Jeep Hurricane: The Concept Car That Never Was but Should Have Been
Jeep has many fans that adore the cars that the brand has made over the years. Unfortunately for Jeep fans, however, a few Jeep models will be next to impossible to get behind the wheel of. Here’s a look at the Jeep Hurricane, a $2 million concept car that would’ve been a great addition to the Jeep lineup.
Jeep fans have a lot of options, but not this one
Like many automakers, Jeep has been around for a long time. Jeep has been popular for so long and for many reasons over the years, but it helps that Jeep has been able to maintain its fan base. After all, Jeep fans know what to expect when they shop for their next ride. While there are differences and variations between Jeeps, pretty much every Jeep will be great to go off-roading with.
On top of that, while Jeeps can have a nice interior, Jeeps aren’t exactly a luxury brand. As such, while there are some expensive Jeeps, most are quite affordable. Plus, it helps that most Jeeps are worth the money. Still, not all Jeeps are that way. Additionally, while Jeep has made great affordable cars for off-roading, Jeep wasn’t able to accomplish that goal with the Hurricane.
The Jeep Hurricane was unveiled as a concept car in 2005, and Jeep clearly didn’t plan on bringing it to production. There were many reasons for that, but Jeep fans still missed out on a great Jeep overall.
The Jeep Hurricane’s features
Jeeps are known for off-roading, so, as HowStuffWorks wrote, the Hurricane was the Jeep for folks who were “really into” off-roading. Off the bat, it featured not one but two 5.7-liter V8 engines. Combined, they produced 670 hp and 740 lb-ft of torque. This allowed the Hurricane to go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. These aren’t outrageous numbers today, but back in 2005, they were quite remarkable.
What is still remarkable about the Hurricane, however, was its steering. It had a four-wheel independent steering system, which allowed each wheel to turn in a different direction. It also allowed the Hurricane to do a crab-steer. This meant that it could move from side to side without changing its forward-facing direction. This type of tech is still pretty advanced, and few cars have it today.
Furthermore, this steering system allowed it to rotate in place. It essentially could have a turning radius of zero, according to HowStuffWorks. The Jeep Hurricane also had a carbon fiber body, which was advanced at the time. These features and its other off-roading additions made the Hurricane one of the best off-roading vehicles that Jeep has ever made.
Simply too expensive, however
While the Jeep Hurricane was a great concept car that showed the world what Jeep was capable of, it was pretty clear that Jeep had no intentions of making a production version. After all, the Hurricane, as it was, would’ve cost $2 million apiece. Obviously, that’s not going to be affordable for many folks. Jeep, in theory, can make the Hurricane less advanced to make it cheaper, but it’s not clear how cheap it ultimately could’ve been even with cost-cutting measures.
In any case, while it would’ve been great if the Hurricane ever made it into production, Jeep didn’t lose much from it. As HowStuffWorks reported, Jeep’s parent company, FCA, actually got a few patents while developing the car. So, while there’s probably no chance that the Hurricane ever goes into production, there’s a good chance that its patents will be used in future cars.
