Not surprisingly, most of the updates Jeep made to the Wrangler for 2024 also port over to the Gladiator, and the brand has now released pricing for its pickup.
Most significant among those updates are side curtain airbags, as well as structural enhancements and rear seat belt pretensioners for improved crash performance. Of less existential weight but likely more important in the showroom are available power seats and a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen (in place of the previous 7-inch unit) with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. To the delight of Gladiator buyers in automatic car washes nationwide, the antiquated steel-mast radio antenna also is finally gone, replaced by modern magic that allows it to be integrated into the windshield.
There’s still no plug-in hybrid 4xe Gladiator, though it may arrive for 2025. Nor does the Gladiator offer the Wrangler’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine or delightfully silly 6.4-liter V-8. The only engine offered in the Gladiator is a 3.6-liter V-6 making 285 horsepower and 260 pounds-feet of torque, paired with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive. With the manual, the Gladiator gets an estimated 16/23/19 mpg city/highway/combined; the automatic is rated at 17/22/19 mpg, according to Jeep (official EPA figures are not yet available).
The 2024 Jeep Gladiator is on sale now. Pricing (including $1,895 destination) is as follows:
Sport: $39,790
Sport S: $43,290
Willys: $46,890
Mojave: $54,890
Rubicon: $54,890
Mojave X: $64,890
Rubicon X: $64,890
Trim Levels and Safety Equipment
The basic Gladiator Sport gives buyers a five-occupant off-road pickup with removable doors and top, and little else. It rides on 17-inch steel wheels wrapped in 32-inch tires and includes a cloth top, fabric seats and eight-speaker audio system.
Stepping up to the Sport S modernizes the Gladiator in a hurry, starting with aluminum wheels (in the same size, still with 32-inch tires). The Sport S also gains keyless entry, power windows and locks and a Gorilla Glass windshield; the nearly upright glass is particularly prone to stone chips. Additional safety features on the Sport S include forward collision warning and adaptive cruise control.
The Willys is a sort of off-road light trim, adding a locking rear differential, rock rails, mud-terrain tires and Off-Road+ mode, which alters powertrain and stability control settings for better performance when on the trails. The Willys also gets a black grille, LED headlights and foglights, a towing package and programmable auxiliary switches for aftermarket accessories.
The Mojave trim level is where the Gladiator gets particularly aggressive about off-roading. It builds off the Willys equipment minus the black grille, but it upgrades to heavy-duty Dana 44 axles front and rear, the latter with a high-speed locking differential. A 1-inch front suspension lift and high-clearance fender flares make room for 33-inch all-terrain tires, while 2.5-inch Fox shock absorbers with remote reservoirs keep things under control during high-speed desert running. The Mojave also wears rock rails, a unique scooped hood, and full LED exterior lighting front and rear. Inside, it gets a sport steering wheel, additional front-seat bolstering, dual-zone automatic climate control and a 7-inch screen tucked into the gauge cluster.
The Rubicon also packs Dana 44 axles and the high-clearance fender flares, but it’s aimed at a slower, more technical sort of off-roading, with a unique transfer case, electronically disconnecting front sway bar (for increased wheel articulation), locking front and rear differentials, rock rails and a steel rear bumper. It, too, gets a unique hood, this one with two rows of vents.
Upgrading either the Mojave or the Rubicon to the X variation adds a hefty dose of comfort to off-road and on-road driving. On both, the package includes body-colored fender flares and hardtop, Nappa leather seats that are heated and power adjustable in front, navigation, heated steering wheel, blind spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alert and rear parking sensors. Off-road ability gets a further boost with the X, which also features a forward-facing off-road camera, a steel front bumper and an upgraded transfer case.
