Will the 2020 Jeep Gladiator compete with Land Cruiser Pickup?

By, 2019-04-22

When Jeep announced a pickup truck, most assumed it would be a Wrangler with a cargo bed. That isn't far off, but the Gladiator is a lot more than that. Now that we've had our hands on it, we can unequivocally say that this is a very Jeep pickup in every way.

The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is a mid-sized pickup truck, competing against vehicles like the best-selling Toyota Tacoma and the Chevrolet Colorado. The Gladiator can tow up to 7,650 pounds (3,470 kg) and haul up to 1,600 pounds (726 kg) in its bed. Those numbers change some, depending on the trim point chosen.

There are four grades of Jeep Gladiator, starting with the Sport and moving through the Sport S, the Overland, and then the Rubicon model. The Gladiator Sport S model, which we drove both on and off the road, has the same clearances, angles, and basic four-wheel drive capability as the more robust-and-ready Rubicon model.

The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is a midsized pickup truck, competing against vehicles like the best-selling Toyota... All Gladiator models come standard with four-wheel drive and large tires. The Sport and Overland use more road-ready tires with a harder-tread, all-season set whereas the Rubicon has more aggressive all-terrain tires with knobbier tread. The Rubicon also includes a more aggressive off-road suite of goodies like a disconnecting sway bar, protective gear all around, and a steel front bumper that is tow- and winch-ready.

This V6 outputs 285 horsepower (212.5 kW) and 260 pound-feet (352.5 Nm) of torque. Available later in the model year, Jeep promises, will be a 3.0-liter turbo-diesel engine that outputs 260 hp (194 kW) and 442 lb-ft (599 Nm). No talk of a hybrid option for the Gladiator, but we suspect that with a plug-in coming to the Wrangler soon, it's probably just a matter of time before the pickup gets one too.

Pricing starts at QR 125,000 plus delivery for the base Sport model and runs up to QR 162,000 plus options and delivery for the top-end Rubicon model. A special Launch Edition of the truck will be available for 24 hours on "4x4" Day (April 4, 2019), priced at QR223,000 as a specially-outfitted Rubicon model to be made in limited quantities.

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