Jeep fans rejoice, the Gladiator will land here in Australia from May this year and will be priced from $86,450. But because it’s only the Launch Edition that’s currently available, just 100 examples of the double cab ute will go on sale.
“Australia is the first right hand drive market to receive the Gladiator, which is a one of a kind lifestyle truck offering an open air experience,” said Guillaume Drelon, Director, Brand & Product Strategy.
“For the first time in Australia, adventurers can experience the heritage and dependability of a Jeep truck. The first Jeep truck, the Willy Overland, was built in 1947, but the Jeep trucks were never made available in Australia, until now with this special Launch Edition Gladiator,” Mr Drelon said.
Jeep Australia is offering up the Gladiator – which is based on the fully-loaded Rubicon – with the Lifestyle Adventure Pack cost option as standard, including the Cargo Management Group with Trail Rail System, lockable rear under seat storage bin, roll-up Tonneau cover, spray-in bed liner, an auxiliary switch bank consisting of 4 programmable switches, a 240-amp alternator and a 700-amp maintenance free battery.
Carrying over from the Rubicon available cost options, the Rubicon steel front bumper, black leather trim seats, heated front seats and steering all come as standard in the Gladiator Launch Edition. It also comes with unique 17-inch Mid Gloss Black Aluminium Wheels, matchless aluminium Launch Edition tailgate badge, enhanced by a leather- wrapped instrument panel with Rubicon red stitching.
When it comes to power, sadly, there isn’t big ‘ol bent eight under the bonnet but rather the Gladiator is powered by a familiar 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine with 209kW of power and 347Nm of torque. It sends power to all four corners via an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Jeep says the Gladiator’s off-road capability comes courtesy of the Rock-Trac 4x4 system, heavy duty third-generation Dana 44 axles with a “4LO” ratio of 4:1. The double cab Gladiator gets a 4.10 rear axle ratio as standard as well as Tru-Lock locking differentials. As a result, it can haul up to 620kg in its bed and tow up to 2,722kg, says the brand.
Underneath, the ute rides on a ladder-frame chassis that is some 462mm longer between the wheels and 787mm longer overall when compared to a Wrangler. The Gladiator gets better articulation and total suspension travel thanks to a segment-exclusive electronic sway-bar disconnect. The Jeep Gladiator Launch Edition also boasts an impressive crawl ratio of 77.2:1 which is great for off-roading.
Inside, the cabin receives Jeep’s fourth-generation Uconnect system with an 8.4-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a nine-speaker Alpine sound system, and enhanced technology and safety features including keyless entry, Forward Facing TrailCam camera, Blind-spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Path detection, ParkSense rear park assist system, Advanced Brake Assist, Full-Speed Forward Collision Warning Plus and Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop.
The Jeep Gladiator Launch Edition will be available in three colours, namely: Diamond Black, Bright White and Firecracker Red, with body-coloured fenders and hard top. The Jeep ute’s order books are open, priced from $86,450 MSRP.
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