2020 Jeep Gladiator Is Gonna Be the Off-Road Pickup Truck King: Video
At the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, the biggest vehicle introduction we saw was the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. It has a lot of unique features, but also some very impressive features — both for being a four-wheel-drive vehicle and for being a pickup truck.
Related: More 2018 L.A. Auto Show Coverage
Three of our favorite unique features are the fact that, as with all Jeep Wranglers, the front windshield can fold down, you can remove the doors and there's an available soft-top option — in a pickup truck.
No matter what side of the debate you come down on (Is this more Jeep than pickup or more pickup than Jeep?), the bed is where this vehicle is going to have to work. Jeep engineers have done a pretty good job of including some aspects that work well: They included a track system that allows you to put tie-downs essentially anywhere you want inside the bed. The bed also has two well-placed D-rings at the back of the bed to strap anything down that you need. It has a 115-volt, three-prong plug that allows you to charge anything with an inverter anywhere you go. And on the tailgate is a camera in the middle to give plenty of rear view for safety.
There's a lot to love about the Gladiator's new Rubicon trim. There's nothing like it out there right now - maybe the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 or Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, but the Rubicon looks like it's going to be incredibly impressive on any extreme 4x4 trail.
Related: 2020 Jeep Gladiator: When You Want a Truck Without Doors
We love the interior. It has some cool anodized red accents and the emergency brake for the right hand — a lever pull, just as it should be. It also has Fox shocks, bigger wheels and tires, a slight suspension lift and a dramatic 84.2:1 low-range ratio when you need to crawl over some extreme rocks. This is going to be the pickup truck off-road king.
Some final important numbers: The max towing capacity for the Gladiator is 7,650 pounds, and its max payload capacity is 1,600 pounds. The vehicle is going to be offered in four trims: Sport, Sport S, Overland and Rubicon. However, it's the Sport with the Max Tow Package that will get the max towing capacity. The vehicle is going to go on sale in early spring 2019, and we expect pricing to come out closer to that on-sale date.
Watch the video for more.
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