Jeep reveals 2024 Gladiator at Detroit auto show

Detroit — Jeep's midsize pickup truck is getting the '24 Wrangler refresh treatment.

Stellantis NV's adventure brand on Wednesday revealed the refreshed 2024 Jeep Gladiator at the Detroit auto show, outfitting J.D. Power's No. 1 midsize pickup for initial quality with a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen with Uconnect 5, a windshield-integrated "stealth" antenna, new Mojave and Rubicon X model options, digital off-roading trail guides and, of course, an updated seven-slot grille.

"If you're used to looking at the 2024 Jeep Wrangler, you'll notice that it is very familiar," Jim Morrison, head of Jeep in North America, said ahead of the unveiling at the North American International Auto Show at the Huntington Place convention center. The '24 Gladiator "is 100% truck and 100% Jeep. ... Like Wrangler, it has more capability, more technology, more refinement and, of course, more statement."

Details on pricing are to come, though the 2023 truck starts at $38,775. The vehicle now is available to order and expected to hit dealer lots before the end of the year.

Stellantis, however, is in the midst of negotiations with the United Auto Workers labor union, and with its current contract expiring Thursday night, the Detroit-based union has said it will strike the company if a tentative agreement isn't reached by then. That potentially could affect production at the Toledo Assembly Complex where the Gladiator as well as the Wrangler SUV are built.

"The team down in Toledo are doing a great job and are working around the clock," Morrison said regarding the J.D. Power quality results. "But at the end of the day, they're building a great product for us."

With U.S. Gladiator sales down 29% in the first six months of the year, a refresh could help those results.

"With refreshes, we're already seeing growth on Wrangler sales. So, expect the same sort of thing once we get this in the marketplace," Morrison said. "The Wrangler and the Gladiator community are so hardcore, they know that we're doing this stuff before we even know we're doing it sometimes, and I think a lot of them were waiting for the new one."

The vehicle is available in the Sport, the Willys, the desert-rated Mojave and off-roading-focused Rubicon models. New for 2024 is a standard rear locking differential and Off-Road+ mode on the Willys model. The Mojave and Rubicon trucks get a full-time transfer case, integrated off-road camera and front and rear steel bumpers.

The brand also has partnered with upfitter American Expedition Vehicles to offer three additional packages that upgrade the vehicles after they leave the factory and before they head to the dealer. The Upcountry and Upcountry+ options increase the up to 33-inch factory tires to 35 inches, and the Level II upfit offers 37 inch tires, increasing ground clearance to 16 inches and water fording to 36 inches.

Although Jeep has said each of its vehicles will have an electrified powertrain option by 2025, a plug-in option still hasn't made its way to the Gladiator, despite the Wrangler getting a 4xe plug-in hybrid option for the 2021 model year. Jeep celebrated a milestone in August, selling more than 10,000 4xe vehicles in the one month between the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, Morrison said.

"By deduction, you'll know it's coming," he said about an electrified Gladiator.

The Gladiator retains its up to 7,700 pounds of towing and boasts 1,725 pounds of payload. It has 11.6 inches of ground clearance, 31.5 inches of water fording and an 84:1 crawl ratio.

Newly standard on all models are first- and second-row side curtain airbags and other safety features, including forward collision warning and advanced cruise control with stop on the Sport S and above. Blind-spot and cross-path detection and ParkSense rear park-assist system come standard on the orange-accented Mojave X and red-accented Rubicon X and are available on others. Twelve-way powered seats now are available and come standard on the X models.

The new grille's black slots are slimmer and textured, which helps to improve cooling, according to Jeep. A new "trail-ready" antenna integrated into the front windshield replaces the previous steel mast antenna.

"No more getting struck in brush," said Vince Galante, vice president of Jeep exterior design. "Everything is integrated into the windshield and provides a really clean, more capable appearance."

There are seven wheel design options with sizes ranging from 32 to 33 inches. Anvil joins eight other available exterior options from Firecracker Red to Silver Zynith.

The vehicle comes with improved hands-free speech recognition and equipped with the automaker's latest Uconnect 5 infotainment system. The screen is 50% larger than in previous models. Partnering with Trails Offroad, the '24 Gladiator already has downloaded its Jeep Adventure Guides with difficulty ratings, maps and interest and direction points that appear at just the right time in the new "Follow Mode" for 200 integrated trail guides, including the 62 Jeep Badge of Honor trails from the Rubicon Trail in California to Jericho Mountain in New Hampshire. Users also can save their own trails.

"This is really about having a trail guide that is fully integrated in the system," said Josh Rigg, lead design manager for Jeep user experience design. "So, no more tablets, phones or extra devices inside. We know our customers are doing that, but it makes a lot more sense to have something that is more integrated and capable and put directly into the system."

Added Brandon Girmus, Jeep brand manager for Gladiator and Wrangler: "It's really like having a little expert riding shotgun with you on the trail, but you don't have to feed them. You don't have to buy them beer."

Owners also can pay for a $39.99 annual premium subscription for the full 3,000-plus guides catalogue. Trails Offroad also interacts with the vehicle's native navigation system to direct the driver to the start or end of a trail.

The information on how customers are using these guides could be valuable in product development. Stellantis has said it expects software-enabled product offerings and subscriptions to represent $22.5 billion in annual revenue by the end of the decade.

"There's a way to continue to capitalize on that, and the Jeeps do, with their permission, we do capture information from them," Morrison said. "We haven't announced anything relative how we would integrate the two. I think there's something really smart, and we're excited about the future."

Starting Saturday, consumers attending the auto show can take a look at the new '24 Gladiator and take a ride with a professional driver at its "Camp Jeep" track in the convention center, which features some new obstacles and the tallest and steepest mountain it has ever had, Morrison said.

bnoble@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @BreanaCNoble