Come for the Fun, Stay for the Fleet

Jeep Gladiator. PHOTO: Mario Cywinski

FCA Canada Fleet Operations recently held its 2019 Spring Launch Event at Pearson Convention Centre. This was the Toronto stop of the tour, which has also made stops in Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton.

With a lot of hype surrounding its release over the last few months, the Jeep Gladiator mid-size pick-up is finally here, and was definitely the truck most fleet professionals were on hand to see and drive. Almost lost in the background was the front and centre Ram HD, which has been re-designed for 2019, and now boasts an available 1,000 pound/feet of torque.

“It’s always a pleasure to attend FCA’s product preview,” said Basil Marcus, Director of Business Development and Marketing, Foss National Leasing. “It will definitely be an exciting year ahead for FCA, the new Gladiator is a very cool vehicle and the new HD trucks offer a really amazing working capacity along with opulent luxury that you would expect more from a high-end SUV rather than a truck.”

FCA decided to demonstrate the RAM HD’s capability by having it pull an 18-wheeler in the parking lot of the convention centre, while those in attendance looked on. The HD along with the Gladiator were available to be driven on a closed course. When not driving, attendees heard about what FCA Canada Fleet it up to, details about the vehicles, and what FCA can offer fleets.

“FCA hosted another great event showcasing the new Gladiator and RAM Trucks. It was an entertaining learning experience to get a deep dive into the significant manufacturing improvements for some of the key components that make these vehicles operate,” said Darlene Spriel, Director Fleet Solutions, Foss National Leasing. “The drive experience was a true test of each vehicles capabilities and comfort features.”

Diving a little deeper into what the Gladiator offers, we find a 3.6 litre Pentastar V-6 engine with 285 horsepower and 260 ft/lbs of torque mated to a standard six-speed manual or an optional eight-speed automatic transmission. It is four-wheel drive, built on a ladder-frame with an open steel and aluminum body. While the vehicle may look like a Wrangler with a truck bed, it is a new vehicle, but does come with all the capability of a Wrangler with a five-foot bed with a dampening tailgate, for extra practicality.

Looking at the Ram HD, it’s all about capability, with the upgraded Cummins 6.7L high output turbo diesel engine offering 400hp and 1,000 ft/lbs of torque. A second variant offers 37-hp and 850 ft/lbs of torque. Both diesel engines are equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission. The standard engine is a 6.4L HEMI V-8 with 410hp and 429 ft/lbs of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Ram HD trucks have a maximum towing of 15,921 kilograms, and a maximum payload of 3,484kg. A 360 camera has been added with view of a trailer on both sides.

FCA Canada will conclude its Spring Launch Tour in Montreal at the end of June.

Mario Cywinski is the Editor of Machinery and Equipment MRO magazine—an Annex Business Media sister publication,a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, and a judge for Canadian Truck King Challenge. He has over 10 years of edito¬rial experience and over 15 years of automo¬bile industry experience, as well as small busi¬ness industry experience.