The smarter four-by-four

THE Jeep Gladiator is Wrangler based four-by-four ute/twin cab. It’s one most extreme off-roaders ever built as it reflects on it brand heritage started with WWII (World War Two).

Jeep Gladiator in Fiji has no competition as it has created a new market for itself.

Just because it’s an extreme off-roader it doesn’t mean you are going to be hot and bothered during the drive, instead you will be cocooned in luxury and comfort provided by the seats and its suspension.

All Gladiators are equipped with a 3.6L Pentastar V6 Engine (unleaded) pushing out 209KW (Kilowatts) and 347NM (Newton meters) of torque which is then moved via a eight speed automatic gearbox.

Jeep Gladiator comes with more safety tech features and driver aids than you’d expect from a purpose built bush-basher.

This makes it the smartest dual cab fourby-four in Fiji to date.

Sitting above the busy central cluster of controls including switches for the power windows, the 8.4-inch uconnect touchscreen is very user-friendly.

While it includes inbuilt satellite navigation, also provides the use of Apple CarPlay and Google Maps. Also handy for avoiding dings are the front and rear parking sensors, while for towing the Gladiator also comes with trailer sway control and an excellent reversing camera to assist when backing up to a trailer.

One of the Jeep Gladiator’s many party tricks is a forward-facing camera (like a reverse camera but mounted in the front grille), which provides a handy view of the ground ahead during low-range off-roading.

There’s even a built-in washer to clean it after splashing through puddles.

Both the main screen and digital trip computer ahead of the driver provide a wealth of information and functionality, including a nifty off road pages section that adds data like pitch and roll, front sway bar and front/ rear diff status, and engine details like coolant and oil temperatures.

If the sun’s out, you can remove the roof panels and doors and fold down the windscreen to create the only modern, drop-top ute in the campground.

Like the Wrangler, the Gladiator’s interior is full of chunky grab handles along with other practical novelties like side door elastic netting for holding drink bottles and grippy rubber mobile phone storage spots.

Then there’s the eye-catching red metallic dash and ‘since 1941’ Jeep heritage reminder that flashes up in a digital display on startup.

Like any decent off-roader, the driver sits up nice and high for a commanding view over the distinctive bonnet, with the Rubicon’s manually adjustable seats offering decent comfort and support.

Jeep Wrangler

The 2021 Jeep Wrangler is the benchmark against which many a four-by-four is measured.

The Wrangler is Jeep’s most iconic model and the Wrangler Rubicon is top of the pops in Jeep’s three-model Wrangler line-up comprising Sport S, Overland and Rubicon.

The new JL-series Wrangler not only improved upon its rock-hopping abilities, it’s stepped up its refinement, which has rarely been an adjective matched to the Wrangler.

The Jeep Wrangler will now appeal to a broader market than ever before.

The full-time four-by-four mode gives security of power delivery on slippery roads plus the convenience of a set-and-forget drive mode when road conditions alternate back and forth between sealed and gravel and/or wet and dry.

And while bumpy-road dynamics aren’t all that flash, the Rubicon still settles and corners well enough on smooth roads, even on its stock muddies.

You’ll love the Rubicon once you hit the trails. Here the long-travel live-axle suspension works a treat keeping the wheels on the ground, and providing a soft and comforting ride.

And if you want it softer and more comfortable again you can decouple the front sway bar via a dashboard switch.

There’s no need to use the lockers unless it gets very gnarly as the off-road tuned electronic traction control does such a good job.

In low range, leave the ZF auto in Drive for perfectly timed auto backshifts on descent without resorting to the paddle-shift manual mode.

It’s comforting too knowing that the BF Goodrich Mud-Terrains not only provide grip but their light-truck construction and low speed-rating means they are less likely to be damaged off-road.

The Rubicon scaled the set-piece hill climb without lockers engaged or front swaybar decoupled thanks to the generous wheel travel and the electronic traction control.

With lockers in and front swaybar decoupled, it proved totally effortless. Engine braking in descents is superb but ramp-over clearance could be better, due in part to the long wheelbase.

Tilt and reach steering adjustment and comfortable front seats are positives, as is the radar cruise control that can be readily switched to manual mode, the big touchscreen, and embedded satnav with its notably good off-road mapping.

The Rubicon also comes with plenty of high-end safety kit including automatic emergency braking, blindspot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, but rates three out of five stars under the new and tougher ANCAP safety test protocols.