Photo: FCA
The last time Jeep used Gladiator was in the Noughties, when a Wrangler-based concept truck was introduced with removable doors, fold-down windshield, and open-air canvas roof. It even had a midgate system for the cargo area, which the Volkswagen Tarok also copied from the Chevrolet Avalanche.
Fast-forward to the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, and Jeep is much obliged to bring the Gladiator name back for what we were calling Scrambler up to this point in time. Based on a screenshot from the FCA media website, the Wrangler-inspired pickup truck will be called 2020 Jeep Gladiator, and three trim levels are confirmed for the first year of production.
Codenamed JT, the Gladiator “briefly appeared before it was quickly pulled from the site,” according to Jeep Scrambler Forum member Jay. While it makes sense to carry over the name of the concept, Gladiator was used from the 1960s up until 1988 for the full-size truck based on the Wagoneer. In this respect, Jeep enthusiasts consider the CJ-8 Scrambler as the correct predecessor to the all-new pickup.
Fiat Chrysler didn’t comment on the leak, but knowing the third-biggest automaker in the United States after General Motors and Ford, a confirmation is right around the corner. Also confirmed are the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6, paired to the TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission.
Toledo will be the stomping ground of the Gladiator, and dealers expect the mid-size pickup to hit showrooms starting from April 2019 for the 2020 model year. Jeep makes a case for “15 class-exclusive innovations” and “real truck capability,” but the specifications sheet tells otherwise in regard to the latter.
More to the point, leaked documentation on the 2020 Jeep Gladiator suggest the tow rating is 6,500 pounds, which is 300 pounds down on the Toyota Tacoma. The 1,400 pounds of payload don’t impress either, with the Ford Ranger capable of 1,860 pounds.
But that’s the thing about the Gladiator; being a Jeep, the qualities we associate with a workhorse pale in comparison to the styling, off-road capability, and adventure-oriented nature of this truck.
Codenamed JT, the Gladiator “briefly appeared before it was quickly pulled from the site,” according to Jeep Scrambler Forum member Jay. While it makes sense to carry over the name of the concept, Gladiator was used from the 1960s up until 1988 for the full-size truck based on the Wagoneer. In this respect, Jeep enthusiasts consider the CJ-8 Scrambler as the correct predecessor to the all-new pickup.
Fiat Chrysler didn’t comment on the leak, but knowing the third-biggest automaker in the United States after General Motors and Ford, a confirmation is right around the corner. Also confirmed are the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6, paired to the TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission.
Toledo will be the stomping ground of the Gladiator, and dealers expect the mid-size pickup to hit showrooms starting from April 2019 for the 2020 model year. Jeep makes a case for “15 class-exclusive innovations” and “real truck capability,” but the specifications sheet tells otherwise in regard to the latter.
More to the point, leaked documentation on the 2020 Jeep Gladiator suggest the tow rating is 6,500 pounds, which is 300 pounds down on the Toyota Tacoma. The 1,400 pounds of payload don’t impress either, with the Ford Ranger capable of 1,860 pounds.
But that’s the thing about the Gladiator; being a Jeep, the qualities we associate with a workhorse pale in comparison to the styling, off-road capability, and adventure-oriented nature of this truck.
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