2025 Jeep Gladiator Mojave: Fun convertible pickup comes at a cost
The admission fee is dear, and the gasoline expenses will add up as you own it. But on the bright side, a recent restyling hasn’t changed much, and now more towing is possible.
2025 Jeep Gladiator Mojave vs. 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4x4 Double Cab vs. 2025 Ford Ranger Supercrew 4x4 Raptor: Midsize trucks, full-size prices.
This week: 2025 Jeep Gladiator Mojave
Price: $65,865 as tested. Among options are Cargo Group with Trail Rail System, $2,095; Convenience Group heats the seats and steering wheel for $1,095; fancy paint, $595;
Note that the model starts at $37,895. I wonder what that one is like, since it costs a little more than half as much.
Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver likes the “all-conquering off-road abilities, strong towing capacity” and that it’s “the only pickup with removable doors and roof.” Less well received is the “lazy on-pavement handling and steering,” that “off-road prowess sacrifices comfort,” and that “‘Jeep’ does not rhyme with ‘cheap.’”
Marketer’s pitch: “Only open-air pickup truck in the industry.”
Reality: It definitely is one of a kind.
What’s new: Jeep billed the 2024 Gladiator as all new, but I struggle to find the new things. Jeep says it “offers a bold refreshed look, newly standard safety and security features, [and] advanced technology.” Plus more available towing.
Competition: In addition to the Tacoma and Ranger, there’s the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Honda Ridgeline, and Nissan Frontier.
Up to speed: The only engine available is a 3.6-liter V-6 that creates 285 horsepower. It moves the vehicle forward nicely in the real world, despite getting to 60 mph in a slowish 7.2 seconds, according to Car and Driver.
Shifty: Let’s all pause for a moment of silence as we bid adieu to the 6-speed manual for 2025.
The 8-speed automatic transmission is operated through a brawny shifter just to the right of the four-wheel-drive control. That control is a lot lower than the shifter, but I still kept almost reaching for it. You wouldn’t want the shifter closer to the driver?
On the road: One never expects great handling and cornering from an old-style Wrangler-based Jeep, and one would be wise. The vague steering — brought to you by antiquated components and tires worthy of a farming combine — meanders on.
But as I’ve said before, once you get adjusted to correcting the path every 100 or so feet, it does become kind of fun. I just rolled with the “No control, don’t care” vibe.
(If everyone had to fight the steering this hard people might start paying attention to the road a little more, Mr. Driver’s Seat muttered as he followed a Tesla Model Y that dropped from 45 to 25 mph while climbing a small hill after crossing one line and then the other as if someone was fixated on the stupid big screen.)
Off the road: My off-roading involves rolling into the yard to load up some yard debris, but it gives me a feel for how the components work.
Jeep remains the lever requiring the most physical strength but the least brain power. (Insert Jeep driver joke here.) Shift-pause-clunk you’re in. I’ve had a variety of pickups and none goes as smoothly into 4H or 4L; this one pretty much engages right away.
Driver’s Seat: The Lovely Mrs. Passenger Seat is usually happier about seating than I, but she was disappointed with the old-style cloth-covered seats in the Gladiator. She found them stiff and uncomfortable.
I thought they feel kind of nice for riding around on, but they did feel super cheap. The material strikes me as something from Dad’s 1970 Ford LTD; I think his car had about 50,000 miles on it at age 6, and those seats were shredded. A complementary beach towel provided the seating surface. Hopefully today’s version goes the distance.
The gauges have remained the same, and be thankful for small favors. You can toggle a button 10 or 11 times and get through all the screen options. No hovering over fancy sensors, no forward and back, or in and out of nests.
Friends and stuff: The rear seat accommodations remain as rugged but roomy, with a seat back that’s too straight and a thigh area that’s too short, but the space is quite nice.
Seats fold down, if you want more space for things to launch at you from around the cabin.
The bed is 5.5-feet long in all models.
The Gladiator can tow 7,700 pounds and haul 1,725 pounds when equipped for it.
Play some tunes: The stereo setup also remains the same, with big dials for volume and tuning and a decent 12.3-inch touchscreen for the tough stuff, part of the $2,295 Technology Group, which also added GPS and traffic services, Alpine premium stereo, and more.
Sound from the system is inadequate, especially if you’re taking off the roof and the doors. There’s plenty of bass for rap fans, but if you like something a little more vintage, sorry. This is about a B.
Apple CarPlay was very inconsistent about connecting. I also had a couple error messages from the system.
Keeping warm and cool: The HVAC controls are nested in the center of the dash with the stereo. Buttons control the temperature and source, and a big dial handles the fan speed.
Fuel economy: Oy, 14 mpg. I recently ran across an old Motor Trend piece on the vehicles with the worst consumption and the Gladiator Mojave made the list. A 4xe plug-in hybrid would be such a nice touch for the Gladiator.
Where it’s built: Toledo, Ohio
How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the Gladiator reliability to be a 3 out of 5.
Next week: Let’s roll in the Tacoma.