The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is Ready to Rumble

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stoney126

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Watching several of the videos as I have been waiting for this concept to become a reality . One of the reps states that all trim lines will have dana 44s front and rear. Wonder if he was mistaken, though the payload rating are all based on the lower trim levels with the Rubicon with the least amount towing ability, though only by a small margin. This is of course what I've seen from you tube so.

The Rubicon jl is 50ish depending on trim and your haggle skills. Rubicon Gladiator is going to push 60k without the initial dealer markup. Not trying to be Debbie downer but holy cow that is pretty excessive. With the Chrysler fiat ceo stating the jt is going to intentionally expensive kinds leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I've been scoping the JLs but kind of want to turn away from jeep . Everyone knows you pay a premium for jeep but damn let us pretend were not paying top dollar for low amount of standard equipment

All that being said I'm figuring out how to pick up a jl and convince my wife we need the the Gladiator too. Think the sport is going to be the best bang for the buck

Also I wish you could get a cab chassis option . The rendering random people have been making the Gladiator with chassis mounted campers such as the over seas land cruisers have been running.

So in short I want one preferably matching the JL I want as well
 

Kilo Sierra

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I'm not generally a Jeep fan but I do like the Gladiator in terms of dropping the bed and adding a camper (when someone makes them). It will be interesting to see what people do with them.

If I had the cash to spend it would be a good platform.
 

MOAK

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Hmmmm, As I drive into town I can't help but be skeptical of anything jeep because of my past experiences with Chrysler. On top of that it is hard to ignore that the used car lot hawkers are full of the JKs. I mean full. Just 15 years ago I paid about 16k for a new Rubicon. I thought that was a lot of money for a jeep back then. 60k plus just makes my head explode. It is a jeep for gods sake. If I had that kind of bread, no wait, if I had less than half that kind of bread I'd hook up with a 70 series Troopy diesel in a heartbeat. No thanks jeep, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
 
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Plasmajab

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Before we bought our escapes we wanted 2 4 door jeeps. Nothing fancy, basic. Simple. We wanted them with hardtops, and locking rear diff. That was all we wanted for options. $46,910. Each.

Now we know its a "jeep thing and we don't understand" but 46k for a base jeep. That is a lot of money. We needed 2, so that would have put the bill well into $90k, add taxes and were over $100k for two. I distinctly remember a time where jeeps were much, much cheaper. After hunting through dealerships within 200km, including Toronto (probably the biggest city in Canada) we were told by a few dealers that base models are extremely rare. Most dealer's don't bother ordering them and instead focus on "Sport S" models, or sahara's and a couple of rubicons. We wanted to build up our jeeps. And I wasn't spending over $50 grand for the base to build on. Even if it could be found.

I mean, lets put it in comparison. Lets give the jeep a $50k budget. You could buy:
Jeep Compass 4x4 for 27k which would leave you $23,000 to upgrade it.
Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Access Cab for 37k leaving you $13,000 to upgrade it.
Toyota 4 Runner TRD Offroad 4x4 for 48k, leaving you $2,000 to upgrade it.
Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 for $32k, leaving you $18,000 to upgrade it.

At least from my point of view, I don't see the gladiators going for less then 50, and for 50k you can get a decently equipped 4x4 full sized truck. I think the cost will be the achele's heel of the gladiator.
 
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Jean-Yves Hudon

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A 4runner TRD Off Road with nicer tires and you are good to go...but I am very biased lol! In my opnion, the simpler the better. The less gadgets the better especially in remote location. I looked at Jeep seriously, very exciting vehicle and fits the bill for many...but definetly not a Compass!!!
 
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Plasmajab

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For sure. Different things for different people. Id go with a compass, but I'm more into fireroad exploration then hard offroading. Maybe that's the cool bit about the gladiator. It will fit a need. A very unique, specific need.
 

The other Sean

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Before we bought our escapes we wanted 2 4 door jeeps. Nothing fancy, basic. Simple. We wanted them with hardtops, and locking rear diff. That was all we wanted for options. $46,910. Each.

Now we know its a "jeep thing and we don't understand" but 46k for a base jeep. That is a lot of money. We needed 2, so that would have put the bill well into $90k, add taxes and were over $100k for two. I distinctly remember a time where jeeps were much, much cheaper. After hunting through dealerships within 200km, including Toronto (probably the biggest city in Canada) we were told by a few dealers that base models are extremely rare. Most dealer's don't bother ordering them and instead focus on "Sport S" models, or sahara's and a couple of rubicons. We wanted to build up our jeeps. And I wasn't spending over $50 grand for the base to build on. Even if it could be found.

I mean, lets put it in comparison. Lets give the jeep a $50k budget. You could buy:
Jeep Compass 4x4 for 27k which would leave you $23,000 to upgrade it.
Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Access Cab for 37k leaving you $13,000 to upgrade it.
Toyota 4 Runner TRD Offroad 4x4 for 48k, leaving you $2,000 to upgrade it.
Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 for $32k, leaving you $18,000 to upgrade it.

At least from my point of view, I don't see the gladiators going for less then 50, and for 50k you can get a decently equipped 4x4 full sized truck. I think the cost will be the achele's heel of the gladiator.
Pretty much all of this.

While I bought my Frontier Pro-4x used (3 years old) it only cost me $23K.... Looking at a gladiator, that would leave me $30 some thousand left in my pocket.

And to be completely honest, I think the proportions on the Gladiator and it's looks at certain angles to not be great and or look like an afterthought.

I'll be curious as to how these sell.
 

Kent R

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Im a total jeep guy and that being said the Gladiator might make a good Overland Rig if you take off the bed and install a quality overlanding set up. As a pickup it does nothing for me ill stay with my chevy Dmax.
 

Plasmajab

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Like the Australian's do? That would be awesome. I did get a notification that these will be a fleet option vehicle. Usually with that you can request a pickup box delete so I would not be surprised of an outfitter buys a ton of these without a box for that exact purpose.
 

The other Sean

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Like the Australian's do? That would be awesome. I did get a notification that these will be a fleet option vehicle. Usually with that you can request a pickup box delete so I would not be surprised of an outfitter buys a ton of these without a box for that exact purpose.
hmm... nice, but price point is a major driver for fleet vehicles. That's why you see so many 4 cyl Nissan frontiers at parts stores vs Tacomas. same truck is a few bucks cheaper.
I can see fleet managers looking at specs and then seeing the $$ and comparing it to the big three's full size rigs. What does a stripper model 1/2 or 3/4 ton from the big three cost?
 

Overland California

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I think the Gladiator is a cool looking rig and I'd love to own one with a Go Fast Camper. I do think the drivetrain might not hold up once us Overlanders add our heavy gear - tent, fridge, bumpers, sliders, skid, gear, passengers, etc. Lucky for the consumer, there will be plenty of bolt-in Dana 60, Rock Jock 80, what-have-you for a big price.

Also based on starting price for the ready to roll Rubicon model, you can probably build a pretty sweet long travel Tundra which will have more payload, towing capacity, and interior space, for the same or less money.
 

Smileyshaun

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And really it's hard to compare a Jeep with other vehicles on the market because it's really the only thing with straight axles, selectable lockers front and rear, electronic disconnected sway bar, Dana 44s and a 4-1 reduction gear in the transfer case from the factory. Sure you can do some building of other vehicles but you're going to void most of your warranty and isn't that most the point of buying a new vehicle?