JEEP Gladiator 2020

Body and cabin

The Jeep Gladiator copies the Wrangler right up to the centre pillars. However, it adds 48 cm to the wheelbase and is 75 cm longer overall, relative to the Wrangler. With a 349-cm wheelbase, 554-cm overall length and 5-ft (about 153 cm) bed, the Gladiator is the longest of the midsize short-bed pickups.

Consequently, rear passengers enjoy class-leading legroom and headroom. The rear bench is high enough for good thigh support, and it folds in two ways to create a sheltered load compartment. Rear passengers also get air vents, a pair of USB ports and a 115-volt power outlet.

Front passenger space is adequate, though certain competing vehicles offer more. There is no dead pedal, which becomes uncomfortable after a few dozen kilometres. Otherwise, the driving position is satisfactory, one you get used to having the windshield so close.

For the ultimate open-air experience, the windshield folds down and the roof and all four doors can be completely removed. It still takes a number of steps and a few tools, though Jeep has simplified the task somewhat over the generations. However, as there is no place to store all the parts inside once they are removed, it’s best to check the weather first.

You can, however, remove just half of the hard top to obtain an opening about the size of a panoramic sunroof. The Gladiator also offers an exclusive power-fold feature for the soft-top front section. Jeep has built several pickups since its creation, but none as versatile as this one.

The dashboard reprises the attractive design and simple controls of the current Wrangler. The many convenience features, careful finish and quality of materials compare well to more upscale vehicles. Iconic Jeep references go hand in hand with the latest technologies.

The multimedia system is one of the most user-friendly on the market, especially with the 17.8-cm/7-in. or 21.3-cm/8.4-in. touch screen. Sport S trim features a smaller, less accommodating display without Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity. Fortunately, you can substitute a 7-in. screen and at the same time get automatic climate control and an excellent reconfigurable colour display in the instrument panel.

Sold for $995, that particular package is just one of many options and accessory groupings that can push the price of a Rubicon to well over $70,000. Yes, pickups can be costly, but in this case it borders on abusive. FCA is expecting high demand and has priced the vehicle accordingly.

Safety

The most significant driver assist features are available, including blind-spot monitoring with rear cross traffic warning, and automatic emergency braking (AEB) with adaptive cruise control. The systems are optional on all versions but the second cannot be obtained without the first: if you just want AEB, for example, it will cost $2,350—for equipment that is standard on a $20,000 Toyota Corolla.

Like the Jeep Wrangler on which it is based, and convertibles in general, the Jeep Gladiator does not have a fixed roof. It therefore does not have curtain airbags, which diminishes protection in case of rollover or a serious side impact. This vulnerability is offset somewhat by the height of the vehicle, as long as the doors are in place, obviously.

The Gladiator has not yet been evaluated for crash protection, but the Jeep Wrangler, which has the same front structure, obtained a 4/5 rating in U.S. government tests for front-impact protection.

Mechanical overview

Despite appearances, the Jeep Gladiator differs from the Wrangler in several areas. The chassis is not only longer but also reinforced relative to the Wrangler, and even comes from a different supplier.

Also unique, the rear suspension uses the same upper arms as the RAM 1500. However, the Gladiator keeps the leaf springs, instead of adopting the 1500’s coil springs. Jeep also equips its pickup with larger axles than those of the Wrangler.

All that means added weight, compared to the SUV, even though both use aluminum for the doors, hood, hinges, fenders, windshield frame and hatch. Jeep’s decision to beef up the Gladiator’s brakes and equip it with ventilated rear rotors seems wise.

Under the hood is FiatChrysler’s omnipresent 3.6-litre V6 engine. In this case it develops 285 hp at 6,400 RPMs and 260 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 RPMs, exactly as in the Wrangler. Unlike the latter, the Gladiator does not offer the 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder that also appears on the Jeep Cherokee and Alfa Romeo Stelvio.

That engine lowers the Wrangler’s combined city/highway fuel consumption rating by 10 percent; you can expect an average of over 12 L/100 km with the V6 automatic Gladiator.

However, Jeep is promising a 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 developing 442 lb-ft of torque and 260 hp. It will be a more powerful version of the 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee and RAM 1500 engine.

The revised emissions management system should silence allegations that challenged the first generation of this engine, for which FCA negotiated a settlement... in the U.S. only. It remains to be seen when this engine will materialise, since the automaker has been promising it ever since the launch of the latest-generation Wrangler in 2017.

The V6 gasoline engine is delivered with a six-speed manual transmission chosen by around 15 percent of Canadian purchasers of the Wrangler. It seems like a small percentage but it surpasses the industry average. Thoroughly revised during the Wrangler remake, the transmission appears on all trims; the Toyota Tacoma, the only rival of the Gladiator to still offer a manual, restricts it to a single trim.

The optional, eight-speed automatic transmission is expensive ($1,595), but it is one of the best automatics on the market.

All Wranglers come with a part-time 4X4 system with low range. A self-locking rear differential is optional on Sport S and Overland models. The Rubicon is equipped with a more robust 4X4 system that can tackle the toughest trails.

It also offers a shorter rear axle ratio, heavy-duty axles, lockable differentials, performance shocks, additional skid plates and off-road tires. An electronic disconnecting front sway bar provides even more leeway over very uneven terrain.

An essential measure of a pickup, towing capacity varies between 1,814 kg/4,000 lb and 3,469 kg/7,650 lb, the latter applying only to the Sport S automatic equipped with the maximum towing package.

Driving impressions

The first thing you notice at the wheel of the Jeep Gladiator is the efficiency of its powertrain. The automatic transmission works so well with the V6 engine that you always have an ample reserve of power, despite the vehicle’s considerable weight. Sampled in the Jeep Wrangler, the manual transmission proves much more precise than in preceding generations of this series. However, its long gear ratios have you playing with the shifter to maintain your uphill speed.

The next things you notice is that the noise level is acceptable with the hard top but still very loud with the soft top. It contrasts with the surprisingly smooth ride we experienced on the well-maintained roads of California’s capital city of Sacramento. The ride is much more compliant than that of a Toyota Tacoma or Wrangler, notably thanks to the Gladiator’s longer wheelbase.

However, a Honda Ridgeline proves more civilized, thanks to its independent suspension, and infinitely more agile and adept in turns. It is the price to pay for the pair of rigid axles between the wheels of the Jeep.

On the other hand, those are the components that make all the difference off the beaten path. We had an opportunity to roam a remote ranch in the hills north of Sacramento at the wheel of a Gladiator. Several test drivers confided that the circuit was almost as daunting as the formidable Rubicon Trail. Thanks to the many specialised features of the Gladiator Rubicon—the name is non-coincidental, as you might expect—we overcame uncommonly difficult obstacles for such a long, voluminous vehicle.

For the record, we won’t soon forget the flat tire that occurred right at the start of a rocky incline made extremely slippery by the rain. When the guide told us to step up the pace, the skid plates under the cabin were put to the test! The 45 minutes it took the support team to change the tire was proof that you do not venture into such territory without being thoroughly prepared.