Given a choice, would you select Jeep’s new Gladiator? Or the venerable Wrangler?

Unless you’ve been living under an especially virulent rock, it’ll not have escaped your notice that Jeep introduced its long-awaited pickup truck this week at the L.A. Auto Show. That sound you’re hearing is the Jeep fanbase having a collective aneurysm.

FCA brass are quick to point out that the new Gladiator (not Scrambler; sorry to those who put down wagers on the latter) is much more that just a Wrangler Unlimited put in a taffy puller and having a truck bed thrown on it.

True to this statement, the Gladiator far outstrips the Wrangler in terms of payload and towing ratings, despite being imbued with exactly the same powertrain options. Those are, by the way, the 3.6L Pentastar V6 and – down the road – a diesel. the former is available with a manual transmission, praise the pharaohs.

Credit the beefier suspension guts, rough ‘n ready rear end pumpkin, and a dedicated frame thicker than a redwood tree. That last point may be a bit of hyperbole.

Some numbers for you to consider before voting:

The Gladiator stretches 30 inches longer than the biggest Wrangler. At 218 inches from end to end, the Jeep truck splits the difference between short- and long-bed versions of the Chevy Colorado crew cab pickup.

That length is great for utility but puts a dent in the Gladiator’s breakover angle, which measures 20.3 degrees compared to 22.6 degrees for the Wrangler Rubicon. Understandably, its departure angle also suffers compared to its showroom brother – 26 degrees for the Gladiator Rubicon versus 37 degrees for the Wrangler Rubicon.

If you hit the Powerball, removing money from the equation, which one would you choose? The Gladiator Rubicon does have an upgraded t-case, plus access to Mopar’s 200+ item accessory catalog. But the Wrangler Rubicon is arguably the better ‘wheeler right out of the box. We’ll find out soon enough when we drive them back-to-back. Until then, vote below!