambient lighting, a fully-functional refrigerator and stove, hanging storage racks, built-in seats, and table space. Inside the Farout’s heavily-customized cabin, the Jeep team designed an outdoorsy theme which is celebrated with dark smoke blue leather, orange stitching, and plaid flannel seat inserts. The exterior is painted in a new “Earl” exterior color (something we believe may make its debut in 2022).
The Farout Concept has enhanced capability over the standard EcoDiesel-powered Rubicon, thanks to a Jeep Performance Parts 2-inch lift kit, special 17-inch “Matte Charcoal” wheels, 37-inch Falken Wildpeak M/T tires, a modified Gladiator Rubicon steel bumper equipped with a 12,000-lb. Warn winch (from the Ram 2500 Power Wagon), custom front and rear rock rails, and FOX™ performance shocks to easily overcome obstacles.
The new Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) 2-inch lift kit that is used on the Farout Concept was just introduced a couple of weeks ago and is a new exclusive package for the EcoDiesel-powered Gladiator. The kit features the following equipment…
- Four Springs
- Four FOX™ Performance Shocks
- Front Lower Control Arms
- Front and Rear Stabilizer Links
- Front and Rear Bump Stops
- Hardware
- JPP Badge
The Gladiator EcoDiesel JPP kit helps the Gladiator Rubicon increase suspension articulation by 18% from its stock setting, for enhanced off-road capability. The new JPP kit for the Gladiator EcoDiesel (Part #: 77072469AC) will be available in late summer. The new kit has a U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for each kit is $1,495 or a Canadian MSRP of $2,310.
While Jeep did not release a ton of pictures or information about the Farout Concept, we are glad to see that the off-road brand is pushing the Gladiator to showcase its possibilities in becoming the most capable Overlanding platform out there.
