The Rubicon models currently wear the company’s shocks, too. Tim Suttonīut the most transformative pieces of equipment come from Fox Racing Shox. The "Desert Rated" badge isn’t for show: A beefed-up frame, a steel skid plate up front, special Fox Racing shock absorbers and more enhance the Gladiator Mojave’s off-road readiness. The rear springs have a softer spring rate to smooth the ride in the rough. The front springs in a Mojave are 1 inch taller than those on the Rubicon and provide more upward (jounce) travel to soak up desert obstacles. The frame is beefed up at suspension mounting points to take more abuse, too, and there’s a steel skid plate up front that acts as a welcome mat for hard landings. In fact, the rear axle tubes went from a 6.25mm wall thickness on the Rubicon to 10.5mm on the Mojave to resist fatigue. Under the metal, Mojave has stronger axles with cast-iron steering knuckles up front and thicker tubes in the rear. And they’re wrapped around 17-inch wheels that have a unique offset that increases track width by half an inch over the Rubicon for stability. The bodywork uses the same big flares as the Rubicon to fit the 33-inch-tall tires. On the inside, the Mojave wears new seats with supportive bolsters as well as a thicker steering wheel. So, what exactly makes a Mojave special? More stuff than you might imagine. 2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland: Wants vs.Jeep plans to offer Desert Rated versions of their other vehicles from the Compass on up to the Grand Cherokee. Jeep says it means this is a rig focused on the demands of higher-speed off-roading and must meet certain requirements in five categories: ride control and stability, traction, ground clearance, maneuverability and desert prowess. The Gladiator Mojave is the first vehicle in Jeep’s lineup to be “Desert Rated.” And like the name Mojave itself, the Desert Rated badge has credibility, too. “So, when we decided to do the truck, it felt natural because this segment of customer (midsize truck) has a passion for it.” “There’s always been the segment of our fanbase that wants to go fast in the desert,” says Milosavlevski. The Gladiator Mojave’s mission is just as hardcore, but the terrain is a little different. When the company puts those 3-inch tall R-U-B-I-C-O-N letters on the side of a Wrangler or Gladiator hood-it not only means those vehicles can tackle the Rubicon Trail itself but also just about any other slow-speed trail in the country. Jeep has a tradition of naming its most capable vehicles after places that push 4X4s to the breaking point. “We were looking for a codename and so the engineers naturally landed on ‘Mojave.’ It became the nomenclature within our ranks and just stuck.” “We spent a great deal of time testing in the Mojave Desert,” says Gladiator chief engineer Pete Milosavlevski. But if the history of the “Rubicon” badge is anything to go by, Jeep’s name for the desert-proven version of the Gladiator pickup carries more weight, substance and authenticity than most. These days, that’s no small thing: Names used for most new vehicles are superficial-focus-grouped to sound cool, or at least inoffensive. The place was such an integral part of the new Jeep’s development that it took the desert’s name. It’s where the brand’s first “Desert Rated” offering was developed and honed, to start. It’s the perfect setting in which to test out the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave. If you’re testing in these desolate parts, you’d be wise to bring along another Jeep, along with a Warn recovery kit, Maxtrax sand traction boards and enough bottled water to fill a kiddie pool. It’s a friendly reminder that this is a remote chunk of the Mojave Desert and if your vehicle dies out here-so might you. Cell service cuts out not long after you peel off the pavement.
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