Jeep Gifts Wrangler Updates to Gladiator

In what’s likely the most obvious move this year other than the Blackhawks taking Connor Bedard in the NHL draft*, Jeep has announced they are applying to the Gladiator nearly all the same updates its close cousin, the Wrangler, earned a few months ago.

*Ed. note: Here come the Hawks, the miiiiiiiighty Blackhawks! Ahem. Anyway.

Given the similarities between the two both in the cabin and ahead of the C-pillar, it makes a boatload of sense for Jeep to align these fraternal twins. Playing spot-the-difference on yer local Interstate may be a challenge at a glance but there are numerous clues to identifying a 2024 model. While the seven-slot grille and round headlights remain, there is now a gap above the front bumper instead of body-colored plastic. Closer inspection will reveal the grille now permits airflow between those seven slats – as well as through them, of course – in a bid to improve underhood cooling.

Its interior has also been dragged in line with the Wrangler, showing up for duty with a new 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen on all trims. This change necessitated a rethink of the center ventilation registers, ports that now line the chin of the infotainment unit. Large, round vents remain in the outboard positions. Side curtain airbags are now onboard in case things go all pear-shaped, a feature scarcely believable in a Wrangler just a few short years ago. Power 12-way seats are also on the docket, and Jeep engineers insist they can weather the Gladiator’s nearly three feet of water fording capability without fritzing into oblivion.

Entertainingly, the crew at Jeep has taken a page from powersports manufacturers (and other online resources for gearheads) and baked a mapping feature called Trails Offroad into the Gladiator’s infotainment. This tech provides detailed information, wayfinding, and difficulty ratings about popular off-road trails – in other words, Jeep is encouraging customers to use their rigs in the manner for which they are designed. Roughly 60 trails are part of a no-cost standard pack (including the so-called Trails of Honor – think big guns like some in Moab and the Rubicon itself) but owners can get access to more than 3,000 trails if they pony up $40 a year. And yes, after the info is downloaded, it can be used in the sticks with no cell service.

For you lot who care about numbers, the 2024 Gladiator can bear 1,725 pounds of payload and tow a 7,700-pound trailer. Basic math teaches us that maxing out the trailer capacity leaves less than a thousand pounds for passengers and their gear, so do the math before inviting three linebacker buddies to the next camping trip.

Powertrains are essentially carried over from last year. There is no official word on a Gladiator 4xe (yet) but spox said while there is no announcement on 4xe today, the Jeep range will be electrified by 2025 and we can “read into that what you will.” Very good, then.

Jeep has continued tag teaming companies like AEV to create some over-the-topiary trims, such as a new kit imbuing the Glad with monstrous 37-inch tires and an angry front bumper. These additions are not made at the Jeep factory but rather at AEV headquarters; Jeeps spec’d this way by customers will be produced on the normal assembly line and then sent to AEV, so the buyer will take delivery of their new Jeep fully kitted.

Expect the 2024 Jeep Gladiators to be hitting dealerships before the end of this year.

[Images: Jeep]

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