10 Things You Need to Know About the 2020 Jeep Gladiator

In recent years, few vehicles have been as highly anticipated as the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The brand’s first pickup since 1992, the Gladiator was an immediate hit with demand so radically outstripping supply that some buyers paid an extra $10,000 to jump to the front of the line. Hysteria for the pickup has leveled off, however. It’s still popular, but there’s no longer a need to pay a king’s ransom to get your hands on one.

A mid-size pickup with a traditional steel bed, the Gladiator is based on the popular Jeep Wrangler Unlimited SUV and competes with a growing number of trucks in an ever-increasingly competitive class. Rivals include the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier, Honda Ridgeline, the similarly new Ford Ranger, and the sales leader of the segment, the Toyota Tacoma. Here are 10 things you need to know about the 2020 Jeep Gladiator.

The list of convertible pickups out there on the market is short. In fact, there’s just one truck on it: the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. A manually folding soft-top roof is standard on all six trim levels. For those looking for improved weather protection and security, Jeep offers an optional removable hardtop for $1,195.

The new Gladiator is also the only pickup you can buy with removable doors, and you haven’t lived a full life until you cruised along the coast in a wide-open Jeep on a warm sunny summer day. Folding its soft top is a bit of an operation, however. It takes about 10 minutes with some practice. Removing its doors is easy enough, but requires tools and a strong back — they’re heavy. If you’re really feeling outdoorsy, you can also fold the Gladiator's windshield forward for a real wind in the face experience. Pack a good set of goggles.

Unlike some of its rivals, including the Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado, the Jeep Gladiator is only offered in one body style — a crew cab — and with one engine: a double-overhead-cam V6 with 285 horsepower. Every Gladiator is also four-wheel drive. As a result, the Jeep has a considerably higher base price than some of its competitors.

Pricing for the 2020 Jeep Gladiator starts right around $35,000, including a $1,495 destination charge. Most of its competitors, including the Toyota and the Chevy, start below $30,000. Match them up feature for feature, however, and the Jeep is competitively priced for the class. This is especially true for the top-of-the-line Gladiator Rubicon, which features more extreme off-road hardware. Its base price is just over $45,000, which is right in line with rivals like the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro.

Unlike in the Wrangler, Jeep doesn’t offer a choice of engines in the Gladiator. Jeep has promised the Wrangler’s turbodiesel V6, but it hasn’t happened. Not yet. Instead, all Gladiators are powered by a strong 285-hp 3.6-liter V6, which also sees duty in the Wrangler and the Ram. Buyers, however, can choose between a standard six-speed manual or an optional eight-speed automatic transmission.

When it does finally happen, the Gladiator’s 3.0-liter EcoDiesel will be rated at 260 horsepower. An eight-speed automatic transmission will be standard to handle the engine’s considerable 442 lb-ft of torque. The diesel's torque is so significant Jeep only pairs it with its heavy-duty third-generation Dana 44 front and rear axles in the Wrangler, which will also be the case in the Gladiator to ensure durability. Although the diesel will improve the Jeeps fuel economy, fuel range, and low-speed crawling capability off road, it doesn’t turn it into a dragster. Gladiators with the standard V6 are quicker.

Every 2020 Jeep Gladiator is also equipped with a 5-foot long steel bed that features under-rail bed lighting, a 400W 115-volt, a three-prong power source, and integrated tie-downs. A longer bed isn’t offered as it is on some rivals, including the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. The Gladiator’s payload capacity is 1,600 pounds. That’s a big number for the class. Only the Ford Ranger can carry significantly more, with a max payload of 2,128 lbs.

More significant is the Gladiators 7,650-pound tow rating, which is also at the top of its class. Only the Colorado and Canyon are rated to tow more — and they beat the Jeep by just 50 lbs. Next up is the Ford Ranger at 7500 lbs. Meanwhile, the Toyota Tacoma can pull just 6,800 lbs, the Nissan Frontier is limited to 6,700 lbs, and the Honda Ridgeline is way back at 5,000 lbs.

This is not Jeep’s first pickup truck. The brand sold its first pickup in 1947 and its lineup had at least one pickup until 1992, when the Comanche was discontinued. This isn’t Jeep’s first Gladiator, either. The first Gladiator pickup was sold from 1963 until the name was dropped in 1972. The truck, which resembled the brand’s popular Wagoneer SUV, was renamed the J-Series and sales continued until 1987 in two versions: the 120-inch J-200 or 126-inch J-300. Today, classic Gladiators and J-Series Jeeps are highly priced collectibles.

If you want a Gladiator with more than 285 hp, bust out your checkbook and call John Hennessey at Hennessey Performance: 979-885-1300. Tell him I sent you. Hennessey has been increasing the performance of cars and trucks since the 1990s, and his latest monster is the Maximus, a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon with a radically modified suspension and a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 from a Dodge Challenger Hellcat that has been cranked up to 1,000 hp. But you better hurry — Hennessey says he’s just making 24 of them. Each costs $225,000.

Jeep offers the new 2020 Gladiator in six trim levels: Sport, Sport S, Overland, North Edition, Mojave, and Rubicon. Every Gladiator gets four-wheel drive, but the Rubicon and Mojave models feature more extreme off-road hardware. The Rubicon gets a taller suspension, locking front and rear differentials, a disconnecting front sway bar, lower axle gears, and larger 33-inch-tall tires.

Rubicon models also get an exclusive forward-facing off-road camera mounted behind the middle slot of the seven-slot grille, allowing obstructions ahead on the trail to be more easily seen. The pickup also features unmatched crawl ratios in this class and can ford up to 30 inches of water, more than any other mid-size pickup.

The best off-road Jeeps, like the Gladiator Rubicon, are Trail Rated. But Jeep has recently announced a new version of the 2020 Gladiator, the Gladiator Mojave — and it’s the first Jeep vehicle to carry the brand’s new Desert Rated badge. Jeep says it represents “the ultimate in high-speed off-road capability and performance while traversing grueling desert and sand environments.”

The Mojave’s special equipment includes specially-tuned FOX 2.5-inch shocks with external reservoirs, front FOX hydraulic jounce bumpers, a reinforced frame, a 1-inch front suspension lift with a front skid plate, stronger axles with cast-iron steering knuckles, aggressive front seats with integrated upper bolsters, and standard 33-inch Falken Wildpeak All-terrain tires. Like the Rubicon, the Mojave offers a best-in-class approach angle of 44.7 degrees, a breakover angle of 20.9 degrees, a departure angle of 25.5 degrees, and a best-in-class ground clearance of 11.6 inches.

Although the Gladiator shares much of its chassis and suspension with the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, it’s considerably longer and has a wheelbase that has been stretched by more than 19 inches.

That longer wheelbase helps smooth out the pickup's ride, both on and off road, but the truck's increased overall length and more sizable rear overhang aren’t its friend off road. The Gladiator just isn’t as agile as the smaller Wrangler Unlimited, and it has a harder time over the most serious trails. Because of this, the Wrangler Rubicon models are still the best off-road machines Jeep sells.

The 2020 Jeep Gladiator was recently named North American Truck of the Year. The announcement was made this past January after nearly a year of vehicle evaluation and three rounds of voting by the North American Car and Truck of the Year Jury (of which I’m a proud member).

The panel is made up of 50 automotive journalists from the United States and Canada, and the Gladiator was selected over every other new pickup truck model introduced for the 2020 model year. It ultimately beat out the other two finalists: the 2020 Ram Heavy Duty and the 2020 Ford Ranger.

Just as the Gladiator shares the Wrangler’s engine and exterior design, it also borrows the SUV’s interior. The Jeep seats five comfortably and offers more rear legroom than its rivals. Its controls are simple and its gauges are attractive. There’s quite a bit of hard plastic, but the overall fit and finish is nothing to complain about.

Its shifter, parking brake, 4WD lever, and two large cupholders fill its console, while the power window switches are on the dashboard below the touchscreen. Jeep’s Uconnect infotainment system is also one of the best, with a large 8.4-inch touchscreen, intuitive menus, and quick responses. Its seats are well-shaped for long drives. The driver’s seat is also height-adjustable, and a tilt and telescopic steering wheel is standard.