Fiat Chrysler has apparently started leaking advance pictures and details of the long awaited and anticpated Jeep ‘pick-up’ or Ute as we call it here, the Gladiator.
However while pictures appeared on the official FCA media site they were quickly removed, apparently because it was an error.
The leak comes just a day after FCA had apparently ditched the original name it had chosen, Scrambler and instead has apparently chosen the Gladiator nameplate.
The pictures which are still up on a Jeep users forum page sem to show a near production ready version of the Jeep pick up which FCA aims to pitch below its RAM full size pick up but still with some impressive towing capacity and off road capability.
The Gladiator is based on the company’s Wrangler and will give a choice between a soft and hardtop roof and either a long, deep ute bed or a tray top with a four-door crew cab body similar to the Wrangler.
A spec sheet was also up on line for a short time before being also taken down and this suggested that the Gladiator would be powered initially by the 3,.5 litre Chrysler Pentastar V6 petrol engine while the three litre FCA turbo diesel will be available from early 2020.
Claims are that the Gladiator will boast a towing capacity of around 3.5 tonnes with a 725 kg payload capacity.
Along with Command-Trac and Rock-Trac four-wheel-drive systems, the Gladiator will have Dana axles, rear axle lockers, a limited-slip differential and 33-inch off-road tyres, along with 76cm of wading ability.
The steel tray will be just under two metres long and will feature tie-down points and external power plugs.
The much anticipated and long awaited -teased ladder-frame Jeep ute is set to be officially launched at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January where its full spec will also be announced.
While the Gladiator has been confirmed for Australia Its local launch date is still yet to be locked in.
