2020 Ford Ranger vs Jeep Gladiator
If you had told us a few years ago that the Ford Ranger would return and that Jeep was designing their own compact pickup to rival it, we would have been surprised. Fast forward to today, and that’s our reality. The 2020 model is the sophomore year of the returned Ford Ranger. And it now faces stiff competition from the Gladiator--Jeep’s first truck offering in over a quarter century. In this preview guide, we’ll perform a lengthy comparison of these two compact truck offerings.
Price: 2020 Ford Ranger
The first thing you need to know is that the Ford Ranger is going to be much more affordable than the Jeep Gladiator. True to form for Jeep, the Gladiator costs a pretty penny to drive. The 2020 Ford Ranger starts at just $24,110 while the Jeep Gladiator costs at least $33,545. That’s a difference of almost ten grand. So what does your hard-earned cash give you in each case?
For the Ford Ranger, you get standard cloth upholstery, 4-way manually adjustable front seats, USB port, six-speaker stereo, built-in Wi-Fi hot spot, and voice-controlled SYNC infotainment system with 4.2-inch display screen. There’s also a rearview camera, Ford's MyKey system, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking.
Meanwhile, the base 2020 Jeep Gladiator comes standard with transfer case, skid plates, cloth upholstery, rearview camera, and the Uconnect infotainment system with 5-inch touch screen, eight-speaker audio system, two USB ports, and Bluetooth. Obviously, there’s an overture to off-roading there, but there’s not much more in terms of tech or safety features than the Ford Ranger.
Fuel Economy: 2020 Ford Ranger
If you’ve chosen a compact truck to take advantage of better fuel economy over a full-size pickup, you probably want to pass on the Jeep Gladiator. Because while the 2020 Ranger gets 21 city miles and 26 highway miles per gallon, the Gladiator gets only 17 city and 22 highway mpg. That’s a substantial difference, one that will mean saving or spending hundreds of dollars more at the gas pump annually.
Engine and Towing: 2020 Ford Ranger
And it’s not as if the Jeep Gladiator is some kind of powerhouse that outmuscles the Ranger. No, in fact, the Ranger offers about the same amount of power and more towing capacity. Wait a minute, you might say. The Ranger delivers 270 horsepower but the Gladiator generates 285 hp. That’s true, but since the Gladiator weighs more, the difference in power you feel is negligible. On top of that, the 2020 Ford Ranger has top-of-its-class towing at 7,000 pounds when properly configured while the Jeep Gladiator maxes out at 4,500 pounds. The Gladiator might be the mightier off-roader, but the Ranger does better in the things at which compact trucks excel.