The 2026 Jeep Recon: A Jeep that lets you relive the Top Gear Botswana Special

If you — somehow — don't know what I'm talking about, British TV Presenters Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May set out to Botswana and were tasked with buying a 2WD car for under £1,500 and drive it across the Botswana forest to the Zimbabwe border. These were the cars they bought:

• Richard Hammond: 1963 Opel Kadett — aka "Oliver".
• Jeremy CLAAARKSOOON: 1981 Lancia Beta Coupe — a car that was prone to overheating and its electrics failing.
• James May: 1985 Mercedes Benz 230E — A heavy German cruiser that refused to die.

The point is, when they reached the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Jeremy and May decided to remove the doors on their car — along with some other parts — to cross it safely without getting stuck, thus getting this photograph.

Now Karminrots, what does this Jeep and these three cars have in common, you ask? Well, you can remove the doors and the roof of this Jeep, just like these three cars did.

Now, yes, you can also do the same thing with the rest of the Jeep models, but this is the only EV that can do this, all while going up to 250 miles on a single charge — about the same range of the Kia EV6 or the Chevy Equinox EV (on the standard battery).

Underneath the doorless, roofless frame is a huge 100.5-kWh battery powering a 4WD setup which gives the Recon a staggering 650 horsepower and 620 lb-ft of instant torque. It even has a 0–60 time of 3.6 seconds — I am not joking! A boxy, doorless Jeep is faster off the line than a base Porsche Taycan. The Recon is proudly 'Trail Rated': It comes straight from the factory with massive 33-inch all-terrain tires, heavy-duty underbody protection, a rear locking differential for extreme rock crawling, and a 'Selec-Terrain traction management system' (basically Snow, Sand/Mud, and Rock mode).

It is basically the ultimate Botswana survival vehicle. Although, if you do plan on taking it on a 1,000-mile road trip across the African salt pans, you might want to pack a really big portable solar charger, or reconsider the vehicle, because you are not going anywhere with only 250 miles of range.

Karminrots, would you but the Recon?