Bad news for those who are eagerly awaiting the Dutch market introduction of the Jeep Gladiator. The pick-up based on the Wrangler will soon fight in countless arenas, but not in the Dutch.
It has been about 2.5 years since Jeep expanded its international delivery range with the Gladiator. It is a pick-up that shares its basis with the Wrangler and, just like that rugged off-roader, should not be muddled, especially next to the asphalt. The European rollout of the model is currently taking place, but in the Netherlands you do not yet have to count on the arrival of the Jeep Gladiator.
The Dutch importer confirms to Techzle that there are as yet no concrete plans to bring the Gladiator to our country. If Jeep changes its mind in the long run, the delivery range will also be limited. Where Jeep supplies the Gladiator in the United States with a 288 hp 3.6 Pentastar V6 and a V6 diesel, the manufacturer only brings the 264 hp and 600 Nm strong 3.0 MultiJet V6 diesel engine to Europe. In addition, Jeep supplies the Gladiator in Europe, in addition to the limited Launch Edition and 80th Anniversary versions, only as Sport and Overland.
Jeeps with cargo box
This Gladiator is not the first pick-up from Jeep, but it is the first after years of absence of such a body style. Previous pickups from the brand had names like Scrambler, Comanche and – indeed – Gladiator. In the early 1960s, the Gladiator entered the international market, which was built across various brands within the parent company until the second half of the 1980s. In the form of the Comanche, a Cherokee pick-up was delivered between 1985 and 1992. Then there is the CJ-8, a variant of the CJ-7 launched in 1981 with a relatively small body. The Gladiator name was still attached to a concept car in 2005 that looked ahead to the arrival of a new pick-up.