Does the Length of the Jeep Gladiator’s Wheelbase Really Matter?
We get to see whether size really matters in the canyons in a side-by-side Wrangler/Gladiator comparison from TrailRecon.
When the 2020 Jeep Gladiator first appeared from behind the velvet curtain, it received overwhelmingly mixed reviews. Some saw this as a modern remix of the once mighty Jeep Scrambler. Others felt like the Gladiator was foolish, with it’s mile long wheel base and lack of two-door configuration. A large percentage took one good look at it and thought, “Well, here’s a Jeep for Jeep people to buy that have no intention of ever taking it off-road.” So, to either instill some validity to those claims or prove them wrong, Brad from TrailRecon took his wife’s 2018 JL Wrangler out for a spin. The Gladiator was provided by his friends Taylor from KC Lightning and Ryan as the trusty stunt driver. The two Jeeps were to strut their stuff in the deserts of Jacumba, CA.
Why didn’t he take his own, you ask? Well, in the video he states it was because his own Gladiator got the lift and bigger tire treatment—same goes for his iconic Rubicon. In his continuously proven expert opinion, it didn’t make it a fair fight for either of the big names. So, since Ryan’s Gladiator was at stock height and stock suspension like Brad’s wife’s Wrangler, this seemed to better suit the test.
Like any legitimate test, he starts by comparing the numbers. On the Gladiator, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the difference were astronomical. The wheelbase is 137.3 inches long, fitted to a body that measures a dastardly 218 inches long. On the Wrangler, the wheelbase is a complimentary 96.8 inches long, on a body with a length of 166.8 inches. Brad was quick to point out that the difference in body length alone was just over four feet long.
A difference that substantial also means that the departure angle is off. For the Wrangler, the departure angle is a worthy 37 degrees, while the Gladiator is pushing it at 26 degrees. The Gladiator’s track width is also wider by an inch and a half, so that’s not a potential threat. Though, weight comes into play with the Jeep cousins. The bigger Jeep, depending on the bells and whistles added, can weigh up to 5,050 lbs. The heaviest the JL Wrangler can get is 4,485 lbs. Numbers tell a lot about a vehicle on a surface level basis, but in action, it can spell out to mean something entirely different.
“We’re going to do a side-by-side comparison because it’s one thing to talk about the length, but it’s another thing to show you,” says a motivated Brad. First thing he put the Jeeps through was a rocky, steep decline that has a good range of dips and grooves that are great for getting a visual on a car’s flexibility and ground clearance. Now, both Jeeps come standard with 10 inches of ground clearance (well, the Wrangler is rated at 10.2, but all know that difference isn’t going to make a difference), so the two main issues to watch for are the ground clearance and angles.
When the two Jeeps came to the area in question, the Wrangler went over the section without issue. Brad pointed out that there was nothing he had to keep in mind with the Wrangler, it was simply made to handle tough roads like that in stride. When Ryan in the Gladiator came to take it, Brad was worried it would rub with that long wheelbase. It came close, but surprised the two of them when it didn’t rub. That’s where the 10 inches in ground clearance made all the difference.
Along the trail, there were also some places where in order to push on, sharp turns needed to be executed. The Wrangler obviously had no issue whatsoever tackling those, while Ryan in the Gladiator needed to start turning early and wider to compensate for the extra length on the wheelbase. Additionally, there was a section of trail that had a large rock in the middle of a sharp turn. The Wrangler danced over it, yawning while making crawling over the boulder look simple. The Gladiator made Brad and Ryan nervous as he had to turn wider and sooner, posing a risk of hitting the back panel on an adjacent boulder. To everyone’s surprise, however, the Gladiator made it without incident. It was close, but no cigar.
“That long, extra wheelbase, the break-over angle and the departure angle has been something that every time I’m out on the trail I’m consciously thinking about,” says Brad from the driver’s seat of the Gladiator. “To be honest with you, it’s performing really well. We’ve scraped a little bit here and there but there hasn’t been anything exaggerated as I really thought it was gonna be.”
Brad maintains that with his own Gladiator, lifting it and fitting it with larger tires made it a much more relaxed experience for him. With the increased height, he wasn’t scraping the trailer hitch or the bumpers as much, and he wasn’t as worried about scraping the undercarriage as much. Also, he enjoyed the additional cargo space. In his wife’s Wrangler, he found that it was tight fitting all the gear he needed to film the video. In the Gladiator, though, there’s plenty of room.
“What I do really like about this long wheelbase is it’s a really smooth ride in comparison,” notes Brad. “I’ve done a lot of camping and off-roading in my Gladiator and I love it for the more moderate, long distance travel. But there’s not getting around how nimble that two-door is. On a trail that’s difficult and tight, I love the Wrangler.”
Though, having been in both the Gladiator and the Wrangler, he did mention that they’re both very capable vehicles, but their purposes are different. The Gladiator, he says, is way more overlandish. Meaning it’s better for long distance travel on moderate trails where there aren’t a lot of difficult terrain to worry about since the turning radius isn’t nearly as good, the angles are a lot less forgiving, and it’s heavier—so inclines and declines are where the extra weight is especially noticeable.
What it comes down to, as Brad says, is personal preference. They’re both insanely capable, especially with modifications. So, to answer the initial question: Yes. The extra inches do matter. Though, how much it matters depends on the individual owners, and how much they’re willing to spend to compensate for it.
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