Jeep Gladiator Unseats Toyota Tacoma as Overlanding King
Gladiator WayOut concept puts a nail in the coffin of the competition with loads of amazing built-in features.
For years, if you wanted a mid-size pickup, you essentially had two choices – the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. Then, along came the Chevrolet Colorado. Now, the Ford Ranger. And even Jeep is entering the fray with the all-new Gladiator, a Wrangler-based pickup we’ve been eagerly anticipating for what seems like forever. Thankfully, that agonizing wait appears to be paying off. By all accounts, the Gladiator is one heck of an awesome machine.
Thus, Toyota’s long run at the top appears to be in danger. Not just in terms of things like on-road driving and utility, mind you. In fact, according to The Fast Lane Truck, the Jeep Gladiator looks poised to unseat the Tacoma as the best overlanding rig you can buy today. They know this after spending a little bit of time around the Gladiator “WayOut” concept that’s equipped with everything you need to disappear off the grid for a few weeks.
“We think the new Gladiator is going to be very popular with the overlanding crowd,” said Jeep design chief Mark Allen. “They’ve always used the Wrangler, but they run out of payload or capacity and space really quickly. This truck is going to fix a lot of that because it has the Jeep off-road capabilities combined with extra utility.”
The concept takes a stock Gladiator Rubicon and adds a two-inch lift, 37-inch tires, and old school steel wheels. The magic lies out back, however, with a custom bed rack holding a tent and custom top. Heck, there’s even an awning and a pull-out deck system with a built-in cooler and blender. So after a long day navigating the trails, you can enjoy a frosty adult beverage.
Personally, we can’t think of a vehicle we’d rather go camping (or, uh, overlanding) in.
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