2024 Jeep Gladiator Gets Many of the Wrangler’s Updates, But Not All
The Jeep Gladiator pickup truck isn’t being excluded from the updates bestowed upon the closely related 2024 Wrangler SUV. For 2024, the Gladiator receives nearly identical enhancements to its in-car technology and safety that proved to be significant additions to the new Wrangler; they’re also ones that didn’t upset the fundamental Jeep experience when we got a chance to wheel the new Wrangler off-road. Jeep debuted the updated 2024 Gladiator at the 2023 North American International Auto Show in Detroit with many of the upgrades we expected, but not everything carried over.
Related: More 2023 Detroit Auto Show Coverage
Modernized Interior Technology
The 2024 Gladiator welcomes a standard 12.3-inch multimedia and control touchscreen that replaces both previous 7- and 8.4-inch touchscreens. Powering the screen is the latest Uconnect 5 system, which pairs with standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as customizable profiles for music, apps, seat position and climate controls. Jeep says Uconnect 5 is five times faster than the outgoing system and can also receive over-the-air multimedia system software updates. In our time driving the Wrangler with the new screen, we liked how visible it was even with the sun shining directly on it, which is important to note here because the Gladiator is also a sun-loving convertible pickup truck with a removable roof and doors.
Part of the in-screen experience also now includes Trails Offroad, a trail guide built into Uconnect 5 that includes trail maps with real-world-collected descriptions, difficulty ratings and key waypoints for turns, obstacles and points of interest. There’s a standard package with more than 200 trails for 24 months, including all of Jeep’s 62 Badge of Honor trails, and an available $39.99 annual subscription unlocks Trail Offroad’s full catalog of 3,000-plus trail guides.
Safety Enhancements
Jeep added side curtain airbags to the Wrangler for 2024, a surprising move because it was a light refresh and not a complete overhaul for which you’d typically see this kind of enhancement. Side curtain airbags have been a curious omission on the Gladiator and related Wrangler for years, but now the Gladiator includes them as standard. Also new are structural improvements for side impact performance and rear seat belt pretensioners (a seat belt pretensioner quickly tightens the belt in a collision).
New Grille and Antenna
On the outside, the Gladiator receives an updated front seven-slot grille that improves cooling, while the former steel mast radio antenna, which would whip back and forth along low-hanging trees or a parking garage ceiling, is now integrated into the windshield. There are also freshened wheel designs.
Interior enhancements include an updated dashboard to house the new, larger screen, as well as available 12-way power seats (previously, Gladiators only came with manually adjustable seats).
What’s Missing?
What you won’t find in the list of the Gladiator’s 2024 updates is the full-floating rear axle that the Wrangler Rubicon received to enhance its off-road durability and towing capacity. Jeep spokesperson Ron Kiino confirmed the Gladiator Rubicon will continue to use a semifloat rear axle. On the surface, it’s a strange omission for the truck, which has the potential to be the workhorse in the family. The 2024 Gladiator’s maximum towing capacity remains 7,700 pounds when properly equipped, matching the highest in the class, including the 2023 Chevrolet Colorado and 2023 GMC Canyon.
Also absent from the 2024 Gladiator is a plug-in electrified 4xe powertrain like the one offered on the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. On the Wrangler, the 4xe offers up to 21 miles of all-electric range and an impressive off-roading experience. While it didn’t make it to this round of updates, Jeep has said it will offer an electrified 4xe version of every model in its lineup by 2025, so those wanting an off-road plug-in hybrid convertible truck shouldn’t have too long to wait.
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When Will the 2024 Jeep Gladiator Go on Sale?
In addition to the returning Sport, Willys, Mojave and Rubicon trim levels, the Gladiator will offer two new versions dubbed Mojave X and Rubicon X. The new variants add an integrated off-road camera, steel bumpers and Nappa leather-trimmed 12-way power-adjustable seats to the high-speed, desert-running Mojave and rock crawler Rubicon. The 2024 Gladiator Willys also will gain a new standard locking rear differential and Off Road+ driving mode. And for a little extra flavor, Jeep is partnering with American Expedition Vehicles for upfit packages orderable via the dealership that will include 35- or 37-inch tires, suspension lift kits and more.
The 2024 Gladiator will be powered by one engine: a 285-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 that comes with a standard six-speed manual transmission or an available eight-speed automatic. The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V-6 engine has been discontinued for 2024.
The 2024 Jeep Gladiator and its enhancements to safety, in-car technology and design will go on sale at the end of 2023.
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