Jeep Gladiator ute unbeatable off-road

When the 2020 Jeep Gladiator ute launches in Australia in early 2020, after its North-American showroom debut around April 2019, it won't be a watered-down version of its Wrangler sibling.

That's the take-out from a new video released by Jeep, which boldly proclaims the Gladiator dual-cab ute to be the most capable pick-up truck in its class.

It will be a key vehicle for Jeep in Australia, where it could revitalise the brand's sluggish sales and overtake the Grand Cherokee as its top seller.

Based on a rugged ladder-chassis like most dual-cab utes, the standard-issue Jeep Gladiator has 'up to' 282mm of ground clearance (expected on top-spec models) which will help it tackle challenging off-road courses and puts significantly more distance between its body and the ground than many of its Australian-market dual-cab rivals.

By comparison, the Toyota HiLux (251mm), Ford Ranger (237mm) and Mitsubishi Triton (220mm) have less ride height, but the Ranger does go a little deeper in the water, its 800mm water fording depth besting the Jeep's 762mm.

While the Ford Ranger Raptor also pips the new American ute with 283mm of ground clearance, a hard-core Jeep Gladiator Hercules may outdo the Raptor in this particular criterion.

The Jeep ute's approach angle of 43.6 degrees is also significantly better than the likes of the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Holden Colorado et al, which range between 22 and 28 degrees.

The Gladiator's departure angle of 26 degrees is slightly above average compared to mainstream dual-cab utes in Australia, while the American pick-up truck's breakover angle of 20.3 degrees is below average. The latter is because of it's extra-long 5539mm body which is more than 100mm longer than the 5426mm Ford Ranger.

The video shows Jeep Gladiator utes blasting around in the dirt and towing trailers, including up a 12 per cent grade, but it's towing capacity of 3470kg is slightly below some of its competitors, despite the claim of being best-in-class.

The Jeep's rear tray can take up to 725kg, which is also down on the payloads offered by most 'one-tonne' utes.

The video boasts the Jeep Gladiator has an 84:1 crawl ratio for traversing challenging terrain at slow speeds, while its lockable heavy-duty DANA 44 front and rear axles inherited from the Wrangler should give it enough gumption to tackle difficult terrain.

Tru-Lock electric axle lockers front and rear will be offered, as will Trac-Lok slippery diff and electronic sway-bar disconnect system, which none of its competitors offer.

Although Jeep Australia has not confirmed engine options for the local market, it's almost certain the new 195kW/600Nm 3.0-litre EcoDiesel V6 will be offered.

That would make it the most powerful dual-cab in its class, out-muscling the current power king, the 190kW/580Nm Volkswagen Amarok 580 Ultimate.

In the USA a 3.6-litre petrol V6 (210kW/350Nm) is offered but it's unlikely to be sold in Australia where diesel is the only way to go in the dual-cab ute world.

The Jeep Gladiator drives all four wheel via an eight-speed automatic transmission with engine idle-stop to reduce fuel consumption. It's not yet clear whether Aussie customers will be offered a manual transmission, which has been scotched for local deliveries of the Jeep Wrangler.

The burning question for customers Down Under will be price, and whether the Jeep ute can compete with top-selling rivals such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux on cost.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia says it is too early to talk about pricing, but if the new $50,000 Jeep Wrangler's price hikes of up to $10K are anything to go by, it could come in at around $60,000.