Jeep’s first pickup truck this century.
The Jeep marque is no stranger to pickup trucks throughout its long history. First was the Willys-Overland 4×4 truck, introduced in 1947, and just two years later, the first CJ or ‘Civilian Jeep’ entered the market in 1945, and was discontinued in 1966. Then there was the cross between light commercial truck and pick up truck that was the Jeep FC, which served faithfully from 1957 through to 1966. The progenitor of today’s feature, the original Gladiator, had a nice long run between 1963 and 1987 when it too was retired. The much smaller and less long-lived Jeepster Commando, a very light pick up, saw production between 1967–1973.
Then there was the fantastically named CJ-8 Scrambler, which was made from 1981 to 1985, very short-lived but given outsized fame for its years due to being adopted by the Alaska Postal Service. The last factory pickup Jeep made for a very long time was the Comanche, introduced in 1986 and discontinued in 1992. After that came decades of silence, until the release of the new Gladiator, that is. Unveiled in late 2018 and sold as a 2020 offering in late 2019, the Gladiator is Jeep’s triumphant reentry into the pickup market, and today’s first-year example has been kitted out to the nines with a heavy-duty lift kit and all black scratch-resistant coating.
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Armored against all threats
The most striking thing about this 2020 Gladiator is the matte finish paint coating the entire exterior, a highly scratch-resistant protection while out on the trails or slipping into a tight parking spot, perhaps. Then there’s the impressive lift kit, which gives considerable extra ground clearance and makes this already tall beast even taller. Thankfully, a bar runner has been added to make getting in and out a tad easier, though not by much.
The classic seven-slotted grille and round headlights have been given an underbite by the EAG steel front bumper, which also houses an integrated winch and a pair of four-bulb LED cube lights. Additional protections come in the form of a full anti-abrasive bed-liner coating, custom ‘armored’ fenders which are especially flared out in the rear, and a chase rack to give extra structure to the rear bed. An LED bar right atop the windshield provides extra visibility in bad conditions and muddy workouts, while the Fuel Off-Road wheels with 37-inch Cooper STT PRO tires make sure that you can not only see, but power through those challenges.
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A Gladiator with a soft side
All of that toughness might give the impression that there’s no thought for comfort or luxury, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The original cloth trim has been completely redone in a custom two-tone brown and black leather with diamond stitching for a truly fancy atmosphere.
The dash is black, but the same brown leather makes an appearance once again in an accent panel over the glove box and in the frame of the gauge cluster. The tri-pillar steering wheel is wrapped in black leather, with a fair few button controls built right into the left and right spokes for less distracted cabin control. A Uconnect touchscreen system lies at the center of the dash, giving both informational and entertainment control to the passenger, or driver, if they are safely stopped.
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Power through any obstacle
At the heart of this noble warrior is a 3.6L (220ci) Pentastar V6 engine with electronic fuel injection (EFI) to deliver a perfect fuel mix capable of up to 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. All of that power is sent through an eight-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels thanks to the Command-Trac 4WD.
To handle the oversized tires and the 4-6 inch suspension lift, a host of aftermarket, upgraded parts have been used. Dana 44 axles give each wheel added support, and heavy-duty shocks and coil springs keep the chassis supported. A wider vehicle profile with modified sway arms and control arms accounts for the 37-inch tires, though if ever a different-sized tire is fitted, the Tazer JL Mini programmer installed under the hood can be recalibrated for tire size as well as other settings. The odometer reads 48,833 miles, meaning there is plenty of adventure left in this Gladiator.
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Final thoughts: Fight it out on the trails
This Gladiator marks Jeep’s official return to pickups, and it also reflects just how well received that return has been. While the modifications are expansive (and expensive), it would have been even more difficult, costly, and time-consuming to take one of Jeep’s more conventional products as a base and try this sort of conversion. If you’re looking for an authentic Jeep offroading experience, with some extra frills thrown in to really heighten the suitability for the trails, then this 2020 Jeep Gladiator is well worth a deeper look.
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