What’s it like to look at?
Like the Wrangler, the Gladiator serves up chunky styling, but has a sizeable cargo tray behind the cabin. The slabsided look of the main bodywork is softened a little by flared plastic fenders, and the exterior detailing includes allround LED lights and Rubicon decals on the bonnet.
That look (and the driving experience) is dramatically altered by stripping away the Gladiator’s panelling.
Opentop motoring is easily achieved by undoing a few levers and lifting off one or both of the two front roof panels. Referred to as ‘‘freedom panels’’ by Jeep, these can either be stowed in a special carry case, or left at home.
Going fully topless requires two people to remove eight bolts and the disconnection of some wiring before lifting the rear roof section off. The doors are removed by undoing more bolts and unclipping further wiring harnesses. The front windscreen can be folded down, too, after a few more bolts are undone and the windscreen wipers removed.
Reconfiguring the Gladiator is a reasonably straightforward job, and Jeep provides both a toolkit to assist with this task and a handy foam tray to hold all the bolts. The tray then stows away securely in a compartment under the rear seat.
Converting from the ‘‘fully clothed’’ to ‘‘stripped back’’ took two of us about 40 minutes on test, and reassembly took less than 30 minutes. Supplementing the Jeep toolkit with a power drill speeds things up, and the only real challenge was getting the wipers off.
The test car attracted plenty of attention with its panels detached, consisting of many stares, frequent waves and goodnatured banter. The stock response to the most frequently asked question, ‘‘What happened to your doors?’’, switched between ‘‘Someone stole them’’ to ‘‘I couldn’t afford the doors as well’’, depending on mood.
Overall: ★★★+
Design and styling: ★★★+
Interior: ★★★★
Performance: ★★★★
Ride & handling: ★★★+
Environmental: ★★
SPECIFICATIONS
Price: $92,990
Engine: 3.6litre sixcylinder petrol, maximum power 209kW, maximum torque 347Nm Transmission: Eightspeed automatic, with RockTrac ondemand allwheel drive including low ratio and lockable front and rear differentials
There are prominent, sturdy grabhandles, and thick rubber floor mats. A predominance of hardtouch surfacing and sections of exposed paintwork reflect the vehicle’s rugged focus.
An 8.4inch multimedia touchscreen is neatly integrated into the dash design, and all the knobs and buttons have a chunky look and durable feel.
A lockable glovebox and deep centre bin are the key storage spaces up front. A few oddment trays are also provided, but security considerations will restrict their use when motoring with the doors off. Indoor storage is limited and the thin door pockets are covered by nets rather than moulded plastic.
The driver’s seat could do with more foreaft adjustability; I’m six foot (183cm), and had it fully set back for comfortable driving. While headroom was fine, shoulder space between the driver’s seat and Bpillar is snug.
The rear of the cabin is decently roomy for passengers, and the seats incorporate
Brakes & stability systems: Front and rear disc brakes, ABS, ESP, TCS and antiroll and antisway mitigation
Safety: Threestar Ancap
Wheels & tyres: Alloy wheels,
255/75 R17 offroad tyres
Fuel & economy: Unleaded petrol,
12.4 litres per 100km, tank capacity 83 litres
Emissions: 288g CO2/km on combined
cycle
Dimensions: Length 5591mm,
width 1894mm, height 1909mm
integrated storage spaces. The most discreet of these cubbies is a couple of linked, lockable compartments that are accessed by raising the squabs.
Measuring 1531mm long and 1442mm wide, the wellside tray is 445mm deep. The test car featured a sprayin bedliner for the tray and a rollup tonneau cover, both as extra cost options. differentials, front swaybar disconnect, special Fox aluminiumbodied shock absorbers and a forwardfacing offroad camera.
The test car featured a number of extracost options additional to those already mentioned. These included an uprated electrical system able to operate up to four powered accessories, front seat and steering wheel heaters, a detachable wireless audio speaker and special polished alloy wheels.
The tray payload is a modest 620kg, and the Gladiator Rubicon is rated with a maximum 2721kg braked towing capacity. A fullsized spare wheel is mounted under the load tray.