Photo: Jeep
Jeep hasn’t changed too many things on the Wrangler and Gladiator for the 2023 model year, but as the headline implies, the body-on-frame utility vehicle and the Wrangler-styled pickup with a Ram 1500-inspired rear end took the SEMA awards of SUV and mid-size truck of the year.
The question is, are the Wrangler and Gladiator worthy of these awards? From the standpoint of sales, the answer is hell, yes! The Wrangler moved 147,156 units a year to date, while the Bronco sold merely 97,315 units. The Gladiator sold 60,268 examples of the breed from January to October 2022, and it doesn’t have a direct rival in the mid-size truck segment.
Aftermarket support is another strong point of the Wrangler, with Ford still playing catch-up with the Bronco. There were plans for the Bronco to receive a truck-bodied sibling, yet Ford nipped that project in the bud.
Jeep also has the upper hand in terms of diversity, offering a naturally-aspirated V6 as the standard engine in the Wrangler and Gladiator. The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel turbo diesel V6 is going away next year. Customers are further presented with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine in the Wrangler, as well as a 2.0-liter turbo plug-in hybrid. The Gladiator was expected to receive plug-in power for the 2022 model year, but as fate would have it, Jeep hasn’t confirmed this option for its off-road truck.
Capable of towing 7,700 pounds (3,493 kilograms), the Gladiator also flaunts 1,710 pounds (776 kilograms) of payload even though it was designed for go-anywhere shenanigans. It further boasts best-in-class available ground clearance (11.6 inches) and best-in-class torque (442 pound-foot or 600 Nm for the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 that’s going away).
The Wrangler 4xe, meanwhile, is a unique proposition in this particular segment, at least until the Ford Motor Company rolls out a fuel-sipping version of the Bronco. The hybrid-assisted Bronco was indirectly confirmed by the “EV Coaching” feature we covered in July 2020.
Aftermarket support is another strong point of the Wrangler, with Ford still playing catch-up with the Bronco. There were plans for the Bronco to receive a truck-bodied sibling, yet Ford nipped that project in the bud.
Jeep also has the upper hand in terms of diversity, offering a naturally-aspirated V6 as the standard engine in the Wrangler and Gladiator. The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel turbo diesel V6 is going away next year. Customers are further presented with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine in the Wrangler, as well as a 2.0-liter turbo plug-in hybrid. The Gladiator was expected to receive plug-in power for the 2022 model year, but as fate would have it, Jeep hasn’t confirmed this option for its off-road truck.
Capable of towing 7,700 pounds (3,493 kilograms), the Gladiator also flaunts 1,710 pounds (776 kilograms) of payload even though it was designed for go-anywhere shenanigans. It further boasts best-in-class available ground clearance (11.6 inches) and best-in-class torque (442 pound-foot or 600 Nm for the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 that’s going away).
The Wrangler 4xe, meanwhile, is a unique proposition in this particular segment, at least until the Ford Motor Company rolls out a fuel-sipping version of the Bronco. The hybrid-assisted Bronco was indirectly confirmed by the “EV Coaching” feature we covered in July 2020.
Jeep® vehicles take two SEMA awards with Wrangler as 4x4/SUV of Year and Gladiator as Mid-size Truck of the Year pic.twitter.com/yekhoVlAMs
— Jeep (@Jeep) November 2, 2022
Google News