2024 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon X
Price: $76,883 CAD
Colour: High Velocity
The Wrangler has always captivated me. I love its rugged good looks, consistent style and commitment to purpose. Jeep then went one further in 2020 and created the Gladiator which is simply a Jeep Wrangler with a pickup bed. This combines the 2 things any good Canadian wants – practicality and the ability to deliver on off-road dreams that may or may not ever happen. The Gladiators sells aspirations harder than any other vehicle I can think of. Curiously, it also delivers something else. When you buy one you seem to be automatically inducted into the “Jeep Club”. It caught me off guard, but when you drive around in a Jeep (Wrangler or Gladiator), other owners give you the wave, raised hand or salute. I haven’t seen anything like this since I last rode motorcycles.
Every time I get behind the wheel of a new car, I reset the km and fuel economy. I like a fresh start and to immediately know where I stand with a car. The Gladiator promptly started returning a fuel economy figure of 18L/100km. I didn’t panic or freak out; I gave it time. Sometimes it takes a while to form a realistic fuel economy figure. After about 200kms that number hadn’t really changed. I had even squeezed in some time on the highway, and it didn’t help. I was stunned. I didn’t think this would produce Prius economy, but I figured it would do better than a Yukon.
I mentioned earlier how I admired the Jeep for being built to purpose. This includes the handling and suspension. My old 2003 Wrangler handled like you were sitting on a sheet of plywood with 4 wheels attached to it. I had heard the newest version, the Gladiator included, hadn’t changed that much but I was still surprised at how poorly this vehicle handles on the road. It bounces and jostles endlessly and responds to your steering inputs but does it when it feels like it more than when you need it. The turning radius should also be reserved for marine vessels as busting a 180 in this thing took multiple back and forths. In fairness, the Gladiator is built for the bush and that takes away from its tarmac manners. Since I didn’t get a chance to test that, I’ll withhold judgement on its off-road manners.
The pickup bed in the Gladiator was a shining star in an otherwise cold bowl of soup. Yes, the bed is shallow. Yes, it’s also pretty short. No, it doesn’t compare to a full-sized pickup. The question of course is, does it have to? The answer is – not at all. Most people who drive pickups use them to impress their neighbours, feel rugged or are too fat for a reasonably sized car. When they do use it it’s typically to pickup an appliance from Home Depot or a treadmill off Facebook. The bed in the Gladiator will do that just fine. It will also carry a decent amount of firewood for a weekend away and that works just fine for me.
I’m flummoxed over the Jeep Gladiator. It looks awesome. There are few vehicles on offer that are as striking on the road. It is as practical as any other pickup you might buy and when you’re not using it as a pickup, you get all those Jeep benefits we love. That being said, it’s also dynamically disappointing and the fuel economy is shocking. Is the compromise worth it? That’s not for me to answer but I will say I enjoyed the acknowledgement on the road from other Jeep drivers. I’m as human as the next dude and a strong sense of tribalism is present within me whether I like it or not. To be included in this unofficial club might just make the compromise something to consider. Judging by how many of these I see on the road, I’m not the only one who agrees.
