Four Wheeler – September 2019

28 SEPTEMBER 2019 FOUR WHEELER

Our Opinions
Ken Brubaker, Editor, Four Wheeler: I’ve
ridden dirt bikes for years (well, more
like fallen off dirt bikes for years), so
Flatbill grabbed my attention. With
the bikes tethered to the bed, the
concept clearly illustrates the Gladi-
ator’s functionality as an honest-to-
goodness pickup truck. Flatbill also
illustrates how a set of 40-inch tires
looks great under a Gladiator. Gotta
love the Dynatrac ProRock 60 axles,
too. I like the design and color of
the wheels, but I’m not so enthused
about the big 20-inch diameter.

Sean Holman, Group Content Director,
MotorTrend: One extreme of the

Feature 2019 Jeep Concepts

Jeep Flatbill

G

ladiator + motocross +

desert lifestyle. That’s the

takeaway Jeep and Mopar want

you to have from this Gladiator

that’s a dedicated bike truck. It

rides on 40s with 8-lug wheels

and Dynatrac Dana 60s with

only 2 inches of lift. Just 2

inches? They had to re-craft the

flares and took out the inner

wheel liner to make it happen. They also couldn’t keep the stock front

bumper. The carbon-fiber flares (modified versions of last year’s concept

Sandstorm) and hood are custom, the B-pillar is blacked out to make the cab

look a bit bigger, and the soft top has the panels pulled off. Making the racks

for the bikes required a thinking cap, since there are real working compo-

nents; rather than strapping in the bikes, you’re able to slide them in and out

and use clamps to hold them. There are also LEDs all the way around the box

to light up the bikes. Also, they let the bikes influence the styling and graphics.

After reading all this, if you gathered this concept is all about the bikes, you

gathered correctly.

sports venues that may find the Gladi-

ator to be their cup of tea.

Harry Wagner, Contributor, Four

Wheeler: 40s with only a 2-inch lift?

Coilovers and bypass shocks? Sign

me up! This truck is really sweet,

and I like the motocross-inspired

graphics and interior. That said, I’m

not sure Jeep is really showcasing

what a great pickup truck they have

when the back half of the motor-

cycles hang out of the 5-foot-long

bed. Maybe they should have used

pit bikes instead. fw

Gladiator build envelope catering to

the motocross and desert crowd with

go-fast looks and capability, mixed

with an innovative way to secure bikes

in the bed. This is one that will get

you out to your favorite riding spots at

speed so you don’t lose an ounce of

adrenaline between rides.

Rick Péwé, Editor, Jp Magazine: Sadly,

there is an element of truth to this

concept—a devil-may-care attitude

that breaks the bounds of true Jeep-

ing. This “lifestyle” concept is well

crafted and uniquely detailed, but it’s

not aimed at the core of the market.

Kudos to Jeep for stepping out to other

Backstory Bits

->“Flatbill’ describes the hat...not even the hat, it’s the guy who wears the

hat. This is his truck. Long shorts and tall, black socks.”

->“I’ve been preaching the low lift for many, many years. I didn’t invent it,

but I’m a big fan, because it used to be for a 40-inch tire you needed, 6, 8,

10 inches of lift and lots of cutting. Paying attention to that as we developed

JL and now JT, where we again, widened the axles and cleared all that out,

that’s I think paying attention to detail.”

—Mark Allen, Head of Jeep Design, FCA North America