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2020 Jeep Gladiator MPG Out, How Does it Compare?

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The 2020 Jeep Gladiator MPG numbers are now out with the official EPA numbers being unveiled. Here is what you need to know.

Fitted with only the 3.6L Pentastar V6 and a part-time 4WD system, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator pickup will return 17/22/19 with the automatic 8-speed ZF transmission and 16/23/19 with the six-speed manual according to PickupTrucks.com.

While one might assume the manual would do worse for highway fuel economy considering it has less of the “highway” gears found in the 8-speed automatic, this isn’t the case.

“Gear ratios and top gear ratio are not an absolute indicator of fuel efficiency,” Gladiator chief engineer Pete Milosavlevski told PickupTrucks.com. “The ability to use and time in each of those gears, balancing efficiency, reserve torque for drivability, and meeting EPA regulations drives different efficiencies between the transmissions on different drive cycles.”

We suspect the real-wold fuel economy will vary significantly.

How Does it Compare?

2020 Jeep® Gladiator 3.6 Liter Pentastar V-6 engine

One would assume with the crew cab only, 5 foot bed configuration of the Gladiator and its seemingly un-aerodynamic shape, it would return worse fuel economy versus its competitors. This simply isn’t the case as our chart bares out.

ModelEngineTransmissionMPG (City, Highway, Combined)
Jeep Gladiator3.6L V6

3.0L Diesel
8-Speed Auto
6-Speed Manual
N/A at this time
17/22/19
16/23/19
Ford Ranger 2.3L Turbo 4-Cylinder 10-Speed Auto20/24/22
Chevy Colorado3.6L V6
2.8L 4-Cyliner Turbo Diesel
8-Speed Auto
6-Speed Auto
17/24/19
19/28/22
Toyota Tacoma3.5L V6Six-Speed Auto
Six-Speed Manual
18/22/20
17/20/18
Nissan Frontier4.0L V6
2.5L 4-Cylinder
Five-Speed Auto
Six-Speed Manual
16/23/19
16/21/18
Honda Ridgeline3.5L V66-Speed Auto19/26/22

NOTE: The chart compares only 4wd models. 

Looking over the chart, we can see even with the Gladiator being heavier and more boxy, it still returns comparable MPGs with the gas engine. A 3.0L V6 diesel engine is expected to come to market later in the model year.

While the most fuel efficient model is the Chevy Colorado with the 2.8L 4-cylinder turbo diesel with its 28 MPG highway, this drops dramatically in the off-road ZR2 version to just 18/22/19. The later number is pretty comparable to the Jeep Gladiator’s gasoline engine and certainly not spending the upcharge for the Chevy diesel helps offset the price increase for the Gladiator.

Ultimately, we don’t think fuel economy is going to be a key buying reason for the 2020 Jeep Gladiator, but it is nice to know, it is on par with its competitors.

Click here for our breakdown on pricing.

 

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Tim Esterdahl

Automotive Journalist Tim Esterdahl has been a lover of trucks and SUVs for years. He has covered the industry since 2011 and has pieces in many national magazines and newspapers. In his spare time, he is often found tinkering on his '62 C10 pickup, playing golf, going hunting and hanging out with his wife and kids in Nebraska.

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1 Comment

  1. Ric April 3, 2019

    Rating is one thing. What is it really getting in real word driving? Time will tell.

    Reply

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