Jeep Gladiator 2023 review: Rubicon - GVM test

Our Bright White test vehicle, with optional body-coloured wheel arch flares, is available only with a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine and eight-speed automatic transmission for a list price of $82,450 plus ORCs. That pricing isn’t far south of the Next-Gen Ranger Raptor.

Our example is also fitted with a pair of Jeep genuine accessory roof racks plus options from the Lifestyle Adventure Group including heavy-duty electrics, lockable rear under-seat storage, spray-in bedliner and adjustable load anchorage system.

With prominent Rubicon bonnet decals, this uncompromising off-roader stands wide and tall on 17-inch alloys and chunky 255/75R17 BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres. There’s also a full-size spare tucked under the tail plus pairs of large recovery hooks front and rear, stout front bumper with integral fog lights, steel rear bumper, rock-sliders, underbody skid-plates plus specialised suspension (see Design) and drivetrain (see Engine and Transmission).

This uncompromising off-roader stands wide and tall on 17-inch alloys and chunky 255/75R17 BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres. (image: Mark Oastler)

However, the premium-priced Rubicon does not scrimp on creature comforts either, highlighted by remote keyless entry, McKinley leather-trimmed seats (fronts heated), leather-wrapped, heated and height/reach adjustable steering wheel plus a leather-wrapped gearshift knob and handbrake lever.

Instrumentation includes a 7.0-inch driver information display with multiple data including tyre pressure monitoring. Plus there’s quality nine-speaker Alpine audio for the infotainment system, featuring an 8.4-inch touchscreen, sat-nav, DAB+ digital radio and multiple connectivity including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 3.6-litre petrol V6 engine is sturdy and powerful with a ‘revvy’ nature, as its power and torque peaks are found higher in the rpm range than a turbo-diesel equivalent. It produces 209kW at 6400rpm and 347Nm of torque which peaks at a relatively high 4100rpm. It also has a fuel-saving automatic stop-start function which can be switched off.

The 3.6-litre petrol V6 engine is sturdy and powerful with a ‘revvy’ nature. (image: Mark Oastler)

The rest of the drivetrain consists of an eight-speed torque converter automatic with overdrive on the top two ratios and the option of sequential manual-shifting. The 4x4 system is part-time, dual-range with old-school mechanical control of the transfer case via a stubby floor-mounted lever. Low-range reduction results in a super-low crawl ratio of 77.2:1.

There are four drive modes comprising 2WD High, 4WD High Auto (active on-demand that only feeds drive to the front axle when loss of traction is detected), plus conventional 4WD High and 4WD Low. It also has diff locks front and rear.

Jeep’s official combined figure of 12.4L/100km was close to the 13.2 showing on the dash display at the end of our week-long test. We covered just over 300km of city, suburban and highway driving of which about one third was hauling a near-maximum payload. We also had the auto stop-start switched off. Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was higher again at 15L/100km. So, based on our figure and the Jeep’s 83-litre fuel tank, you could expect a less-than-class-leading driving range of around 550km.

The Rubicon’s 2242kg kerb weight and 2935kg GVM results in a 693kg payload rating which is relatively small in this segment. It’s also rated to tow up to 2721kg of braked trailer and with its 5656kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) it can haul its maximum payload while towing that weight, based on a maximum tow-ball download of 272kg.

The load tub’s internal dimensions include a 1531mm-long floor that extends to 2076mm with the tailgate open. It’s also 1443mm wide and with 1137mm between the wheel housings, it won’t take an Aussie pallet but will accommodate a Euro. The tonneau cover is fixed at the front for weatherproofing, so it’s designed to be rolled up and held firmly in place by Velcro strips when using the load tub.

In terms of cabin storage, the removable front doors have elastic nets and the dash offers a small glovebox and recessed tray in the centre of the dash-pad for small items. There are no cup-holders but the centre console does provide two large-bottle holders, plus a small box at the rear with a padded lid that doubles as an elbow rest.

Rear passengers also get nets on the doors and at the base of each front seat backrest. The rear of the centre console offers two large-bottle holders and there’s two cup/small-bottle holders in the fold-down centre armrest. The 60/40-split rear seat bases can swing up to access (on our example) two optional under-seat storage compartments.

The load tub’s internal dimensions include a 1531mm-long floor that extends to 2076mm with the tailgate open. (image: Mark Oastler)

We loaded 565kg into the load tub which with driver resulted in a payload that just snuck in under the Rubicon’s 693kg limit. The nose rose 20mm and the rear suspension compressed 55mm under this weight, leaving 25mm of static bump-stop clearance.

Given the relatively small payload, this weight hardly touched the sides in city and suburban driving with the Jeep maintaining good all-round performance. The suspension supported this load well, maintaining its supple ride quality and floating over big bumps and dips without a hint of bottoming out, thanks largely to big cone-shaped bump (aka jounce) rubbers that provide a cushioning effect when the suspension nears the end of its travel.

We loaded 565kg into the load tub which with driver resulted in a payload that just snuck in under the Rubicon’s 693kg limit. (image: Mark Oastler)

It also displayed plenty of pulling power on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, self-shifting down to 3000rpm in third to easily haul this load to the summit. Engine-braking on the way down was equally competent, spinning up to 5000rpm on overrun (6500rpm redline) in a manually-selected second gear and maintaining the posted 60km/h limit all the way to the bottom with only one light brush of the brake pedal required on the steepest pinch. That’s solid engine-braking.

The Gladiator is covered by Jeep's five years/100,000km warranty, plus lifetime roadside assist if serviced at Jeep dealers. Scheduled servicing every 12 months/12,000km whichever occurs first. Capped price of $399 for each of the first five scheduled services.