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I drove a $62,000 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon — here are the rugged pickup truck's best featureshttps://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/i-drove-a-62000-jeep-gladiator-rubicon-x2014-here-are-the-rugged-pickup-truckaposs-best-features/slidelist/75511010.cms2020-05-02T22:39:36+05:30

I drove a $62,000 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon — here are the rugged pickup truck's best features

Matthew DeBordMay 2, 2020, 22:39 IST

On balance, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon is the most feature-rich midsize pickup on the market.

You'll also appreciate the large knobs and buttons on cold days when you're wearing gloves. You'll appreciate the heated front seats and steering wheel, too.

The 8.4-inch infotainment touchscreen is small by current industry standards. But the system runs Fiat Chrysler's excellent UConnect system.

The branding gets a shout-out inside on the leather-trimmed front seats.

The Rubicon spec is the Gladiator's top-dog trim level.

... But grab handles make getting in and out relatively easy.

I missed a running board ...

If you get ambitious, the doors are also removable.

The rest of the roof also comes off, but you need special tools (included).

Presto! Beats a sunroof!

... Simply by throwing some latches and removing two panels.

The front seats can be completely opened to the elements ...

Now for perhaps the coolest feature: the removable roof.

My Gladiator had a $350 towing package. It can manage 7,000 pounds. Other trim levels can tow more, up to 7,650 pounds.

The front bumper could easily support bulk — and has been beefed up so that a winch can be attached.

The familiar Jeep fascia has been updated, but it remains unmistakable, thanks to that famous slotted grille. The fenders are borrowed from the Wrangler, and they have built-in running lights. They're part of a $1,045 LED lighting package.

All this for around $60,000 represents staggering off-roading capability.

There are heavy-duty front and rear axles that can be locked, a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive setup, a shielded gas tank, a shielded transfer case, and a front skid plate.

... And rear.

There are FOX off-road shocks front ...

My tester was outfitted with 33-inch all-terrain tires. But obviously, the Gladiator's wheel-arches could accommodate bigger rubber. The wheels were 17-inch "Granite Crystal" aluminum jobs, and they were standard.

The power can be sent through an optional eight-speed automatic, with four-wheel-drive capability. A six-speed manual is standard.

... That it's a 3.6-liter V6, making 285 horsepower with 260 pound-feet of torque. This motor is well-known to Jeep fans.

Engine? It's should come as no surprise ...

The feature is activated using this button in the cab.

The bed also has its own power outlet, for 120-volt applications.

You yank a pair of release pulls, roll it up, and secure it with a pair of Velcro straps.

... But the cover somewhat eliminates the need for the additional protection. It's a $595 extra.

The bed has a 1,600-pound capacity and could handle most of what its target customers would put in it, ranging from camping gear to mountain bikes. My review car didn't have a spray-on bedliner ...

Being a pickup, the Gladiator's most notable feature is obviously the five-foot bed. Jeep didn't just bolt a box onto the back end of a Wrangler, by the way — the Gladiator got its own, dedicated platform.

The Gladiator is Jeep's much-anticipated midsize pickup truck, and the segment has become extremely competitive in the past five years, with Chevy and Ford jumping into the game, after having left the space to Toyota.

I tested a 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, with a sticker price of $62,020 (base price was $43,545, and cheapest Gladiator is the Sport trim, at $33,545). Cool feature number one is the snazzy orange paint job — "Punk'n," in Jeep-speak.

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