{"id":25612,"date":"2020-07-01T16:41:29","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T20:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=25612"},"modified":"2020-07-01T16:41:29","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T20:41:29","slug":"payne-high-speed-jeep-gladiator-mojave-conquers-the-mounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/07\/payne-high-speed-jeep-gladiator-mojave-conquers-the-mounds","title":{"rendered":"Payne: High-speed Jeep Gladiator Mojave conquers the Mounds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/04a9ef73-fee2-41dd-bd09-e5a4678f3cf4-mojave_fr3-4-bank.jpg?width=520&amp;height=390&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is like its rugged Rubicon brother \u2014 except that its built for speed, with Fox shocks and a higher ride height.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">There are two kinds of auto enthusiasts: those who get their thrills on-road, and those who get them off-road.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">A sports car racer for decades, I\u2019m an on-roader. But the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave pickup could convert me.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Mojave is the latest variation of the tree-chewing, midsize Gladiator pickup designed for folks who want to explore the far corners of the earth. In this case, especially those with a need for speed. Unlike the Gladiator Rubicon which is built for\u00a0rock-crawling, the Mojave wants to run. For a track rat like me, that sounds awfully appealing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">I\u2019ve been hustling performance cars to Hell, Michigan,\u00a0and back in the COVID-19 lockdown to test their limits. But for the Gladiator Mojave, I headed north from my coronavirus hideout to the Mounds off-road vehicle park near Flint. The Mounds has everything an off-road rebel needs: rock piles, swamp trails, sandy hills, high-speed dirt flats.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sz-lDFDDm5E\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/10242319-2322-4863-bda4-f8008ec8d914-mojave_roll-bed-cover.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The bed tonneau cover can be rolled up out of the way on the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/10242319-2322-4863-bda4-f8008ec8d914-mojave_roll-bed-cover.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/10242319-2322-4863-bda4-f8008ec8d914-mojave_roll-bed-cover.JPG\" \/>The bed tonneau cover can be rolled up out of the way on the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Mounds is thick with Jeep Wranglers exploring every inch of its 118-acre playground. They mingle with giant, jacked pickups and swarms of ATVs and dirt bikes crawling over its hills and gullies. With its detachable front sway bars and front-and-rear locking axles, the Gladiator Rubicon \u2014 like the Wrangler Rubicon \u2014 loves the tight, uneven stuff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Gladiator Mojave, on the other hand, dreams of being a Ford Raptor. Ford\u2019s high-speed, Baja-desert-friendly F-150 is a singular warhorse. In the saddle with 450 horsepower under the hood and sophisticated Fox shocks under the fenders, I conquered the Borrego desert in Southern California a few years back,\u00a0hitting triple-digit speeds on the sandy flats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">It was extraordinary. But like a killer whale, the Raptor needs a lot of ocean to feed, and southern California \u2014 or the Baja peninsula \u2014 is a long way to go to stretch the big Ford\u2019s legs. Gladiator Mojave aims to bring those pleasures closer to home. Like Flint.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sz-lDFCgDoY\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/b71bbc72-aa54-43af-a8d5-cdcdae69eb1d-mojave_mpg.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is advertised at 19 mpg -but working hard off-road makes it thirsty.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/b71bbc72-aa54-43af-a8d5-cdcdae69eb1d-mojave_mpg.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/b71bbc72-aa54-43af-a8d5-cdcdae69eb1d-mojave_mpg.JPG\" \/>The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is advertised at 19 mpg -but working hard off-road makes it thirsty.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Unlike the Raptor, the new Gladiator doesn\u2019t have a new engine or get-outta-the-way bodywork. But it did feature Jeep\u2019s throaty\u00a0285-horse V-6 and a unique hood scoop that sets it apart from brother Rubicon pickup. More important, it is raised an inch above Rubicon with trusty Fox performance shocks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">I shifted the Mojave\u2019s transfer case to four-wheel drive, turned traction-control off\u00a0and nailed the V-6 across the Mounds\u2019 open, northwest trails. This is terrain where the dirt bikers like to open it up, and I picked up speed quickly, the Fox shocks absorbing the trail&#8217;s\u00a0imperfections.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sz-lDFDbAxg\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/edf55c3d-b090-4083-b66f-592967825c1f-mojave_logo.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave trim is new for 2020.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/edf55c3d-b090-4083-b66f-592967825c1f-mojave_logo.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/edf55c3d-b090-4083-b66f-592967825c1f-mojave_logo.JPG\" \/>The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave trim is new for 2020.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">This might be hairy stuff in the ginormous Raptor, but the Mojave was in its element. A 75-degree left-hander loomed, and I slowed \u2014 then slewed it sideways across a water-filled dip. Gladiator\u2019s dimensions allowed me to rotate the pickup beautifully, then I was back on the throttle as the big, 33-inch knobby tires sprayed the cabin with water.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Good thing I kept the doors on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">When you\u2019re not splashing through Mother Nature at high speed, you can remove the doors and roof of the Mojave just like the Rubicon to get closer to nature. Just don\u2019t wear your dinner clothes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"teads-adCall\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"ad-position-73\" class=\"partner-placement partner-spike partner-placement-visible\" data-ad-placement=\"native-article_link\" data-ad-sizes=\"[&quot;fluid&quot;,[3,3], [2,6], [300,250]]\" data-monetization-id=\"native-article_link\" data-monetization-sizes=\"fluid,300,250,3,3,2,6\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">With the pickup bed out back, the panels are easy to stow. Of course, the dirt bikers I was riding with were eyeballing that bed as potential bike transport. They had arrived in regular, light-duty pickups, but the Mojave adds the tantalizing twin possibility: When you\u2019re tired of running the hills in isolation on your bikes, you can pile into the Mojave for some communal dirt-kicking on the trails.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sz-lDFCaLqI\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/29a9fa70-daec-4a71-b802-11e3b1421377-mojave_bed-cover.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is available with a bed cover to help keep luggage\/cargo out of the elements.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/29a9fa70-daec-4a71-b802-11e3b1421377-mojave_bed-cover.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/29a9fa70-daec-4a71-b802-11e3b1421377-mojave_bed-cover.JPG\" \/>The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is available with a bed cover to help keep luggage\/cargo out of the elements.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cHey, can we come with you?\u201d said one of the bikers who had already figured this out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Mojave is happy at low speeds, too. The Mounds has a number of tight scramble areas that favor Jeeps over big trucks. With the transfer case in four-wheel low, I flipped a console switch to lock the rear axle and gain better traction. The Gladiator Rubicon takes this capability one step further with twin locking axles and decoupling sway-bars for serious rock-crawling, if that\u2019s your thing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Naturally, all of this scene-chewing hardware doesn\u2019t come cheap. The base Gladiator starts at $35,000\u00a0and the base Mojave at $45,000. My tester was an eye-watering $60,945, just $7,500 cheaper than the Ford Raptor I tested a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">What you get for that coin is a unique vehicle that is good at addition as well as subtraction. Subtract the doors and hood for that unique outdoors experience. Then ogle the additions that Jeep has brought to its console.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sz-lDFEzT08\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/09adc0c7-9a72-4041-a530-5835b2251b52-mojave_payne.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Detroit News auto critic Henry Payne took the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave out to play Flint's Mounds off-road park.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/09adc0c7-9a72-4041-a530-5835b2251b52-mojave_payne.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/09adc0c7-9a72-4041-a530-5835b2251b52-mojave_payne.JPG\" \/>Detroit News auto critic Henry Payne took the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave out to play Flint&#8217;s Mounds off-road park.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Uconnect infotainment system is one of the industry\u2019s best, with easy-to-use menus so you can blast your favorite Sirius XM station while pulverizing trails in the middle of nowhere. Where Uconnect is shy of the industry\u2019s best is in the navigation department, Jeep has thoughtfully made Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard on the Mojave.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Leaving the house for my off-road adventure, I plugged my Samsung phone into a USB port in a dash festooned with connectivity. The infotainment screen now duplicated my phone screen. A long hold on the steering wheel awakened Google Assistant. I asked her to chart a course to the Mounds.\u00a0We were off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Like my performance car trips to Hell, the hour drive to the Mounds gave me a chance to assess the Mojave\u2019s livability on a long trip. I hope you like loud.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sz-lDFFPmRM\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/7cf30ea1-ef02-42c6-b5a0-f47b2d9e41a9-mojave_engine.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is powered by a 285-horse engine.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/7cf30ea1-ef02-42c6-b5a0-f47b2d9e41a9-mojave_engine.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/7cf30ea1-ef02-42c6-b5a0-f47b2d9e41a9-mojave_engine.JPG\" \/>The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is powered by a 285-horse engine.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">With all those removable panels, roll bar\u00a0and cloth roof, the Jeep is hardly equipped for sound insulation like some of its mid-size truck peers. A Ford Ranger is a sealed tomb by comparison. Go topless on your ride and good luck hearing Google Assistant\u2019s directions (fortunately the instrument display graphics are fine). The big, knobby tire howl adds its own soundtrack.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But the advantage of those high-tech, multi-valve Fox shocks is the Gladiator Mojave rides more smoothly on the road than the Rubicon. Smooth as in mattress smooth. The Mojave does tend to wander in lane thanks to its high ride height, but the overall experience is good for your backside when you arrive at your destination.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">If that destination is a metropolitan area, you\u2019ll find the Gladiator easier to maneuver than a huge, full-size truck. Then, like a sports car, it can transform into a weekend off-road thrill ride. Which this on-road racer finds very appealing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Sz-lDFFHyQc\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/1c06a284-3394-440d-b79c-83bc244c39fc-mojave_fr3-4-bank.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is like its rugged Rubicon brother - except that its built for speed with Fox shocks and a higher ride height.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/1c06a284-3394-440d-b79c-83bc244c39fc-mojave_fr3-4-bank.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/22\/PDTN\/1c06a284-3394-440d-b79c-83bc244c39fc-mojave_fr3-4-bank.JPG\" \/><\/aside>\n<\/div><aside class=\"wide single-photo\">The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is like its rugged Rubicon brother &#8211; except that its built for speed with Fox shocks and a higher ride height.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\"><strong>2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Vehicle type: Front-engine, four-wheel drive, 5-passenger pickup<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Price: $45,370, including $1,495\u00a0destination charge ($60,945\u00a0as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Powerplant: 3.6-liter V-6<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Power:\u00a0285 horsepower, 260 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Transmission: 6-speed manual, 8-speed automatic<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.3 seconds (Car and Driver est.);<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Weight: 4,974 pounds\u00a0(automatic as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Fuel economy: EPA: 17 mpg city\/22 highway\/19 combined<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Report card<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Highs: Comfortable ride on road; carries dirt bikes or hits the dirt itself<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Lows: Noisy on-road; gets pricey with add-ons<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are two kinds of auto enthusiasts: those who get their thrills on-road, and those who get them off-road. A sports car racer for decades, I\u2019m an on-roader. But the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave pickup could convert me. The Mojave is the latest variation of the tree-chewing, midsize Gladiator pickup designed for folks who want [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25612"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25612"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25613,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25612\/revisions\/25613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}