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“Hercules” High Performance Jeep Gladiator Being Tested!

steffen707

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jeepguy225

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They'll probably wait to release it until right after I buy mine, forcing me to live a life of regret.
haha, that's what I'm saying. Anyway, I can't pay an extra 10 or 20 k for a v8 or whatever engine upgrade comes with it (twin turbo v6), so for me it's a non-thought. I'll stick with the base level Rubicon and mod it with 37's and a winch.
 

Wilk

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I'm excited for this thing. Really hoping it become a production unit with a manual trans and a Good engine upgrade. If it only comes in auto then I'm going Rubicon.
 

steffen707

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haha, that's what I'm saying. Anyway, I can't pay an extra 10 or 20 k for a v8 or whatever engine upgrade comes with it (twin turbo v6), so for me it's a non-thought. I'll stick with the base level Rubicon and mod it with 37's and a winch.
You'll also probably have your sport for 18-24 months longer than waiting.

I still hope it's built even if I cNt afford it, might push down the Rubicon price.... MIGHT
 

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Billy

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Come on guys, it's sooo obvious.... "you like gladiator movies Billy?"
:cwl::cwl::cwl::cwl:

“Ever seen a grown man naked?”
 

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Intrigued yet not going to hold my breath for this one.
 
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At the just launched Detroit Auto Show, new Jeep CEO Tim Kuniskis was asked about the potential for the Gladiator Hercules (or high performance model)! Here's what he had to say.

https://www.motorauthority.com/news...gladiator-will-go-hercules-but-hes-not-saying

Just three months into his current role as Jeep president in North America, former SRT chief for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Tim Kuniskis sat Monday in an upstairs office above the 2019 North American International Auto Show.

The admitted car guy who prefers T-shirts and drag strips looked tired from the morning's show as he wore suit and tie but he perked up after questions about Jeep's rumored high-powered Gladiator, reportedly called Hercules.

"Hercules? Wow. That's getting a lot of traction today," he said. "I think the pictures are cool—I don't know who made them—but they look interesting."

"We've done a lot of work in the space, we build those cars for Moab every year. It fits. It works. It's awesome...the problem is: They're not street-legal."

About 3,000 Jeeps with high-powered engine swaps are sold every year from tuners, he said. That's a sizable collection of vehicles that makes Jeep take notice, but not enough to engineer a cost-efficient cooling system required to stuff a V-8 with more than 6.0 liters under the hood.

Kuniskis estimates that aftermarket sellers charge about $80,000 for a lifted, modified Jeep Wrangler with a 6.4-liter V-8 under the hood. For 3,000 customers each year, the profits would be motivation alone for any automaker.

Yet, it's the buyers' motivations that Kuniskis says makes the rumored Hercules different. Save the few, outrageous SEMA builds each year, Kuniskis says their surveys indicate that most Jeep owners willing to shell out the big bucks for a super-stout engine are looking for more torque on the trail—in the neighborhood of 450-475 pound-feet of torque.

The Gladiator will offer that in 2020—just not from a fire-breathing V-8.

"We've got our diesel coming with 442 pound-feet, with a warranty, from the factory. The torque that they're looking for, we're to able deliver to them with a diesel," he said. "I don't know where the Hercules thing comes from."

Kuniskis speculated that the rumors stem from his comments at the 2018 LA auto show that the Gladiator's low-speed rock crawling features and high-speed off-road modes tipped off enthusiasts that a dune-busting, high-powered Gladiator must be in the works. Competitors such as the Toyota Tacoma TRD and Chevy Colorado ZR2 gave more momentum to the idea that Jeep would respond in kind.

"Sure, there's a space there," but with the coming Rubicon he added that already Jeep would be on "a level playing field."

Kuniskis headed FCA's SRT brand from 2014 to 2018 and famously ushered in a horsepower arms race beginning with the Challenger SRT Hellcat, Demon, and Redeye, all with at least 700 horsepower. Before the Challenger SRT Hellcat went on sale, Kuniskis publicly sandbagged the then-secret horsepower rating for the engine before he unveiled its 707-hp potential. He laughed off the reactions, even proud that FCA's skunkworks effectively smoke-screened enthusiasts and the industry to the engine's potential.

He admitted the upcoming pickup has a long future in the lineup, too.

"I think we’re just scratching the surface on where that thing can go. There’s nothing else like it…it has massive potential," he said.

On Monday, Kuniskis couldn't hide a wry smile about speculation that a high-powered Jeep was inevitable in the Gladiator's future, especially given his history with high-performance vehicles.

"What do you think we should do?" he asked.

"It makes too much sense not to but it's not my decision," I answered.

"That's interesting," he replied with a smile.
 

steffen707

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HA!
"Hercules? Wow. That's getting a lot of traction today," he said. "I think the pictures are cool—I don't know who made them—but they look interesting."

That's awesome news! That means they read THIS forum and will do whatever we tell them to, Start the sport at $30,000.........maybe not, but they read THIS forum!
 

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homerun

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HA!
"Hercules? Wow. That's getting a lot of traction today," he said. "I think the pictures are cool—I don't know who made them—but they look interesting."

That's awesome news! That means they read THIS forum and will do whatever we tell them to, Start the sport at $30,000.........maybe not, but they read THIS forum!
I think he knows exactly who made those pictures.
 

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Aside from the 3.0 Diesel I can't believe Jeep didn't offer a more powerful engine at launch! I heard the 3.6 has been tweaked for the JT but so far the numbers reported are the same.
Those "tweaks" to the Pentastar included new cams to move the torque peak down in the RPM band, among other things. When you combine that with the much better 850RFE transmission, and the deeper standard axle ratios, it really IS a better performing Jeep.

the Pentastar in the old Ram was rated at 305hp (20 more than JL) and 269lb-ft (9 more) at 4175rpm (625rpm lower). I doubt there's much different internally. The Ram probably has a bigger exhaust and different mapping.
All the Pentastar engines originally were the same. They had only a couple of differences. You're correct that the Ram had more room for exhaust and that combined with a more aggressive intake is why the Challenger/Ram had the 305 HP rating.

I'm worried about the higher output engine and transmission. A hemi would be awesome but I suspect they will go with a turbo V6 or go for more power out of the 2.0. Either way, I suspect a manual transmission option is unlikely unless they keep the pentastar base. I'm gonna wait forore news before I buy.
Engineers have said for years there will never be a V8 factory Wrangler. I assume that would apply to the Gladiator as well since the front half of the vehicle is virtually the same. Reasons were many: CAFE requirements, safety requirements, packaging issues, cooling issues, etc.
 

Malarkey21

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That's awesome news! That means they read THIS forum and will do whatever we tell them to, Start the sport at $30,000.........maybe not, but they read THIS forum!
I mean if they are looking at us.... I think $25,000 is a good honest starting price ;)
 

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Jeep CEO Tim Kuniskis said:
..."I think we’re just scratching the surface on where that thing can go. There’s nothing else like it…it has massive potential,"...
2015er reply about extended-cab pickups in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . .
 
 



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