Class-leading payload, towing and capabilities will make the long-awaited pickup a hit.
The first commercial for the Jeep Gladiator was introduced online leading up to the Super Bowl, but that commercial was all about introducing the world to the long-awaited Wrangler truck. It didn’t provide any information on the truck, it just used a classic Gladiator pickup to help introduce the 2020 model. However, the newest Gladiator commercial posted to the official Jeep YouTube channel provides all of the key information that prospective buyers will want to know about a truck that leads the segment in just about everything.
Ultimate Test
This new Gladiator commercial is titled “The Ultimate Test” and it shows the new pickup being put through the paces of torture testing at the Yucca Army Airfield in Arizona. We see the new truck storming through the sand, crossing 30 inches of water, hauling 1,600 pounds, pulling a 7,650-pound trailer and climbing the steep Davis Dam with the bed and trailer loaded to the trucks capacity.
Throughout the video, we are reminded of the key claims that make the Gladiator the best truck in the midsized segment. It is the most capable in terms of off-roading, it has best-in-class payload numbers, it has best-in-class towing numbers and it has the largest brakes in the segment. Other key features that allow the Jeep pickup to stand out in the segment include a 60-inch all-steel bed, an 84:1 crawl ratio, 11.1 inches of ground clearance, locking front and rear Dana 44 axles and 5-link front and rear suspension.
Grabbing Buyers
The odds are good that many of the early buyers of the 2020 Gladiatorwill be Jeep lovers who have been waiting for their chance to buy a modern Wrangler-based pickup. To those people, much of the information in the video is unimportant, as these Jeepers knew that it would be the best truck in the segment, but to the average buyer, this is the kind of commercial that draws people in from other brands.
The Gladiator is entering a tough segment that has been dominated by the Toyota Tacoma for ages, but as the segment has grown, the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and the new Ford Ranger have gotten in on the popularity of the smaller trucks. For those buyers who want to stay in the midsized pickup segment, but who are not brand-loyal, the information in this new commercial could help draw in buyers from existing competition.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
