Photos: John Cappa and Courtesy of the manufacturers
The Jeep Gladiator JT pickup truck was one of the most anticipated new 4x4s to hit the dealer lot. Long before the introduction of the 2020 Jeep Gladiator, Jeep teased enthusiasts with several Wrangler derivative pickup trucks over a 15-year period. Interestingly enough, few of these concept Jeep pickups embodied what the actual production Jeep Gladiator became. However, bits and pieces of the actual truck were shared over the years with the introduction of each concept Jeep pickup truck. Ultimately, the Jeep Gladiator became one of the most versatile vehicles in the Jeep stable. But there are several things about that Gladiator JT that many enthusiasts are unfamiliar with. After putting nearly 30,000 miles on our own Jeep Gladiator we’ve come to recognize a few warts. Follow along and we’ll walk you through some of the things we’ve noticed that many enthusiasts won’t tell you about the Jeep Gladiator.
The Jeep Gladiator Bed Is Small
The Jeep Gladiator bed is 60.3 inches long, making it just barely more than 5 feet in length. Almost every adult motorcycle and bicycle made will need to be transported with the Gladiator tailgate down. Camping in a Jeep Gladiator will also require the tailgate to be lowered if you choose to sleep in the bed. However, those under 6 feet tall can sometimes comfortably sleep from corner to corner in the bed with the tailgate up.
The Jeep Gladiator Is Long
With a wheelbase of 137.3 inches, the Jeep Gladiator is only about 3 inches shy of the wheelbase found on a typical fullsize Ram standard cab longbed pickup truck. By comparison, the current Jeep Wrangler four-door checks in with a much shorter and more trail worthy 118.4-inch wheelbase. Right out of the box, the Gladiator has a lot of midsection to contend with when navigating ledges and boulders. Fortunately, the Gladiator rear overhang is comparable to other trucks in the midsize segment, such as the Toyota Tacoma. The really good news is that the Jeep Gladiator is by far one of the easiest and least expensive 4x4s to lift for larger diameter tires and increased overall ground clearance.
Jeep Gladiator Front Seating Can Be Cramped
Jeep Gladiator drivers that are tickling 6 feet in height will find that they need to move the front seat all the way back. Thanks in part to the seatback design this still leaves enough room for the knees of most rear passengers. Drivers taller than 6 feet may feel a little cramped in the Gladiator and they will certainly notice that their head rests fairly close to the plastic rollbar cladding.
Towing With The Jeep Gladiator
Most Gladiator models are rated to tow between 4,000 and 7,000 pounds. The actual tow capacity depends on trim level, engine and transmission options. Only Jeep Gladiators with the optional Max Tow package are rated to trailer the advertised maximum of 7,650 pounds. Our stock Jeep Gladiator Sport S with the Max Tow package does an admirable job hauling and stopping our 5,000-pound trailer. Unfortunately, we average around 10 mpg when towing, which is worse fuel economy than what many more powerful fullsize V-8 pickup trucks would get hauling the same load. So if you plan to regularly tow near maximum capacity, you might be better off with a bigger truck.
Jeep Gladiator Rear Suspension Is Soft
Like most pickup trucks, the Jeep Gladiator with an empty bed rides firmer than a comparable SUV. The current Wrangler JL offers a smoother ride. Despite this, the rear suspension on the Jeep Gladiator noticeably compresses under load when hauling cargo in the bed or towing a trailer with significant tongue weight. Of course this can be remedied with aftermarket add-on air bags or better yet with a weight distributing trailer hitch.
Jeep Gladiator Fuel Economy Is Admirable
A typical V-6 Jeep Gladiator with an 8-speed automatic is EPA rated for 17 mpg city and 22 mpg on the highway with a combined mpg of 19, which gives it about the same fuel economy as the popular Toyota Tacoma. We generally see 22-23 mpg on the highway with our stock Gladiator Sport S as long as we keep the speed under 80 mph. If we exceed 80 mph for long periods of time the fuel economy drops and we’ll see around 18 mpg.
Jeep Gladiator Air Conditioning Is Not Very Effective
Air conditioning in removable top Jeeps has never been known to be absolutely stellar. The Jeep Gladiator is no different. The Gladiator A/C is effective in most conditions, however at slow speeds in triple digit temperatures you’ll likely be tempted to fill your pockets with ice cubes to help keep cool. At 30 mph or faster the air conditioning is more effective in the heat.
Jeep Gladiator Auto Stop Start Is Annoying
The auto stop start system on the Jeep Gladiator is designed to save fuel by shutting down the engine when the vehicle is stopped in traffic or at stoplights. It’s annoying for some drivers because it’s not seamless in operation. There is a button to cancel the feature, but it has to be depressed every time the ignition is cycled. Fortunately, there are some aftermarket programmers available to defeat the stop start system default reset.
Jeep Gladiator Hard Top Creaks And Leaks
Bolt two dissimilar materials together and they are bound to not flex the same. This seems to be the case with the Gladiator hard top and body tub. The top creaks, clicks and pops when the Jeep traverses uneven terrain and driveways. It’s also not uncommon for Jeep tops to leak. It just comes with the convenience of having a fully removable hard top. You might think it sacrilegious, but on longer high-speed overland trips in the dirt we often yearn for a traditional full steel truck cab.
Jeep Gladiator Fender Flare Clips Break
The factory plastic Jeep Gladiator fender flares feature a convenient break-away design. If you bump them against something hard enough the flares can pop off, and usually without any collateral damage to the sheetmetal. Unfortunately, the plastic fender flare retaining clips are fairly delicate so even aggressive bottoming out of the suspension in rough terrain can cause the clips to fail, especially on the forward portion of the rear fender flares on the Gladiator. If you off-road regularly it’s not a bad idea to keep a handful of these clips in the glovebox or center console so that the flares can be fully reattached.
Jeep Gladiator Rear Storage Is Surprisingly Limited
You might think that a crew cab pickup truck should have plenty of storage capacity in the rear seating area. In the case of the Jeep Gladiator you would be wrong. While the rear seats do offer a lot of fold up and down versatility, they simply take up a lot of space no matter how you fold them, leaving little room for cargo. Die hard camping enthusiasts that don’t need the rear seats would greatly benefit from removing them. Aftermarket cargo platforms are available to replace the seats for even more convenient storage capacity and access.
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