2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave is a dune-busting 4x4

If you've ever wanted to get a fast 4x4, you'd probably go to Ford and pick up a Ranger Raptor, or its bigger brother the F-150 Raptor. Tall, mean, and ready to take on whatever Mother Nature can throw at it, these vehicles were purpose-built to take on tricky and soft terrain at speed.

Jeep wants in on that action, and they have just unleashed it at this year's Chicago Auto Show. This is the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave, a pick-up truck that has been branded as the first-ever 'Desert Rated' 4x4. With it, the Mojave represents the Gladiator's ability to reach high speeds in the desert, as well as have the capability to go off-road and endure grueling desert and sand environments with ease.

To give it the 'Desert Rated' badge, Jeep had to modify the pick-up's chassis extensively. For starters, it has Fox 2.5-inch internal bypass shocks for improved ride comfort, handling, and bottom-out resistance. It has internal passages that allow suspension fluid to bypass the piston through regulated ports as it moves. In addition, Mojave has front and rear external shock reservoirs to keep the fluid cool.

Complementhing the 2.5-inch shocks are Fox front hydraulic jounces which act as a secondary pair of dampers. With it, they provide additional damping force in order to soften impacts and prevent the suspension from bottoming-out at high-speed. To top everything off, the Gladiator Mojave also has a one-inch lift kit, front skid plate, and standard 33-inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires (mud-terrain is optional) with 17-inch wheels.

Under the hood of the Mojave is the good ol' 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. It delivers 288 PS along with over 350 Nm of torque. Power is then sent to either an eight-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox. Like the standard Gladiator, Command-Trac 4WD, a two-speed transfer case, as well as front and rear-locking differentials are standard equipment on the Mojave.

Inside the Mojave, Jeep installed more aggressive front seats that have increased bolstering for better riding comfort. They're available in either cloth or leather and come with orange contrast stitching, as well as embroidered Mojave logo. In addition, two color schemes are available in the Mojave; Black and Steel Gray. Providing in-car infotainment is the 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen which comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and navigation.

The Gladiator Mojave is set to arrive in US dealerships in Q2 of 2020. With the Gladiator set to arrive in the Philippines soon, perhaps we might the Mojave on our roads some time in 2021.