Jeep Gladiator Pickup is One Feature Away From Perfection
Long-awaited off-roader is the Wrangler pickup we all wanted, but Jeep also needs a regular cab configuration.
The 2020 Jeep Gladiator that debuted last week during the opening media day of the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show is the Wrangler pickup that the off-roading community has been calling for since the early days of the JK platform. It isn’t called the Wrangler pickup, but this mid-sized Jeep truck is just that, combining the look, feel and functionality of the legendary SUV with the capabilities of a pickup.
In fact, the key complaint about the new Gladiator isn’t something that the Jeep engineers did wrong; it is something that they didn’t do at all. The new Wrangler-inspired pickup is only offered as a four-door Crew Cab with a five-foot bed, leaving those Jeepers who would prefer a two-door, regular cab truck without a configuration to meet their needs.
Gladiator: Perfect Wrangler Pickup
If we set aside the lack of a regular cab configuration for a second, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator pickup that debuted last week and continues to be on display this week in L.A. is just about perfect. It embodies everything that makes the Wrangler great into a truck, adding the greater payload and towing capacities that come with the pickup design.
On the outside, the Gladiator is as much a Wrangler pickup as is possible. While the four-door cab is shorter than the Unlimited version of the SUV, the basic shape of the pickup from the roofline-forward has been perfectly carried over. The face of the new JL has been adapted to the midsized truck without losing any of its character, as have the flared fender designs and the boxy top line of America’s most off-road capable sports utility vehicle.
Of course, the Gladiator offers greater payload capacity than the Wrangler, both in volume and weight ratings. The five-foot cargo bed allows this Jeep to better-serve as a workhorse for the daily grind or a weekend project, although the Trail Rated brand showcased the truck with a bed full of dirt bikes. You certainly can’t haul motorcycles in your Wrangler.
On the inside, the dashboard of the Gladiator has the same look, feel and features as the Wrangler, so while there are some dimensional changes with the Crew Cab truck cabin compared the Unlimited SUV, the inspiration behind the interior design of this Jeep truck is unmistakable.
Trail Rated Capabilities
While it was important for the new Jeep Gladiator to look like the legendary Wrangler, it is just as important for the new pickup to perform like the Wrangler. Like all of their modern vehicles, the Gladiator is “trail rated”, with the Rubicon package offering everything needed to make this the most off-road-capable truck in the mid-sized segment.
The standard engine in the Gladiator when it goes on sale is the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 mated to a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission. This mill makes solid power for a truck of this size, allowing it to tow 7,650 pounds or charge through the densest off-road trails, but later on, there will be an EcoDiesel option as well. A powerful V6 gas engine and an even stronger diesel leave little for prospective buyers to want for when shopping for the first Jeep pickup in decades, so in addition to all of its capabilities, the Gladiator packs the power needed to shine in the segment.
Really, if we were to have asked 100 Jeep fans who wanted to see a Wrangler-based pickup to describe their ideal truck, the odds are good that many of them would have imagined something that looks just like the Gladiator. The only thing that Jeep seemingly missed was offering more than one cab configuration, as there are members of the off-road world who are still hoping for a regular cab Gladiator.
One Missing Piece
The 2020 Jeep Gladiator that is currently on display is perfect, but the line as a whole is missing a small cab configuration. While the entire truck world has gone away from the smaller, two-door cabs, there is still a demand for the smaller passenger’s compartment and smaller wheelbase, or a bigger bed.
Offering a Gladiator with a two-door cab would allow Jeep to offer a slightly larger bad on the same chassis as the Crew Cab with the five-foot bed. This would cater to those buyers who need more cargo space or who want less passenger space, as not every truck owner needs seating for four or five people. For a young couple or a single individual who spends lots of time trekking into the wilderness, a regular cab Jeep truck with a short bed and shorter wheelbase would make for a better off-road machine while the shorter cab and a larger bed on the longer wheelbase would be ideal for anyone who needs to carry a lot of gear into the woods for a weekend getaway.
If Jeep were to create a Gladiator regular cab with a cabin that has a 40/20/40 bench up front and a small storage space behind the seats, the Trail Rated brand would have an answer to anything offered by any competitor in the mid-sized segment while offering the unbeatable performance of the legendary Wrangler.
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