Jeep unveils Crew Chief 715 and Comanche open-air concept pickups

Crew Chief 715 Concept

Having confirmed that it will release a pickup based on the Wrangler in 2017, Jeep used its 50th Annual Easter Safari off-road event to produce two open-air concept trucks designed as nods to past models.

First up is the Crew Chief 715, which Jeep says was inspired by the Kaiser M715 military vehicle. Based on a Wrangler Unlimited this truck features a 5-foot cargo bed, steel bumpers, winch, 20-inch deadlock wheels and 40-inch military tires.

Powered by a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, the Crew Chief’s performance features include off-road rock rails, Dana 60 front and rear axles and a 4-inch lift kit with Fox 2.0 Remote Reservoir shocks.

Though the 2018 model year truck Jeep has promised likely won’t go as heavy on the military styling, the Crew Chief gives us a pretty good idea as to what that production pickup will look like.

Comanche Concept

With a style and size similar to Jeep’s former J10 model, the Comanche concept pickup is powered by a 2L I-4 diesel engine mated to a nine-speed auto transmission with Jeep Active Drive Lock which includes low range and a locking rear differential.

Based on the current Renegade, Jeep engineers stretched that vehicle’s wheelbase 6 inches to accommodate a 5-foot bed. The truck features off-road rock rails, a 2-inch lift kit, steel rear bumper and a winch. The truck rides on 16-inch wheels and 32-inch BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A tires.