Jeep Gladiator | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Jeep Gladiator | Test Drive

19 February 2022 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

Freedom and fun, involvement and free spirits who think a hamburger and a cold drink watching the dry leaves falling from the trees is better than some glamorous pub. The Gladiator is all you need to appreciate the peace offered by places where there is nothing we can’t give up, but that we often would like to forget, at least for a few hours.

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos Bruno Serra

Too often we forget what the really important things in life are. Squeezed between the many deadlines and the limited time at our disposal, we let ourselves be trapped by the technology available, without realizing that in reality we could use it to feel more free and happy. In fact, time is the only thing that cannot be bought, fixed, let alone get back. That’s why every now and then it is essential to stop and take a moment just for us. And that particular time of the year that lights up the streets of the cities with the inevitable Christmas trees and the rush for last-minute gifts is perhaps more than any other the right occasion to appreciate those on our side and the good intentions we have accomplished during the year now at its conclusion.

Like every Xmas eve, I get out of bed with the intention of making the day special, not just limiting myself to the classic home-work-family dinner routine. But there is an urgent need that can no longer be delayed: we still have to set up the Christmas tree. The morning starts early, at the first light of dawn, and while I take the opportunity to bring Bruno (the photographer) and a couple of colleagues with me, I realize that I still haven’t gotten used to the size of the Jeep Gladiator, so big that doesn’t want to settle in my garage. It is actually a pickup closely related to the Wrangler Unlimited, with which it shares three quarters of the body (up to the rear doors), the passenger compartment and almost all of the mechanics.

But a simple sequence of information and data is absolutely unable to convey the idea, given that the Gladiator is a lifestyle, a way of responding in an affirmative and decisive way to one’s need to explore inaccessible places, all without giving up to the practicality of a 4X4 theoretically conceived as a working vehicle and with a considerable load capacity thanks to the fact of being able to take advantage of a large and uncovered cargo space. Over the years, however, pick-ups have also gathered wide acclaim from those who want an off-roader suitable for any use and that showcases a distinctly outdoor look, something perfectly capable of accompanying you to the workplace during the week and tracing paths where there is no road signs on weekends, provided that everything involves dirtying the wheels and leaving the so-called civilization far behind.

I don’t think there is a need to explain to you what a pick-up really is, but I believe it is essential to get in tune with that particular experience that, once lived in first person, does not seem wanting to leave anymore. Time to go searching for the perfect pine for my living room and so packed with reflex and axe it is finally mission time. The Gladiator is a heavy vehicle, in every sense. It is hard and pure and can be felt from the noise of the turbocharged diesel V6 which invades the passenger compartment as soon as it is started, as if to remind you that you are absolutely not in an SUV. There are vibrations and every surface and button has been made with dimensions and materials suitable for the most extreme uses foreseen for this Jeep. In fact, there is the possibility of removing the doors and the rigid roof, attacking water-pits with only the skeleton of a car 5.6 meters long, 1.9 wide and 1.84 high. But the XL dimensions are not everything and this can be seen after a few kilometers at the wheel.

With a rather small turning radius, a high seating position and practically vertical glass surfaces, advancing in traffic with the Gladiator will soon make you feel entitled to dictate the way at intersections, but you have to take into account the dimensions and the fact that behind the rear seats you bring along a 1.53 meter wide trunk, in our case covered with a special anti-scratch and anti-slip material and enveloped by the special semi-rigid and foldable panel. While the streets of the cities seem narrower than I remembered, another crucial point of the driving experience aboard a pick-up is expressed precisely on secondary roads, those that are leading us towards the most uncontaminated nature. The steering is in fact filtered and before you get used to its feel, it will happen to make several corrections, which especially on the motorway will turn a long journey more tiring than it actually is.

However, it is an aspect that you get used to pretty quickly, such as the consistent body roll when cornering and the fact that you carry almost 3 tons of weight with you. In short, the driving approach must be different than usual. That said, it is time to talk about the only engine currently available in Italy, namely a 254 horsepower 3-liter turbo-diesel V6. The engine is combined with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and dispenses traction on both axles, or only on the rear one, but in this case and given a greater weight displaced towards the front, I suggest using it only on dry asphalt conditions. It is finally time to leave so dear tarmac roads and start getting serious, I would never want to be late for tonight’s dinner.

I stop the car and use the special lever positioned next to that of the gearbox, I activate the 4X4 drive and a few moments later we find ourselves immersed in the most pristine nature. The dirt road alternates between gravel and stones, not to mention the numerous water-filled craters left by the rains of recent days, in some cases hidden by a very thin layer of ice. As soon as the Yokohama Geolandar A/T rest on any surface you can feel the grip directly transmitted to the crankshaft. Everything is mechanical, rough, exactly as it should be and advancing on a thick blanket of dry leaves that hide the narrow road carved out of the trees is a child’s play. We proceed without uncertainty, crossing both wider and narrower bits in an almost claustrophobic environment under some trees that seems like joining their branches together, almost creating a natural gallery that leads towards the first of the crossroads faced without the slightest idea of the direction we’re about to take. Never as in this case you feel the possibility of not paying attention to the bad road conditions under the wheels, because you are aware that this Jeep will manage to get by in any case.

If the 264 horsepower help to move the Gladiator with surprising agility on paved roads, the 600 Nm torque is what really allows the possibility to exploit the skills of this pick-up in any other circumstance. It’s an old-school engine, the kind that pushes up revs to allow a wheel to disengage from a treacherous pile of stones, or splash some mud up to 76 centimeters. The ground clearance of 25.3 cm is yet another point in its favor when the terrain in front of us is yielding and you have to choose which hole to throw the wheels into, while in the narrowest passages and in case of sudden maneuvers, yes the mammoth dimensions must be taken into consideration – in particular its length – an aspect that is however kept in mind if you choose to buy a Gladiator, rather than a compact Suzuki Jimny.

We said that this Jeep is a way of life and not only because getting dirty with mud has never been so fun, but because everything seems designed to take you here – away from everything and everyone – and enjoy the simple beauty of nature. These are places that can only be discovered wearing boots, riding a mountain bike or with a hard and pure off-road vehicle, after all these are paths beaten by wild animals rather than people. A few kilometers later we arrive at another crossroads and just where it does not seem to be a portion of land that not even with the most remote imagination you would call road, we take a another seemingly bottomless puddle and reach a small refuge that a few seconds before was completely hidden by the tall trees around. We go inside to take a look, but despite a crisp air we decide to sit outside and have lunch, by now certain that the Christmas tree we are looking for will be found shortly thereafter.

The Gladiator is now having some rest, dirty and happy. With its size that stood out in the city center between crossovers and sedans, it seems that now it has found its natural habitat, which is able to blend perfectly with the trees, the refuge and the path. This is where it should be, after all it was designed for this and even if our work tools mostly concern a few rucksacks, a tripod and two laptops, it is in this moment that the Overland set-up justifies a cost of at least 68,000 euro, including a precise (waterproof) infotainment system with maximum connectivity, heated seats and steering wheel and endless possibility of customizing the exterior, as well as the interior. In short, the Gladiator is the wildest Jeep of them all and since it allows you to load just about everything, a few minutes later it’s finally time to unload the tree purchased at the mall the day before, place it in the snow and take some photos like we found it in the wild, probably packed by some local raccoon. This in order to avoid absurd misunderstandings.

Jeep is freedom and fun, involvement and free spirits who think a hamburger and a cold drink watching the dry leaves falling from the trees is better than some glamorous pub. In its case, the Gladiator is the extremization of a concept, but at the same time the possibility of justifying it under the sincere guise of a vehicle at ease on the construction site, as in front of the most luxurious restaurant. It is all you need to appreciate the peace offered by places where there is nothing we can’t give up, but that we often would like to forget, at least for a few hours. It is a fun car, without being one in the broad sense of the term, but above all it is truly unstoppable.