2024 Jeep Gladiator First Drive: Still Uniquely Capable Off-Road
Gladiator tackles trails like nothing else in its class, with the Desert-Rated Mojave shining in Moab.
As far as pickups go, unique continues to describe the Jeep Gladiator. It’s still a compelling, sturdy off-road rugged machine along the lines of its seven-slot Wrangler cousin, all wrapped in a more traditional, midsize truck package. To keep things fresh, Jeep has made several updates to the Gladiator for the 2024 model year. We were able to spend some quality time with the refreshed Jeep truck in the red sand and slickrock of Moab, Utah, to get a taste of what those changes are all about.
0:00 / 0:00
One thing that hasn’t changed is the Gladiator’s powertrain. It's lone remaining engine option is the well-worn 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 with 285 horsepower, bolted to either a standard 6-speed manual gearbox or an 8-speed automatic. Given our previous experience with the three-pedal Gladiator, this is one instance where we prefer the automatic transmission over rowing the gears ourselves due in large part to the truck's lifeless clutch pedal.
Fresh Seven-Slot Face and Modern Interior
Much like the recently updated Wrangler, the Gladiator’s seven slot grille features plenty of Jeep DNA, but only now those slots are shorter, with plastic lattice between them to promote airflow. But unlike the Wrangler, the 2024 Gladiator only comes with a winch-capable steel front bumper, while the Wrangler gets a Warn winch installed at the factory. Because the Gladiator’s trail-ready stealth antenna now resides within the windshield frame, there's a second Trail-Rated (or Desert-Rated for the Gladiator Mojave) badge on the passenger-side fender where the whip antenna used to be tethered.
Slip inside the Gladiator and you can feel the changes with your eyes closed, because opting for either the Rubicon or Mojave trim brings the seating experience into the modern age, with 12-way power adjustments for driver and passenger. Jeep engineers assured us that the electronics in the seats are equipped to handle wading through just over 31 inches of water with the doors removed.
Open your eyes and you’re greeted by a crisp, modern 12.3-inch LED display, again, just like Wrangler. With two roof panels removed, the screen was acceptably bright even in the direct light of the midday sun, and there’s ample real estate for the forward-facing trail camera, inclinometer, and the various gauges found within Gladiator’s Off-Road Pages. Jeep has partnered with Trails Offroad, a third-party application, to build trail guidance into the Uconnect 5 infotainment system. Called Jeep Adventure Guides, it provides turn-by-turn directions through 68 Jeep Badge of Honor trails. If you want access to more than 3,000 more trails across North America, the subscription is $40 per year.
Safety features, including standard first- and second-row side-curtain airbags, are like those found in the Wrangler, and join adaptive cruise control and forward collision warnings on Gladiator Sport S trim and above.
Rubicon Versus Mojave
While Gladiator and Wrangler can both be outfitted with Rubicon trim, Gladiator is the only Jeep vehicle to wear the Desert-Rated Mojave badge—with the technical trails of Moab, Utah, offering an ideal place to flex the 2024 Gladiator Mojave’s desert-themed muscles. At the heart of Gladiator Mojave is its Command-Trac NV241 part-time transfer case, which employs a 2.72:1 gearset (compared to the 4:1 cogs of the Rubicon transfer case) to provide less slow-speed crawling ability and a tamer drive at general trail speeds in low-range. The Mojave’s front Dana 44 beam axle is thicker than Rubicon’s (by 10mm) and features cast-iron knuckles (Rubicon knuckles are aluminum to save weight), and it does without the Rubicon’s Tru-Lok selectable locking front differential and disconnecting front anti-sway bar.
Dampers also separate the Gladiator Mojave from the Rubicon in a big way. Peer into the wheel wells and you’ll see huge, 2.5-inch Fox internal bypass shocks. Fox hydraulic jounce bumpers live within the front coil spring buckets to minimize harsh bottom-out events. Front and rear suspension setups are both link-and-coil with progressive coils out back, and the suspension is elevated by one inch to add more jounce travel. One more thing: Gladiator Mojave is accented by orange tow hooks.
How does the Mojave’s off-road formula, mixed with the recent updates to Gladiator, handle the trails? We shifted the transfer case into low-range to find out. First, we assessed Gladiator Mojave’s rock crawling skills by aiming the truck up a wicked slickrock hill climb that pushed the limits of traction and ground clearance. We found that by manually selecting first gear and locking the rear differential while in 4-Lo, the Gladiator was more than willing to climb the gnarliest rocks and ledges. Compared to Rubicon, Mojave also benefits from better approach and breakover angles, as well as more ground clearance—all of which helped it in the rocks.
The Gladiator Mojave’s wider front track width, along with the upgraded Fox shocks and jounce bumpers and raised suspension, all translated into a truck that’s at home in the desert. As we cruised the more wide-open trails around Moab, we found ourselves puckering unnecessarily ahead of larger whoops and washouts. Why? Because in a Gladiator Rubicon, attacking irregularities like these at speed almost guarantees a harsh bottom-out. In contrast, the Gladiator Mojave soaked up the bumps and asked politely for more. Prolonged whoop sections elicited no fade in performance from the Fox shocks and the ugliest G-outs only engaged the jounce bumpers instead of compressing our vertebrae.
In addition, its Off-Road+ mode only elevates the experience on the trails in high- and low-range. Pressing the button on the center stack lets you lock the rear differential, remaps the transmission shift points, and numbs the traction control for more wheel spin before the traction fairies intervene. We were able to throttle through corners in four-wheel drive, letting the back end do the steering, much to our heart’s content.
Thanks to the addition of the 12-way adjustable seats, updated infotainment screen, and improved safety features, Gladiator Mojave can now offer a more comfortable ride, on- or off-road, than the Rubicon, and it achieves a smoother ride with the transfer case in low range with its 2.72:1 gearing. The Mojave’s Fox suspension is also better suited for a wider variety of rough terrain. Rubicon undoubtedly shines in the rocks, but Mojave might now be the most well-rounded Jeep truck for most off-road needs.
Greater Gladiator Value
Jeep vowed to make Gladiator a better value to its customers by pricing the Gladiator S model at $37,895 (before destination), $1,725 less than the outgoing model. For Jeepers who want a capable Gladiator without the premium of Mojave and Rubicon trim, Willys can now be ordered with Off-Road+ mode, a selectable locking rear differential, in addition to LED headlamps, rock rails, and 32-inch mud-terrain tires. Prices for the Willys trim start at $44,995.
Is Gladiator the Best Midsize Pickup Truck?
There is no other pickup truck, midsize or otherwise, with two solid axles and a convertible top. If those are your criteria, Gladiator is the winner. Looking for a midsize truck with the most robust rock-crunching hardware on the market? Gladiator Rubicon is the answer, and now it's available with power adjustable seats.
As for the Gladiator Mojave, while it has more desert prowess than its Trail Rated kin, it does fall short of other midsize trucks in the field. The reason? Inherent differences between independent front suspension and beam axles. IFS generally offers smoother handling over bumps at speed when compared to trucks with beam axles. Beam axles can also have less-desirable on-road characteristics. Yes, the Gladiator Mojave is the only non-IFS midsize truck designed to tackle higher-pace dirt tracks. But midsize truck shoppers looking for the most Baja-ready pickup might find the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 or the Ford Ranger Raptor to be more suited for hustling in the dirt.
Final Thoughts
Though the 2024 Jeep Gladiator might not be the cheapest midsize truck on the market, the Rubicon model is the stoutest rock crawler of the field and there’s no other pickup out there that begs you to fold down the windscreen and take off the doors and roof. Add to that, the Gladiator Mojave is a uniquely capable, off-road-centric midsize truck with the articulation of a beam axle paired with enough go-fast goodness to satisfy the dirt needs of the masses. Finally, if you just gotta have Jeep’s most recent 4x4 truck, its 7,700-pound tow rating, and 1,725-pound payload, the 2024 Gladiator starts at $39,790.
From the soggy backwoods of Ohio to the barren New Mexico desert, Jered has continued his quest to test the limits of the unmodified Jeep Wrangler, and make it back to work on Monday.
Read More
