FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Ute

How big is the boot of the new 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Ute?

When empty the tray of the Jeep Gladiator dual cab Ute will hold 27 shopping bags, which is comparable to the Mitsubishi Triton holding 28 and the Volkswagen Amarok and Ford Ranger which both hold 30 shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

You can of course fit any size double pram in the tray of the Jeep Gladiator dual cab, in our testing a twin side-by-side stroller fits in the tray with 16 shopping bags around it.

The tandem stroller fits in the tray of the Gladiator with 17 shopping bags beside it.

The single stroller fits in the tray of the Jeep Gladiator with 19 shopping bags beside it.

The compact stroller fits in the tray with 22 shopping bags around it.

You can transport a number of large family dogs in the tray of the Jeep Gladiator dual cab Ute it is so spacious. However everything back there got so hot during our summertime test.

How good is storage in the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Ute?

Storage in the cabin of the 2023 Jeep Gladiator dual cab Ute is quite compact throughout. In the front there are two cup holders in the central console that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup or a water bottle. There is a slot between them for storing your phone while driving. The central console storage box is quite small with a shelf for sunglasses in the top.

The glove box is small and will only hold my wallet with the manual.

The door bins in the front aren't very practical for water bottles. They are nets and will hold an iPad or wallet but I found bottles fell out.

In the back, storage is similarly minimal but with some useful touches. There are net map pockets on the back of both front seats, they will hold but not conceal an iPad. There are great bag hooks on either side of them, which are great for hooking daycare or school bags onto on the school run! The two bottle holders in the central footwell are great for holding the kid's water bottles (making up for the fact you can't put them in the doors and also making them easier to reach from the front and pass to children).

There are nets on the rear doors instead of door bins that are large enough to hold an iPad.

A fold-down armrest in the central seat back contains two more cup holders that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup or a water bottle.

If you are a family that carries firearms around with them (Nerf guns or water pistols?) there is a gun case underneath the rear seats! I'm sure my kids would simply fill it with fluffy toys!!

How noisy is the new 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute? How good is the media system in the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute?

Apart from the roar of the engine and thrum of the chunky off-road tyres, the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon is not a noisy ute with beeps and chimes. The central dash is peppered with controls and buttons and I like that you can turn the screen off with a simple button on there.

The media system is easy to use and navigate in the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon using the touch screen buttons along the bottom of the media screen.

You can control the front heated seats and steering wheel through the media screen…

…and turn the reversing camera on at any point which is very helpful.

It has built-in sat-nav, which I found easy to use…

…as well as Apple CarPlay making it easier to access podcasts etc on my phone while driving.

The climate is controlled through the media screen too and I found this quite easy to use while driving.

The reversing camera image fills the whole media screen which is good and it has good clear images.

You can turn the parking sensors off with a button in the central dash.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

How many child seats fit in the new 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute?

The 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute has ISOFix points in the two outer rear seats, they are within plastic guides and are nice and easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchorages for all three rear seats (super rare in dual-cab utes nowadays). They are metal anchorages fixed to the body of the vehicle (also rare) and clearly labelled behind the rear seat backs. Well done Jeep!

The rear seatbacks are split 60:40 so you can old forward whichever you need to access the top tether anchorages.

I found three Infasecure child seats will just fit across this second row. I installed the Infasecure Attain More, Aspire More and Achieve More.

Two child seats fit really well too and I could just squeeze between them.

We found that the interior of the Jeep Gladiator is compact and with a rear-facing child seat only a 170cm passenger could fit in front. However, with forward-facing child seats in the back, a 186cm passenger or driver can sit in front.

Posting Bub into their child seats is surprisingly easy in the Jeep Gladiator, it is nice and high so you just lift them in rather than having to bend down.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

I found there is room to feed Bub in the back with a child seat installed.

How comfortable is the new 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute? And how good is the new 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute to drive?

The front seats of the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute are comfortable and in the Rubicon model I tested they have black leather upholstery with red contrast stitching. The front seats are heated in this model too.

For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, the rear seats are quite comfortable too.

There are drinks holders in the central aisle footwell that you have to straddle if you sit in the central rear seat.

For the first year of my first daughters life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with her so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down. The cruise controls are on the right of the steering wheel and are easy to use.

There are four round air-conditioning vents on the front dashboard of the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon; one on either side of the media screen and one at each end of the dash…

… and two more air-conditioning vents in the back of the central console box for the rear passengers.

The air-con controls are operated by a combination of buttons and dials on the dash and options in the media screen.

Visibility in the Jeep Gladiator is very good. You sit very high up so you have great visibility out over things and ahead over cars on the road.

The Jeep Gladiator dual cab Ute is great fun to drive. It's a quirky character in itself which makes the journey as important as the destination even for the monotonous school drop off and you can take the roof off too which is great fun with kids.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and my daughter has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Jeep Gladiator is quite easy to park as the visibility and backup camera is very good!

How safe is the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute?

The 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute has been given a three-star ANCAP safety rating. Scoring a VERY low 60% for Adult Occupancy testing and a fairly decent 80% for Child Occupancy testing. So you'd REALLY be putting your kids first with one of these!

ANCAP said of the Child Occupancy testing:

The Jeep Gladiator Rubicon dual cab Ute comes with dual frontal, and combination side airbags (which protect both the chest and head of front seat occupants) as standard and head-protecting side airbags are not offered for rear seating positions.