What’s probably coming in the 2024 Gladiators

The new 2024 Jeep® Wrangler has been upgraded for 2024 with new capability, safety, and technology features. Chances are, the pickup version of the Wrangler will have many of the same changes, along with one more that didn’t apply to the Wrangler.

The Wrangler Rubicon is getting its first full-float Dana 44D rear axle, an optional 100:1 crawl ratio, winch, and 5,000-pound towing capability.  The new axle puts weight onto the axle tube rather than the axle shaft, enabling a higher towing capacity. This may help to increase the Gladiator’s already impressive tow ratings.

The Gladiator’s model range may see something similar to the new Wrangler Rubicon X, which includes an off-road camera, steel bumpers, and with an automatic, beadlock-capable wheels with 35 inch tires. The Gladiator is unlikely to have a 392, but might swap out its existing VM diesel engine for the 4xe PHEV system which is currently not available.  Some believe that the main reason 4xe has not been available before is because it needed more airflow, which the newly revised grille delivers. However, there might be other reasons.

The 4xe would be a welcome addition: with fuel economy similar to the 285-hp V6, it provides 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. The 2.0 turbo engine along delivers 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, 15 hp less than the V6 but 35 lb-ft more.  The diesel is fine for torque, but lags on horsepower.

The interior of the new Gladiator will almost certainly follow the 2024 Wrangler, with its optional power front seats, standard 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen radio, and side curtain airbags in the first and second rows. Whether the Gladiator gets a version of the Wrangler High Altitude’s Nappa leather seats in Mantis Green is a matter for pure speculation.

For 2024, all Wranglers have first- and second-row side curtain airbags, driver and passenger front airbags, and front seat-mounted driver and passenger side airbags; along with second-row outboard seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters, and, for 2024, structural improvements for side-impact performance.

Forward collision warning and advanced cruise control with stop now come standard on Sport S and above. Blind-spot and cross-path detection and ParkSense rear park-assist system come standard on High Altitude, Rubicon X and Rubicon 392, and are available on Sport S, Willys, Sahara and Rubicon. A backup camera with dynamic grid lines, traction control, and stability control with roll mitigation are standard on all models.

A new 12.3-inch touchscreen houses the fifth-generation Uconnect 5 system, sitting atop the center stack, above the new slim inboard air vent. Uconnect 5 is five times faster than Uconnect 4 and adds the ability to receive over-the-air (OTA) updates. Programs and features include:

• Trails Offroad (NEW)
• Five user profiles plus a valet mode; preferences include music, apps, seats, mirrors, and climate controls (NEW)
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Customizable home screen (NEW)
• Simultaneous connectivity for two Bluetooth-enabled phones (NEW)
• Alexa Home to Car; in-vehicle Alexa virtual assistant and Car to Home features
• Uconnect mobile app
• SiriusXM 360L platform and Pandora (NEW)
• TomTom navigation with predictive search and live traffic updates
• Maps over-the-air updates at the push of a button (NEW)
• 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot to connect up to eight wireless devices

Trails Offroad (late availability) has built-in off-road trail guides for the 62 Jeep Badge of Honor trails; a subscription unlocks Trails Offroad’s full catalog of 3,000 trail guides, with a span of terrains and difficulty levels.

While Gladiator does not yet have the bewildering model array of the Wrangler, a similar distribution of options by price are likely. We expect some now-optional features to become standard, and for each model’s prices to be fairly similar to the 2023s, perhaps going up a few hundred dollars. We also expect some options to go up in price. Whether customers continue to flock to the Gladiator, move over to competing pickups, or wait for rebates has yet to be seen—as does an actual 2024 Jeep Gladiator.

Also see: In-person 2024 Wrangler impressions and photos; and What we didn’t know about the 2024 Wrangler before the unveiling