What's New
It seems like the automotive industry is still trying to pick its jaw up off the floor after Jeep unveiled the Gladiator pickup truck. The 2021 Jeep Gladiator enters the new model year with a new turbodiesel engine option.
With the new diesel engine, the Gladiator still shines as one of the best off-roaders on the market. No pickup gives consumers the ability to remove the doors, windshield, and top like the Gladiator. Beyond being able to go anywhere, its heavily configurable body makes it incredibly unique. The Gladiator is certainly one of a kind.
Choosing Your Jeep Gladiator
The Jeep Gladiator is available in four main trim levels: Sport, Sport S, Rubicon, and High Altitude. There are also several sub-trims, including the Willys Sport, Willys, 80th Anniversary, Overland, and Mojave. Starting prices range from $35,060 for the base Sport model to $53,260 for the High Altitude.
Engine Choices
With the introduction of the diesel, there are now two available engines for the Gladiator. Every model starts with a 3.6-liter V6, but the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 is a $4,000 option.
Engine Type | Horsepower | Torque | Fuel Economy (Combined) |
3.6L V6 | 285 hp | 260 lb-ft | 19 mpg |
3.0L Turbodiesel V6 | 260 hp | 442 lb-ft | 24 mpg |
The regular V6 comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission, but an eight-speed automatic is available for $2,000. The turbodiesel comes with the eight-speed automatic gearbox. Just like the Jeep Wrangler, every Gladiator comes with standard four-wheel drive.
When properly equipped, the Gladiator is rated to tow up to 7,650 pounds.
Passenger and Cargo Capacity
All Gladiators can seat up to five passengers and come with a 5-foot bed. It has a 1,600-pound maximum payload capacity.
Safety Features
Jeep has come a long way when it comes to offering advanced safety features, but the Gladiator doesn't offer any standard, and they aren't even optional on the base model.
Starting on the Sport S, two safety packages become available. The first bundles automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams for $795. The second is the Jeep Active Safety Group ($995), which bundles blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors, and LED taillights. The features from the latter are finally standard on the High Altitude.
Connectivity
The base Gladiator comes with a 5-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth, two USB ports, and eight audio speakers. All other trims start with a 7-inch touchscreen with satellite radio and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
The 8.4-Inch Radio and Premium Audio Group ($1,995 on the Sport S, $1,895 on the Rubicon) becomes available. It includes an 8.4-inch touchscreen, navigation, an Alpine audio system, HD radio, two rear USB ports, and more. These features are standard on the High Altitude.
The base Sport trim doesn’t come with much when it comes to convenience features. Cloth upholstery, push button start, air conditioning, manual door locks, and manual windows are standard. On the outside, 17-inch steel wheels, black fender flares, skid plates, and tow hooks are included.
Leather upholstery is an extra $1,750, while a three-piece hardtop is available for $1,395. The Willys Sport sub-trim ($1,945) comes with body-color fender flares, a limited-slip rear differential, 32-inch mud-terrain tires, 17-inch black alloy wheels, and rock rails.
The 7-inch touchscreen, power windows and locks, tinted rear windows, 17-inch aluminum wheels, keyless entry, heated exterior mirrors, and an alarm are standard with the Sport S.
The Cold Weather Group brings heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a remote start system for $695.
There are also three sub-trims based on the Sport S. The Willys ($1,160) adds the same gear as the Willys Sport mentioned above. The Overland ($2,560) adds 18-inch wheels and side steps, among other features. The 80th Anniversary ($3,905) brings the 8.4-inch touchscreen, 18-inch wheels, all-terrain tires, and special badging.
The Rubicon brings serious off-roading features for consumers looking to tackle inhospitable terrain. Fox off-road shocks, 17-inch wheels, locking axles, 33-inch all-terrain tires, black fenders, rock rails, “Rubicon” decals, and hood vents are included.
The Mojave sub-trim (same price as the Rubicon) is aimed at consumers that want to travel at high speeds through the desert. It adds special Fox shocks, a locking rear differential, 33-inch all-terrain tires, high-clearance fender flares, and a 1-inch lift at the front.
The High Altitude acts as the luxurious Gladiator in the lineup. It adds the 8.4-inch touchscreen, navigation, two rear USB ports, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, rear parking sensors, 20-inch wheels, remote keyless entry, a hard-top roof, leather upholstery, and LED lights.
Compare Gladiator Trims Side-By-Side
Regardless of what trim you end up going with, the 2021 Jeep Gladiator is all about going off-roading. Unfortunately, going with a higher trim doesn’t necessarily bring a lot of features to match the higher price tag until the range-topping High Altitude. We recommend the Sport S trim, mainly for its standard smartphone compatibility, larger touchscreen, and variety of optional features.