Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Jeep unleashes its retro-styled pick-up truck in Detroit.
February 09, 2005 - Jeep seems to love making outlandish concept vehicles. Those of you that have been tuning in to IGN Cars over the past few days will surely remember Jeep's Hurricane concept. This vehicle can literally turn on a dime thanks to the way all of its wheels turn inward. Long-time readers may even recall Jeep's Treo concept from the 2004 Tokyo Motor Show -- a "mini" Jeep designed for the "urban jungle". It may not have had extreme off-road capabilities, but it at least had wings!
Well, Jeep also has a knack for making more "subtle" concept vehicles. And by "subtle", we mean vehicles that we may actually see on the road someday. One such concept is Jeep's Gladiator concept pick-up, which made its debut at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
A Jeep pick-up may surprise some of our younger readers. After all, anyone under the age of 17 would be hard-pressed to remember a time when SUVs didn't rule the freeways. But, yes, Jeep used to make pick-up trucks. And yes, one of them used to be called the Gladiator. Don't worry, we don't remember the Gladiator name either, as the original Jeep Gladiator existed in, like, the 1960s or something.
So, what's so exciting about this Gladiator concept, anyway? Design-wise, it looks like a classic Jeep Wrangler body got a truck bed bolted to its ***. Don't believe us? That's fine. But check out the removable doors, open-air canvas roof and fold-down front windshield. Does that remind you of a classic Wrangler yet? It does now? Good. See? We don't always make stuff up to impress you. We only do that sometimes...
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Adding a throwback touch to the Gladiator concept is the spare tire mounted to the side of the bed. Now, we know that some of you have seen classic trucks with the side-mounted spare. It's a cool touch, and we hope that Jeep uses it on a future production vehicle.
Unlike the gargantuan or exotic engines that power most concept trucks, Jeep has given its Gladiator concept a relatively modest powerplant. A 2. 8-liter turbo diesel engine sits under the hood of this Jeep, and surprisingly, it only has four cylinders. Even though it has half the cylinders of most trucks, the Gladiator still has respectable power numbers: 165 horsepower and a whopping 295 lb. -ft. of torque. Oo. This tree stump-pulling power goes through a six-speed transmission and reaches the ground through all four wheels.
A multi-link suspension sits at all four corners, giving the Gladiator a smooth ride over all surface conditions. Should one decide to be amongst the 1 percent of truck owners that actually take their off road vehicles off road, the Jeep Gladiator can handle that, too. If the 13. 7 inches of ground clearance can't help you get over those rocks, perhaps the Gladiator's 34-inch tires can. Oh yeah, a power winch is also included to get one out of trouble, should they overestimate their driving abilities.
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The inside is designed to be off road-friendly as well. A GPS system will keep drivers from getting lost, and a hose-washable interior will allow owners to get all that mud out of their Jeep. Personally, we think the only time the GPS would be used is if the owner is freaking out because he or she can't find a Starbucks. And that hose-washable interior? It's only good for wiping that coffee off the seat after a panic stop.
As much as we joke about the Jeep Gladiator never going off-road, we actually like the truck. Jeep really needs to expand its line-up, and the Gladiator has a very cool design. Will we see the Gladiator on the streets in the near future? Who knows? Depending on how crowds react to this car, we just may see styling queues from the Gladiator on Jeep showroom floors in the near future.
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February 09, 2005 - Jeep seems to love making outlandish concept vehicles. Those of you that have been tuning in to IGN Cars over the past few days will surely remember Jeep's Hurricane concept. This vehicle can literally turn on a dime thanks to the way all of its wheels turn inward. Long-time readers may even recall Jeep's Treo concept from the 2004 Tokyo Motor Show -- a "mini" Jeep designed for the "urban jungle". It may not have had extreme off-road capabilities, but it at least had wings!
Well, Jeep also has a knack for making more "subtle" concept vehicles. And by "subtle", we mean vehicles that we may actually see on the road someday. One such concept is Jeep's Gladiator concept pick-up, which made its debut at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
A Jeep pick-up may surprise some of our younger readers. After all, anyone under the age of 17 would be hard-pressed to remember a time when SUVs didn't rule the freeways. But, yes, Jeep used to make pick-up trucks. And yes, one of them used to be called the Gladiator. Don't worry, we don't remember the Gladiator name either, as the original Jeep Gladiator existed in, like, the 1960s or something.
So, what's so exciting about this Gladiator concept, anyway? Design-wise, it looks like a classic Jeep Wrangler body got a truck bed bolted to its ***. Don't believe us? That's fine. But check out the removable doors, open-air canvas roof and fold-down front windshield. Does that remind you of a classic Wrangler yet? It does now? Good. See? We don't always make stuff up to impress you. We only do that sometimes...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adding a throwback touch to the Gladiator concept is the spare tire mounted to the side of the bed. Now, we know that some of you have seen classic trucks with the side-mounted spare. It's a cool touch, and we hope that Jeep uses it on a future production vehicle.
Unlike the gargantuan or exotic engines that power most concept trucks, Jeep has given its Gladiator concept a relatively modest powerplant. A 2. 8-liter turbo diesel engine sits under the hood of this Jeep, and surprisingly, it only has four cylinders. Even though it has half the cylinders of most trucks, the Gladiator still has respectable power numbers: 165 horsepower and a whopping 295 lb. -ft. of torque. Oo. This tree stump-pulling power goes through a six-speed transmission and reaches the ground through all four wheels.
A multi-link suspension sits at all four corners, giving the Gladiator a smooth ride over all surface conditions. Should one decide to be amongst the 1 percent of truck owners that actually take their off road vehicles off road, the Jeep Gladiator can handle that, too. If the 13. 7 inches of ground clearance can't help you get over those rocks, perhaps the Gladiator's 34-inch tires can. Oh yeah, a power winch is also included to get one out of trouble, should they overestimate their driving abilities.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The inside is designed to be off road-friendly as well. A GPS system will keep drivers from getting lost, and a hose-washable interior will allow owners to get all that mud out of their Jeep. Personally, we think the only time the GPS would be used is if the owner is freaking out because he or she can't find a Starbucks. And that hose-washable interior? It's only good for wiping that coffee off the seat after a panic stop.
As much as we joke about the Jeep Gladiator never going off-road, we actually like the truck. Jeep really needs to expand its line-up, and the Gladiator has a very cool design. Will we see the Gladiator on the streets in the near future? Who knows? Depending on how crowds react to this car, we just may see styling queues from the Gladiator on Jeep showroom floors in the near future.
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This is after all a Liberty / Gladiator thread :-laf 
Smelling like money LOL!! I agree on never purchasing the first model run of anything (Go figure the 3rd gens shot that theory all to hell now didn't they?). I am just afraid that if they don't sell every last one of em will they offer it in model year 2?
