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Jeep Gladiator was designed as an outdoor lifestyle tour de force

LOS ANGELES — It's been more than 30 years since the last Jeep Wrangler-based pickup went out of production. And it's been more than a dozen years since a modern Jeep Wrangler-based pickup concept first taunted us with its chunky bed-shaped behind. But today, America's signature off-road brand has finally unveiled the production version of a Jeep Wrangler-based pickup. And it looks, rather predictably, like a four-door Jeep Wrangler with an open box in the back. (From some angles, it also looks like a Jeep that is towing itself.) "There were some key drivers that the designers had to work around," says Timothy Kuniskis, head of Jeep North America. "We wanted to not just go after Wrangler buyers, but after truck buyers. So this vehicle had to have four doors, four real doors. But the big thing was the bed. We know our consumer, the one who will be interested in this truck, and for them, it had to be the width of an ATV and the depth of two dirt bikes, so that dictated the size of the bed." This new trucklet is called the Gladiator, which is a departure from the name of the previous Wrangler-based pickup, the Scrambler. The Gladiator name does have Jeep heritage, having been the moniker of the full-size truck the brand sold from the mid-1960s to the early '70s. Since nomenclature is key in defining product and perception, we would be remiss if we did not note the key semantic differences between the names. A Scrambler is a go-getter (or resolutely confusing.) A Scrambler is nimble and scrappy. A Gladiator, on the other hand, is about vanquishing and conquest, and is typically gigantic. A Gladiator is domineering. Having only seen the photos, it was difficult to tell how big this thing is. Luckily, we've now seen it in person, and it is indeed big, but not huge. "It's a midsize pickup, a segment that is exploding now. Tacoma is and has been the dominant player in the category, but with GM coming back in and the Ranger joining soon, and now us, we're going to see this category get to 500,000 units a year very soon," says Kuniskis. "Everything that psychologically drives a consumer to a Wrangler, there's a sub-segment of those buyers whose needs push them toward a pickup. These aren't people who are going to fill the bed with mulch and boulders. It's not a work truck. It's absolutely a lifestyle choice. These are people who are into surfing, mountain biking, dirt bikes, side-by-sides." Jeep is in an interesting position from a design perspective.

Forum die-hards render upcoming Jeep Wrangler JT Rubicon pickup

Our friends at JLWranglerForums.com shared the renders you see above with us, showing off their best guess at what the upcoming Jeep Wrangler JT pickup will look like. It's not due for a while yet, but we've already seen a lot of the truck (under heavy camouflage) – enough to piece together some renders. Some of the small details may change, but then again, the Wrangler is one of the great constants in the automotive world. Expect a lot of carryover from JK to JL. These renders reflect the latest gleaned from recent spyshots. Note the cut of the bed, which is angled to match the rear fender's forward line, tucking it nicely under the rear door. The doors will also not have a body line or crease running across them, apparently. That line will occur on the front fenders and the bed, but not on the doors, it seems. JLWranglerForums.com's has a good track record, and while there's no guarantee that the bits hiding under the camo and rendered here are final, this is likely a pretty good preview of what we'll see on the road soon. In the meantime, catch up on all we know about the Wrangler pickup here. Related Video: Featured Gallery Jeep Wrangler Pickup Renders View 14 Photos News Source: JLWranglerForums.comImage Credit: JLWranglerForums.com Design/Style Rumormill Jeep Truck SUV Off-Road Vehicles jeep wrangler pickup

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