For most of us, this old Toyota Land Cruiser is the definition of a traditional ute. It's
utilitarian, it's made for work, and it's tough as nails, a lot like the guys and girls who
drive these vehicles. This one has just rolled over 730,000 kilometres, just running, really.
Now this is the definition of a work ute, but in today's new car market, the humble utility is so
much more. They're recreational vehicles, and increasingly, they are family chariots as well.
And these two are the leaders of the pack, the Ford Ranger Raptor and the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon,
two coil-sprung, high-end recreational utes with price tags to match. So which one's best?
Australia's infatuation with the humble ute has gone into overdrive in recent years. The Toyota
Hilux and Ford Ranger are the two top-selling new vehicles nationally, loved by tradies,
weekend warriors and families alike. Now we're witnessing the emergence of a new brand of ute,
high-end dual cabs promising equal measures of off-road ability and luxury wares.
The Ford Ranger Raptor and Jeep Gladiator Rubicon both start at just under $80,000
before on-road costs, forgoing some payload and towing ability in order to fulfil their briefs.
We'll start with the Ford Ranger Raptor. Now yes, it does share a lot of common parts with
the garden variety Ranger donor car, but it also benefits from extensive modifications,
a wider track, a Watt's link, live rear axle with coil-over Fox shocks,
plus disc brakes at all four corners. This thing looks like
it's ready to tackle the Baja, and that's because it virtually is.
There is no mistaking it, the Ranger Raptor is made for off-roading. We'll get to the slower,
gnarlier stuff in a moment, but even on high-speed sections of dirt, it is remarkably well tied down.
It just chews up corrugations, and there's meaningful weighting to all the controls. It feels
so pointed and agile when it needs to be, but it's not affected by big undulations in the road
either, a really convincing package and one that is reaffirmed by an excellent stability control
suite and great chassis feel and feedback as well. All of that under-body bracing has imposed a
significant weight penalty with the Ranger Raptor tipping the scales at just over 2300 kilograms,
but there is ample fire power in the form of a 2.0-litre, turbo-diesel, four-cylinder.
If I'm honest, the diesel engine isn't the fiery, explosive, power train that many Ranger
Raptor buyers might demand, but it does get the job done, working well with the quick thinking,
10-speed automatic transmission and making its power and torque at fairly accessible
points of the rev count. It's quite refined and efficient as well. We've managed about
9.5 litres per 100 K's in a mix of conditions that have included off-road and highway driving.
Compared with the regular dual-cab ute set, the engine is quite refined and muted inside the cabin
as well. It's definitely not the highlight of the Ranger Raptor, but it does get the job done.
Venturing away from the beaten track, the Raptor offers a higher 850 mm water-wading
depth in this comparison, as well as a superior break-over angle. It takes the win in terms of
high-speed, off-road stability but is also well-versed when the going gets tough,
offering hill descent control and a locking rear diff. On-road meanwhile,
the Ranger is the quieter, more refined and more civilised of these two. The coil-sprung rear end
is well controlled over bumps, and tyre noise from the BFGoodrich rubber is more subdued.
In equipment terms, the Ranger forgoes front parking sensors, automatic park assist
and adaptive cruise control, significant omissions given the lofty purchase price.
In a similar vein, the interior is nicely thought out with deeply bolstered bucket seats up front,
suede inserts and splashes of colour throughout the cabin, but there's no doubting that a lot
of the develop money has been spent on the componentry underneath. So as such,
there are some cheaper materials throughout and no rear air vents. With that said though, I do like
the installation of the different power points, including a household point in the back seat.
And the infotainment system, while not perfect, is liveable and easy enough for day-to-day driving.
Ford Ranger Raptor, not quite much or enough for you? Well, maybe the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
might be more your style. Based on the legendary Jeep Wrangler, the Gladiator stretches nearly
5.6 meters long and is ready for off-roading duties as well. Fox shocks front and rear,
four disc brakes at all corners, a forward-facing, off-road camera, a disconnecting front sway bar
and locking diffs front and rear. This thing is ready for any kind of beaten track.
With its huge dimensions and significant under-body componentry, the Gladiator Rubicon
is quite a departure from your regular dual-cab ute. It's got a massive 13.6 meter turning circle,
approximate steering and plenty of road noise to contend with as well. But even when you put all
those elements together, I've gotta be honest, it's a really endearing and quite refreshing
change from a regular dual cab. It's got a lot of character, and I've really enjoyed driving it.
On high-speed sections of bitumen, the gladiator Rubicon acquits itself quite
well. It's tied down. It's controlled over extended sections of corrugations,
and even mid-corner bumps or sections of mud don't really pose any huge challenges to the
quick-thinking electronic suite. It doesn't quite impart that same intimate level of
feeling and feedback as the Ranger Raptor. The steering doesn't quite have the same
meaningful weighting, and the body feels a bit larger than the Ranger as well. But all in all,
it's a really good accomplice on a dirt road and it gets even better when the going gets tough.
The Gladiator pays for its size in the bush with its low-slung belly and exposed steering dampener
imposing a break-over angle of 18.4 degrees compared with the Ranger's 24 degrees. It also
feels its length in tighter scenarios, but those front and rear locking diffs and disconnecting
front sway bar are all pluses, as is, its stronger light construction BFGoodrich, rubber,
which is slightly more resistant to punctures. One bone of contention is the absence of diesel power
with a solitary 3.6-litre, naturally aspirated V6 petrol doing duty across the Gladiator range.
In isolation, the petrol engine gets the job done quite admirably. It makes usable power down low
in the rev range, and it's fairly inoffensive in the way that it goes about its business,
working well with the eight-speed automatic transmission. The power curve is a little bit
peaky. You've really got to work towards the upper echelons of the rev range to really find
meaningful power from the Rubicon, and you'll also notice quite a significant fuel bill if you
do choose to explore those upper reaches. With that said, we've averaged over several thousand
kilometres of testing and the engine really has been quite faultless during that time.
Of these two utes, the Gladiator Rubicon does tend to feel weight a little bit more prominently
in the back or if you're towing, but if you're unladen most of the time, it gets the job done.
The Jeep's petrol engine cannot match the straight line performance of the Ranger's, but there
is merit in the V6's accessibility both on and off-road. The Gladiator's three-star safety rating
is one detraction as is the constant question mark of reliability. All we can say is that we've put
over 5000 kilometres on this particular vehicle and it hasn't put a wheel wrong.
More than anything, the Gladiator Rubicon is simply fun. There's a great retro theme
inside borrowed from the Wrangler, and just like that car, you can completely remove the doors,
front windscreen or the roof. Now there is a nice hard-wearing premise to the interior with hose-out
rubber flooring and great hard-wearing materials as well, but in saying that,
it's still comfortable and trendy enough as well, with a really nice center screen and a digital
display within the instrument cluster. My major gripes are the narrow driver's footwell and the
general lack of odds and ends storage, but it's a really nicely acquitted interior. And there's
even auxiliary plugs here set up for the future installation of fridges, radios and electronics.
Both the Gladiator and Ranger are covered by a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty. Over a
five-year service plan, the gladiator undercuts the Ranger on price, but requires slightly shorter
12,000 kilometres servicing intervals. In load-carrying terms, the Ranger feels the
slightly more stable and short-footed of these two, even withstanding its reduced capacities.
The truth is that both the Ford Ranger Raptor and the Jeep Gladiator
Rubicon should be celebrated because they have changed the very definition
of the humble utility. As far as the winner goes you could easily justify both. If your preferences
tend more towards extroverted party bus, well then the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon is definitely your go,
but if you want a ute that is civilised both on-road and off-road and does the
daily duties just that little bit better, then the Ford Ranger Raptor has to be the winner.