JEEP GLADIATOR (JT)

OVERVIEW

Manufacturer: Stellantis North America (Jeep division)
Production: April 2019 – present
Model years: 2020 – present
Assembly: United States: Toledo Complex, Ohio
Designer: Taylor Langhals

• Body and Chassis

Class: Mid-size pickup truck
Layout: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive
Related: Jeep Wrangler (JL)

• Dimensions

Wheelbase:137.3 in (3,487 mm)
Length: 218.0 in (5,537 mm)
Width: 73.8 in (1,875 mm)
Height: 73.1–76.1 in (1,857–1,933 mm)
Curb weight: 4,650–5,072 lb (2,109–2,301 kg)

HISTORY

The Jeep Gladiator is a midsize pickup truck manufactured by the Jeep division of Stellantis North America (formerly FCA US). It was introduced at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show on November 28, 2018, and went on sale in the spring of 2019. Based on the same platform as the Wrangler JL, the Gladiator is Jeep’s first pickup truck since the Comanche was discontinued in 1992.

The vehicle’s name harkens back to the original Jeep Gladiator, made from 1962–1988 and known as the J-Series after 1971. Jeep considered reviving the Gladiator name alongside Comanche and most commonly Scrambler, as well as simply using a new name, before deciding on Gladiator, feeling it fits the truck the best.

A version of a Jeep Scrambler pickup truck was shown in 2003 at the North American Dealers Association. In late-2004 the Jeep Gladiator concept was introduced. The 2005 Gladiator Concept did not feature a removable roof, but featured removable doors and a pickup bed. It also previewed the design of the upcoming Jeep Wrangler (JK). The Gladiator concept was powered by a 3.0L Common-Rail Diesel (CRD) engine produced by VM Motori (similar to the one used in some models of the Jeep Grand Cherokee), mated to a manual transmission, and four-wheel-drive. It featured functional rear mini-doors, and rear seating. The Gladiator concept featured a green-on-gray color scheme for both the exterior and interior.

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE JEEP GLADIATOR

The Jeep Gladiator is classified as a midsize pickup, but it’s certainly not your typical truck. It’s probably easier to think of it as a longer four-door Wrangler with a 5-foot cargo bed in place of the traditional cargo area. As such, the Gladiator isn’t quite as capable in the wilderness as a Wrangler. Nor is it as maximally utilitarian as some other midsize trucks. But it does get you a unique mix of the two.

The Jeep Gladiator enters its third year of production in 2021. Notable for this year is a new optional diesel engine. This 3.0-liter diesel V6 provides 260 horsepower and a stout 442 lb-ft of torque. More than just an extra powertrain choice, this addition gives the Gladiator even greater appeal if you’re one for road-tripping or overlanding and want the most range possible out of your rig.

The Gladiator has most safety features that are also in the Wrangler JL including forward-collision warning with active braking and adaptive cruise control. The Jeep Active Safety Group and Jeep Advanced Active Safety Group are both available on all models except for the base Sport, and included on the Rubicon Launch Edition.

Safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicate for the 2020 model of the Gladiator, the Front Drivers Side received a 4/5 stars, and the Front Passenger Side received 5/5 stars. The technical crash test report for those ratings was prepared by Calspan Corporation and was released on December 10, 2019.

DESIGN

The all-new four-door, five-passenger midsize Gladiator features exterior and interior styling cues from the Wrangler JL. Taylor Langhals was the lead exterior designer on Gladiator. Because a truck is frequently used for both hauling and towing, the front grille slots were enlarged to allow for increased airflow and heavier-duty engine cooling. A full-sized spare tire, normally mounted on the Wrangler’s rear tailgate, is mounted underneath the cargo bed of the Gladiator.

Four different roof options are available, similar to those on the Wrangler JL, including a black vinyl Sun-Rider soft top and a premium black fabric Sun-Rider soft top (both of which can be fully retracted), a black Freedom-Top three-piece hard top, and a color-keyed Freedom-Top three-piece hard top, both of which have removable aluminum roof panels.

The truck has front and rear doors that can be fully removed, as well as a windshield that can be lowered (like the Wrangler JL, Jeep includes a tool kit with the tools necessary to remove the doors and lower the windshield). The Gladiator is unique in that it is the only truck available with a convertible folding soft top.

A front facing trail cam, mounted in one of the front grille slots, is also available that displays an image on the touchscreen of what is directly in front of the vehicle (this feature requires one of the two larger U Connect touchscreen displays), and will assist in off-road maneuverability, such as water fording, as well as climbing over objects like logs and rocks. The “Off Road Pages” application, displayed in the instrument cluster, allows a Gladiator driver to view approach and departure angles, steering angles, and more.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR JEEP GLADIATOR?

• Washing:

The obvious place to start is with washing. If you and your Jeep play it safe and never venture off-road, then this part of the equation does not need to be over thought. But if you like getting down and dirty with your Jeep and prefer the “Do-it-Yourself” route, then an electric pressure washer is a must have.

A few tricks when your car comes to excessively dirty cars/trucks/Jeeps:

• All-purpose Cleaning Concentrate

• Garden Sprayer

• Tire and Wheel Brushes

• Waxing:

Waxing your Jeep for many will be the “fun” part…at least that is the foundation to many fantasies. But any Jeep owner can easily recognize the many mine-fields that waxing a Jeep can represent.

And any Jeep owner that has waxed their Jeep before can likely attest to the ripple effect of hasty wax applications with traditional wax products as time passes with unsightly stained black trim, or excess wax build-up that has now dried chalky white in every crevice, seam, or crack!

Modern day wax formulations now allow any car or Jeep owner the ability to get professional results by choosing the “right” type of wax from what call hybrid wax blends that are formulated using both natural and synthetic ingredients for that winning combination of benefits and an excellent user experience.

• Window Cleaning On Your Jeep:

Windows remains a source of frustration for any car owner and professional detailer alike. Since most of you as Jeep owners are simply looking to take care of your own Jeep and not become a professional detailer and you need:

Window Cleaner

Waffle weave Window cleaning Cloths

Windows represent a topic of frustration any professional detailer can relate to. So as a car or Jeep owner, you have likely experienced the same frustration. So follow to do professionally for professional grade results:

• Use the blue waffle weave cloths above.

• Fold twice so you have essentially a “square”.

• One side is your damp side, the other side becomes your dry side.

• Spray window with window cleaner. (as a rule, I find most beginners use too much of anything. More is not usually the winning solution for any detailing tasks. If you have gone around half your car doing the windows, and your dry side is now leaving wetness when you dry and buff the window, you are using too much window cleaner) and wipe down window paying close attention to the corners of each window. Wipe until the window looks like it is 90% “clean” and all you have left is a slight residue that you will then flip the cloth over and buff off. (very similar to waxing your car: apply wax, let it haze up, then buff off)

You want your car windows to be essentially “clean” to about 80-90% before you even touch them with window cleaner. To do this, when you are ready to do the windows as your last step, take a clean micro-fiber cloth that is damp. Wet; but not dripping what so ever. Just damp.

Proceed to simply wipe the inside/outside of each window to remove any over-spray or unwanted dirt that may still be left on windows. Once you have done this, then proceed to follow the window cleaning steps just above.

Source: wikipedia, edmund, best-auto-detailing-tips.