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DRIVESDemocrats, perhaps? Unlikely. But the president-approved
Scrambler was a pretty useful vehicle that remains, like
most Jeep CJs and Wranglers, blessed with astronomic
resale value. Indeed, the Comanche was the last real
Jeep pickup, a part-unibody (and consequently light-
duty) trucklet based on the Jeep Cherokee and sold from
1985 to 1992. Resale value is just now catching up to the
Comanche, especially the four-wheel-drive model with the
thirsty but bulletproof 4.0-liter inline-six.
So what’s taken so long to bring back a genuine Jeep
pickup? That’s a question Jeep execs are happy to answer;
they have been building so many Wranglers that adding
another model just wasn’t a consideration until several
years ago, when the team took the bit in their teeth and put
pencil to paper. That followed, of course, a $700 million
retooling of the Toledo, Ohio, plant where the Wrangler is
built, thus providing the capacity to handle a new model.
The result: a product that is so much better than it needs
to be, with such follow-through, utility, and attention to
detail, that several of us wondered what these men and
women could do with, say, the Chrysler 300 or Dodge Journey.
An example is a very accurate, sectored nose camera
offered on the top model that allows for boulder crawling
even if you don’t have a spotter. This wasn’t included on
the loaded Wrangler Rubicons we drove on the brutal
Rubicon Trail just late last summer. The Gladiator isn’t just
a stretched Wrangler; it’s improved over the Wrangler’s
flagship with multiple features that will migrate to the rest
of the lineup.
The basics: There are three models—Sport, Overland, and
the premium Rubicon. Jeep insists the corporate mandate
was that the vehicle had to be “best in class,” the other
members of that class being “midsize pickups” including the
Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Chevrolet Colorado, and
the new Ford Ranger. Worthy vehicles all, but the Gladiator
is a different animal. Even Jeep executives speculated that
Gladiator buyers might come, in large numbers, from other
Wrangler models, thus “cannibalizing” the brand. But so
what? The money still goes into the same pocket.Part of that “best in” mandate, and thanks to enhanced
engine cooling, the Gladiator can tow a whopping 7,650
pounds when properly equipped. We towed a boat that
weighed, with trailer, about 6,000 pounds, and the Pen-
tastar engine and busy transmission handled it. Climbing
a moderately steep hill did not inspire huge confidence,
though. If we towed more than 7,000 pounds regular-
ly, we’d probably opt for the Ram pickup. Note: If you’re
thinking of waiting for the upcoming Jeep diesel, it will
actually be rated with a slightly lower towing capacity.
The only engine offered now is the familiar 3.6-liter
Pentastar V-6, rated at 285 hp at 6,400 rpm and 260 lb-ft of
torque at 4,400 rpm. The diesel, which comes in mid-2020,
is a 3.0-liter V-6 rated at 260 hp and 442 lb-ft. Official EPA
mileage for the Pentastar wasn’t available as of this writing,
but it shouldn’t be much different than the 2019 rating
of 18/23/20 mpg city/highway/combined for the current
Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited. That’s for the automatic; the
manual is 1 mpg worse around town and averages 19 mpg
combined. The take rate for the manual is only 6 percent,
so if you insist on one, you may have to order it.
The 850RE eight-speed automatic is eager and capable,
equally adept both on- and off-road. We briefly drove a
Gladiator equipped with the base six-speed manual, and
although it was surprisingly fun on the road, we much
prefer the automatic when the going gets rough.
The wheelbase was lengthened to 137.3 inches to accom-
modate the relatively shallow 5-foot steel bed. (The doors
and hood are aluminum.) Add a couple of 2x4s across the
bed braces, and you can stack 4-by-8-foot sheets of ply-
wood to your heart’s content.
The solid axles use a five-link coil suspension design
with forward-facing shocks; in the Rubicon, they’re Fox