2020 Jeep Gladiator: The Jeep Wrangler Pickup You've Always Wanted | Edmunds

We've heard rumors about a Wrangler pickup for years, and in its absence a handful of aftermarket outfits have made a tidy sum selling conversion kits for existing four-door Jeeps. But the new 2020 Jeep Gladiator is the real deal. For years, it's the full factory-built Jeep Wrangler pickup that everyone has been hoping for.

Q: Is the 2020 Jeep Gladiator a real pickup truck?
A: The Jeep Gladiator will be a strong contender in the hotly contested midsize-pickup segment. It only comes as a crew-cab 4x4 with a 5-foot bed, but that's by far the most popular midsize configuration. Also, it's arguably the only configuration that makes any sense for a Jeep pickup.

Q: Is the Jeep Gladiator any good at towing and hauling?
A: The specs suggest that the Jeep Gladiator will excel at towing and hauling. In fact, its maximum tow and payload ratings of 7,650 pounds and 1,600 pounds are best-in-class among midsize gasoline crew-cab 4x4s. As with any truck, both of these do not exist in the same vehicle. The max payload version is the Sport with a manual transmission, and the max towing version is a Sport with an automatic and a couple of choice options. The best a Rubicon will do is 1,200 pounds of payload with the manual or 7,000 pounds towing with the automatic.

Q: What is the Gladiator like inside?
A: From inside it is very hard to tell whether you are in a Wrangler four-door or a Gladiator without turning around, and that's even true if you're sitting in the back seat. The sheet metal and interior are the same from the back edge of the rear door all the way to the nose. The rear seats sit in the same position relative to the fronts, too, but those rear seats do fold in interesting ways if you set them to haul cargo instead of people.

Q: What engines are available?
A: For now, the only Gladiator engine is the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, a strong and efficient motor we like a lot. We've found it to be powerful enough for a Ram 1500, so it should be fine for truck duty in the Gladiator. An optional 3.0-liter V6 EcoDiesel engine will be offered in the future, possibly six months to a year after the Gladiator goes on sale this coming spring.

Read our 2020 Jeep Gladiator First Look here:
https://www.edmunds.com/jeep/gladiator/2020

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