The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is finally here after so many years of relentless teasing.
And as expected, it’s a stretched-out Wrangler with a bed.
Look, we wanted to be more excited about the 2020 Jeep Gladiator, but after so many years of relentless teasing, spy photos, and leaked info, it’s hard to be surprised by what FCA is offering here. Sure, it looks just as off-road capable as any Jeep Wrangler ever made, and sure, having a pickup bed means you can haul your friend’s couch when he gets kicked out of his girlfriend’s apartment, but we just knew these things were coming from a mile away.
Sort of how you knew how there’d be a breakup requiring you to haul your friend’s couch.
If you only look at the Gladiator from the driver’s side door forward, the pickup is EXACTLY the same as the Wrangler JL right down to the bumper. The only difference is that the Gladiator’s body is 31 inches longer and its wheelbase is also extended 19 inches.
Internally, the Gladiator gets larger axles, bigger brakes, beefier suspension, and a set of unique 33-inch tires. The engine remains the same 3.6-L Pentastar V6 that powers the Wrangler, producing the same 285 horses and 260 lb-ft of torque. The same 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic provides power to all four wheels.
Jeep says the Gladiator gets best-in-class towing at 7,650 lbs, and best in class 4x4 payload at 1,600 lbs.
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As with the Wrangler, a host of driver assistance features are available, including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross path detection, rear backup camera with dynamic grid lines, adaptive cruise control, and a forward-facing off-road camera to see if you’re about to run over any pointy rocks that might punch through the skid plate.
Inside are the same 5, 7, or 8.4-inch UConnect infotainment screens you’ve seen on other FCA vehicles, along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility for the 7 or 8.4-inch designs.
Jeep didn’t give us pricing, but they did say that the 3.0-L EcoDiesel model would be coming out in 2020. Expect to see the Gladiator in dealer rooms sometime next year.