The fact that the Gladiator name was used doesn't have anything to do with what this vehicle is/isn't. Jeep's proven that multiple times. It could have just as easily been called a Scrambler, remember (thank God it wasn't)
Jeep people wanted a Jeep-based truck and got a truck-based Jeep. Truck people think it's not enough truck.
That said, I actually agree, but that's not how most Jeep fans are looking at it. All I care about off-road is that it can hold its own and the aftermarket plays with it.
My personal feeling about Jeep-branded vehicles is that they don't all have to be Wranglers off-road and they don't have to be built primarily for off-road (with CAFE standards, the brand couldn't exist if they did that) but they need to out-perform all of the direct competition IN THEIR SEGMENT off-road. Jeep wasn't doing that for years and I finally feel like FCA has that figured out. You may hate the Renegade, for example, but until you actually drive one off-road, you have no idea what it can actually do and I'll guarantee you it's better than any of it's direct competition. Same with the Cherokee. I feel good that the Gladiator will deliver that in spades after the report I got yesterday.
One other thing to keep in mind, AEV was HAND BUILDING Jeep crew cabs that took forever to turn out, were about double the price of the Jeep on which they were based, and they sold every one that they ever made without trying. Yes, we're talking hundreds of them, but it pairs with the long-standing outcry for a Wrangler truck.
Definitely going to be interesting to watch what happens here.