RE: Jeep Gladiator Overland | Driven

RE: Jeep Gladiator Overland | Driven

Sunday 27th October 2019

2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland | PH Review

Are you not entertained?



While some Brits will associate the word Gladiator with the early 'nineties TV show that pitted punters against lycra-clad athletes with names like Blaze and Burn, I'm of the generation more likely to immediately think of Ridley Scott's sandals-and-swords cinematic epic. I'll normally start quoting dialogue soon afterwards: "I will have my vengeance in this life or the next," "what we do in this life echoes in eternity," and my personal favourite, muttered after a many an overtake: "a people should know when they are conquered."

It was quite possibly the manliest movie of all time, with Russell Crowe's glowering Maximus Decimus tough enough to beat the entire Roman empire. Behind the scenes, it got even more macho, co-star Oliver Reed famously dying of a heart attack during filming after getting into a drinking competition with a group of much younger Royal Navy sailors, beating several of them at arm wrestling for good measure.

Gladiator is, in short, a word so impossibly virile that very few vehicles could wear it without looking ridiculous, or like parodies of themselves. Yet this ultra-butch Jeep pick-up absolutely pulls it off.


There have been Jeep Gladiators before, the first introduced as long ago as 1962. But since the lighter weight Jeep Comanche died in 1992 the seemingly obvious combination of Jeep off-road ability with pick-up utility wasn't offered until the new Gladiator arrived in the 'States earlier this year. As the looks suggest it shares a fair percentage of its underpinnings with the JL-generation Wrangler which is already in Europe, but a significant amount is different as well.

For a start, it's huge. The Gladiator's combination of two rows of seats and a decent sized truck bed means that it dwarfs both the already sizeable Wrangler and pretty much everything else on the road. At 5540mm in length it is longer than a Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, with a 3487mm wheelbase being slightly bigger than a Toyota Aygo's entire body. The sheer mass has created sizeable challenges to delivering the sort of performance Jeeps are meant to be capable of over bumpy stuff. Glancing underneath the chassis - there isn't far to duck - reveals two massive solid axles, this in an era when even the Land Rover Defender has gone fully independent - but also myriad protection plates to guard the underside from rocks or anything else sharp that it is trying to articulate its way over. This has clearly been designed for some very proper off-road use.

Which I couldn't give it. My drive of the Gladiator was restricted to rural Michigan rather than the Rubicon Trail. The toughest non-tarmac challenges I could find for it were a length of gravel track and a muddy field, both of which it conquered without leaving rear wheel drive. (I did also try both 'four high' and 'four low' modes, but only so I could say that I had.) So if you want to know what it's like in the true wilderness then consult one of the many reviews that seem to have been done by blokes with bushy beards and tartan shirts. Oh, and because I didn't have a photographer with me, you're looking at these impossibly rugged images of the Gladiator in what Jeep's PR department would like you to believe is its more natural environment.


On road you'll be surprised to hear that the Gladiator is both crude and likeable. Power comes from a naturally-aspirated 3.6-litre V6 which makes 285hp and accompanies this with 260lb ft of torque, a surprisingly modest number in this turbocharged era. It's enough to give the Gladiator a respectable turn of speed - 0-60mph is in the mid-7s depending on which magazine tester you believe - and while the engine is loud and bordering on harsh under hard acceleration it fades to acceptable quietness at a cruise. A six-speed manual is standard although most Gladiator buyers will opt to pay $2000 extra for the eight-speed autobox that was fitted to my test car, and which works well with the old-school powerplant.

Given that buyers will be well aware that they aren't getting sportscars, dynamics are more than good enough. A towering driving position means looking down on pretty much everything else, it feels like you are sitting on the Gladiator rather than in it, but up to lowish limits the handling is predictable and accurate. Steering is light and a little vague around the straight ahead; keeping the Jeep tracking on a chosen course requires lots of small inputs. There is lots of roll under even modest cornering loads with lateral limits marked by an entirely predictable level of understeer. Low-speed shunting is easy, but even U.S. parking spaces feel compact when asked to deal with the Glad's dimensions.

The ride could be best described as busy, never settling down even on apparently smooth surfaces and with some serious vertical movement on rougher stuff. But these things are relative; I also had a drive in a Jeep Rubicon on bigger wheels and a shorter wheelbase which made the Gladiator feel like it had velvet springs and Elise-like reactions to steering inputs.


Like the Wrangler, the Gladiator has another party trick - the ability to strip. Doors and roof are removable, and the windscreen folds flat for that full bugs-in-the-teeth experience. It's not the easiest of processes, but it does transform the Jeep into something truly unique.

Even fully clothed there's no questioning the sense of experience. People look when you drive past in a Gladiator and shout questions at stoplights - even in the Midwest, where there are already a fair number around. It feels a bit special, and you know that the compromises in the everyday driving experience are all there for good reason. Even when you don't have a rock-strewn trail or a zombie apocalypse to get through, it's good to know that you're in something that could categorically get the job done. Of course, you can say much of the same for the regular Wrangler, but that doesn't have a five-foot long bed for carrying stuff, plus there's the ability to tow up to 2.7 tonnes (under U.S. rules) with the optional tow package.

Jeep has previously said it plans to bring the Gladiator to this side of the Atlantic next year. Fingers crossed that still happens, and that the truck doesn't get priced into the pointless stratosphere when it does makes the long journey.


SPECIFICATION - JEEP GLADIATOR OVERLAND
Engine: 3605cc, V6
Transmission: Eight speed auto, switchable four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 285 @ 6400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 260 @ 4400rpm
0-60mph: 7.5-second
Top speed: 110mph (limited)
Weight: 2180kg
MPG: TBC
CO2: TBC
Price: $41,980 (base) $55,335 (as tested)

Search for a Jeep Wrangler here








 

Author
Discussion

mrpenks

Original Poster:

368 posts

154 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
A proper all terrain car in this awful world of SUV obsession. I like it.

pidsy

7,958 posts

156 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Is it a review of a car we’ll never see or is it being released in the UK?

Jader1973

3,942 posts

199 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
pidsy said:
Is it a review of a car we’ll never see or is it being released in the UK?
It should be available in RHD because they’d be mental not to release it in Australia.

It will likely have a 1 star crash rating though.

David87

6,648 posts

211 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Hopefully it will come here next year as it’s very cool. I can imagine the V6 being dumped for a diesel if it does, though.

cib24

1,115 posts

152 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Reading those quotes from Gladiator.Time to find the Blu-Ray and watch it on a stormy Saturday.

Zed Ed

1,103 posts

182 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
About 20cm longer than a Hilux double iirc.

I’ll take a Rubicon soft top.

Rudolph Hart

72 posts

61 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
David87 said:
Hopefully it will come here next year as it’s very cool. I can imagine the V6 being dumped for a diesel if it does, though.
We don’t know what we’ll get in the U.K. other than the 3.0 V6 petrol as tested above but the 3.0 diesel is soon to be available in the US as a $4,000 option in both the JL Wrangler 4 door and the JT Gladiator. It’s a V6 and produces 260bhp and 442 ft lb of torque.

Diesels don’t suffer from the same negative perceptions in the US market as the U.K. so this engine option is attracting a lot of interest.

lewisf182

2,084 posts

187 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Saw loads of the new jeep wranglers on a recent trip to America. I think they look absolutely ace, Jeep managing to keep it bang up to date yet still keep the original look, perfect. Similar to Merc G wagon... Land Rover are being very brave with their bold new defender look!

Would absolutely love a gladiator overhere but I feel trucks are a bit pointless in the UK, you could never leave anything in the bed as it’d be nicked. I dont think I’ve ever seen a truck in the UK using it’s truck bed come to think of it....

Zed Ed

1,103 posts

182 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Presume any U.K. offering would be the 2 litre petrol turbo and not the 3.6 Pentastar which is not available, on euro JLs for example.

A few years back I’d have said no market, but the bik double cab thing has seen pick ups become much more common.

Not sure the Glad will be in a tax wrapper though.

Fire99

9,844 posts

228 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
For me it's mostly pointless but it's wonderfully pointless. Really like it! (But I have owned 2 Jeeps, so it's not a big surprise). It is huge though. smile

Rudolph Hart

72 posts

61 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Zed Ed said:
Presume any U.K. offering would be the 2 litre petrol turbo and not the 3.6 Pentastar which is not available, on euro JLs for example.

A few years back I’d have said no market, but the bik double cab thing has seen pick ups become much more common.

Not sure the Glad will be in a tax wrapper though.
JT isn’t available with the 2.0T petrol, it was launched to the European press as 3.6 petrol or the new 3.0 turbo diesel...the same as US models.

https://youtu.be/SHmuizoyvLg

David87

6,648 posts

211 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Rudolph Hart said:
JT isn’t available with the 2.0T petrol, it was launched to the European press as 3.6 petrol or the new 3.0 turbo diesel...the same as US models.

https://youtu.be/SHmuizoyvLg
That’s encouraging then. Hopefully we’ll get the choice... and it’ll force Ford to fit the Ranger with the petrol motor out of the US one.

Zed Ed

1,103 posts

182 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Looks like the petrol 3.6 JT is Middle East only.

unsprung

5,467 posts

123 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all


PH article said:
Are you not entertained?
hehe

The name does invite some amusing associations, doesn't it. And there's a good cross-cultural observation noted at the beginning of this PH article.

In the end, and despite having been used by Jeep in the past, the word, gladiator, comes with just a bit too much irony for my taste.

I expect to see it used, for example, in bad, old TV. The "Bread and Circuses" episode of Star Trek (1966) features a modern Rome in which a sports announcer says something like, "Sponsored by your Jupiter 8 dealers, from coast to coast."

Saw it in person for the first time (the Jeep Gladiator, not the Jupiter 8 wink ), just the other day. It's a handsome motor, if also a bit long, visually. There is no doubt in my mind that your mates and you could load it with kit and toys and travel to almost any destination on almost any terrain. It also makes for a welcome departure from the usual pickup trucks. Probably not as comfortable on the motorway, though.

Ford, as many of us know, will soon reveal its relaunched Bronco SUV. Two vehicles, actually: one small and one that is US mid-sized and built on the Ranger platform. Such is the popular interest in pickup trucks nowadays that some people now believe that the Bronco portfolio will eventually, in the years ahead, include a pickup as well.




Jimmy Recard

17,540 posts

178 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
Rudolph Hart said:
Diesels don’t suffer from the same negative perceptions in the US market as the U.K. so this engine option is attracting a lot of interest.
You kidding? Diesel would definitely be the most popular choice for UK customers

Maldini35

2,913 posts

187 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all
unsprung said:
Saw it in person for the first time (the Jeep Gladiator, not the Jupiter 8 wink ), just the other day. It's a handsome motor, if also a bit long, visually.

There is no doubt in my mind that your mates and you could load it with kit and toys and travel to almost any destination on almost any terrain.
I agree, this looks like an excellent tool for the job and great value at only $41k

Interesting you criticise the styling for looking a bit long (visually) when you seem to be a fan of the Bollinger styling which looks a lot longer (visually) to my eyes at least.





unsprung

5,467 posts

123 months

Saturday 26th October 2019
quotequote all


Maldini35 said:
Interesting you criticise the styling for looking a bit long (visually) when you seem to be a fan of the Bollinger styling which looks a lot longer (visually) to my eyes at least.
I'm a fan of both the Gladiator and Bollinger. Similar in some ways, vastly different in others. And serving distinct segments.

The Bollinger indeed appears to have the same sort of length / ratio. And, like today's Gladiator and Wrangler, the Bollinger embraces an archetypal design language of this segment.

It's worth acknowledging that Bollinger appear to have escaped the pitiless maths that drown many automotive startups. Further, and unlike some other, more familiar automotive startups, Bollinger appear to be very well organised, employee-driven, and well communicated publicly to a range of current and potential stakeholders.



Maldini35

2,913 posts

187 months

Sunday 27th October 2019
quotequote all
Undoubtedly Bollinger have done very well to get this far and time will tell if they succeed in the longer term.
As a company I like their approach and ambition.

However, I’m betting they will adapt their styling moving forward. Chunky and robust is ok but to my eyes their current offerings look cheap and almost homemade from an exterior styling POV.
(Which it kind of is when you watch their video) It doesn’t do justice to the tech underneath or the premium price point.

I’ve launched quite a few cars over the years and like it or not the exterior styling plays a huge part in the purchase decision. It’s the reason the heights and angles study for the launch photography is so important.

It is not a volume business so if the product really delivers it will survive beyond the launch but
I predict a Bollinger mk2 with less polarising styling will appear pretty soon after.

But as I said, time will tell.

Robocop2

27 posts

124 months

Sunday 27th October 2019
quotequote all
Given the new Jl 2 door starts at the mid-£40’s in the UK market, I fear that should we get the Gladiator it will comfortably exceed £50k. I hope I’m wrong, but Jeep pricing in the UK is certainly ambitious.

Numeric

1,393 posts

150 months

Sunday 27th October 2019
quotequote all
My perfect car?

I have a real need for a pickup truck with a proper size bed that isn't postage stamp sized- the Ford Ranger extended cab, suicide doors and occasional seats would be wonderful as a real lifestyle vehicle for an ageing no children person - but for some reason you have almost no engine option. By the way why does everyone want crew cabs I hardly ever see anyone in the back so the occasional seats of the extended cab and the bed for a mountain bike always looks best to me?

So if I have two useless doors behind me at least with this I get a bed of usable size - and don't need to hang mountain bikes over the tailgate!