Add this to the list of cars to look forward to next year: Jeep Philippines has announced that the Gladiator, the American car manufacturer’s Wrangler-based pickup-truck offering, will be available locally next year.
While the company has yet to reveal an exact date of availability, it did say via its official website that the vehicle will arrive sometime mid-2020.
No mention of engine specs or variant details either, but in the US, the Gladiator is available in four trims (Sport, Sport S, Overland and Expedition) with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine capable of 285hp and 352Nm of torque mated to either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s a hell of a workhorse, too, as the top-spec unit boasts a maximum towing capacity of 3,470kg.
Naturally it’s much too early to talk about PH prices, but we did get feedback that these should cost about the same as the local Jeep Wranglers. Gladiators have a higher SRP per se, but our TRAIN taxes have made pickups tax-free, so that should make up for the difference.
Aside from being advertised as an off-road beast, Gladiator units abroad have already proven to be an excellent platform for aftermarket modifications. No doubt local 4x4 enthusiasts will already be keeping their ears close to the ground in anticipation of the Gladiator’s arrival.
So, in the middle of next year, then. Do you prefer this pickup version over the locally available 2020 Jeep Wrangler? Let us know what you think in the comments.
