How the First Jeep Gladiator Came to Be

If you’re intrigued by the five passenger, four-door midsize truck that is the modern-day Jeep Gladiator, have you ever wondered how the Gladiator first came to be? It’s a tale that goes back to when John F. Kennedy was president of the United States – in other words, a long time ago.

Read on for that – and more.

The Genesis

Produced on the Wagoneer station wagon platform, Jeep’s first Gladiator hit the scene in 1962 and ran until the late 1980s. These pickups notably offered a distinct combination: a relatively low stance as well as a lofty ground clearance, rendering them very maneuverable. They could negotiate almost anything.

The original Gladiator’s transmission was particularly innovative. Why? Because it was the very first 4WD truck to offer an automatic transmission. Sure, there was a four- speed manual and two-wheel drive available, but it was the 4WD auto that distinguished the Gladiator from other pickups out there. That configuration was broadly popular.

Body Styles

Another reason for the truck’s popularity was the range of available body styles. There was the Gladiator Townside, which could be defined as a traditional pickup with an urbane interior plus a body that promoted about-town tooling.

Then there was the Thriftside, which had an exterior that emphasized “labor.” Thriftside Stake models were particularly built for serious work and cargo hauls and were especially attractive to farmers and construction workers and the like. Both single- and dual-rear Stake models had a cargo bed that was connected to Thriftside’s cab.

End of an Era

A year after the Kaiser Jeep Company was purchased by AMC, the manufacturer shed the Gladiator marque and started calling the model the Jeep Pickup. As such, the truck’s trims and versions were part of what was called the J-series and were differentiated as

such (like Ford Motor Co.’s F-150, F-250, etcetera). The trucks were offered until 1988, a year after Chrysler bought the brand.

Rumors of a Return

Seemingly, ever since the Gladiator’s discontinuance, rumors abounded that it would return. For its part, Jeep did tease several concept trucks, including a Jeep Gladiator in 2005. Then, the manufacturer announced that it would indeed produce a pickup that was based on the wildly popular Wrangler. The unveiling was initially slated for 2017, but that didn’t happen. Then …

The Modern Jeep Gladiator

If you’re a Wrangler fan, odds are you’ll also love the contemporary Gladiator, which went on sale in 2019 and offers tons of versatility. As with the Wrangler, you can still lose the roof and body panels, and the truck can tow, haul, and go off road. Big time.

The 2022 Gladiator is powered by a 3.6-liter V8 powerplant that makes 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, but an eight-speed auto is in the offing.

Some 19.4 more inches than the Wrangler between the front and rear wheels make for improved ride and handling. And scads of off-road equipment, in addition to the

vehicle’s fording capability, make the truck an adventuresome beast.

The interior resembles the Wrangler’s, plus you get a waterproof push-start button and available heating front seat and steering wheel. There’s also a bunch of places to store your stuff, including a nice compartment under the rear seat and multiple places for your cellphone. You can stow the seats several ways, and even lock them down if off- roading get rowdy.

In terms of connectivity, you get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A sounds system subwoofer and portable wireless speaker are available, as is a 115-volt outlet.

As for driver-assistance technology, the Rubicon trim offers a front-facing camera, blind-spot monitoring, rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control.

Oh, and the Gladiator offers best-in-class fuel economy: its standard manual tranny gets some 16 mpg in the city and 23 on the highway. An automatic, meanwhile, provides 16 mpg in the city and 22, highway. Then there’s the diesel, which gets you 22 mpg and 28 mpg, respectively.

So that’s how the first Jeep Gladiator came to be, and what the current iteration entails. Hey, Jeep afficionados have been clamoring for a new pickup since the demise of the first one. Was it worth the wait? The answer is a decided “yes.”