Before we bought our escapes we wanted 2 4 door jeeps. Nothing fancy, basic. Simple. We wanted them with hardtops, and locking rear diff. That was all we wanted for options. $46,910. Each.
Now we know its a "jeep thing and we don't understand" but 46k for a base jeep. That is a lot of money. We needed 2, so that would have put the bill well into $90k, add taxes and were over $100k for two. I distinctly remember a time where jeeps were much, much cheaper. After hunting through dealerships within 200km, including Toronto (probably the biggest city in Canada) we were told by a few dealers that base models are extremely rare. Most dealer's don't bother ordering them and instead focus on "Sport S" models, or sahara's and a couple of rubicons. We wanted to build up our jeeps. And I wasn't spending over $50 grand for the base to build on. Even if it could be found.
I mean, lets put it in comparison. Lets give the jeep a $50k budget. You could buy:
Jeep Compass 4x4 for 27k which would leave you $23,000 to upgrade it.
Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Access Cab for 37k leaving you $13,000 to upgrade it.
Toyota 4 Runner TRD Offroad 4x4 for 48k, leaving you $2,000 to upgrade it.
Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 for $32k, leaving you $18,000 to upgrade it.
At least from my point of view, I don't see the gladiators going for less then 50, and for 50k you can get a decently equipped 4x4 full sized truck. I think the cost will be the achele's heel of the gladiator.