The New Jeep Gladiator?

Seems like every 4x4 magizine has a cover article or feature regarding the Gladiator. I have to admit I'm not as star struck by this new model and I wondering if I should be . . .

Its the other Jeep concept I was excited about (picture #2). The new Gladiator just seems kinda bland and boring to me.

 

I was actually pricing out a new "gladiator" this morning. I guess the price could be worse but if it were a 2 door, diesel, and manual, I would probably see about pulling the trigger on one but it's
hard to see myself owning something newer than the 90's. I personally don't like all the electronic gadgetry. Too much to go wrong and replacing it would be costly. I'll stick with my old junk for now.
I like the bruiser conversions...

 

Diesel and manual would have me excited. These look alright and have a lot of features if you're into that. It's still a lot more interesting than a Tacoma to me, especially with the solid front axle. Toyota has been keeping the goods (cough cough 70 series) far away from the United States, or it could be our regulations.

The really modern stuff has too much plastic and electronics for me though. The numbers (power, fuel economy, etc.) are good but I don't like giving up things like character, durability, simplicity, and longevity to achieve them. It's all about finding your priorities and the happy medium.

 

My predictions: The Gladiator is going to sell like hotcakes for about 2 years. Then the sales will slide rapidly and level off at less than half of the first year demand. I think this is going to be a real niche product. Remember not to many years ago the big 3 killed all of their compact/medium pickups because they couldn't sell enough.

Reasons:

1. There is definitely some pent up demand, and this will be an easy choice for someone who wants a small crew cab truck but also likes jeeps. so the first two years will be spent meeting this market.
2. People who want to use it as a truck won't be interested in the puny bed, and will be better served by one of the other mid-size trucks. And those other trucks will be significantly cheaper
3. People who buy this as a fashion statement will quickly tire of driving a vehicle that is 2.5 feet longer than a Wrangler Unlimited

 

but if I had $45k to spend on a toy truck, this would be a serious contender