Throwback Thursday: Jeep Comanche Diesel Mini Truck Concept Retro Review
Jeep Comanche Diesel Mini Truck concept was first revealed at the 2016 Easter Jeep Safari. Let’s look back at this fun little truck.
Back in 2016 you could not buy a pickup truck from Jeep. The new Gladiator was still a couple years away. But each year at the Easter Jeep Safari Jeep brings a handful of concepts vehicles to share with the Jeep faithful. One of the concept vehicles from 2016 was this Jeep Comanche Diesel Mini Truck. And as you can easily see this particular truck was based on a car, the Jeep Renegade. It was ahead of its time because not only could you not buy any pickup from Jeep. But, in America there was really no small pickup option at all. That has since changed with trucks such as the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. Both the Ford and Hyundai have proven to be extremely popular. Did Jeep miss an opportunity by not building this mini truck?
This week’s “Throwback Thursday” is all about this Jeep Comanche Diesel Mini Truck Concept. A video of it being tested on some light off road trails was posted on the Fast Lane Truck YouTube channel back in 2016, shortly after the reveal. Believe it or not that is seven years ago now and a lot has changed in the automotive landscape. Engines are being downsized and EVs are taking off. If anything, the case for a small pickup is even stronger today. Jeep never built this truck, but was that a mistake? Is it too late to bring it to market now?
Jeep Renegade
You can still buy a Jeep Renegade in 2023. It is the smallest and least expensive vehicle in the Jeep lineup. And it shares a platform with the Fiat 500L and other vehicles under the Stellantis umbrella. It is a spunky little Jeep but certainly not built for rock crawling. But not everyone needs a rock crawling capable daily driver. Some folks just want a small and efficient way of getting to work in bad weather. The same can be said of the truck world. Not everyone needs or wants a 1-ton pickup truck. Something much smaller and more efficient but with a decent sized bed will do the job for most people most of the time. So, a pickup based on the Renegade makes perfect sense.
Jeep Comanche Diesel Mini Truck
In the video the little concept truck is taken over some rocky terrain. It is not the most challenging trail in the world but does contain some opportunities to show what the little pickup can do. And the truck does fine. And with a 6-foot bed it has plenty of space in the back for most people. Of course, the spare tire being mounted back there eats up some room, but it is still reasonable. The 2.0L diesel engine provides enough torque to pull the Jeep along without any issue. And of course, Jeep nailed the styling. This Renegade-based truck looks like it would be right at home serving military duty.
Build It
This truck was never made. Although we did get the excellent Gladiator pickup. With the Gladiator being Wrangler-based it is certainly more capable off-road than this little concept truck. But we are seeing with the other small trucks on the market that small trucks with reasonable capability are very popular.
Sure, a lot of Jeep diehards would scoff at it. But for an inexpensive and fun city truck with limited off-road abilities priced in say the upper $20K range. This could still be a big hit for the brand.
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