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Meet the beast

In the arena of four-door pickup trucks, the Jeep Gladiator is a charismatic beast

November 2020

Not many people are aware but the father of modern Singapore enjoyed his cars and bikes, perhaps as much as he did spicy sambal belacan made for him by a Malaysian royal.

Some of these vehicles featured prominently in Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s early political career, as chronicled in his memoirs.

There was the comfortable Studebaker, when he needed a break in cool Cameron Highlands from tension-filled political struggles; the modest Morris Minor that belonged to his father and that he drove to cloak-and-dagger meetings with the sinister leader of the communist party; and the upmarket Mercedes-Benz 220 that ferried him to election rallies before he became Singapore’s first prime minister.

Obviously the Minister Mentor knew his cars and chose them well. So what would he make of the Jeep Gladiator if he were here today?

Features

To put it in the local context, the Gladiator is basically a double-cab pickup, although a lot more stylish and capable than the Japanese equivalent, not to mention much bigger. But in 1950s Singapore, there was no double-cab pickup and the Minister Mentor’s loyal supporters were often ferried to polling booths in the back of an ordinary lorry.

As the truck version of the Wrangler sport-utility vehicle, the Gladiator is longer with an extended wheelbase and a 1,531 mm long cargo bed, which would have been a tight squeeze for half a dozen supporters.

On the other hand, if they were in the cabin, they would have enjoyed the excellent rear legroom. This is because the Gladiator’s wheelbase is an eye-popping 3,488 mm – more than the four-door Wrangler’s 3,008 mm. It contributes to the Gladiator’s immense overall length of 5,591 mm. That is over 18 feet, or about two feet more than a standard mid-sized sedan like the E-Class at 5.0 metres.

Hulking over traffic, with a front bumper that juts out defiantly, the imposing Gladiator makes a seven-seater Audi Q7 look dinky and timid.

Sitting high in a spacious interior that is identical to the Wrangler, there is the same rugged horizontal dashboard and easy-to-use controls, with electronics like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as pitch and roll graphics and other off-roading aids.

The Gladiator also has the same versatile option of removing the doors, roof panels and rear window. Finally, and perhaps more essentially, there are the familiar grab handles to haul yourself up into the 1,843 mm-tall truck. With its relatively small load bed, you won’t be moving house in it but you can certainly carry a few mountain bikes.

Powertrain

If the MM were to drive the Jeep Gladiator, he would probably find it more Studebaker than Mercedes-Benz. But he might also appreciate its prodigious 4×4 capability when visiting far-flung parts of old Singapore.

The Gladiator is a full-fledged off-roader, with a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine driving all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic. The transfer case allows selections of 2H or two-wheel-drive high-range (ie rear-wheel-drive); 4H Auto or four-wheel-drive high-range that is rear-biased; 4H Part-Time for rougher or more slippery terrain; and 4L for four-wheel-drive low-range.

There are actually two versions of Jeep’s four-wheel-drive system, as offered in the Jeep Gladiator Overland and Jeep Gladiator Rubicon. The latter is geared towards heavy-duty off-roading, with a more hardcore suspension and differential and costing an additional S$20,000.

Drive

At 2,104 kg, the Jeep Gladiator Overland is no lightweight Japanese pickup (the Rubicon is even heavier, plus another 100 kg).

With its body-on-frame construction, you also sit higher to literally look down on car drivers while seeing eye to eye with bus captains.

But from behind the wheel, the Gladiator’s initially intimidating mass seems to melt away. It shrinks to the size of a normal SUV and is surprisingly manoeuvrable.

Part of the reason is the easy steering, a necessary requirement for off-roading. But while it is light, the steering isn’t vague like Donald Trump’s responses to questions about his Covid-19 condition.

The quiet V6 with its beefy torque and the eight-speed auto’s seamless shifts also contribute to the effortless handling. The Gladiator seems so chill; the overall experience is one of calm progress as it traverses smoothly above the fray, its demeanour in sharp contrast to the smaller and busier Wrangler with its lighter 2.0-litre engine and shorter wheelbase.

The catch is that as a truck, the Gladiator has to be registered as a commercial vehicle with the telltale 70 kmh speed limit sticker on its tailgate.

But embracing a beeping speed warning and forsaking the fast lane for the middle of the road can be strangely liberating too. Together with the Gladiator’s overall composure, it results in a relaxing drive that is only marred by the occasional goods vehicle on the expressway going slower than a tortoise with a bum knee.

Then again, there’s always the Gladiator’s muscular V6 for some swift overtaking.

Price

Despite its size and weight, the Gladiator delivers a stress-free drive accompanied by an equally comforting mileage of 10.8 litres per 100 km under the combined cycle.

Less painless is the price. The Jeep Gladiator Overland is listed at S$159,999 without COE, while the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon is S$179,999 without COE.

Not everyone will need a massive four-door truck with a cargo bed but more than a few will want one because it is so very cool. After all, the Gladiator looks more menacing than the communist threat and as indestructible as the MM’s legacy. Surely he would approve.

Jeep Gladiator

Engine – 3,604 cc V6

Power – 285 hp @ 6,400 rpm

Torque – 347 Nm @ 4,100 rpm

Gearbox – 8-speed automatic transmission

0-100 kmh – 9.1 secs

Top speed – 155 kmh

Distributor – Chrysler Jeep Automotive of Singapore, tel 6479-3333

Meet the beast

Meet the beast

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