Americans love trucks. Americans also have an affinity for Jeeps. The quintessential 4x4 brand accounted for nearly half of parent company Stellantis' 1.26 million vehicle sales in 2025. So, should it be surprising that the Jeep Gladiator, which is essentially a four-door Wrangler with a truck bed, ended the year with a 93-percent increase in fourth-quarter sales? The Gladiator is a versatile on-road utility vehicle built into an off-road-ready package. This midsize truck is ready for freshly paved roads, the Rubicon Trail, and everything in between.
Photo: Beverly Braga
Jeep introduced the Gladiator in 2020 and refreshed it for 2024. Although it is a carryover model for 2026, the Jeep truck adds a handful of new color and trim options. Drawing on its combat heritage, the Willys '41 trim level takes inspiration from the World War II-era Kaiser Jeep M715 military truck, while the Whitecap package focuses on heritage with a two-tone design featuring a Bright White roof, grille, and side stripe.
Additionally, Jeep revised the truck's door hinges for easier removal, and new exterior colors include Reign (purple) and Goldilocks (gold). Last year's limited-availability color, Joose (orange), is now part of the standard color palette.
The 2026 Jeep Gladiator is available in five core trims: Sport, Sport S, Willys, Mojave, and Rubicon. Standard features include four doors, four-wheel drive (4WD), and a 5-foot-long bed. All 2026 Gladiators feature a 3.6-liter V6 engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and base prices range from about $42,000 to around $55,000, including the destination charge.
For this 2026 Gladiator review, Jeep provided a test vehicle equipped with Rubicon trim and the following significant options:
The test vehicle’s manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) was $61,680, including the $1,995 destination charge to ship the truck from the Toledo, Ohio, assembly plant to a local dealership. The price does not reflect any current rebates, incentives, or price adjustments since Jeep manufactured the test vehicle.
Photo: Beverly Braga
Celebrating its 85th birthday in 2026, the Jeep brand is recognizable worldwide. Thanks in part to its perpetually boxy design and unflappable off-road proficiency, nothing about a Jeep is low key. Despite the same exterior and interior design, are any two Jeeps really alike? With a comprehensive selection of colors, packages, and accessories, plus a massive aftermarket following, the only consistency here is customization.
Take my test truck, for example. It is a ripe orange with a contrasting white top and 33-inch all-terrain tires, from the factory. During my test drive, alongside a mix of Gladiators and Wranglers, this Joose'd Jeep somehow stood out among its deep purple, lime green, bright red, and military green brethren. If I can spot my vehicle on an off-road trail high in the Sierra Nevadas, dotted with 70-plus other Jeeps, finding my Gladiator in a crowded Costco parking lot will be easier than finding Waldo.
Its lighthearted creamsicle motif cannot hide Jeep's purposeful build. Looking like a tank, the Gladiator is outfitted like one. The Rubicon-trimmed truck comes with an eight-piece set of rock rails and skid plates. With exterior body armor Batman would approve, the truck's all-weather utility is also evident.
At five feet, the bed offers more cargo capacity than a Wrangler's while remaining manageable, even when off the grid. For added functionality, bed-specific options include a 115-volt outlet, a tonneau cover, and rails and anchors. For the interior, a lockable storage bin fits under the rear seat.
Speaking of that cabin, the Gladiator interior is focused on business. That business is outdoor adventure. There are buttons and knobs galore, all large, rubberized, and weatherproof for when you opt for that open air freedom, since the Gladiator is a convertible truck.
For all its rumble-tumble preparedness, the truck's seats do not match the comfort of an old couch. Or any couch, for that matter, unless it is made of particle board and Styrofoam. When off-roading, the seat cushioning is not much of a factor because you are being tossed around anyway. But on level ground, the seats' stiffness is apparent and unappealing.
Photo: Beverly Braga
Standard on every 2026 Gladiator is a Uconnect 5 infotainment system, a 12.3-inch touchscreen display, and the following technology features:
Entry level trims have a 3.5-inch black-and-white TFT driver information cluster, while higher trims come with a customizable 7-inch color display. For audio, an eight-speaker sound system is standard across the lineup but can be upgraded with an optional package that includes a premium Alpine system with an all-weather subwoofer and a 552-watt amplifier, as well as a removable Bluetooth wireless speaker. Navigation is available as an option, but only on Mojave and Rubicon trims.
If equipped with navigation, the UConnect 5 system also offers Jeep Adventure Guides. This built-in off-road mapping system includes all of Jeep's designated "Badge of Honor" trails among the 200-plus guides. The full catalog of more than 3,000 trails is available for an additional fee.
Access to Jeep Connect is also standard and includes a 10-year subscription to the Connect One plan. Connected services include remote locking and engine start, over-the-air updates, emergency alerts, and more.
The Jeep Gladiator does not offer much in the entertainment department, but it does not need to. The fun is in its off-road capabilities, and the interior technology matches that perfectly. When on the trail, Off Road Pages display the vehicle's pitch, roll, and steering angles, plus power distribution, locker activations, and more. An available forward-facing trail camera (Mojave and Rubicon trims only) provides additional visibility for those inherent boulder-sized blind spots.
Uconnect 5 impresses with its functionality. Connecting multiple smartphones was hassle-free, as was switching between them, even while driving. The large, crisp on-screen graphics were easy to read, even on an OHV trail. There is a bit of menu diving when searching for features like the aforementioned Off Road Pages, but Uconnect 5 has lightning-fast processing speeds that make screen tapping less of a chore. There is no haptic feedback, though, which is a personal pet peeve.
Photo: Beverly Braga
Let's be honest: Not many Jeeps go off-road. The ones that do really do, but many go from the dealership straight to the driveway. There might be a shopping stop along the way, but the closest thing to a bumpy ride might be winter-suffered roads during a spring thaw. Although savage on any suspension, it is not quite, say, the Rubicon Trail, which is where I took the creamsicle Gladiator. Or rather, Jeep took me and left me no other option but to off-road the remaining 16 miles of the 22-mile trail.
It took two days, and it was worth every white-knuckled minute.
For flat-land suburbanites, the Rubicon Trail is near Lake Tahoe in Northern California. The OHV trail ranges from 5,400 feet to more than 7,000 feet in elevation. According to El Dorado County, one of the two counties the Rubicon Trail passes through, the trail’s difficulty level is rated 10…out of 10. Although there is no definitive trail rating system, popular off-road map resources consistently rank the Rubicon Trail as highly difficult and suitable only for experienced off-roaders.
Jeep Jamboree USA, which hosts multiple trail rides throughout the year, including my Rubicon Trail experience, considers the trail extremely demanding and among the toughest off-road trips in the United States. Intimidating on paper, the Rubicon Trail is equally intimidating in person, if not more so. As vast and grand were the mountain's edge views, so were the boulders, some as large as the vehicles themselves. *gulp* Well, onward and downward we rolled, slowly.
In a world that always feels in a hurry, off-roading is the pause button. Concentration, patience, and a whole lot of blind trust are needed to navigate off-camber angles, deep ruts, and traction-challenging climbs and descents. Scraping and screeching are all but guaranteed on the infamous Rubicon. Solo travel is a no-no, and 30- to 33-inch tires are the bare minimum, though the county warns that they "will most likely cause travel to be slower and ground clearance to be limited."
Photo: Beverly Braga
Jeep outfitted my Gladiator with all-terrain 33-inch tires. Although they got the job done, the truck required different approach angles than its shorter SUV siblings on 35-inch rubber. Then again, this was not a sprint; it was a marathon. The only race was your composure versus your tolerance for hearing that truck bed scrape and clunk its way down the mountainside. Consider that the aural bonus of having extra cargo space and utility for the trip. Colleagues happily loaded the bed with bags, coolers, and trash bags, but they literally left our hauler hero in the dust. That is alright. We had the snacks.
There is no question that the Gladiator, even in factory form, can handle the toughest terrain. With the added ease of switching between front and rear locker settings or activating features like Off-Road Plus, the vehicle's natural capability instilled confidence in the operator. There was no reason to be nervous when neither the Jeep nor our on-site trail guides would let me down.
As slow a burn as off-roading is, it is not fuel efficient either. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the 2026 Gladiator's fuel economy at 19 mpg combined. My two-day off-roading trek averaged 8.1 mpg. Yikes. When the tires touched the blacktop again, the Gladiator's quarter-tank range showed 13 miles. Double yikes. A 52-mile range with a full tank is absolutely terrible, but not the norm when you consider I drove the vehicle at 3 mph during a multi-day traffic jam.
That range increased as the vehicle's speed did. Whew. Once on the road, I could finally hear the Gladiator's V6 come to life. The engine's 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque are not necessary for rock-crawling, but they are plenty useful for passing and commuting everyday.
However, the body flex and articulation that are so integral to conquering the Rubicon translate into a spongy suspension and a jaunty street drive. Where the steering wheel turned so easily between rocks and hard places, the numb disconnect was less appreciated on the highways. And those traction-grabbing all-terrain tires? Perfect for grit and gravel but awfully loud on asphalt.
Photo: Beverly Braga
The Jeep Gladiator is a sturdy off-road companion, but its safety equipment list is minimalist at best. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are limited and reserved for upper trims or offered as package options. Available ADAS features are:
Jeep equipped my test vehicle with automatic headlights, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive cruise control (ACC). Unfortunately, I spent most of my time with the Gladiator off-roading, where ADAS was largely irrelevant. The trail spotters provided more blind spot guidance than cameras and proximity sensors.
I managed a quick highway test of the ACC en route to the hotel. The steering wheel-mounted controls were intuitive, and the system performed as intended. The stop-and-go feature had no stutter, and the throttle and braking points adjusted gradually. The ride might have been rough, but at least the cruise control operated smoothly.
As of this writing, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not issued an overall safety rating for the 2026 Gladiator because testing is incomplete. Similarly, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has not fully assessed the vehicle and therefore it cannot qualify for the Institute’s “Top Safety Pick” award.
According to the JD Power 2026 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the Hyundai Santa Cruz ranks highest in the Midsize Pickup segment, with the Honda Ridgeline and Ford Maverick ranked second and third, respectively.
According to the JD Power 2026 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, the Hyundai Santa Cruz ranks highest in the Midsize Pickup segment, with the Toyota Tacoma ranked second.
Other 2026 Gladiator competitors include the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, and Nissan Frontier.
Like its forefathers, the Jeep Gladiator shines when the pavement ends and the road gets dirty. Most comfortable outdoors, the Gladiator maneuvers rugged terrain as well as a Wrangler, but with truck bed utility. However, the Rubicon trim's purpose-built practicality does not translate into a pleasant daily driving experience. With smaller all-season tires, perhaps the basic Jeep Gladiator offers more on-road comfort without sacrificing off-road capability.
A seasoned content creator and communications professional, Beverly Braga previously managed product communications for Kia and Mazda. On the editorial side, in addition to jdpower.com, Beverly has developed and produced numerous video series for Hagerty and has written for Capital One, CarGurus, Digital Trends, The Drive, Motor1, and The New York Daily News.
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