Is The Jeep Gladiator Right For You?

TEXT AND IMAGES BY BRYON DORR

By now you’ve seen the specs and probably have seen a few of the ‘20 Jeep Gladiator trucks rolling around the streets near you. Have you been behind the wheel yet? I have, and played with the full gambit of JT configurations, on and off road. Let’s dive into what this vehicle is really all about.

Is It a Jeep?

Is the Gladiator a Jeep? The short answer is a resounding, yes. The new Gladiator is a stout off-road capable 4x4 with solid axels and body-on-frame architecture. It offers everything you can get in a modern Jeep Wrangler, with the addition of a truck bed. That means you can remove the top and doors, as well as drop the windshield, for the ultimate open air motoring experience. A very unique experience in a truck, but expected in a proper Jeep.

Is It a Truck?

The Gladiator is a proper pickup truck in every way. It has a truck bed and offers up impressive payload, up to 1,600 pounds, and towing capacity, up to 7,650 pounds. Note that the truck bed is relatively shallow and only five feet long. The Gladiator isn’t the best gear hauling truck, but it is great at hauling a good mix of people and gear. You can only get it in a 4-door short-bed configuration — for now.

Off Road Prowess

For the Gladiator to be taken seriously it needs to have substantial off-road chops. Of course it does, as it is basically a Jeep Wrangler with a longer frame, truck bed and RAM 1500 rear suspension. This truck has earned its Jeep Trail Rated badging.

It offers an impressive 43-degree entry angle, but does fall a bit short on the breakover and departure angles, 26 and 20.3 respectively. The ground clearance is also impressive, and possibly the most important thing, at 11.1 inches. Do note that the long wheelbase will hang up on some obstacles, and you can expect to put the sliders and rear bed corner protectors to good use. The rear bed corner protectors are built right, as they can hold up to one-third of the vehicle’s weight before they start to deform.