2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland Review - The Happy Wanderer

Jeep’s Gladiator pickup truck was one of 2019’s most anticipated vehicles. Fast-forward nearly a year, and it’s an award winner.

There’s no doubt it’s a capable off-roader, which is part of its appeal — and a part of why it’s an award-winning pickup. I’ve experienced it off-road, and so has contributor Chris Chin.

Thing is, most truck owners won’t taking it off-road that often, if at all. What’s it like to live with the Gladiator in urban and suburban settings? That is the key question.

In a word: Interesting.

The on-road abilities of midsize trucks run the gamut from Accord-on-stilts Honda Ridgeline to the off-road-oriented Chevrolet Colorado Bison and Gladiator. Some trucks suffer more than others on-road as a trade-off for their off-road prowess, and the Gladiator suffers the most.

That shouldn’t come to a shock to anyone who read our first-drive or who has driven a Wrangler. But it’s a reminder that if you sign up for the Gladiator experience, you’re getting a cool-looking rig that, while capable of amazing things off-road, also requires your full attention while behind the wheel.

Jeep sent me an Overland trim Gladiator with the 285-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 and the eight-speed automatic transmission.

Part of the reason I arrange loans for vehicles I’ve driven on press launches is to see how my initial conclusions hold months later in a different environment. In the case of the Jeep, they were pretty spot-on.

[Get Jeep Gladiator pricing here!]

I wrote that the Gladiator wasn’t exactly swift on road, and it isn’t. I wrote that the steering needs frequent correcting on the highway, and it does. I didn’t have a chance to take this Gladiator off-road, but the launch event proved it was more than capable in that area. The trade-off is the lack of on-road dynamics that I experienced.

Yeah, it wanders on the freeway, though one gets the sense it’s happy to do so, as if the freeway is just a means to an end – the end being an off-road park.

The lack of alacrity in acceleration is tolerable, if merely that, around town. The ride is a tad choppy and truck-like but not offensively so. Brakes are on the soft side.

I wrote in my first drive that the Gladiator drives a bit like a Wrangler with a bed, and I stand by that. Thing is, for Jeep buyers, that’s not really a bad thing.

So, fine, it’s no great shakes on-road. There’s other trucks in the segment that perform better at that type of duty. The Gladiator is meant to boulder-bash, but it will coddle you while doing so, especially if you put down enough dough.

The cabin is nice enough, and familiar enough to Jeep buyers. It’s comfy and spacious enough, although a bit loud, thanks to the removable hardtop.

Options, some of which were part of packages, included leather seats, leather wrapping for the shift knob and parking-brake handle, a rear console with armrest, heated front seats and steering wheel, remote start, UConnect infotainment, navigation, premium audio, and satellite radio.

Other options included LED lighting all around, a tow package, blind-spot alert, rear cross-path detection, park assist, forward-collision warning plus, advanced cruise control, advanced brake assist, transmission skid plate (comes with the auto), anti-spin rear differential, and spray-in bedliner.

A roll-on tonneau cover is quite handy (and easy to work even with a broken finger), and there’s an option for a headliner with the hardtop. A body-colored three-piece hardtop costs a bit above two grand.

Standard four-wheel-drive goodies include the 4×4 system itself, a skid plate for the transfer case, 18-inch wheels and all-season tires, heavy-duty front and rear axles, 3.73 rear-axle ratio, skid plate for the fuel tank, and electronic roll mitigation.

Here’s the thing about trucks: Lots of buyers never take them into the gnarly stuff. They buy trucks to use the bed, or to tow a little, or simply to look cool. The Gladiator definitely achieves that last point – it looks rugged as hell.

The price you pay for looking cool or being ready for the trail is that you sacrifice on-road ride. To which most Gladiator buyers will say, so what? It’s a price they’ll be willing to pay.

So, too, will the high sticker price. My truck rang the bells at over $55K with options. It started at “just” $40K.

Yeah, this rig is geared to be used off-road. Yeah, it suffers on road because of that. And yeah, that’s exactly the point.

[Images © 2020 Tim Healey/TTAC]