Jeep Gladiator With Hellcat Swap Does 0-To-100 KM/H In 5.7 Seconds

Shoehorning the Hellcat 6.2-liter supercharged V8 into the Jeep Gladiator is all the rage these days. A new video from Drag Times highlights one such conversion and shows how difficult it is to harness the engine's power in the truck.

This one has additional tweaks that push the output above 750 horsepower (559 kilowatts). It weighs quite a bit more than stock, though, because of parts like a big winch on the front bumper, revised suspension, wheels with 36-inch tires, and an array of lights and strobes.

With even a slight tap of the throttle, this Gladiator surges forward. The big tires are quick to break loose and start spinning. The four-wheel-drive system is still in place, but it doesn't appear to make the truck any more controllable when active.

Drag Times eventually hooks up the Vbox recorder and finds out what this truck can do. Getting a good run is difficult, but the best of the bunch here shows that the Gladiator can hit 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in 5.7 seconds and 100 mph (161 kph) in 15.2 seconds. The quarter-mile takes 14.3 seconds to cover. These figures come on public roads, which Motor1.com doesn't condone. On a prepped drag strip and with some more experience getting a good launch, the pickup could be even quicker.

Even Jeep has built a Hellcat-powered Gladiator for its M-715 Five Quarter concept. However, don't look for the company to put the supercharged V8 into the pickup and sell them in showrooms. While the engine in the bay, there's not enough room around it for adequate crush space to meet crash protection rules. If people want a Hellcat-powered Gladiator, they have to take their life into their own hands and build one themselves.