FIRST DRIVE
Remote reservoirs for the shock absorber
oil (cylinder with black tube above) keep
the shocks from overheating.
V-6 is powerful enough on paper, but it
is hampered by long transmission gears
from its eight-speed automatic. It gets
the job done fine, but when the truck can
handle this much speed off-road, you
want to get up to speed fast. Foot flat on
the floor, the Mojave gets moving, but you
keep thinking how much better it would
be if it had Raptor power.
Anyone not living in the Southwest—or
a similar area—is probably still wondering
why they should buy the Mojave over the
Rubicon, so let’s lay it out. Yes, the Mojave
loses the Rubicon’s selectable front locker
and disconnecting front anti-roll bar, but
it supplants them with a virtual brake-
based front locker and that trick suspen-
sion that doesn’t need to disconnect
anything. In almost any situation you can
get a Gladiator into, the Mojave’s virtual
front locker will get you out nearly as
well as the Rubicon’s mechanical locker.
The Rubicon will never keep up with the
Mojave at higher speeds, period.Maybe you can’t go desert racing
every weekend where you live. It doesn’t
matter. Be it a forest service road, a
logging road, an off-road park, or your
back 40, you can rip it up in the Mojave in
ways you just can’t with any other Glad-
iator. The extra $245 it’ll cost you over a
Rubicon is the best money you’ll spend
on a new truck. Yeah, that makes it the
most expensive Gladiator. It’s worth it. QSomeone get this thing either two more
cylinders or two more turbos.2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave
BASE PRICE $45,370LAYOUT Front-engine, 4W5-pass, 4-door truckD,ENGINE 3.6L/285-hp/260-lb-ft
DOHC 24-valve V-6
TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT 5,000 lb (mfr)
WHEELBASE 137.3 in
L X W X H 218.0 x 73.8 x 73.1 in
0-60 MPH 8.5 sec (MT est)
EPA FUEL ECON, CITY/
HWY/COMB17/22/19 mpgENERGY CONSUMPTION,
CITY/HWY198/153 kW-hr/100 milesCO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.02 lb/mile
ON SALE CurrentlySEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 39