54
DRIVES2020
JEEPGLADIATOR
ON SALE:
Now
BASE PRICE:
$35,040
ENGINE:
3.6L DOHC
24-valve V-6/280 hp
@ 6,400 rpm, 260 lb-ft
@ 4,400 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS:
6-speed manual,
8-speed automatic
LAYOUT:
4-door, 5-passenger,
front-engine, 4WD pickup
EPA MILEAGE:
17 /22 (city/hwy) (est)
L x W x H:
218.0 x 73.8 x 74.1-76.1 in
WHEELBASE:
137.3 in
WEIGHT:
4,650-5,072 lb
0–60 MPH:
7.4 sec (est)
TOP SPEED:
125 mph (est)Loosen four bolts, and you can fold down the wind-
shield. The doors are removable. Depending on your pro-
pensity for enjoying open-air motoring, you can choose
from one soft top and a pair of hard tops. But suffice it to
say, all these features are so nicely thought through that
you can’t go wrong in your choices. Add to that the fact
Jeep will offer more than 200 parts and pieces at rollout
to further personalize your Gladiator, and heaven only
knows how many will show up from aftermarketers at this
year’s SEMA Show.
So how does it all work? Quite well. In order to get to
our off-road driving, Jeep took us through a seemingly
endless loop of extremely tight winding roads more
suited to a Mazda Miata than the Rubicon. By the time
we got there, we’d had enough tight switchbacks in the
5,072-pound Rubicon, though it did handle them with
moderate poise. Seats were comfortable and supportive
even on the tight turns.
Off-road—yes. Although Jeeps enjoy the highest per-
centage of owner off-roading, it’s still a shame there are
customers who seldom if ever traverse terrain more taxing
than a gravel road. Some of the boulder crossings we tack-
led seemed simply impossible, and even with a decidedly
unaggressive tread pattern that favored pavement, the tires
are far more capable than they look—and they still work
well, and quietly, on the tarmac. Massive steel skidplates
made horrible sounds but emerged virtually unscathed.
Base prices were set just before press time: The Sport
starts at $35,040; the top-of-the-line Rubicon starts at
exactly $10,000 more and reaches to the moon and to the
limits of your checkbook as you add equipment. If you
consider one, do yourself and the engineers a favor and
really go through the Gladiator front to rear. You’ll notice
little things like the Torx bolt bit size printed on the door
hinge so you don’t have to guess which wrench you need
from the included toolkit to remove the door.
Little things like that, and the rest of the package,
should make the Gladiator another hit for Jeep. If there’s
one automotive group in the U.S. that has its stuff together,
it’s this one. AMThe Jeep Gladiator’s bed is
shallow, but with 2 x4 cross-
braces, it can haul full-sized
sheets of plywood.