Jeep rolled out the updated Gladiator for the 2024 model year during the 2023 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The new model mirrors the updates made to the new Wrangler.
The moves are clearly more evolutionary than revolutionary, the new seven-slot grille of the truck being the biggest change, allowing for more airflow and improved vehicle performance, officials told reporters during a preview event ahead of the reveal Wednesday at the Detroit Auto Show.
However, that’s not to say there aren’t big changes, just that they’re all in the performance and capability of the truck.
“The new 2024 Jeep Gladiator epitomizes the power of the Jeep community and how it continues to push for greater capability, advanced technology and more refinement,” said Jim Morrison, senior vice president and head of Jeep brand North America.
“The new Gladiator makes the best even better, with a more advanced and comfortable interior with a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen and available power seats tested for water fording, more safety and technology, including standard side-curtain airbags, and a fresh exterior with a new seven-slot grille, seven new wheel designs and a windshield-integrated trail-ready antenna.
“Combine all of that with its folding windshield, three roof choices, two different door options or taking the doors off altogether, and Gladiator is the only truck in the business that can celebrate this kind of open-air freedom and still do real truck stuff.”
Off-road fun due to technology
The Jeep brand is synonymous with off-road adventure and now the brand has forged a new partnership to make that easier. Jeep is the first automotive brand to feature built-in off-road adventure trail guides with the introduction of Jeep Adventure Guides featuring Trails Offroad, a leader in off-road trail guides and maps.
The 200 guides are downloaded right into the Jeep Gladiator’s Uconnect 5 Nav system and displayed on the new 12.3-inch high-resolution screen. They are detailed guides and maps, which include the 62 Jeep Badge of Honor trails, such as the Rubicon Trail in California, Hell’s Revenge in Utah and Jericho Mountain in New Hampshire.
Gladiator owners can add more, spending $39.95 for an upgraded premium subscription that unlocks Trails Offroad’s full catalog of 3,000-plus trail guides. The Trails Offroad catalog spans a wide variety of difficulty levels and terrains and boasts an unmatched level of information and quality, including:
- All trails rated by experts based on real-world evaluation
- Consistent difficulty rating based on 14 inputs
- Route description
- Key waypoints for turns, obstacles and points of interest
This new partnership gives Jeep customers detailed information about the best off-road adventures across the United States and parts of Canada, with over-the-air updates available to further enhance the experience, the company said.
The software permits customers to navigate directly to the trailhead of their chosen off-road adventure from wherever they may be a that moment. Not only that, it will keep track of their progress by following integrated trail route maps. The unrivaled in-vehicle integration further cements the Jeep brand’s off-road leadership.
Since debuting on the 2024 Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Adventure Guides are being enhanced with a new “Follow Mode” that provides the right information at the right time by displaying popups for waypoints, such as intersection directions, obstacles or point of interests, as the driver approaches the waypoint on the trail. Also, for trails that can be traversed both directions, customers will be able to navigate to the end of the trail in addition to the start of the trail.