A Jeep Fit For Fighting

The Americans are the best when it comes to naming stuff. In the last three years alone, they’ve given us the Hellcat, TrackHawk, Hellephant and now, the Gladiator.

The Gladiator is basically a double-cab bakkie, based on the all-new Jeep Wrangler. It’s not its first foray into the bakkie market but rather the first attempt to introduce this kind of car on a large scale. At the time of going to print, Jeep stated that the Gladiator has not been confirmed for South Africa... yet.

Like our online audience, we think it’s just a matter of time. Perhaps Jeep is hesitant because of the exchange rate, or it’s not sure how the South African audience would respond to what would in all likelihood be a R1 million-plus bakkie?

From where we’re sitting, we can’t see it not working. It’s a Jeep and we like those, but it also has a bak and South Africans love those. Slap them together and you have a recipe for a vehicle that might just dominate the top end of the bakkie market.

And top end it definitely will be. It’s not a workhorse, nor a pimped-out glam mobile. Jeep has aimed it straight at the top, claiming that it’s “the most capable midsize truck ever”. ‘Midsize’ in American translates to ‘big’ in South African.

On the styling front, its inspiration is fairly straightforward: it’s pure Wrangler, even down to the seven-slot grille. From behind, Jeep has kept its traditional square tail lights.

The load bin features a number of functional features as well. These include under-rail bed lighting, an available covered external power source (400W 115-volt, three-prong) and strong integrated tie-downs. The full-size spare tyre and mount is located underneath the load bin, behind the rear axle, and capable of holding up to a 35-inch tyre.