Almost 27 years since this iconic American off-road brand has offered anything similar, they are now dropping the brand new fusion of their beloved Wrangler SUV with the utility and practicality of a pickup truck – but that’s just the beginning…
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Back in the 70s and 80s, American Motor Company manufactured several pickup varieties that bore the Jeep name – and these all followed the very first 1963 Jeep Gladiator which was manufactured by then-owner Willys Motors.
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For the entire run from 1971 to 1988, Jeep produced the “Jeep Pickup” or J-Series intended to grab a specific part of the car market by appealing to people who were used to buying more comfortable and “less rugged” vehicles.
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Jeep later discontinued the pickup for close to 30 years, but in 2018 they announced the revival of both the Gladiator name and the melding of their wildly-popular Jeep Wrangler with the long-demanded utility of a pickup – but beyond just adding a bed to a Wrangler body, they tuned it up and made it one of the best mid-size pickups you can buy.
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Built with an old-school style solid front axle, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator is powered by a 285-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and carries 260 lb-ft of torque – all controlled by a standard six-speed manual transmission. (An eight-speed automatic will be available at a later date.)
This is one of, if not the only, pickup with foldable windshield, removable top, doors, and open-air back. That gives it a great classic Jeep feel, but you have a full bed at the rear.
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Boasting more than 30-inches of additional frame compared to its Wrangler brother, the Gladiator actually comes out longer than Chevy’s Colorado – and it’s about 500lbs heavier, too.
Truly, Jeep has pulled off a massive feat and captured multiple titles of “best-in-class” for its trailer tow rating, payload rating, and obviously its off-road capabilities.
Starting at right around $35,000, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator is the truck you won’t want to miss – or at least take a good, hard look at before you purchase a new pickup!
Look at the full review below and let us know if you’d trade in your current pickup for one of these!