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I drove a $62,000 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon to see if the new pickup could steal some shine from midsize-truck rivals Ford and Chevy (FCAU)

Matthew DeBord/Insider

  • I tested a 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, a Jeepified pickup truck that costs $62,020.
  • The Gladiator is an insanely capable offroad pickup, powered by a 3.6-liter V6 making 285 horsepower.
  • The Gladiator I tested was packed with cool features and enjoyed several premium upgrades to the interior.
  • Going up against a spate of competition in the midsize segment, the Gladiator might be too robust for customers who would be OK with a pickup from Chevy or Ford.
  • The Gladiator more naturally matches up with Chevy's most stout offroad choices for its Colorado pickup, and also the backwoods warriors made by Toyota and wearing the Tacoma nameplate.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Jeep Gladiator was the one that got away in 2019. 

Normally, we manage to sample just about every new, important vehicle that shows up in a given year, so that we can include the best of the best in our annual Car of the Year award competition.

We had the Jeep Gladiator, a hotly anticipated midsize pickup from the off-roading legend, all lined up. But there was a delay, and unfortunately, we couldn't hold the presses. 

But no harm, no foul. We knew the Jeepified pickup would be available in 2020. 

Jeep has done pickups before, including a few with the "Gladiator" moniker. The better-known models, however, were the 1980s and 1990s-vintage Scrambler and Comanche.

The midsize-pickup-truck segment, after being sort of abandoned by everybody except Toyota, has come roaring back in the past half-decade. You can now buy as many midsize pickups as full-size ... Wait! With the Gladiator on the scene, you can buy more!

If you're going to get a 2020 Jeep Gladiator, go for the Rubicon 4x4 trim level and go for the orange paint job — or "Punk'n," as Jeep has cleverly named it.Matthew DeBord/Insider

My 2020 model tipped the cost scales at $62,020, and it was well-optioned. Base, it was $43,545. The cheapest Gladiator is the Sport, stickering at $33,545.Matthew DeBord/Insider

The Jeep family resemblance is unmistakable.Matthew DeBord/Insider

You might think that, like certain Jeep pickups of the past, the Gladiator is simply a Wrangler with a bed bolted on. Not so! The Gladiator sits on its own, dedicated pickup-truck frame.

Read the review.

What we're really dealing with here is the blessing/curse of the Jeep design language. Up front, the Gladiator of course looks very, very much like a Wrangler.Matthew DeBord/Insider

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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