Can The 2020 Jeep Wrangler EcoDiesel DEMOLISH A Brand New Gladiator In A Drag Race?

Well, what do you think?

You know, drag racing in the fog isn’t exactly what you’d call an ideal scenario. That said, when you have two of a brand’s popular models and one has a brand new engine under the hood, this sort of weather wasn’t going to get in the way of finding out just how its performance compares to the tried-and-true formula. At least, that’s what we have in the video above. On one side, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon we just bought as a long-term fleet addition. That one has the good old 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6, mated to an eight-speed automatic. On the other, we have the 2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, but this one has the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6, also with an eight-speed transmission.

Both are Jeeps, and both are top-end Rubicon models. While one has more horsepower, the other dominates in the torque department. But which one is actually quicker? Granted, most wouldn’t buy a Wrangler or a Gladiator with drag racing in mind, but drag racing is sort of what we do here at TFL.

You know which Jeep is going to win here.

Wrangler vs. Gladiator by the numbers

The 2020 Jeep Gladiator comes with 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque out of that V-6 engine. While it does top the Wrangler EcoDiesel’s 260 horsepower, it comes nowhere close to the diesel’s monumental 442 lb-ft of torque. In fact, all that torque helps make the Wrangler an even more formidable force off-road, but will it manage to put all that torque down to the ground on the track?

While that 3.0-liter diesel V-6 was already available in the 2020 Ram 1500 pickup, this is the first time in decades we’ve had a diesel Wrangler in the U.S. Soon, that engine will make its way into the Gladiator as well, likely making it one of the most fuel efficient midsize trucks out there in the process and giving buyers a diesel alternative to the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon.

Sadly, the Pentastar clearly isn’t meant for speed, and the Wrangler crushes the Gladiator with relative ease. But what about the other trucks we have lined up to put the Wrangler in its place. Check out the video above to see just how the Wrangler performs, and check back soon for fuel economy runs in the new 2020 Jeep Wrangler EcoDiesel.