Jeep Gladiator Arrives In Europe With 260-HP V6 Diesel Engine

The new Jeep Gladiator is already on sale in the United States – and it's actually doing very good with 2,548 units sold in May at an average price of $56,403. There's now even a V8 Hellcat version of the truck made by Hennessey, which wears a hefty price tag of $200,000. Meanwhile, Jeep is also working on getting the truck to the Old Continent, where it will go on sale "by end of next year."

However, European customers will have the chance to get up close to the new Gladiator way before it's actually available at the dealerships. Starting tomorrow, the Jeep Owners Group will host the annual Camp Jeep event in San Martino di Castrozza, in the heart of the Dolomite Region in Italy. That's where the Gladiator will make its first official appearance on the continent.

Jeep will sell the pickup in Europe only with a 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel engine that is expected to deliver "approximately 260 horsepower and 600 Newton-meters of torque," which translates into 194 kilowatts and 442 pound-feet of torque. It will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system. As standard, an engine start-stop function will be featured.

For the markets in the Middle East, Jeep will offer its customers the Gladiator with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine. It delivers 285 hp (212 kW) and 256 lb-ft (347 Nm) of torque and, again, will come only with an eight-speed automatic.

Back to Europe, where the truck will be available in three trim levels when it goes on sale next year. The Toledo-built machine will be sold in Sport, Overland, and Rubicon models with the first two getting the Command-Trac 4x4 system with a two-speed transfer case as standard. The Rubicon gets a Rock-Trac 4x4 system with heavy-duty third-generation Dana 44 front and rear axles with a "4LO" ratio of 4:1.