Our Opinion - 2025 Jeep Gladiator Review Off-road pickup trucks are very common, but only one can be traced back to the most famous off-road vehicle ever. The 2025 Jeep Gladiator features four doors and a five-and-a-half-foot bed in the back. It’s like the Wrangler, but it also has the extra convenience and usefulness of a small pickup truck. However, it has the same problems as its SUV counterpart. Like the Wrangler, it has a noisy cabin, a bumpy ride, slow handling, and a delayed, hazy steering response, all of which make it uncomfortable to drive on the road. These quirks are just part of the deal for people who want to buy an adventure rig that is hard to stop. Before choosing a Gladiator and putting up with the flaws that come with it, think about the Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado, two other medium off-road-capable cars that are much better on the road and can handle rough terrain. What's New? There is now only the eight-speed automatic transmission to choose from instead of the manual transmission that was previously offered. There are now two new colors to choose from: Fathom Blue and ’41, an olive-drab color that looks like it was made for the military. The base Sport trim now includes power locks and windows as standard features. With the new Active Cabin Ventilation system, owners can also heat or cool the inside using a mobile app. Pros and Cons Pros A real pickup truck that can go off-road. Mojave is the best on the trail. Plug-in hybrid 4xe is an option. Cons The rough ride. In the past, bad tow behavior. Loud when going faster. Engine, Transmission, and Performance The Gladiator has a 3.6-liter V-6 engine that makes 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. It also comes with an eight-speed automatic gear, which is standard. Each Gladiator is equipped with a 5.5-foot truck bed. The Gladiator’s front and back wheels are 19.4 inches apart, while the Wrangler’s are 18.5 inches apart. According to Jeep, this makes the truck handle and move better. We have tested a few models and can confirm that, despite what Jeep says, it drives a lot like the Wrangler. On rough terrain, the ride can be rough, and it is hard to turn the truck on smooth roads. Because of these things, the Gladiator is a real pickup truck that is ready for the road. Off-road, Jeep fans are most interested in the truck’s features, such as its many skid plates, gear ratios that can climb over rocks, and ability to cross up to 30 inches of water. Huge approach and exit angles and high ground clearance help the Gladiator go where no one has gone before. Safety The Jeep pickup doesn’t have as many high-tech features as some of its competitors, even though it does have a few driver-assistance systems. The Sport S and higher trim levels come with a lot of basic safety measures that the base Sport trim level does not. The Rubicon model has a useful camera on the front that can be used for running tracks or climbing over rocks. The following are important safety features: Options for adaptive cruise control. There is blind-spot tracking. It’s easy to get to the rear parking sensors. Internal and External Cargo Capacity The dashboard on the Gladiator is upright, like the one on the Wrangler, and the functions are easy to use. What percentage of cars have waterproof push-button starts? You can add heated front seats and a warm steering wheel as an extra. Jeep says that the longer wheelbase of the truck gives the backseat passenger more headroom than the four-door Wrangler. The Gladiator also has doors that can be quickly taken off and opened to reveal an outdoor cabin. A 5.5-foot cargo bed and a lot of clever storage spaces inside the Gladiator, such as a useful box under the back seat and a few places to keep your phone. There are more ways to store things under the seats themselves. Fuel Economy and Actual MPG The Gladiator is thought to get 17 mpg in the city, 22 mpg on the highway, and 19 mpg overall. We tried several Gladiator models with automatic transmissions on a 200-mile, 75-mph highway drive to find out how much gas they really used. At 21 mpg, the Overland model got the most gas mileage, while the Mojave model only got 15 mpg. The other one was different from the Overland because it had bigger tires and a higher rear axle ratio (4.10 vs. 3.73). Infotainment and Connectivity Every Gladiator’s 12.3-inch navigation screen supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You can also improve the sound system by adding a subwoofer and a small wireless speaker behind the back seat. People in the front seats can plug their devices into a 115-volt jack, two USB ports, or a USB-C port. Range, Charging, and Battery Life Invoice Pricing tried a model called Overland, which went from 0 to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds. This is the same time as the Toyota Tacoma, which is 7.0 seconds. Towing and Payload Capacity The most weight that the 2024 Jeep Gladiator can pull is 7,700 pounds. The Gladiator can pull a trailer that weighs up to 4,000 pounds without the optional Max pull package, but you need it to do that. Wrangler, on the other hand, can only pull up to 3500 pounds. It can carry between 950 and 1725 pounds when the storage bed is full. Price and How to Choose We think that the Sport S is the best base for making your perfect Gladiator. If you want a better grip when the pavement stops, we suggest all-terrain tires and an anti-spin back differential. We’d also put in side stairs to make it easy to get in and out. The three-piece hard top is also our choice because it lets us open the roof fast. The 8.4-inch touchscreen is better than the normal 5.0-inch touchscreen because it has navigation and is bigger. To improve noise and temperature insulation, we suggest replacing the headliner inside. We also really like the Cargo Management pack, which has a 400-watt power inverter, a storage bin under the seat, and a 115-volt outlet mounted in the bed. We also like the auxiliary switches and improved charging system for any lightbars or devices we’ll definitely add for the best Jeep experience.
