The Jeep Gladiator is a mid-size pickup truck built by Jeep. It was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show on 28 November 2018 and went on sale in the spring of 2019 as a 2020 model. Based on the Wrangler JL, it is Jeep’s first pickup since the Comanche was dropped in 1992, and it revives a name that the original Gladiator carried from 1962 until 1988.
Jeep Gladiator at a glance
| Maker | Jeep, Stellantis North America |
|---|---|
| Unveiled | 28 November 2018, Los Angeles Auto Show |
| On sale | spring 2019, as a 2020 model |
| Platform | Jeep Wrangler JL |
| Body | four-door, five-seat mid-size pickup |
| Roofs | two soft tops, two three-piece hardtops |
| Doors | front and rear doors removable, windscreen folds down |
| Launch engine | 3.6 L Pentastar V6, 285 hp |
| Diesel | 3.0 L EcoDiesel V6, 260 hp, 2021–2023 |
| Gearboxes | six-speed manual or ZF eight-speed automatic |
| Four-wheel drive | standard; Command-Trac, Selec-Trac or Rock-Trac |
| Trims | Sport, Sport S, Overland, Willys, Mojave, Rubicon, High Altitude |
History of the Jeep Gladiator
Back to the pickup market
Jeep left the pickup business when the Comanche ended in 1992, and for years the only Wrangler-based pickup was the custom dual-cab AEV Brute, made under licence from 2013 to 2017. A two-door Scrambler-style concept based on a lengthened Wrangler was shown to dealers in 2003, and in late 2004 Jeep presented the Gladiator concept with a 3.0 litre VM Motori diesel, removable doors and a pickup bed, which previewed the design of the Wrangler JK. When the production truck was ready, Jeep chose between reviving Comanche, Scrambler and Gladiator or using a new name, and settled on Gladiator because it fitted the truck best. The first markets outside the Americas were Australia and New Zealand; the truck is now also sold in China, Japan, South Korea, South Africa and parts of South America, Europe and Southeast Asia.
Wrangler hardware in a truck
The Gladiator takes its exterior and interior styling from the Wrangler JL. Because a truck hauls and tows, the grille slots were enlarged for more airflow, and the full-size spare wheel sits under the cargo bed instead of on the tailgate. Four roof options are offered: two Sun-Rider soft tops that retract fully and two three-piece Freedom-Top hardtops. The front and rear doors can be removed and the windscreen lowered, with a tool kit supplied, and the Gladiator is the only truck on sale with a convertible folding soft top. An optional front-facing trail camera in one grille slot shows the ground ahead on the touchscreen, and the Off Road Pages app displays approach and departure angles and steering angles.
Engines and trims
At launch the only engine was the 3.6 litre Pentastar V6 of 285 hp, with a six-speed Aisin manual or a ZF eight-speed automatic. From 2021 to 2023 the 3.0 litre EcoDiesel V6 of 260 hp and 442 lb·ft was offered on every trim except the Mojave; the diesel was withdrawn after 2023 with the FarOut editions. All versions have four-wheel drive, with the Command-Trac part-time or Selec-Trac full-time system on most models and two versions of Rock-Trac with 4.10 gears on the Rubicon. A 4xe hybrid was planned for 2025 but cancelled by Stellantis in September 2025, and the manual gearbox was dropped for that model year. Trims run from Sport and Sport S through Overland, Willys, Mojave and Rubicon to the Mojave X and Rubicon X added in 2024.
Design and features
- Removable doors and roof: Wrangler habits carried into a pickup, with a toolkit supplied.
- Under-bed spare: the spare wheel moved from the tailgate to beneath the cargo bed.
- Trail camera: a front-facing camera in the grille helps with fording and climbing.
- Rock-Trac: the Rubicon’s four-wheel drive system with 4.10 axle ratios.
- Convertible top: the only pickup sold with a fully retractable soft top.
Jeep Gladiator versions
- Gladiator JT (2020–): the four-door pickup.
- EcoDiesel (2021–2023): 3.0 litre diesel V6, all trims but Mojave.
- Mojave: the desert-oriented version.
- Rubicon: Rock-Trac four-wheel drive with 4.10 axle ratios, in part-time or full-time form.
- High Altitude (2020, 2023): the most expensive trim of its year.
- FarOut (2023): the last diesel editions.
The Gladiator is the pickup version of the Wrangler; its predecessor was the Comanche, and the older full-size pickup of the same name is the J-series. More models are in the Jeep collection.
Video: Jeep Gladiator Off Road Test
Video by spf150 on YouTube.
Sources
- Jeep Gladiator (JT), English Wikipedia: launch, design, engines, four-wheel drive systems, trims
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