2024 Jeep Gladiator is two trucks in one

Published 10:54 am Friday, November 1, 2024

Jeeps always have a sense of adventure about them. Even if you never wanted to go off-road, seeing a Jeep gives most people a daydream about climbing a mountain somewhere to take in the views. It’s an aspirational vehicle in that way. But most of us need more functional transportation in our daily lives. The Jeep Gladiator offers the functionality of a pickup with the off-road chops of a Jeep Wrangler.

The Jeep Gladiator is essentially a longer-wheelbase version of the four-door Wrangler Unlimited, with a five-foot pickup bed behind the rear seats. This truck competes with the industry favorite Toyota Tacoma, but it’s the only pickup truck that allows you to remove the roof and doors for summertime open-air driving.

When you climb into the Gladiator, you’re going to find the familiar Jeep Wrangler interior. There are 8 trim levels to choose from, so you can buy whatever you can afford, up to leather seats and navigation, or keep it basic and truck-like. One thing to note ¬– if you live in the mountains where it gets really cold, the hard plastic roof panels or the available soft top of the Gladiator don’t offer a lot of insulation. On the dashboard, you get a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with Wireless Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa support.

Under the hood, the Gladiator comes with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine rated at 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. On the more affordable trims, the Jeep comes with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard equipment, but for most purposes of towing and hauling, you’ll be better served by the optional 8-speed automatic transmission. The Gladiator has an 1,100-pound payload capacity and will tow up to 6,000 pounds with the automatic transmission or 1,150 pounds hauling and 4,000 pounds towing with the manual

Jeep delivers advanced four-wheel-drive in every Gladiator. As usual with Jeep, the higher trim levels add all kinds of goodies such as electronic locking differentials, swaybar disconnect, and more.

On the road, the Gladiator is fun to drive, especially in the summer when you can take the hardtop roof panels out or roll up the soft top. This is really what sets this truck apart. The handling and ride are like a Wrangler, only a bit better because the longer wheelbase of the Gladiator helps with stability. Portland doesn’t get super cold so a Gladiator could be a very functional small truck that doubles as a capable off-road vehicle.

As mentioned, the Gladiator comes in 8 different trim levels, from the stripped-down Sport trim starting at $37,895 before fees, up to the super-off-road Rubicon X that starts at $63,590. Our test vehicle was the Desert trim, called Mojave X at $62,995. This trim offers a bunch of nice features, but to choose a trim for yourself, you need to ask what you’re really going to do with the Gladiator.

Are you really planning to go off-road in the desert? Mojave or Rubicon trims have you covered. Are you just going to use the Gladiator as a pickup truck, with occasional excursions off the pavement? Sport trim is probably just fine for you, and you can save a lot of money. The difference between trims is all in the suspension, wheel/tire combos, off-road goodies, and interiors. If I was spending my own money, I’d buy the Sport S trim starting at $41,995. For that money, the automatic transmission is standard and you get the soft top instead of plastic roof panels, but you can buy those separately if you want the hardtop.

In any case, if you’re shopping for a practical pickup truck but you always kinda wanted a Jeep, the 2024 and now 2025 Jeep Gladiator is worth your consideration.

2024 Jeep Gladiator Mojave X

Base price: $62,995

Price as tested: $68,880

Type: Midsize Pickup

Engine: 3.6-liter V6 (285 hp, 260 lbs-ft)

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

EPA estimated mileage: 17/22

Overall length: 218 inches

Curb weight: 4,640 pounds

Final assembly: Toledo, Ohio