2023 Jeep Gladiator Sand Runner

For literally decades, there was a simmering demand among enthusiasts that Jeep should make a Wrangler-based pickup. And the brand, now under Stellantis, finally relented and built one. The Jeep Gladiator debuted with a bang in 2019 just before the pandemic, and has since been a small niche player, making us wonder where all those demanding enthusiasts disappeared. Jeep did launch a rather excellent variant in 2021, dubbed the Mojave in the U.S. but appropriately renamed Sand Runner for the Middle East.

The front end of the Gladiator is instantly recognisable as a Wrangler. It’s from behind the front doors back that the Gladiator reveals itself as a rather lengthy four-door pickup truck, longer than most full-size SUVs. It’s a proper truck, with rectangular rear doors and a separate bed with a tailgate, technically competing with midsize pickup trucks such as the GMC Canyon AT4X and the Ford Ranger Wildtrak.

The Gladiator Sand Runner looks absolutely mean and imposing, especially in our tester’s black shade with red tow hooks, 17-inch low-gloss black wheels with polished trimmings, and all-terrain tyres with a 1-inch lift in ride height. It still retains the ability to remove all doors and the roof, as well as fold down the windshield like the Wrangler. The roof removal requires just a few latches to be unlocked. Unfortunately there is no “system” to store the roof panels in the bed, so you can throw them in the back loosely or tie them down.

Compared to the base Gladiator, the pricier Sand Runner additionally gets metal bumpers with removable corners on the front one, alongside a few other offroad-oriented upgrades under the skin.

The Sand Runner gets LED headlights, soft-touch materials on the dash and doors as well as an 8.4-inch UConnect touchscreen (12.3-inch on the 2024 facelift model), some insulation padding on parts of the hard-top ceiling, and leather upholstery, among a few other features.

In terms of space, it’s fine up front, while the rear fits average-sized adults well enough, although getting in and out requires a massive stretch of the pants due to a lack of side-steps, replaced instead by rock rails. There is no shortage of cup-holders, aside from a couple of storage cubbies and door pockets. And of course, there is the big open bed in the back. The Mopar catalogue offers a whole host of accessories, such as a large bed rack, heavy duty offroad recovery equipment, a tent and a 2-tyre air system that had all four 255/75 tyres deflated to exactly 17 psi within a few minutes.

The available tech is generous, with LED headlights and tails, power windows, Alpine premium audio, Bluetooth and USB ports, navigation, Apple Carplay and Android Auto, cruise control, front and side airbags, ESP and ABS, blind-spot monitoring, smart keyless entry and start, parking and offroad cameras. The decent dual-zone auto a/c even has rear vents. A few old-school oddities remain though, such as the power-window switches on the centre console.

Powered by a 3.6-litre “Pentastar” V6 making 285 hp at 6400 rpm and 352 Nm of torque at 4400 rpm, the aging motor has to lug around almost two-and-a-half tons of curb weight. However, the 8-speed automatic does an admirable job of not making the truck feel overly slow, doing a decent job of picking the ideal gears at the right times. The 0-100 kph time is still unimpressive though, at 9.1 seconds.

Fuel economy was at 16.5 litres/100 km (6 km/litre), including our offroading run. Jeep has more efficient motors for the Wrangler but they’re not yet available for the Gladiator.

Handling is acceptable onroad, with decent grip, moderate body roll and good brakes with linear pedal feel. However, the steering is light and lacks feedback.

More interestingly, the ride seems to be smoother than any Wrangler, clearly because of the longer wheelbase and the fancy Fox shocks. Less steering corrections are required in crosswinds, which is an issue affecting its SUV cousin. It is quieter inside than a standard Wrangler as well, but this is due to the ceiling padding that’s optional in the lesser Jeeps. But with constant road and wind noise at highway speeds, it’s still not as quiet as, say, a Grand Cherokee, so it’s not the best option if you’re looking for ultimate comfort.

Moving offroad just requires shifting the transfer case to 4H and turning off the traction control, although pressing the shortcut “Off-Road Plus” button makes adjustments to the throttle, transmission shift points and traction control as determined by a computer, and also enables drivers to lock their rear axle at high speeds while in 4H.

Indeed, the Sand Runner is meant for Baja-style offroad passes in the vein of Ford’s Raptor trucks rather than Jeep’s own Rubicon rock-crawling models. Mind you, the Gladiator has to manage those speeds with much less power and low-end torque than the turbo Raptors, but the well-tuned 8-speed automatic keeps the motor in the power band very well for dune-bashing.

The secret to the Sand Runner’s fun character is its Fox 2.5-inch internal bypass shocks with external reservoirs, along with Fox front hydraulic jounce bumpers, a 1-inch front suspension lift, a front skid plate, stronger axles with cast-iron steering knuckles, and standard 33-inch tyres. Live-axle suspension front and rear remains, but the 1/2-inch increase in the Sand Runner’s track allows for the packaging of the larger shocks. Jeep says they also reinforced the frame.

On the sand, it never struggles unless you’re trying to power up a very tall and steep dune. While it has an approach angle of 44.7 degrees, breakover angle of 20.9 degrees, departure angle of 25.5 degrees and ground clearance of 11.6 inches (295 mm), it’s more fun just hammering it on lighter dunes and flatter sand surfaces while swinging the tail. The traditional low-range gearing also remains as a life-saver in case you do manage to sink the tyres in soft sand.

The Sand Runner also comes with front-facing and back-facing offroad cameras, “Off-road pages” app in the infotainment feeding real-time data and all that, but you don’t really need any of that. It’s a highly capable old-school truck pretending to be techy like a modern Land Rover.

It’s unfortunate that the Jeep Gladiator did not do too well on ours shores, leading to many local dealers dropping it from their in-stock offerings. Aside from its unfortunate launch timing, part of the reason for its dimmed uptake is its high price compared to many powerful indirect rivals. But the cool thing about that is it will remain a rarity, and it will be cool to drive around in something more unique than a Wrangler or a Raptor.