Jeep trims and remodels Gladiator range

JUST four months after introducing the entry-level Sport S variant, Jeep Australia has trimmed its Gladiator range back down to two for the new model year with the line-up now opened by the $68,450 Night Eagle, marking a swift $3000 uptick in starting price.

A range-wide payload increase of 73kg (now 693kg) is enough, according to Jeep, to see the Gladiator “reclassified from an off-road passenger vehicle to a light goods carrying vehicle”.

The addition of the Night Eagle also brings the Gladiator range into line with the Compass, Wrangler and Grand Cherokee portfolios in terms of variant names, with the flagship Rubicon nomenclature still being shared with the Wrangler on which it is based.

In exchange for the extra outlay, Jeep has garnered the Night Eagle with more standard equipment than the Sport S, bridging the gap between it and the equally outbound Overland variant.

Befitting of its name and in keeping with the other Night Eagle model variants, the newest Gladiator flaunts plenty of darkened styling cues and body features including black 17-inch alloy wheels, gloss black grille, deep tint sunscreen windows and black exterior accents.

Body-coloured wheelarch extensions have also been added to the exterior mix.

Inside the cabin, standard equipment highlights include an 8.4-inch infotainment touchscreen with satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, black interior accents, premium cloth trim seats, 7.0-inch driver information display, push-button start, adaptive cruise control, reversing camera, nine-speaker Alpine premium audio system, parking sensors front and rear as well as keyless entry and remote start.

Under the skin, the Night Eagle comes as standard with a new 4.10 rear axle ratio within its non-locking differential and a more powerful 240-Amp alternator.

Otherwise, all mechanicals are the same as the outgoing Sport S and Overland, including the 3.6-litre ‘Pentastar’ V6 petrol engine (209kW/347Nm), ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission, Selec-Trac on-demand 4x4 system, heavy-duty Dana front and rear axles, underbody skid plates and heavy-duty rock rails.

Standard safety highlights include forward collision warning, blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert and a new security alarm.

No changes have been made specifically to the flagship Rubicon for the new model year, although its asking price has risen $500 to $76,950 plus on-roads on account of the payload increase.

“After a year of being on the market in Australia, we’ve listened to our customers and have invested in improving the payload capacity of the Jeep Gladiator, elevating its capability and adventure-ready stance,” said Jeep Australia marketing and communications director Tom Noble.

“We’re constantly looking at ways to improve customer value with our vehicles, and the Jeep Gladiator Night Eagle ensures customers can buy into the Jeep Gladiator range and gain premium equipment as a standard.”

Jeep has sold 467 examples of its lifestyle-oriented pick-up so far this year ending May, accounting for 0.6 per cent of the ever-booming 4x4 ute segment.

2022 Jeep Gladiator pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs