As utes continue to dominate new vehicle sales in New Zealand, get ready to have a new sub-category on our roads (and off them) the lifestyle pick-up truck.

And leading the pack will be Jeep’s Gladiator that is a mixture of soft-top driving and carrier of grown up toys such as mountain bikes, dirt bikes, kayaks, windsurfers, stand up paddle boards … you name it.

The Gladiator is Jeep’s first double-cab four-wheel drive ute in 27 years and it is on sale now in the US.

Jeep NZ’s distributor, Ateco, is getting ready for the ute to enter a market that has seen Ford’s Ranger ute as the top-selling vehicle for four straight years.

Prices and specs for the New Zealand Gladiator will be announced closer to launch date in August.

But what will make the Gladiator stand out in New Zealand’s busy double cab ute segment is that it comes with two convertible variants. One is a soft top that folds behind the rear passengers, and the second one has removable roof panels and a fold-down windscreen.

Like the latest Wrangler JL, the doors of the Gladiator are also removable, making it the only ute with open air driving.

Jeep USA decided in 2017 to add a ute to the medium-sized pick up truck segment and it took just a year to create the Gladiator, using the double cab four-wheel drive Wrangler JL as the base for the ute.

Jeep extended the Wrangler’s tail-shaft, brake and fuel lines, and exhaust system to fit the 5669mm long Gladiator.

Compared to the Wrangler Unlimited, the Gladiator’s wheelbase is 492mm longer and an increase in 787mm in overall length. But it shares the Wrangler’s water fording of 763mm and 282mm ground clearance.

The Gladiator’s 1525mm long tray is constructed of steel. It features under-rail lighting, an 115V/400W power outlet, and built-in tie-down points.

This tray makes it ideal for the recreational market — and that’s where Jeep is aiming for, whether it is mountain bikes, kayaks, surfboards or off-road bikes. 

From launch, the Gladiator range will be powered by Chrysler’s 3.6-litre V6 petrol with 209kW of power and 347Nm of torque and paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

By late 2020 or early 2021, it will get a 195kW Fiat-sourced 3-litre EcoDiesel V6.

It has a towing capacity of 3470kg, and payload of 745kg, while in true Jeep style it comes with the same Command-Trac and Rock-Trac 4x4 systems as the Wrangler JL. That means third-generation Dana 44 axles, Tru-Lock front and rear diff locks, Trac-Lok limited-slip rear diff and Jeep’s segment-exclusive sway bar disconnect system.

There are three models — the Sport S, Overland or Rubicon — and all are five seaters. Jeep will also offer its accessory Trail Rail Cargo Management System, spray-on bed-liner, bed divider and tonneau cover as part of its 200-part MOPAR accessories catalogue. The Gladiator Rubicon variants have 33in off-road tyres plus underbody bash plates, front and rear recovery hooks, a steel rear bumper and winch-compatible front bumper.

From the front, the Gladiator could be mistaken for a Wrangler and carries over a similar interior. Inside, the cabin of the Gladiator comes with cloth or leather upholstery, heated seats and steering wheel, and a rear bench. In-cabin storage comes via a 60:40 split-fold rear seat (with lockable under-seat storage) plus USB and 12V power outlets. It has front and rear cameras (while the front has its own washer) plus blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and electronic stability control.

It’s not the first Gladiator for the brand. The nameplate was on the J-series from 1963 to 1987. But the latest Gladiator isn’t made for the tradies.

I attended the international launch in Sacramento, California early 2019, where the Gladiator encountered some of the most intense rock climbing I’d seen away from dedicated trails such as the Rubicon.

In December last year, Jeep Australia and New Zealand launched the Gladiator Downunder, with motoring writers from Europe, Australia, Asia Pacific and us locals heading to Queenstown before driving to a private farm on the northern banks of Lake Wanaka, before heading inland into Department of Conservation territory.

There, the Gladiator’s skid plates on the chassis were tested as we manoeuvred around the amply named Boulder Park. Here, the Gladiator showed it was a rock star as it took on some gnarly climbs up, around and down the boulder-laden area – with the assistance of driving instructors motioning where to move the ute.

Would I buy one? Yes please! I love convertibles so my pick would be the soft-top Gladiator.