Remember the CJ-8 Scrambler? If you don’t, it’s a small pickup based on a stretched CJ-7, which was manufactured in the ‘80s and replaced by the XJ Cherokee-based Comanche. Ever since the Comanche ended production in ’92, Jeep’s model lineup has been missing a paramount product for the U.S. market: a pickup.
This void in the range will soon be filled, though, with the advent of what we currently call JT Wrangler Pickup. Autoline Daily, on the other hand, thinks that Jeep will revive the Scrambler name for the JT Wrangler Pickup. Citing a report from AutoForecast Solutions, both the publication and the source can’t confirm if Jeep really intents to bring back the Scrambler nameplate.
A quick search with the United States Patent and Trademark Office further reveals that the American automaker withdrew “Scrambler” on September 30, 1985, and didn’t reapply ever since. If Jeep were to be serious about the handle, then the search with the USPTO would’ve returned a positive result.
In a separate piece, this time from PickupTrucks, Jeep designer Mark Allen said that “[...] you'll see quite a few Jeep families towing their modified Wranglers behind a Jeep pickup." He then made it clear that the JT isn’t going to be a heavy-duty workhorse, chiefly because that would make it overlap with the Ram HD lineup. It’s much better to think about the JT Wrangler as a leisure-oriented 4x4 vehicle, not a full-on towing machine.
Be that as it may, Jeep could offer a towing package for those customers who plan on using the JT for more utilitarian activities. Based on this presumption, it’s also safe to assume that an oil-chugging engine is in the offing, most likely the 3.0-liter turbo diesel V6 offered in the WK2 Grand Cherokee.
According to the latest of rumors, the crew cab pickup body style for the all-new Wrangler will go into production in April of 2019, at the Toledo Assembly Complex. As for the JL and JLU Wranglers, those two will be revealed later this year. Retooling is already underway at Toledo North, where workers are modifying the Cherokee’s assembly line for the Wrangler. Expect the first examples of the new breed to roll off the line in November.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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