Jeep New Zealand is set to launch the new Gladiator ute in August. The new model will be available in both Overland and Rubicon specifications – the latter more focused on hard-core off-road ability.
Read more: Why the Jeep Gladiator is a rock star of the ute world
Gladiator, which borrows a lot from the Wrangler (especially from the B-pillar forward) but has a longer wheelbase and more sophisticated rear suspension, is very much a “lifestyle/adventure” ute rather than a working truck – meaning it’s a lot closer in concept to a Ford Ranger Raptor than a Hilux WorkMate.
Gladiator is also the only convertible ute in the world.
That all puts the pricing in context, which starts at $89,990 for the Overland, rising to $92,990 for the Rubicon.
We drove Gladiator late last year on Kiwi roads (and off-road) as part of a global Jeep event.
Both are powered by Jeep’s 209kW/347Nm 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 petrol engine (that’s right, no diesel option) with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Overland gets a Selec-Trac 4x4 system, while the Rubicon employs the more versatile Rock-Trac On-Demand setup.
Rock-Trac features heavy-duty front and rear axles, Fox shocks and an electronic disconnect for the sway bar and a super-low crawl ratio. Also exclusive to the Rubicon is an “Off Road+” drive-mode setting.
Braked towing ability is 2721kg, which is well short of your average one-tonne ute but more than the Raptor.
Payload is also just 620kg, which is a little less than Raptor; the tray has integrated tiedowns suitable for “adventure equipment such bicycles, dirt bikes, surfboards and ATVs,” says Jeep.
Standard across the range are adaptive cruise with stop/go function, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic detection and removeable “Freedom” hard top.
In addition to the more capable chassis, the Rubicon has a forward-facing TrailCam, selectable tyre-fill alert and more black body addenda than the Overland (which can be identified by its body-colour hard-top and fender flares).
Jeep says a full range of Mopar accessories will be available from launch in NZ.
