What’s the most distinctive car on the road?
Sure, you could argue for the Cybertruck. It certainly turns heads. But under the trapezoidal skin, it’s just an electric pickup. Plenty of those are on the road now, and more are coming soon. The Tesla just looks weird.
The Jeep Gladiator is weird. A convertible pickup truck with Wrangler off-road skills? A truck where you can take the doors off, and it looks perfectly natural? That’s one-of-a-kind.
It’s wrong for many and just right for a unique few.
With that in mind, Gladiator special editions seem like a great idea. Anyone buying this truck is already an iconoclast. Why not paint topographical maps on the side and stamp each truck with its build number?
Jeep will do just that for 250 U.S.-only customers. Each Gladiator Mopar ’24 Edition will wear a badge by the shifter, labeling its build order.
Topographical Map Graphics, Numbered Badge
They’re not cheap, starting at $72,190 (including the mandatory $1,895 destination charge). That’s a hefty premium over the $58,825 price of the Gladiator Rubicon model the trucks are based on.
Jeep calls the paint a “menacing black clear coat,” which is a little silly. Most cars are black, white, or grey. Typical isn’t menacing.
But the black is accented with “ one-of-a-kind topographical Rubicon trail graphics on the hood, bedsides, and tailgate,” outlined in a red tracer. That’s actually unique.
Inside, each of the 250 will get custom two-tone Katzkin leather seats in black and Maraschino Red.
Performance enhancements are minimal, but heavy-duty rock rails and a triple-hoop grille guard help protect it on the trail. Buyers get a body-color hardtop, and the bed gets a spray-on liner.
“Buyers also receive an 83-piece JPP tool kit presented in an attractive reusable gift box,” Jeep says.
It’s one of the pricier special editions we’ve seen, but the exclusivity of just 250 examples will mean something to the sort of buyer interested in a convertible trail truck who never wants to see their truck’s twin on the road.
