Winding in-and-out of cirio trees and cardón cacti along the remote Baja peninsula trail which leads to Misión San Francisco de Borja, I realized how how versatile the Gladiator really was. I was driving a fully-equipped, four-season expedition camper at a rate of speed that would be unheard of in the overlanding world just ten—maybe even five years ago. The narrow body of the Jeep, combined with wide axles and its pushed-out fenders instills confidence—you can see where your wheels are, and within moments of getting behind the wheel you notice that the Gladiator becomes an extension of the driver. The JT (Jeep’s two-character internal designation for the Gladiator) is purpose-built for off-road use and feels at home off-highway, as compared to its competition which is seemingly built to run parts for Napa first—with some off-road goodies thrown in second.
The Best Off-Road Pickup
It was a badly-kept secret that Jeep was going to eventually do a pick-up version of the Wrangler and ever-since I had the ability to stealthily crawl around a parked test mule doing high altitude testing in Dillon, Colorado—I was sold. The Jeep brand has consistently improved their performance on-road and off-road, while taking interior refinement and quality to levels you’d have never expected if you were familiar with ’90s Jeep products. The 1997-2006 Wrangler TJ was a step forward, but still very much a tractor, the 2007-2018 Wrangler JK was an absolute revolution in comparison, seeing the first four-door model that was particularly well-suited for rugged overland travel—Dan Grec drove one 50,000 miles around Africa with few-if-any issues.
The 2018-present Wrangler JL wasn’t as revolutionary as the JK, but it was the evolution we all wanted, it kept everything we loved from the former model, but nearly everything was executed with higher-quality components, finishes and attention to detail. It was the first Wrangler that was well-rounded enough to be truly comfortable, with a class-leading near-luxury interior and a reliable driveline. The Gladiator is a further evolution of the JL Wrangler, the first pickup offered by the brand in decades, benefiting from the fervent aftermarket scene for the existing Wrangler. Within months of its launch, the Gladiator is the most-customizable pick-up truck in existence, though wading through the hordes of Gladiators equipped with poseur modifications can be exhausting as an enthusiast, but that is expected for a vehicle with such a broad demographic.
The Gladiator frame is based off the fully-boxed JL Wrangler design, but has been adapted for heavier-duty use by the Ram Trucks team, sharing a similar rear suspension architecture with the Ram 1500. We’ve parked the vehicles side by side and verified the similarity, which brings full-size truck durability to a mid-size platform. We’ve heard no issues of chassis or frame durability, other than a few isolated instances involving individuals running janky, poorly-engineered modifications while exceeding GVWR. When equipped with the appropriate packages, the Gladiator platform is capable of towing up-to 7,650 pounds, with a cargo capacity of up-to 1700 pounds.
GVWR And The Jeep Gladiator
After speaking with the Gladiator engineering team, the biggest limitations of the platform are gearing and cooling—due to the narrow, iconic grill shared with the Wrangler. To increase airflow, the engineering team went as far as to increase the size of the grill mesh to allow more airflow. The Gladiator with the highest towing and cargo capacity—the Sport model with the Max Tow package—achieves this through the combination of a thicker-walled Rubicon-width front axle, and the same 4.11 gearing offered in the top-spec model, but utilizes a much smaller 31-inch tire which results in a lower final drive ratio, as compared to the 33″ tires offered on the Rubicon with the same differential gearing. The tow package of the Gladiator Rubicon offers a slightly thicker front axle housing than Rubicon models without the tow package. Those looking at converting to a camper, or those who intend to drive fast off-highway should tick the box for the tow package regardless of the model they choose.
During our modifications of the platform, we tried to look holistically at the overall capabilities of the platform with the goal of keeping the vehicle within the allotted GVWR of the manufacturer, which on our Rubicon model is right around 1,200 pounds. This figure is lower than the Sport model due to the addition of interior options like power windows, a spray-in bedliner, an upgraded Alpine stereo package (which also comes with a dual-pane acoustic windshield), leather seating and factory steel bumpers, the front of which is winch-capable, and rock sliders.
Other platforms may have similar GVWR ratings, but it is important to consider that all of the off-road dongles you’ll need to add to say a Tacoma TRD Offroad, with an 1155 pound payload, will subtract very quickly from that number. It is our estimate that adding similar functionality to a comparable mid-sized truck would reduce your stated cargo capacity by approximately 350 – 500 pounds, mainly due to the fact that aftermarket bumpers and rocker protection are much heavier than the OEM equivalents offered by Jeep, leaving your Tacoma with very little payload—remember the passenger and driver still have to be figured into GVWR. In our testing of bone-stock Jeep Gladiators on the Rubicon Trail, we see no issues with the strength of the OEM components, particularly for overlanding. We opted to leave the factory bumpers in place, while fitting a WARN Zeon 10-S Platinum winch onto a WARN winch plate for the factory bumper.
It’s About Angles, Baby
Breakover angles as well as departure angles are sub-par on the Gladiator due to the long wheelbase and incredibly short front approach angle, so we felt it necessary to increase the diameter of the tires. It is a valid argument that in stock form the Gladiator does look a bit long, and if that is a major hang-up for you, it is important to know that it can be rapidly fixed with the addition of a tw0-inch factory Mopar Lift Kit, available for around $1,500 from your Jeep dealer, which includes new upper control arms to correct front caster, bump stop extensions, and 2.5-inch Fox performance shocks.
This easily clears 37-inch tires, however those who do not intend to re-gear the vehicle should stick with 35-inch tires. After extensively testing Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires throughout Moab, Ouray, and the Baja peninsula on my personal HDJ81, I chose to fit them to the Gladiator in a 37-inch size. This tire is factory validated and fitted to the Rubicon models. Our experience with these tires on the Gladiator over 20,000 miles has exceeded expectations and we’d describe them as a great “jack of all trades” tire. Did we mention that a 37-inch Falken AT3W fits in the factory spare location of the Gladiator? It may sound like a small thing, but the ability to fit such a large tire without the need for a swingout bumper or mounting in your bed is a massive win.
While we haven’t had any issues with the springs on the Mopar Factory Lift Kit, I have almost replaced every other component, save for the bumpstop extensions. I found the valving of the Fox Shocks to be quite poor for vehicles loaded close to GVWR, they have virtually no compression or rebound dampening, and are clearly designed for street comfort in an unloaded vehicle. Since I had one of the first Gladiators to roll off of the assembly line, this was the best option available at the time, and I don’t regret the springs—whenever factory springs are available, I always opt for them, as few understand the intricacies of suspension frequency and tuning as a manufacturer does. I ended up fitting King 2.5-inch remote reservoir shocks with compression adjustability and finned reservoirs—absolute overkill—but I wanted it and I enjoy the magic carpet ride they offer at speed. I also found that the vehicle benefited from additional caster, and opted to fit Teraflex Alpine upper control arms, and a Teraflex forged front track bar to correct the axle position. The best money I’ve spent on the vehicle was the addition of a Hellwig Heavy Duty rear swaybar, at $400, no other modification offered better value.
Geared Up
Taking into consideration the discussions we have had over the years with the Jeep design and engineering team, we opted to fit genuine Dana-Spicer 4.88 gearsets to the vehicle, along with Dana-Spicer Nodular Iron differential covers for added impact and housing strength, they also feature large fins for additional cooling of the gear oil, perhaps an feature we didn’t need, but it can’t hurt. We like that these are both OEM-supplier sourced components—who better knows your axles than the people who designed them? Our thought process with 4.88 gearing, rather than the commonplace 4.56 gear upgrade often performed to Wrangler JL models on 37s, was that it closely replicated the lower gearing of the Gladiator model which bears the highest towing and payload ratings. Despite the added weight of the AT Overland Summit Camper, the JT accelerates as if it was stock and returns decent fuel economy.
It’s hard to get excited about the Pentastar V6 engine that rides in the Jeep Gladiator (and almost everything else FCA currently makes) but there’s an argument to be made that it’s the engine of choice for the modern American overlander. Produced in the squillions and sold globally, the Pentastar design may be getting long in the tooth, but that’s perfect for those with aspirations to go global as it hasn’t been touched by the inevitable wave of small-displacement turbocharged engines. It is simple, efficient, reliable—and when paired with the ubiquitous 8-speed ZF 8HP automatic gearbox (which is used by everyone from Rolls-Royce and BMW to Land Rover and the Toyota Supra), the package gets even sweeter. The unfortunate reality for small-displacement diesels, despite riddling the dreams of global overlanders for decades, is that they’ve become too complicated in an attempt to meet ever-increasing particulate emission standards. EGR systems clog, DPF systems fail and require exhaust fluid, but the 3.6-litre Pentastar keeps chugging on. To increase reliability, functionality and eliminate perhaps the one major flaw of the driveline, I removed the small stop-start battery and replaced the entire system with a dual-battery kit from Genesis Offroad, opting for two Group 27 Odyssey Batteries, which I have found over the years to offer the highest quality of construction, and the most reserve capacity (aH) for the group size.
I would personally welcome the addition of a Hemi V8, as they’re a simple yet reliable engine, though for those intending to get very remote, the presumed decrease in fuel economy could result in awkward, nearly unusable range. In reality, you don’t need anything more than the Pentastar offers. In the future, I intend to fit an AEV snorkel, combined with a Mopar Cold Air Intake, in the hopes of reliably adding a few extra ponies—we’ll see if it makes a measurable difference.
We typically see 15 to 17 miles per gallon with our fully-loaded Gladiator and have seen as high as 20mpg when just cruising on long journeys around 55 mph. We calculate our trips based on a real-world 300 mile fuel range, which has realistically served us well for North American travels.
Too Long, Didn’t Read (TLDR)
- The Jeep Gladiator is the most-reliable vehicle I’ve personally owned. We haven’t had a single check engine light.
- It’s comfortable off-road, but we get quite a bit of wind noise with the camper.
- Don’t overload it, the Gladiator is best served light and fast.
- The Expedition Portal team received no discount or compensation from Jeep for this review
