32 10BEST FOR 2020 JANUARY 2020 ~ CARAND DRIVER
The 10Best-winning Gladiator
isn’t really built to turn or accel-
erate, though it will do both those
things well enough for most drivers.
And while it is truthful to say this is
the best-handling and best-riding
Wrangler product ever to come out
of Toledo, Ohio, that is a bar that’s
barely higher than Craigslist’s “ran
when parked.” Wranglers can be
a mess on the road. These trucks
thrive in the dirt, and we’re giving
this Jeep our highest praise because
it accomplishes a purpose that only
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and yet is better to live with than the
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gives back in utility.
Corvettes, Supras, and 718s are
exceptional at what they do. How-
ever, those are daily drivers for sin-
gles or DINKs. In practical terms,
two-seaters are third cars. The
Gladiator is a better primary vehicle
than any of those sports cars, and it
excels as a third car for completing
honey-do lists or just enjoying nice
weather with the fam. As with any
second or third car, there are times
you will not grab its keys. Long
stretches behind the Gladiator’s
wheel tax the eardrums. A heav y
crosswind or head wind can make
you feel like a captain in rough seas.
But all the noise—both literal
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the fact that the Gladiator is great
where those sports cars fail: Mov-
ing people, things, or trailers (up
to 7650 pounds) is not a problem.
Secret trail to the beach that only
the locals know? Piece of cake.
Judged against other pickups of
comparable size, as we did in last
year’s May issue, the Gladiator isn’t
the best, not even second best. But it
isn’t just a pickup. It’s a convertible
pickup wagon dreamed up in the
vein of an 83-function Swiss Army
knife for the road. It will help you
harvest your grapes, buy the yeast,
move your storage casks, uncork
your wine, and drink it, too. You
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that only a few other 10Besters do?
A manual transmission.
There is a toylike novelty to
removing the top and doors and
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Opinion
—BMW X2 M 35 i
I’d love to put
this in a time
machine dialed
to Munich- Execs
would be
leaping from the
four-cylinder
building.
BMW Z 4
sDrive3 0 i
Still feels like a
sports car made
by a dedicated
sedan company.
It makes me
want a four-
cylinder Supra.BMW Z 4 M 40 i
Beyond giving
you a leathery
tan, the
Z4 can offer no
reason not to
pick the Supra.Cadillac CT5
They’ve taken
out all that was
good about
the ATS and
CTS and added
nothing to
the mix.
—
This costs over
$50,000? How
does the same
company that
makes a $59,995
mid-engine
sports car build
this thing?Chevrolet Blazer
This would be
much better for
$10,000 less.