By Sala Masindane

When the ‘spy’ pictures or rumors of the new Jeep Gladiator started surfacing we were in disbelief but anxious about the prospect of bakkie that’s against the grain. Considering the unsuccessful Mercedes-Benz X-Class but truth be told it paved a way for any bakkie to above the price tag of one bar. We recently spent some time with the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon to see if it’s worth all the hype or it may fall under the same axe as the Merc bakkie.

Robust exterior design

The priciest bakkie in Mzansi and the only convertible bakkie in the world is identifiable by its 1800 mm load-bay from the rest of the range. Some exterior highlights include the brand’s iconic keystone-shaped grille, signature round LED headlamps and square LED tail lamps and flared wheel arches housing massive 17-inch LT (Light Truck) 265/75R17 wheels.

Rugged interior design

The cabin gets premium materials, an Alpine sound system, and an 8.4-inch touch screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. There’s also the benefit of heated front seats and a heated steering-wheel. For those adventurous days when you remove the doors and windshield there’s under-seat storage and bolt storage bin. Jeep also throws in a detachable speaker for those fun outdoor days.

The traditional ruggedness and robust-looking finishes are still seen when you step inside the Gladiator. The weatherproof touchscreen infotainment display with one of the best rear-view cameras are some of the modernized features in the Gladiator. There’s sufficient legroom and headroom for all five passengers. The load bay can also be used if extra luggage space is required, however dust creeps in when driven enthusiastically off-road.

Power and performance

Under the hood of the Jeep Gladiator is a thunderous 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine delivering 209kW and 347Nm. Power is sent to its Rock-Trac four-wheel drive system via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The naturally-aspirated V6 engine feels brisk and does not suffer from turbo lag. The soundtrack of the engine is addictive but this resulted in our stint bearing a fuel consumption of 16.1l/100km from the claimed 12.7l/100km. It is off-road biased, but daily usage has not been too compromised. Our time in the Gladiator did not include any off-roading but we can confidently confirm that it is still capable.

Final word

The behemoth bakkie was the talk of the town everywhere we drove past. This of course is not by mistake as the country is a bakkie-loving nation and the design language is easy on the eye. It remains to be seen if this momentum can be maintained. Overall, the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon still offers adventure but now can mix business as well. It is priced from R1,299,900.