Outside the usual Easter Jeep Safari concepts, there were a couple surprises in store in Moab.
As we charge through 2026, Easter is just around the corner, and that holds a huge significance not from a religious standpoint, but also if you’re a Jeep fan. This year’s Easter Jeep Safari is kicking off in Moab, and Jeep has quite a bit to show folks this time around. That includes this new Cherokee-based Upland concept, which didn’t roll out in the initial wave of announcements. So, what can we glean from this surprise debut?
While Jeep did roll out an old-school, 1984 XJ Pioneer concept to honor the Cherokee nameplate, this Upland concept obviously focuses on the new one. The current KM-generation Cherokee lineup comprises your typical trims including Laredo, Limited and Overland, but there’s a distinct lack of a more off-road-focused Trailhawk. According to Jeep, this concept “showcases a more expressive, adventure-forward vision for the nameplate.”
To that end, the hybrid 4×4 brings in a custom front fascia from the standard model — one that brings in the lower section for what looks like a far better approach angle than the standard Cherokee. I’m sure there’s a chin joke in there somewhere, but at any rate this does look a little bit more chiseled and aggressive. In addition to slightly reshaping the front end, we also get functional (though not orange, sadly) front and rear tow hooks, while an elaborate, new-style roof rack system and 18-inch wheels wrapped in 31.5-inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires round out the changes.
It’s worth noting that past Cherokee and Compass Trailhawks run on Wildpeaks from the factory, so that tracks with what we’ve seen in terms of actual production models. That’s more or less where the mods from your standard Cherokee end, though, at least according to what information Jeep shared Sunday evening. As far as we’re aware, this Cherokee Upland concept still rocks the other models’ 1.6-liter-backed powertrain, putting out 210 horsepower and 230 lb-ft of torque.
The larger tires compared to the old Cherokee KL’s 29.5-inch setup does get you a bit more clearance. The Cherokee Upland also sports an interesting camo wrap, but the distinctive gloss black front end may be another way to tell the production-spec Trailhawk apart from its stablemates. At the back, you get a “Design Operations – Jeep Division” decal as a cool nod to the folks who are putting a more dirt-worthy Cherokee together. While we hope this model gets some more serious off-road goodies beyond what’s shown here to improve its capability over the standard SUV (which struggled in our off-road testing), we’ll have to wait and see for more details on a production model.
Check out more on the new Cherokee Limited below:
