2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave – Just A Couple Of Cylinders Short Of Perfection

None of us that were on hand at  this year’s Chicago Auto Show realized it would be the last new live model introductions we’d be seeing for a while. Among the few new products first shown in Chicago, we saw Jeep brand chief Jim Morrison unveil what may be a near ideal vehicle for a post-apocalyptic new world, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave. 

The Gladiator went on sale last year as a stretched pickup truck variant of the latest JL Wrangler. In an increasingly crowded midsize pickup segment, you certainly can’t call the Gladiator another Tacoma wannabe. This is a pickup quite unlike anything else on the market and a proper Jeep through and through. The Mojave variant adds a new level of capability to the line-up as the first “desert-rated” model, something that will apparently soon come to other Jeeps. 

While it obviously looks much like a Wrangler from the rear doors forward, the Gladiator is quite different out back. The additional 30-inches of length sits on almost 19-inches of added wheelbase. Up front the seven-slot grille has had some of the trim from the Wrangler removed to enable more airflow into the engine bay but otherwise looks the same. The traditional flat windshield and removable doors are straight off the Wrangler. 

Gallery: 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave

28 images

Like the Wrangler, the Gladiator is very much a lifestyle vehicle and unlike any other pickup currently available, owners have a vast array of choices to configure it on any given day. No other currently available truck lets you go open air driving like this one. In addition to taking the doors off entirely, you can peel back the roof. The standard Sunrider soft top that was on my tester has two latches at the windshield header and then you just fold it back above the rear window. 

While the soft top has the same number of latches, opening and closing it is a bit more cumbersome than my Miata. Instead of just dropping it from the driver’s seat, you have to get up, push it back part way and then complete the process from the rear seat. One person can do it, but it just takes a few steps and won’t be happening at an intersection. Jeep also offers a three piece hard top similar to the one offered on the Wrangler. If you select the dual top group on the options list, you get both so you can switch to the hard top for cold weather months and the soft top when it’s warmer. 

Inside, the cabin is essentially identical to the latest generation Wrangler. Most of the controls are on the center stack including the window switches. Wranglers and Gladiators are configured to accept a range of accessories and power switches are included at the bottom of the center stack. 

Since these Jeeps are proper four-wheel-drive vehicles rather than all-wheel drive, there is a second shift lever next to the transmission shifter. This is used to select between rear drive, four-wheel drive high and four-wheel drive low range. In the four-wheel drive modes, there is no center differential so you’ll feel and hear the tires scrubbing if you try to make a tight turn on pavement. 

Like the Wrangler, the Gladiator is available in a Rubicon trim that is optimized for crawling through canyons and forests and over just about anything. However, that kind of use is usually done at low speeds. Jeeps with this sort of low-speed go anywhere capability including the Rubicons and Trailhawk variants of the Renegade, Compass and Cherokee all wear the “trail rated” badge on their fenders. 

The Mojave is the “desert rated” Jeep. What makes it so? It’s tuned for high-speed running across arid planes and over sand dunes. The key differentiator for the Mojave are the Fox 2.5-inch internal bypass dampers. Each of the four dampers has an external reservoir to help with keeping the fluid cool during maximum wheel motion. At the rear corners, the reservoirs are mounted next to the main damper tubes. At the front, they sit laterally under the frame rail, protected by the skid plate. 

The suspension system has received a one inch lift and Fox hydraulic jounce dampers to really optimize the control of the body and the wheels. The 33-inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires and the suspension allow for 11.6-inches of ground clearance and 21 inches of wheel articulation. 

The gearing in the drivetrain has also been revised to enable 4-low to be used at speeds up to 50 mph. The version in the Rubicon is limited to 32 mph. The only available engine in the Gladiator is the proven 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 which is strong and smooth running. At 285-hp, it’s certainly competitive with the rest of the midsize pickup segment. 

But as a high-speed desert runner, the Gladiator Mojave’s natural competitor would seem to be the Ford F-150 Raptor. As a full-size truck, the Ford is considerably larger with 14-inches more length but it’s powered by a 450-hp twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6. The closest competitor in the midsize class is the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro, but it hasn’t been optimized quite to the level of the Gladiator. 

The Jeep is the only one of these three to feature solid axles front and rear along with coil springs all around. While the solid axles might seem like a throwback, they do offer a durability advantage. When I last drove both the Raptor and Tacoma they each felt kind of soft and floppy when going in anything but a straight line. While those competitors also feature Fox dampers, they each felt less well controlled than this Jeep. 

The Gladiator has a feeling of solidity and control that almost feels more sports car like than off-road truck. At the same time, it doesn’t feel excessively stiff and the ride was surprisingly comfortable on-road. While I didn’t have a desert nearby while I’m stuck here in Michigan, I did take the Gladiator out on some rural gravel roads that hadn’t been graded in some time and were seeing the effects of some heavy spring rains of late with some massive pot holes. 

Even at speeds of 50 mph and up, the Gladiator remains remarkably poised and in control. Those big wheels and tires just follow the contour of the road while the body stays stable. The more bolstered seats in the Mojave keep the driver and front passenger in place, but there is surprisingly little head toss even on very rough roads. Based on the limited amount of testing I was able to do, I think I’d feel more comfortable running the Mojave across the Mojave than any other current production truck. 

To the degree that there is any weakness in the Gladiator Mojave, it’s the single engine option. The Pentastar V6 has always been an excellent engine, but it would be nice to have a more powerful option available. At the very least, the eTorque mild hybrid version from the Ram 1500 would add more torque and improve fuel efficiency which was a mediocre 15 mpg. If it could fit, a Hemi V8 would be a great addition, but I dream of a Hellcat-powered Mojave running in the Baja 1000. 

Overall, the Gladiator Mojave is surprisingly fun to drive, especially with the sun shining and the top folded back. As a truck, it’s utility is somewhat limited by its relatively shallow bed, but with the optional Mopar bed extender, it can still be put to good use. There’s plenty of room in the cab for four adults or five if they are friendly. 

The 2020 Gladiator starts at about $35,000 although as this is written, employee discounts are available to all customers, knocking a couple of thousand off. The Mojave starts at $45,615 and my test truck came to just shy of $61,000 delivered. With leather seating, premium audio, LED lighting, driver assist systems and lots of other goodies, the Gladiator Mojave isn’t cheap, but it is quite unique in what it offers and if that fits with your needs, or more likely your wants, it’s really the best or only choice out there.  At least until Jeep rolls out additional desert rated models that have been promised.