Jeep splashes out with Magneto Wrangler EV, Jeepster Beach for Easter Jeep Safari – Roadshow

I’m super-stoked about this Magneto BEV concept. Jeep recently debuted its plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe, but this takes things a few steps further, incorporating a full battery electric vehicle powertrain. This two-door Rubicon gets a single electric motor that can produce 273 horsepower and 285 pound-feet of torque. Yep, that’s pretty close to what can be had from the 3.6-liter V6, except that torque is available instantly. Instant torque should make rock crawling a bit easier as there is no need to wind up an engine.

Jeep Wrangler Magneto BEV

The Jeep Farout concept is an overlanding rig that builds on the Wayout concept from 2019. It was supposed to debut at Easter Jeep Safari last year, but the coronavirus took care of that, and we first saw pics of it last August. Regardless, the Farout takes a diesel Gladiator and slaps a really nice tent on the roof. At 16 feet long and 7.5 feet tall, the tent can conceivably sleep four people.

Subscribe to Roadshow’s newsletter for the latest car news and reviews, delivered to your inbox twice weekly.

Instead the designers concentrated on aesthetics and painted the Jeepster Beach a lovely two-tone, Hazy IPA and Zinc Oxide. Thankfully, they’ve left all the original chrome intact. 
The good news is that Jeep has paid attention to where those packs are mounted. One replaces the fuel tank, another sits opposite the fuel tank for even weight distribution. One motor is on top of the electric motor under the hood — for easy swapping, maybe — and the last is in the rear, taking up the storage space. Their placement allows Magneto to maintain the standard Wrangler’s 30-inch water-fording capabilities. Plus the cells are strongly mounted and protected with skid plates, so drivers can bash the heck out of the undercarriage, just as they would in a normal Jeep.
Overlanding, Jeep style with the Farout concept.

Jeep Red Bare Gladiator 

The bummer is that the Magneto might not get you very far. Jeep isn’t commenting on the concept’s range, but its four battery packs only add up to 70 kWh of power. When I drove the larger Rivian R1T with a 135-kWh battery in the Rebelle Rally, we averaged about 170 miles of range over seven days of off-road driving. Now, the Rivian’s battery pack was not production ready, but I would expect the Magneto to last fewer than than 100 miles when driven in the rough stuff.
The Farout’s exterior gets a swanky gray paint job with chartreuse trim (that’s lime green for those of you not up to your Pantone color swatches). The interior again gets plaid seat inserts — what’s going on with the plaid this year? — and plenty of wood trim. For your overlanding convenience, there is a built-in table along with places to hang storage racks and a refrigerator and stove.
At any rate, the mad scientists at Jeep have taken a 1968 Commando and blended it with a modern Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, slapping in a souped up version of the company’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 25 percent more power than the production version. We’re talking 340 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft. of torque here, people. To make cruising on the soft sand a bit easier, the Jeepster Beach is outfitted with 35-inch tires, but beyond the larger shoes there aren’t too many extra off-road goodies.

Jeepster Beach

The Orange Peelz paint is a bit brighter than the Nacho paint color currently available on production Jeeps. The shade is highlighted by some black striping around the beltline and vintage badging. Inside, the lumberjack feel of the Red Bare concept makes an appearance, this time with orange and black plaid seats and armrests.
Capabilities are helped along with, what else, a 2-inch lift, 37-inch mud-terrain tires, a Warn winch, rock rails and Fox shocks. 

The Jeepster Beach is a resto-mod throwback to the second-generation Jeepster Commando. Back in the late 1960s, the Commando was pretty fancy, with an automatic transmission, a heater, roll-up side windows and a roof, all as standard equipment. This was all pretty posh stuff for a sport utility vehicle back in the day. 
The super-capable Red Bare in Moab, Utah.

Jeep Orange Peelz

The Jeepster Beach looks super-sweet from the outside.
The Jeep Orange Peelz concentrates on design and customization. I love that the side and rear windows are gone entirely while the doors are cut in half and the top features a removable glass sunroof. 

Jeep Farout

Not surprisingly, the Red Bare concept gets a 2-inch lift, 37-inch BFGoodrich mud-terrain tires, rock rails, steel bumpers and a Warn winch.
Magneto comes with a 2-inch lift, auxiliary lighting, a roll cage, rock rails, a Warn winch and 35-inch Falken WildPeak mud-terrain tires. There is also a hood scoop, which I find hilariously odd, but hey, it looks good and likely provides some additional cooling for that battery packs.
Other concepts that Jeep is trotting out at Easter Jeep is the mountain-bike themed Jeep Top Dog. This concept was originally made for last year’s SEMA show, but again, the pandemic had other ideas. The coolest thing about the Top Dog? It has a built-in hot-dog griller. 

Jeep Top Dog

Under the hood is Jeep’s 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 engine with 260 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Pretty traditional, right? But the Red Bare’s Dana 44 axles are sporting a 4.88 axle ratio, boosting the crawl ratio to an impressive 91:1, close to the crawl ratio in the new Ford Bronco, which sits at 94.7:1. The takeaway here is that the Red Bare will make throttle control easy and should get massive amounts of torque to the rocks at very low speeds.
The Orange Peelz concept pays homage to those who love a customized Jeep.