Forbidden brute

Big, bold and bad to thebone – all’s well in theworld now that there’s aJeep bakkie. ThisGladiator is even “DesertRated” for maximumdune-crushing ability.Yeehaw!

- Gautam Sharma

Price: n/a

Engine: 3,6-litre, V6, petrol

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 213 kW@ 6 400 r/min

Torque: 353 N.m at 3 800 r/min

0-100 km/h: 7,50 seconds*

Top speed: 158 km/h*

Fuel consumption: 12,40 L/100 km*

CO2: 296 g/km

Rivals: Ford F-150 Raptor; Ram 1500 TRX

We know and love the Jeep Wrangler in South Africa but the Gladiator pick-up derivative hasn’t made it to our shores. So, all you bakkie lovers out there may be justified in feeling short-changed.

To briefly recap, the Gladiator debuted at the 2018 Los Angeles Motor Show and went on sale in the US in spring 2019, filling the pick-up void that had existed in Jeep’s line-up since the 2001 demise of the Comanche. The Gladiator is also sold in the Middle East and we recently got our hands on the new Sand Runner model that has been tailored specifically to tame towering dunes and pretty much any other gnarly terrain it’s pointed at. The Sand Runner’s bespoke specification means it’s the first Jeep to wear Desert Rated badges on its flanks, in lieu of the familiar Trail Rated designation. “That’s so hot,” as Paris Hilton would say.