Some folks will go a healthy distance to hit trails where four wheels aren't enough. In this case, the choice destination for hardier offroaders is Rausch Creek in Pennsylvania, where YouTubers Street Speed 717 decided to test out a vehicle that rolled out four days earlier. Enter the 25-foot 6x6-wheel Jeep Gladiator, designed to reach those hard-to-get places, which was put to the ultimate test according to footage released Monday.
This Special Gladiator Is Only Four Days Old
Short of outfitting offroaders with tracks, going 6x6 is about as badass as offroad vehicles can get. Dodge Wrangler 6x6 vehicles powered by hellcat engines have been around for a while. And a limited edition 6x6 Toyota pickup is only available in Australia. And there's been a lot of ink devoted to six-wheelers customized by the likes of Hennessey and Diesel Brothers for gearheads to salivate over. As for Gladiators, you can get a customized one from the likes of west-coaster Next Level, Salt Lake City's Agility Customs, or Florida's SoFlo Jeeps.
Our YouTubers don't specify where they got this special Gladiator from, only that it was rolled out four days earlier and was available to test at Rausch Creek, a favorite stomping ground for rugged road warriors. This 25-footer is going to need power, but once again details are sketchy. But count on something equivalent to what's available from next Level: a V6 engine available in either a two- or three-liter version, any of which can provide the driver with nearly 300 horsepower.
All-Wheel Drive For Six Wheels
What we do know about this one hitting Rausch Creek is that it has an eight speed transmission and can operate in either two or four-wheel drive. That, however is misleading. Two actually refers to the four back wheels, while all-wheel drive affects all six wheels on this Jeep.
Those attributes all come in handy when taking to the intimidating trails and water crossings. In low gear, they effortless can handle 45-degree turns while the back wheels crawl over boulders effortlessly. And ditto when it comes to crossing creeks. And shifting into high gear enables one driver to spin donuts on gravel.
"These Gladiators, they just don't look right until you have those bug chunky tires on them and a lift," commented one YouTuber. "And then, they're a whole different vehicle. Just a gorgeous, gorgious truck."
One Stubborn Rock A Minor Obstacle
They did have a problem with one stubborn rock that trapped the vehicle on the front axle, leaving the Jeep's right front wheel dangling off the ground. But some crafty maneuvering solved that problem.
The verdict according to one of the drivers who had a blast with the Gladiator at Raush Creek? First he had no way to compare it to a four-wheel version, since he hadn't tested one under these conditions. But he did manage one accolade: "I can't say it's drastically better than a regular Gladiator, but I can tell you it's definitely not worse, and that's fantastic."
Source: Street Speed 717