Will the 2019 Jeep truck, aka Scrambler, price start at $45,000? FCA Authority and a few other blogs are reporting that their sources say it’s true. This would be kind of unimaginable and devastating to me personally. I have been dreaming of this vehicle for years and assumed it would follow the same pricing structure as the new JL, give or take a few thousand bucks.

We know the new Jeep truck will ship in 4-Door form. A base 4-Door Sport starts at $30,995. Is there that much more steel in a truck bed that warrants $14,000? The suspension has been spied before and is very similar to a RAM suspension. Has that much new engineering gone into the Jeep truck that warrants $14,000 more than a JLU? Is Jeep just cashing in on the fact that all their competitors get $40k all day for basic crew cab trucks?

Think of it this way – a new 4-Door Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon starts at $40,995. This is the top-of-the-line model with locking differentials, upgraded suspension, bigger wheels/tires, etc. etc. The 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon can also tow a respectable 3500 lbs. and has decent interior cargo room for most people. So how is the 2019 Jeep Scrambler going to start in the mid-$40,000 range? Is it coming decked out with all the bells and whistles? Is it really a RAM truck with a Jeep body? I know this is all rumor mill stuff, but I don’t want to wait another year to find out I can’t afford my dream vehicle!

I hope Chrysler hasn’t decided to cash in to a point where true Jeep fans can’t get into a 2019 Jeep truck. All I want is a stripped down JLU with a bed on it. I want to take it to Moab, do a few trails, and enjoy my Jeep for it’s Jeepness. And also be able to throw some bikes and mulch in the back on a weekend. Please don’t let this rumor be true.

One year from now, the 2019 Jeep Scrambler truck should be hitting dealer showrooms. That’s pretty amazing. That means from this point forward there should be more leaks, more info, and the big reveal of what the Jeep truck will look like! So I am actually in the market to purchase a Jeep Scrambler truck in 2019. There are a few factors that I am still wondering about such as off-road capability and frankly, I want this thing to look a little tougher than the test mules we have seen in spy shots. I have owned a few Jeep Wranglers and a few Ford F-150s and if I am going to buy the Jeep Scrambler it needs to be a lot more Wrangler than F150.

Here’s what we know so far. The Scrambler is rumored to come with three top options: a body-paint matched 3-piece hardtop, a black 3-piece hardtop, and a Premium black Sunrider top. For those of you too young to remember, there used to be a ton of trucks on the road that offered a topless experience and since the Full-size Bronco and Blazers have been dead for years, you just don’t get the fun with the utility anymore. This is another reason why the Jeep Scrambler is going to destroy the competition and hopefully inspire them to bring back the fun options in vehicles past.

We are still expecting 2 engines at a minimum with the Pentastar V6 and the 3.0L Ecodiesel V6. There is no word yet if the new turbo 4-cylinder will be found in the 2019 Jeep Scrambler truck. Time will tell. Finally, and this will depend on gear-ratios and engine choices, the Jeep truck is expected to be able to tow up to 6500lbs with a payload of 1400lbs. Not too shabby seeing that a 4-door 2018 JLU is rated at 3500lbs.

So, as long as I can take this JT down to Moab and tackle Finns & Things and Hell’s Revenge and still tow the family camper home, I will be one happy man. The Jeep Scrambler truck will probably be as close to a perfect vehicle for me as possible. If only there was a way to also get it to do 0-60 in under 5 seconds.

The 2018 Jeep Sandstorm is a concept Jeep truck and will debut at the 2018 Easter Jeep Safari. You have to wonder if anything on this concept will make it to the 2019 Jeep Scrambler.

Inspired by Baja desert racers, the Jeep Sandstorm concept is all about blitzing long, sandy straightaways while still being capable of handling the daily driving duties. To accomplish this, the Sandstorm features off-road hardware that will handle both with ease, including an extreme-duty suspension system and a powertrain with excess power on tap.

To fit the Baja look, the exterior features custom styling cues including a vented carbon fiber hood, vented high clearance front and rear fender flares and a cage that includes a rear mounted lay down style spare tire carrier. The exterior handles and swing gate have been removed while the rear doors have been chopped for a cleaner look.

Other custom Baja-inspired touches include high clearance front and rear tube bumpers, modified rock rails, an integrated on-board air compressor, race-style fuel filler, KC Carbon series front auxiliary lights and a chase light.

The front axle has been moved forward four inches and utilizes a heavy-duty longarm four-link suspension and track bar. The rear axle has been moved back two inches and utilizes a triangulated trailing arm four-link suspension. The longer wheelbase allows for increased high-speed stability. Custom coilovers and bypass shocks allow the front wheels to travel 14 inches while the rear wheels can travel up to 18 inches.

For even more capability, the Jeep Sandstorm concept includes heavy-duty front and rear Dynatrac 60 axles with a 5.68 gear ratio, 17-inch beadlock wheels and 39.5-inch BF Goodrich Krawler tires.

The Baja race truck theme continues throughout the interior, which features a custom cage that integrates the chassis, leather-trimmed front seats and unique low-back racing bucket seats in the rear. A racing-inspired cluster and 7-inch off-road GPS unit handle navigation while independent rocker switches control on-board electronics, air compressor and axle lockers. The Sandstorm concept sheds all plastic trim and carpet in favor of a bedlined floor.

The Jeep Sandstorm is powered by a 6.4-liter V-8 engine from the Mopar performance catalog and is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

There will be no diesel engine option in the 2018 Jeep Wrangler, but, it has been announced that the 2019 Jeep Wrangler will offer a 3.0L Ecodiesel option with the release of the new 2019 Jeep Truck, called the Jeep Scrambler or Jeep JT.

So what do we know about this engine? It will be connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission and will pack 260 horsepower and 442 pound/feet of torque. That’s an awesome amount of torque for rock crawling, mudding, or towing big loads in this mid-size vehicle and it should be good for getting up to highway speed and cruising through the mountains with ease. It will also include the engine start/stop feature so it will shut the motor down at stoplights and in heavy traffic to conserve fuel as well. My guess is the aftermarket will have a field day with this new engine option and I bet the people over at Banks are already licking their chops with excitement!

Jeep or Truck? 10 Reasons to choose a Jeep.

It’s funny, this is actually a question I posed to myself a few months ago before I bought my TJ Jeep Wrangler. I was at an auto-auction where I have bought numerous personal vehicles in the past 5 years including a 1996 Jeep Cherokee XJ, a 1996 Full-size Bronco and a 2004 Ford Expedition. This particular auction I was trying to purchase a crew-cab Ford F150 Ecoboost truck because of the following:

1. It solves my need to drive massive vehicles with poor gas mileage
2. They have great aftermarket support so I can spend even more money on it
3. I live in Utah and there are too many dirt roads to drive on and explore

Luckily for me, I got outbid and I came home empty-handed. I really needed a vehicle because I had already sold my Expedition and I was daily-driving my 1971 Impala in the heat of summer with no a/c. Also, all these new miles on the Impala were getting expensive because stuff just breaks on a 46-year-old car.

To keep going down the rabbit hole, I have been talking to my wife for years trying to explain to her that I just want one badass vehicle, something that I can’t help but stare at from my office window, something that warrants it’s own name like Chupacabra or Deviled Egg. So, she said the second best thing to me anyone has ever said: “Next year we will get your dream car – we will make it a priority.” Wow, ain’t love grand? It probably won’t happen because life happens but it sure is great having a teammate. After that, she then said: “We need to get you a car that will hold it’s value for a year and won’t make you miserable – what would that be?” And of course I said Jeep Wrangler. Man, I married the right woman.

Don’t fish? You will.

When will you answer the question? Jeep or Truck?

So let’s get down to the nitty grit. If you need to haul over 3500lbs on the regular or you need a truck bed on the regular, just get a truck and go find truckdaily.com and get the hell out of here! But if you just sometimes need a truck or tow less than 3500lbs, then wait a minute and hang out. Here’s why I say a Jeep is better than a truck.

1. They inspire adventure. It’s true, I don’t know if it’s the rough ride or just knowing your vehicle has the best chance of winning a war Red Dawn-style, but you are more likely to take a backroad or hop a curb or just be fun in a Jeep.
2. They exude youth. Whether you are young or just feel young at heart, there’s something about not having a vehicle that comforts you and silences the world around you. If it’s too loud you are too old!
3. You can take the top off. I spend most of my  summer with all the windows off the Jeep and I keep the top on just so I don’t scald in the hot desert sun. Of course you can always zip the top back on and hit the a/c if it gets too warm.
4. They feel just a bit dangerous. You feel exposed, a bit top heavy and kind of small. It keeps you on your toes and factors into #2 on this list.
5. They are capable and tough. Heavy snow forecasted? Bring it on; sounds fun. Flooded streets? How can I help? Unexpected rain at the campsite? Who will we be pulling out today? And these are just everyday examples. Take one to Moab and have your mind blown.
6. The new ones are actually way more comfortable than Jeeps of yore. The reason you are seeing more and more Jeeps is because somehow they have made them more capable off-road and more capable on-road. The tradeoffs are a lot less than they used to be, but trucks have followed the same trajectory.
7. They are highly customizable. I don’t know if there is a larger aftermarket for a vehicle than the Jeep Wrangler. You can make it whatever you want it to be.
8. They are smaller than trucks. Which makes it better on the trails but also parallel parking downtown.
9. Resale value is better than any truck out there including the Tacoma and Tundra. In fact, the Wrangler has one of the highest resale values out there.
10. You get looks. It’s a fact that the opposite sex looks at the driver of a Jeep and that driver is boosted at least one point on the attractive scale when driving their Jeep.

This one is called Sasquatch.

So I hope that sums it up for you. Jeeps are superior vehicles unless you need to tow very heavy loads or haul large amounts of crap on the reg. Of course who knows what will happen when the new Jeep truck aka the Jeep Scrambler comes out. It’s going to eat away even more at those truck sales.

Btw, the TJ I bought also doesn’t have air conditioning. Funny thing is I didn’t even check. I drove it two blocks, looked underneath and bought it. I was in love. How many vehicles can you say that about?