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The Gladiator was precisely what everyone was asking for, and is now one of the only two pickups on the market that can be purchased with a manual transmission! I borrowed this Willys Sport from Pierce Auto Center to review and show you everything you need to know about a nearly base model Gladiator and if it is something you might want to buy for yourself.
Thank you, Pierce Auto Center, for letting me borrow this Gladiator to review: https://www.pierceautocenter.com/
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0:00
In 1992, Jeep discontinued the Jeep Comanche, and ever since, Jeep enthusiasts have been asking for
0:06
a Jeep that has a pickup truck bed, and Jeep just hasn't quite done that. However, in 2019
0:12
they released the Jeep Gladiator. That had the front end of essentially a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
0:18
with a rear five-foot bed that allowed for things like dirt bikes and other equipment to be placed
0:22
inside, and it was a huge hit. I remember back when the announcement happened, everybody went
0:28
crazy and it was the biggest thing on the market. And this one right here is actually one of the
0:33
most special, not because it's the most expensive version, but because it's actually one of the base
0:38
versions of the pickup truck and it even has a six-speed manual transmission. Now to put that
0:43
into perspective, there are only two pickup trucks on the market today that you can buy with a manual
0:48
transmission and this is one of them with the other being the Toyota Tacoma, which just went
0:54
through a complete redesign and should be hitting the markets here soon. While this technically does
0:58
compete with pickup trucks like the Ford Ranger and the Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon. This
1:03
and the Tacoma are your only choice if you want to row your own gears, of which I did a video
1:08
recently asking people if we should hang on to the manual transmission, and it was an overwhelming
1:13
yes. So if you want a pickup truck with a manual transmission, this is it. And so you should be
1:20
going out and buying these so we can keep that manual transmission instead of shifting completely
1:25
to an automatic. In this video, I'm going to show you everything that you get with a Gladiator that
1:29
is on the lower end of the trim levels. Not only am I going to show you everything that you get with
1:34
a base model Gladiator, I'm also going to be showing you a ton of different things, including
1:38
Easter eggs that Jeep has hidden all throughout this vehicle. But before we do that, I want to
1:43
thank Pierce Auto Center, who lent me this Jeep Gladiator to tell you guys all about it. If you're
1:48
looking for a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Ram vehicle, make sure to give them a call as a thank you from
1:54
me. So let's start off this walkthrough by talking about the exterior, and it looks really cool
2:00
There is nothing else like it on the market today. It has the front end of a Jeep Wrangler
2:06
including the exact same rear door as a Jeep Wrangler, which means if this does get dented
2:12
you don't have to pull a used door from a Gladiator. It actually opens up the pool
2:16
so if you want to replace this door, you can get one off of a Wrangler as well. Now around back
2:20
you of course do have that five foot bed as well, which kind of completes the design
2:25
So if you are somebody that likes the styling of a Wrangler, but wants the utility of a pickup truck
2:30
this is the one to get. Now I will say this is a polarizing design
2:34
as Jeep has been carrying this design over since the Willys MB
2:38
They've been pulling a lot of the design characteristics from that vehicle over into their newer and newer Gladiators
2:43
and Jeep Wranglers ever since. I do wish they would come out with a pickup truck
2:47
with a little bit more rounded design, Maybe based off the Jeep Grand Cherokee. If you like this design, and I do
2:53
this is a pretty cool rig. Now, starting with features upfront, I wanna talk about this Willys name
2:58
Now, while this is technically a lower trim level, the Willys name is actually the story I wanna talk about
3:03
So, Willys, or as some people refer to it as the Willis
3:06
actually hearkens back to before Jeep ever was a brand on its own
3:10
As Jeep started off more with a brand called Willis, and so Jeep has kept this name around ever since
3:16
So, if you ever wonder what that means, that's what it is. Now moving a little farther back, we do have an exposed antenna instead of having an antenna on
3:24
something like the roof or even in the A-pillar. While most people would think it's probably just
3:28
a utilitarian design, I actually think it's a little bit different because these doors right
3:32
here can be removed as well as this top. So putting an antenna in one of those components
3:38
isn't necessarily going to work. So they had to put a physical old school antenna on here so that
3:44
you can continue to get reception even when your windshield is down and your doors are off. Now
3:48
let's talk about these doors. As I alluded to just a moment ago, these are completely removable
3:52
and with these newer generations of Jeeps, it's even easier than ever. And in fact, on the inside
3:58
of these doors, there is even a grab handle that you can grab when you're pulling these doors off
4:03
It actually is really easy to do. And it's just a couple quick bolts and you lift up and off the
4:08
door. One thing I neglected about the exterior of this is the fact that this roof is completely
4:13
removable. Now these are the most easily removable panels. They are over top of the front seats. You
4:18
can actually remove these in about 30 seconds each. However, the rear of this can come off as well
4:24
including the back glass and everything, and that takes a little bit longer and takes specialized
4:29
tools, which I'll show you when we get into the interior. Finally, the front windshield actually
4:33
still goes down That is something that is carried over from all of the older Jeeps and going back into the willies this thing can actually tilt downwards meaning you can go without a top you can go without a windshield It is a true convertible experience
4:47
Now, moving farther back, let's talk about this pickup truck bed. So this is actually a five-foot bed
4:53
While it may sound small, and honestly it is, it is still extremely usable for a midsize truck like this
5:00
And Jeep says that it fits most dirt bikes and motorcycles. so if you are looking to put something like an ATV in the back, it probably will fit. While this
5:09
Gladiator may not have a lined bed, that is an option and something that you can add in at a
5:14
dealer or on the aftermarket, which I personally prefer and have generally had in the pickup trucks
5:19
I've owned. Now let's talk about these wheels, which I really like them. They're extremely clean
5:24
while kind of having a little bit more complicated look and have a satin black finish that I think
5:30
looks really great. This specific pickup truck does have Toyo Open Country AT tires, which are
5:36
aggressive and should do pretty well off-road. Now, let's move around to the front of the Gladiator
5:40
really quick, as I want to point out one thing that is actually kind of interesting. You do still
5:45
have the seven-slot grille that you have from the Wrangler and are extremely familiar with, as they've
5:49
been using it for years and years. However, the difference between the Gladiator grille and the
5:54
Wrangler is the fact that each of these slots are a little bit wider than the Wrangler, and that is
5:59
because this thing has a tow rating, which we'll talk about when we get to the powertrain
6:03
because it needs considerably more air to be able to cool down things like the engine and
6:07
transmission because you are towing and working the engine harder. Now, I promised you guys Easter
6:12
eggs, so I'm going to show you all the different Easter eggs that I have learned about on the Jeep
6:16
Gladiator, starting with the wheels. Now, every single stock wheel on a Jeep Gladiator have this
6:22
little MB Willys logo right here. So that is hearkening back to what I mentioned right here
6:28
Willie's name is also going back to right here. Next up is actually in the truck bed. As you will
6:34
see right here, there is a 419. And what that is, is actually the area code of where this pickup
6:40
truck is built. Another good one are these flip-flops that are actually found on the passenger
6:44
side of the cowl underneath of the windshield wipers. And while most people don't know why
6:48
these flip-flops are actually here, it's actually referencing a car journalist, Rick Puey. Sorry
6:53
if I say the name wrong, who was a Jeep fan and a veteran car journalist. And then not far away
6:58
from these flip-flops is actually right here. It is on this windshield, which has another Willis MB
7:04
of which is a good reason why you should always get a factory windshield, which they probably
7:09
thought about. Then another fun one is actually inside of each of the factory headlights. They have
7:15
a little Jeep grille with little headlights in there, which is really cool. And another reason
7:19
to hang on to the factory equipment. And then while most people aren't going to notice it
7:23
Right over here is your seven slot grill that is iconic for the Jeep name
7:27
And then another good one is if you don't pay attention to these shorter ones, there are seven full-size bumps on the back of the bed
7:34
Again, hearkening back to its grill, which as you can see, carries over to the roof panels as well
7:40
And then the final Easter egg is actually on the interior. That would be these floor mats, which actually are a topographical mat
7:47
which is more just referencing the off-road prowess of a vehicle like this. So with that, it brings us to talking about the interior of this pickup truck, which is really what sets itself apart from everything else on the road
7:58
While every other pickup truck on the market is looking for a refined experience, and you're looking at flowing lines and big screens and all of that kind of stuff
8:07
a lower-level Gladiator like this is extremely utilitarian. And that is not more evident than with the seats themselves, because these are cloth seats, which actually are really good for off-roading
8:18
as cloth seats make it so that you don't move around in your seat nearly as much as leather
8:23
and so these are actually the seats you would want if you're a serious off-road enthusiast
8:27
However, before we get too far into the interior, I have to talk about this manual transmission
8:32
As I had mentioned before, this manual transmission is one of the only two pickup trucks on the market
8:37
today that can have it, and this is a six-speed manual, which I think is really cool. Now
8:43
it's extremely easy to operate. It is a three-pedal manual, so you're going to be using your clutch
8:47
and then you can easily row through one, two, three, four, five, and six. However
8:52
it does have a reverse lockout. You actually have to pull up on this and go all the way to the left
8:57
and up for you to get into reverse. What this does is makes it so it's nearly impossible to
9:02
shift into reverse when you're driving forward, meaning you're not going to be damaging your
9:06
transmission while driving it, even if you're not super familiar with driving manual. Next to that
9:11
you actually have another lever, which is your two high, four high, four low, and two low. Again
9:16
and this is an off pickup truck And having that in a physical form instead of a knob is extremely usable and honestly makes you feel cooler Now some other cool features about the Jeep Gladiator actually are up on the dash While this dash is extremely horizontal it doesn have a ton of
9:32
flowing lines it looks very utilitarian including its very circular vents but above that is actually
9:38
this little storage bin including a place that you can put things like a phone holder like what
9:43
this one has right now but one thing a lot of people use them for is hooking up their GoPro
9:47
and mounting it there meaning you don't need any special equipment to make that happen if you want
9:52
to record your off-roading. Now as I had mentioned earlier the Willis, Willys, whatever you want to
9:56
call it, trim level is a lower level trim level so you are going to get the smaller display but
10:01
if you are somebody that likes physical buttons this is the one to get as the smaller screen
10:06
allows for things like your tuning knob, your volume knob, and other things to be a physical
10:11
button instead. The dash itself is not a digital dash. It actually has a smaller screen, which is
10:17
still extremely usable and is quite similar to what I have in my 2013 Ford Explorer. So if you're
10:22
somebody that isn't too into tech, this is the one to get. And then the steering wheel itself, I have
10:27
always really liked Jeep steering wheels. So this Jeep steering wheel is actually a three-spoke design
10:32
which again is going back to the old school Willis MB, which had a three-spoke steering wheel as well
10:38
and then on the steering wheel you do have your basic buttons for things like your cruise control
10:42
and then of course your hands-free calling but not much outside of that. Behind that you have
10:47
your stocks which are things for your windshield washers, your turn signals, headlights, and that
10:51
kind of stuff. And then to the left of your steering wheel is going to be all of your headlight
10:55
controls as well as your dash controls for things like raising and lowering the brightness of the
11:00
display. Now moving below the infotainment center and above your gear selector is things like your
11:05
HVAC controls as well as a little storage bin, a 12 volt charger, and then you also have a single
11:12
auxiliary port, a USB-C which is pretty cool for a low-tech car like this, and then of course a
11:18
standard USB 2. And then below all of that is going to be a little storage bin which I think
11:23
is pretty cool because on the inside of that along with a bunch of other storage spaces in here is
11:27
kind of like a it's kind of a carbon fiber look. It has a little bit of a texture to it so it's
11:31
going to hang on to whatever you put in there and I actually really like the texture. It kind of
11:36
changes things up in here a little bit. And then of course behind your gear selector is going to be
11:40
your manual handbrake which I'm not going to release because I do not want this car to move
11:45
even though it is in gear. But it is easy to use. It's very close to you and it's just really nice
11:49
to have especially in a vehicle like this that's a manual transmission. To the right of that is
11:53
going to be two different cup holders and inside of those cup holders is actually a phone tray so
11:58
you can place your phone in there. Behind that is going to be your center storage. There are actually
12:01
two different parts of it. There's the upper storage right here which actually has tools on
12:06
the inside of it and those tools are actually used to remove the top as well as lower your front
12:11
windshield. And inside of that top storage is kind of that carbon fiber looking stuff again
12:17
and I really like the way that looks like when the light hits it right it just shimmers and
12:21
looks really nice. I don't know why I like it so much but I do. And then of course underneath of
12:26
that storage is your secondary storage. Inside of there is a cavernous storage area and inside of
12:31
That is actually another USB 2.0. So you can charge devices in there without having it sitting on your seats and your cup holders and all that kind of stuff
12:38
So it's a nice place to put that. Of course, on the right-hand side over here, you do have a glove box and a grab handle
12:43
It's because when you're doing real off-roading, you want something to hang on to. And moving over to the door is something that you don't actually see very often, and that would be manual windows
12:52
Yes, you roll up and down your windows. Now, you might think that is because these doors are removable, but that's just not the case
12:59
because the upper trim levels do have automatic windows and it's easily removable. However
13:04
having manual windows is honestly kind of cool. And honestly, I kind of miss having manual windows
13:11
So something like this isn't too bad of an idea. And then above that is a very utilitarian looking
13:16
latch to be able to get outside of the car. It is a kind of aluminum finish and it feels really nice
13:21
easy to get to and open the door. And then above that is a grab handle on the A-pillar
13:27
Of course, pickup trucks in general have always had this, so that's nothing out of the ordinary
13:31
Now, before we move into the back seat, I actually wanna talk about seating position in this
13:35
because this seat is actually extremely comfortable. I really do like sitting in it. I don't really have any issues with it
13:41
It's not really a problem. These are manual seats, so you basically pull a latch underneath
13:44
to move yourself forward and then pull on a latch to move yourself backwards. It's an easy process and honestly faster
13:50
and easier than most automatic seats. You do have lumbar support on the left-hand side as a knob
13:55
And then there is a manual thing for tilting your seat for front and back In the driving position you are actually very up in the vehicle You have a good visibility in the front back you know all the different sides On the door itself you do have a little net to be able to put stuff into However it doesn have much form to it so I don know
14:12
I don't know if I'd put stuff in it. But one thing that has always been interesting to me in the
14:16
Wranglers and the Gladiator and stuff is you are definitely kind of cocooned into here. So this door
14:21
is actually very close to you which is nice because you have easy access for putting your arm on the
14:26
left-hand side over here, and then you have easy access to your center console, so it is a comfortable
14:30
driving position, but you definitely are a little bit more enclosed in here than a lot of other pickup
14:35
trucks and SUVs out there, so it's something to be aware of when you're shopping for this. All right
14:39
so let's move into the interior rear of this vehicle, which is actually one of the nice things
14:44
to have in here because Jeeps haven't always had back seats until the Unlimited came out in the 2007
14:50
year for the Wrangler, but what surprised me is this is a mid-sized pickup truck, again competing
14:55
with things like the Tacoma, the Ranger, the Colorado in the Canyon, I actually have leg room
15:01
So I'm about six foot, six foot one. And sitting behind myself, I have the seat where I would sit
15:06
in the front seat. And I have probably four or five inches before my knees hit the front seat
15:12
And that's partially because of this recess in the back of the seat. It gives a little bit more
15:15
leg room while allowing the front to be able to come back a little bit more, which is a really
15:20
good idea. Now, just like in the front, this is a very utilitarian design. It is comfortable. You
15:25
have a very a little bit more upright of a feel to it but on this lower trim level you don't have
15:30
a ton of frills. Of course you do have two different cup holders down here. You have two vents which is
15:35
great to be able to easily have air going to the back of the vehicle even a utilitarian vehicle
15:40
like this and then outside of that there really isn't a ton. Of course above you do have this bar
15:45
right here which they have this bar here because this roof is removed so you still got to have
15:50
stuff in this vehicle and this is the way they do it. So this is where they house things like the
15:54
speakers and then you have all the map lights for the front and rear sitting in this bar. There isn't
15:59
a ton back here to talk about. It's comfortable. I could see myself sitting back here in a road trip
16:05
and I probably wouldn't be uncomfortable but other than things like manual windows
16:10
that's about it. Actually while I did just say that there is one other thing I want to mention
16:15
So this is a pickup truck which means it does have under seat storage. You can easily just flip up
16:20
the seats like that. And this is where you can keep stuff in there like your tools or extra gear
16:25
or that kind of stuff. I will say this is not a lockable storage in higher trim levels or you can
16:30
option it. There is a lockable storage you can have under here. However, this is not that. This
16:34
is also where you keep all of your nuts and bolts from removing things like the top and for things
16:39
like laying down the front windshield. Finally, let's talk about the drivetrain of the Jeep
16:44
Gladiator. And before we do that, let's see how we get into the engine. Unlike most vehicles on
16:49
the road, you actually don't have a latch on the interior to unlock the hood. And instead, you
16:55
actually have a latch right here. And all you do is you just pull down like that. You have one over
17:00
here as well. You have this latch right here, and then you just lift up. And you have this bar right
17:04
here that you just go in and prop it in there. So this is the 3.6 liter Pentastar engine. You find
17:10
these in a lot of different vehicles, including the Jeep Wrangler, this Gladiator, the Dodge Durango
17:15
so has them and a lot of other cars under Stellantis's ownership. However, in this Jeep
17:19
Gladiator specifically, it makes 285 horsepower and 260 pound foot of torque. Now, just in case
17:26
you don't want the six-speed manual that this one has, it does also have an eight-speed automatic
17:30
choice as well. And while back in 2021, when this one was made, there were actually two engine
17:34
choices. There were this 3.6 liter. There was also a 3.0 liter diesel engine, which was great for
17:40
towing. However, that one is actually being discontinued in 2024, leaving this as the sole
17:45
choice for the engine. But that's not a bad thing. I have really liked this engine. This engine also
17:50
helps out in giving 1,700 pounds of payload capacity, which means you can haul a lot in the
17:55
bed and quite a few people. And then its towing capacity is 7,650 pounds. Now, if you were one of
18:02
those people that doesn't want a ton of tech, you don't want giant screens, you don't want all of
18:06
that crazy stuff that comes in those expensive trucks nowadays, this is a fantastic option for you
18:13
It has a manual transmission. It has a convertible roof. It's off-road ready
18:18
It has cloth seats, manual windows, and everything that you could want out of a truck
18:23
but nothing that you really wouldn't. If you're somebody that's looking at a full-size pickup truck
18:28
you might want to look at this. This also is at the top of the range of a mid-size pickup
18:33
and has a lot of the same stuff, but in a smaller package. I really like the way these gladiators look
18:38
So why aren't people buying these manual gladiators? Leave your thoughts down in the comments
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