2020 Jeep Gladiator

After years of clamoring from fans and speculation from the automotive media, Jeep has finally released another pickup, this time based on the Wrangler. The 2020 Gladiator is the first Jeep pickup to be offered since the Comanche ended production in 1992. While it's mostly identical to the Wrangler from the rear doors forward, the Gladiator offers all the benefits of a midsize pickup with regard to its rear architecture, allowing for excellent towing and payload capability.

The Gladiator will be sold only in a 4-door body style with a 5-foot bed, which is right on par with the short bed offerings of the rest of the midsize truck segment. Two soft-tops, a black plastic hard top and a body-colored hard top are available. The nicer of the two available soft tops is dubbed the "Sunrider" and is made of a heavy-duty canvas material. The hard tops are a 3-piece design with removable panels over the driver and passenger seats. The premium soft top costs $595, the basic hard top is $1,195 and the body-colored hard top comes in at $2,295.

Powering the Gladiator is a 3.6-liter V6 engine putting out 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, and paired with either an 8-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual transmission. A 3.0-liter diesel is said to be joining the lineup for 2020 and will put out 260 hp and a whopping 442 lb-ft of torque. The diesel will be paired exclusively with an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The Gladiator boasts impressive towing and payload figures when optioned with the max towing package, available on Sport and Sport S models. Configured as such, the Gladiator can tow 7,650 pounds, second in the segment to only the diesel powered Chevrolet Colorado, which can tow 7,700 pounds. Gladiators equipped with this towing capacity also boast a maximum payload capacity of 1,535 pounds. The Rubicon can tow 7,000 pounds and haul 1,160 pounds. See the 2020 Jeep Gladiator models for sale near you

There's no other vehicle quite like the Gladiator. It offers practicality, style and off-road capability, along with great configurability, allowing you to turn it into a beach buggy in about a half hour by removing the roof and doors. While its fully-loaded sticker price of around $60,000 may seem like a lot for a midsize truck, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator is more than just a pickup, and despite some mild shortcomings with regard to fuel economy and handling, its fun features and refined design earns it our recommendation. Find a Jeep Gladiator for sale

Every 2019 Jeep Gladiator comes with 4-wheel drive, a five-foot bed, and four doors. Additionally, every Gladiator has a removable top, removable doors and a windshield that can be folded down.

The Gladiator is offered in four trim levels, from entry-level to off-road behemoth.

The Sport is the entry-level Gladiator and starts at $35,050. It comes with basic features like steel wheels, manual roll-up windows, manual door locks, a plastic steering wheel and basic fabric seats. Still, even in this basic model, you do get push button start and a 5-in touchscreen infotainment system. Optional for the Sport are the max towing package and auxiliary switch group.

The Sport S, which costs $38,240, adds 17-in alloy wheels, power windows and door locks, tinted glass, illuminated sun visors and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Heated mirrors, automatic headlights and a tailgate that locks with the central locking system are also included. A 7-in infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatability is among the available options, as are the max towing package, heated seats, a premium audio system, a removable wireless Bluetooth speaker, a spray-in bedliner and driver-assistance safety features like blind spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. Buyers looking to get off-road can also opt for a limited slip rear differential and all-terrain tires.

Similar to the Wrangler Sahara, the Overland -- that starts at $41,890 -- is the Gladiator's comfort-oriented trim. Included are 18-in alloy wheels, body-colored fenders, running boards, silver headlight and grille surrounds and silver front bumper accents. Dual-zone climate controls, LED mood lighting, a universal garage door opener and a few more power outlets and ports are also included. Upscale options enter the fray with the Overland trim as well, and LED headlights, leather seats and an 8.4-in infotainment screen can all be added.

The Rubicon that starts at $45,050 is the ultimate Gladiator, offering just about all of the off-road features you could ask for. Standard on the Gladiator Rubicon are 4:1 ratio wide-track Dana 44 axles, a "Rock-Trac" 4x4 system offering an 84:1 crawl ratio (much lower than what you get on lesser models), Fox shock absorbers, rock rails that protect the rocker panels, 33-in all-terrain tires, 17-in alloy wheels, locking front and rear differentials, an electronically disconnecting front sway bar, black headlight surrounds and grille inserts, a vented hood, a front skid plate, red tow hooks front and rear, a steel rear bumper and taller fenders that allow for the fitting of even larger tires. Also included on the Rubicon is what Jeep calls "Selec-Speed Control," or basically an off-road cruise control system. Optional off-road features include mud-terrain tires and a trail camera system, which gives you a good look at the terrain directly in front of you in low-speed off-road situations. The Rubicon is also available with all of the goodies offered on lesser trims, like LED headlights, a spray in bed liner, an optional locking tonneau cover, those convenient blank auxiliary switches for operating aftermarket electronics, leather seats and more. This all adds up though, and a fully-loaded Gladiator Rubicon will come in at around $60,000.