Jeep Gladiator joins 3500kg ute towing club

When the new Jeep Gladiator ute launches in Australia in early 2020, after its North-American showroom debut from 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.

With it's removable roof and doors and fold-down windscreen, the new Gladiator is ready for battle and is the first Jeep ute since the short-lived Scrambler of the mid-1980s.

The Gladiator will be a key vehicle for Jeep 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.

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

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

The Gladiator's departure angle of 26 degrees is slightly above average compared to the mainstream dual-cab utes, although its breakover angle of 20.3 degrees is below average. That's because of the Jeep'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, with a towing capacity of 3470kg just slightly below some of its competitors.

The Jeep's rear tray can take up to 725kg, which is also down on what many other 'one-tonne' utes offer.

Another attribute of the Jeep Gladiator is its 84:1 crawl ratio for traversing challenging terrain at slow speeds, while its lockable heavy-duty DANA 44 front and rear axles are also inherited from the Wrangler.

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

Although FCA 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 Volkswagen Amarok 580 Ultimate's 190kW/580Nm.

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 wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission with engine stop-start 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.

There's also a question mark around pricing, and whether the Jeep ute will compete with top-selling vehicles such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux on cost.

FCA Australia said it was too early to talk about pricing but if the new $50,000 Jeep Wrangler is anything to go by (it's risen in price by up to $10,000), the new ute could come in at around $60,000.

It's also possible that top-spec models touch $80,000, rivalling the likes of the Ford Ranger Raptor ($74,990) and Mercedes-Benz X-Class X350d Power ($79,415).