SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.
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Exteriors by Quickpic
Interior by author
Posted: October 11, 2022
The numbers
Price: R1 299 900
Engine: Chrysler Pentastar 3604 cc, DOHC, 24-valve V6, naturally aspirated
Power: 209 kW at 6400 rpm
Torque: 347 Nm at 4100 rpm
*0-100 km/h: 9.2 seconds
*Top speed: 177 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 14.7 l/100 km
Tank: 83 litres
Bin: 1502 x 1402 mm and 1102 mm between arches
Payload: 693 kg
Towing, unbraked/braked: 750/2721 kg
Ground clearance below rear differential: 249 mm
Turning circle: 13.6 metres
Approach/departure/ramp-over angles: 43.4/26.0/20.3 degrees
Maximum wading depth: 800 mm
Standard tyre size: 255/75R17
Spare: As above
Warranty: Five years, 100 000 km
Maintenance plan: Three years, 100 000 km
*Tested by Accelerationtimes.comSome car makers do things differently. Take Jeep for example.
Apart from being possibly the most off-road capable pickup available, Gladiator enables choices as the weather changes – semi-hard top, soft top or no top. Doors may be removed and windscreens folded. Tools are included.
It also has boondock-specific features that others don’t: Not just one, but two, electrically switched differential locks; front sway bar disconnection to increase wheel articulation by thirty percent; two levels of 4High; extra skid plates and reinforcing bars, plus virtual gauges covering fluid temperatures, oil pressure, tilt and inclination. And a four-way panel partly pre-wired for accessories such as long-range driving lamps or winches. Something I looked for, but didn’t find, was a 230-volt socket to power an electric chain saw. But a colleague informed me that “Real men prefer petrol-driven.”
A further attribute is Off-Road Plus. When engaged, it automatically feels out the terrain and adjusts key systems - throttle, Selec-Speed Control, traction control and transmission shift mode - for optimal performance. When enabled in 4-HI, it tailors operation for higher-speed sand performance. In 4-LO, it adjusts for low-speed rock-crawling manoeuvres.
It’s pleasantly old-school with analogue instruments, big square windows providing a clear view outward, manual seat adjusters, non-folding mirrors, climb-in handles at all doorways, plain transfer case- and gear selectors (no paddles) and a proper mechanical hand brake. The only awkwardness is that it’s placed for LHD, so those of us who drive on the correct side of the road have to reach over and around the central storage box to get at it. Lifting the armrest pad makes it easier though.
Although we have only one version here, home-country sisters are offered in six trim levels and choice of two engines. Stellantis SA combined the most desirable aspects into a single Rubicon variant with 3.6-litre petrol motor and eight-speed ZF-Chrysler gearbox. Features include pushbutton starter, reversing camera, blind spot warning, rear cross-path detection, adaptive cruise control, ESC and roll mitigation.
In case no-one noticed, it has only two airbags. That’s because removal of roof sections and doors means there’s nowhere to fit side- or curtain units. Even the speakers for the entertainment system had to move up to the overhead framework.
Background: Gladiator owes most of its DNA to the Wrangler SUV. Basically, Jeep extended Wrangler’s length by 1658 mm, stretched its wheelbase 1063 mm and made it 49 mm taller, making Gladiator the biggest, and most expensive, pickup in South Africa. It’s something of a monster at 5539 mm long on a 3487 mm wheelbase, 1875 wide and 1882 high. The turning circle is a scary-sounding 13.6 metres but nonetheless remains quite manoeuvrable. Crucially, it looks big and mean. Fans can’t stop drooling.
Driving:
• The gearbox works well and shifts almost intuitively but I missed the feature, available on some competitors, that holds gears on blacktop downgrades to allow running against compression,
• It loafs along at about 2100 rpm in eighth at 120 km/h, so there’s plenty of power and torque in hand - aided by trigger-quick kickdown reaction in emergencies,
• There’s loads of headroom in front with the fiberglass top in place,
• Back seat leg- and foot space is fine for taller passengers although they might want to watch out for the rooftop framework,
• The chunky, standard-fit, BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain T/A tyres provide reassuring grip on practically all surfaces with the added advantage of behaving well at freeway speeds on asphalt – with just a bit of singing,
• Our local forestry trails, difficulty-rated at around three or four, provided no challenges for this 10-rated machine. I’m sure I heard it muttering, “Let’s get off this freeway for Goodness’ sake!”
Impressions: Not perfect, nothing is, but it's one hell of a machine. And it delivers on almost any trail you aim it at.
Test unit from Stellantis SA press fleet
We drove a Grand Cherokee L a few weeks later
It helps to have a spotter when the going gets rough
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is thoroughly researched, given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.
If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles. And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8