There’s a lot of hype about the Gladiator, Jeep’s first ute in a long time, and there’s a lot riding on its anticipated success. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia is hoping the Gladiator can take on Australia’s segment leaders, such as the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, or at least rise to the top of the brand’s sales charts, but let’s see how that pans out.

We won’t have to wait too long as Jeep’s five-seat dual-cab “convertible pick-up truck” (Jeep’s description, not mine), is expected to be launched in Australia in the second quarter of 2020. There’s no word on how many pre-orders have been taken yet.

Australian journalists drove US-spec Gladiators at a special preview drive event staged in New Zealand in December 2019.

At this event, I drove a Gladiator Rubicon, which I’ll focus on in this yarn, and an accessorised "Mopar-enhanced" Gladiator Rubicon.

So, is the Gladiator actually any good?

For something straight out of the showroom, this will be one of the most capable 4WD utes available once it lands in Australia. So, well and truly Trail rated then.

It’s built rugged and capable with a body-on-frame design, reinforced chassis, coil springs, five-link suspension and the Gladiator has a 4x4 set-up that, in a standard vehicle, is second to none: 4:1 low-range (contributing to a 77.2:1 crawl ratio), front and rear diff-locks, heavy-duty third-generation Dana 44 front and rear axles, sway-bar disconnect, and decent off-road tyres.

Its next-level off-road capability means that’s where it finds its sweet spot: off-road.

Because of the Gladiator’s 3487mm-long long wheelbase, you do have to drive with more concentrated focus over severe obstacles – things like steep-sided rocks and deep ruts – because if you don’t, it tends to hit and scrape on the ground.

It does have four substantial underbody skid-plates, as well as rock rails, to soak up any off-road hits.

The onboard off-road pages media-screen app, replete with ‘Drivetrain’, ‘Accessory gauges’ and ‘Pitch & Roll’, is pretty handy for keeping an eye on things – and for trying to max out the severity of the off-road angles you take on.

The Jeep Gladiator is great off-road, as expected, and surprisingly good on-road.

It’s built well, looks good, is a ton of fun and is very capable but I’ll hold off on a final judgement on the Gladiator until I’ve driven an Aussie-spec version to see what’s truly like for work-and-play duties here in Australia.

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