Comparo

2020 Jeep Gladiator vs. Ranger, Tacoma, Colorado, Frontier: We compare their specifications

Comparing the new Jeep with the U.S. midsize pickup market

One of the stars of the L.A. Auto Show is the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. It's been eagerly anticipated, and fans of the global version of this pickup weren't let down. Jeep has shared most of the key truck details, with only a few minor specifications left out. Let's look at key specs of its U.S. competition, the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, to see how they all compare.

Note, we're only comparing the larger gasoline engines for these trucks. The reason for this is that, while the Jeep Gladiator will offer a diesel V6 in 2020, it's not available yet, and the Ford Ranger only offers a turbocharged four-cylinder in the U.S. that competes more closely with V6-powered trucks. Finally, variations on numbers are due to configuration differences consisting of cab and bed type, as well as two- vs. four-wheel drive. Without further ado, here's the chart followed by deeper analysis.


Compact Truck Comparison Chart

Engines and transmissions

The Ford Ranger is quite unique in the small truck segment in that Ford has only announced one engine so far, and it's a turbocharged four-cylinder in a class dominated by naturally aspirated V6s, but the numbers are extremely competitive with the bigger V6s. The engine, which is a version of the turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder in the Ford Mustang and the Focus RS, produces 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. In regards to power, that puts it behind the 2020 Jeep Gladiator's 285-horsepower Colorado's 308-horsepower V6 and the Toyota Tacoma's 278 horsepower. But when it comes to torque, the Ford is well ahead of every truck in the segment.

2020 Jeep Gladiator
2020 Jeep Gladiator
View 44 Photos


While the Jeep's diesel engine won't be available until 2020, we do have the output for it, and it's worth comparing it with the only other diesel in the segment, the one in the Colorado and Canyon. The Jeep diesel is a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 that will make a solid 260 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. That thoroughly eclipses the 181 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque from the GM trucks' turbocharged diesel four-cylinder. As it so happens, the Jeep's diesel is right on par with the diesel V6 in the new F-150, which is down 10 horsepower and 2 pound-feet of torque to the Gladiator with totals of 250 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque.

View 16 Photos


The Ranger also has a potential advantage in transmissions. It will have the 10-speed automatic that's also found in the Ford F-150. We've found it to work very well in every vehicle with it, including the GM products that use a version of the co-developed transmission. The wide spread of ratios should also give it the opportunity to put up some solid fuel economy numbers. On that subject, the Colorado will be the one to beat with the best highway numbers, and Toyota just squeaks out the highest city fuel economy. Fans of manual transmissions coupled to top-end engines will have only one American option, the Jeep Gladiator, which will offer a 6-speed manual. The only other trucks that offer manual transmissions are the Toyota and Nissan both of which can be combined with the V6 and four-wheel drive if you like.

View 10 Photos

Payload Capacity

Trucks are made for hauling big and heavy things, so payload is a very important factor. The clear winner in this area is the Ford Ranger. The least capable version can carry 1,500 pounds, which is right at the high end for most of these trucks. Opting for a two-wheel-drive model with the extended cab brings payload all the way up to 1,860 pounds. Second place goes to the Colorado, which will carry a little over 1,500 pounds in all V6 configurations. The Tacoma and Frontier bring up the rear, with maximum payload a little under 1,500 pounds in ideal configurations, and just a little over 1,000 pounds in less capable versions.

View 22 Photos

Towing Capacity

Sometimes those big and heavy things don't fit in the bed, and then it's time to tow. Here is where the Jeep Gladiator reigns supreme at pulling stuff with a maximum tow rating of 7,650 pounds. That's with a specific combination of a Sport model with a 4.10 final drive ratio and the 8-speed automatic. Just behind the Jeep is the Ranger that, with the tow package, can tow 7,500 pounds, just edging out the Colorado's 7,000-pound towing rating. It is worth noting that springing for the diesel Colorado will handle 7,700 pounds. The Tacoma and Frontier are nearly tied, with the former having a maximum towing rating of 6,700 pounds, and the Frontier reaching 6,710 pounds. Both of these are with configurations favoring towing, and less capable ones have lower capacities, seen in the table above.

Bed size

Really, each of these trucks has darn near the same bed dimensions with lengths differing by no more than 2.2 inches between short beds, and just 1.3 inches between long beds. But the longest beds do belong to the Chevy Colorado. Second longest long bed goes to Toyota, and second longest short bed goes to Ranger. The Jeep has the second shortest bed behind the Frontier. The Gladiator is also at a disadvantage to the other trucks in that it's only available with a short bed with crew cab whereas the other trucks have longer bed options. The Ranger ties the Frontier for widest maximum bed width, and is just a bit wider at the minimum size than Frontier. Chevrolet does not appear to list maximum bed width. Neither Ford nor Chevy gave a bed depth, but Toyota outdoes Nissan here by just over an inch.

View 15 Photos

Overall size

One of the reasons for selecting a smaller pickup over a full-size one is because you want something that isn't so intimidating to maneuver. The Frontier in its shortest configuration is over 5 inches shorter than the shortest version of the next smallest truck, the Ranger. The Frontier is also just a touch narrower than the Ranger. The longest Ranger is shorter than the longest versions of the other trucks, though. So if maneuverability is most important to you, the Frontier is worth a look. Interestingly, though, it's not the lightest despite its small form. Overall, the lightest of the group is the Toyota Tacoma. Since Ford hasn't released curb weight for the U.S. Ranger yet, our estimate for the Ranger's weight comes from the global version with the 2.2-liter diesel four-cylinder, which we imagine will weigh similarly to our 2.3-liter gas-powered version. It's pretty much in the middle, weighing about the same as the Chevy and Nissan. The Gladiator is just behind the longest versions of the Colorado, Tacoma and Frontier in overall length and wheelbase, which says a lot considering the longest Colorados and Tacomas are double-door long-bed models. The Gladiator is also far and away the heaviest of the bunch with the lightest version only about a 100 pounds lighter than the heaviest Colorado, Tacoma and Frontier variants. The heaviest Gladiator is also the only truck to exceed 5,000 pounds.

Pricing

The Ford and Chevy are the price leaders in this segment by far. The Ranger and Colorado are each just barely over $25,000. The Nissan Frontier is about $800 more at just over $26,000. Breaking the bank is the Toyota Tacoma, which costs over $31,000 when equipped with a V6. Pricing has not yet been released for the Gladiator, but we expect it to be fairly pricey since the Wrangler Sport in two-door configuration starts at just over $28,000, and the Wrangler Unlimited Sport starts at about $32,000. Of course, you get standard four-wheel-drive with the Gladiator, and that's an option on the other trucks.

For more comparisons, try our car comparison tool.


Related Video:

Share This Photo X