2021 Jeep Gladiator

The 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 is standard on every 2021 Gladiator at 285 hp and is the range's horsepower maximum — the newly available EcoDiesel is actually down on power at 260 hp, trading it for torque. 285 hp is modest against the full-size trucks the truck band is scaled for.

Scored on the volume gas V-6: 260 lb-ft is the weakest torque figure in the mid-size truck class, well behind the turbo fours in the Tacoma and Canyon. 2021 is the first model year the 442 lb-ft EcoDiesel is available across Sport/Overland/Rubicon, but it is a low-volume option, not the representative configuration.

Representative figure for the volume gas Sport/Overland with the 850RE eight-speed. Edmunds' 2021 Gladiator Rubicon test truck needed 8.5 s and MotorTrend's Mojave ran 8.6 s on all-terrain tires; independently tested 2021 gas Gladiators averaged 8.1 s across published runs. The gas JT powertrain is mechanically unchanged from prior model years.

The naturally aspirated Pentastar delivers smooth, linear, lag-free thrust — no turbo hesitation and no hybrid handoffs — but it needs revs to find it (peak torque well up the band) and reviewers consistently report it feeling strained with the bed or a trailer loaded. Mid band: pleasant unloaded, overwhelmed at work.

The TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic (850RE) is the strong half of the story — adaptive shift control for smooth, predictable shifts, standard on the EcoDiesel and optional with the Pentastar. It gives some ground back hunting among eight closely spaced ratios behind a torque-light NA V6, and the standard six-speed manual is the coarser of the two choices.

7,650 lbs is class-competitive for a mid-size truck, but it requires the Max Tow Package which for 2021 is limited to Sport and Sport S. The new-for-2021 EcoDiesel actually tows less (6,500 lbs) than the gas V-6's max, and every manual-transmission build is capped near 4,000 lbs.

The 1,700-lb maximum belongs to the base Sport manual; the configurations buyers actually take sit far lower across Overland and Rubicon, because the Wrangler-derived solid-axle chassis spends so much of its GVWR on its own curb weight.

Below the core-aids band: no factory-integrated trailer brake controller, no trailer backup or steering assist, no onboard scales. What is present is the basics plus one new item for 2021 — TrailCam, a factory off-road/hitch-view camera newly available on Overland — alongside Class IV hitch wiring, trailer sway damping inside the stability system, and ERS gear holding standing in for a dedicated tow/haul mode.

Top of the band: four-wheel drive is standard on every 2021 Gladiator — no 2WD version exists — and 2021 newly extends full-time 4WD (Selec-Trac) across the whole model line rather than select trims, alongside Command-Trac part-time (standard) and Rock-Trac with a 4.0:1 crawl ratio on Rubicon.

The Gladiator is the benchmark the rest of the class is measured against, and the hardware is factory rather than aftermarket: Rubicon's Rock-Trac case, locking axles and 43.6-degree approach angle, and the desert-rated Mojave — introduced for 2020 and carried forward for 2021 — adds a 1-inch front suspension lift, FOX shocks and a best-in-class 44.7-degree approach angle.

Two genuinely distinct powertrains for the first time in 2021 — the 285 hp gas Pentastar and the newly available 442 lb-ft 3.0L EcoDiesel — which covers mainstream and torque-hungry buyers and lifts this into the middle of the band versus a single-engine lineup. It does not reach higher because there is no electrified option at all: no hybrid and no 4xe despite the Wrangler offering one on the same platform.

19 MPG combined is poor even against other gas trucks — the body-on-frame Wrangler platform, standard 4WD, a boxy removable-roof body and no electrification leave nothing to offset the deficit. The 2021 EcoDiesel, new this model year, manages 24 MPG combined but is a separate powertrain class and not the scored configuration.

17 MPG city, with no hybrid assist or engine stop-start-driven recovery to lean on in traffic. The automatic is the better of the two transmissions in town, beating the manual by 1 MPG.

22 MPG highway is the weakest figure of the three relative to its band — aerodynamics are the binding constraint here, since a removable-roof, upright-windshield truck on all-terrain tires cannot cruise efficiently no matter how tall the eighth gear is.

A large 22.0-gallon tank is doing the work here — it rescues the range figure from an otherwise thirsty powertrain, but 418 miles still lands in the bottom third of the gas-truck band. The EcoDiesel carries a smaller 19-gallon tank but goes farther per gallon.

$3,250 a year at EPA's standard assumptions is a real running-cost penalty and sits well above the gas-truck median. Regular unleaded keeps it from being worse — at premium prices the same 19 MPG would cost meaningfully more.

Top band: the Pentastar is specified for 87-octane regular unleaded with no premium recommendation, so there is no fuel-grade surcharge on top of the already-high consumption and no charging infrastructure to arrange. Held just short of the ceiling because 2021's newly available alternative engine is a diesel requiring DEF top-offs, making the range's fuel needs less uniformly simple.

NHTSA tested the 2021 Gladiator PU/CC 4WD in frontal and rollover modes only; without a side-impact test NHTSA does not publish a combined overall star rating, so the frontal/rollover breakdown is the best available figure.

IIHS rates the shared Wrangler/Gladiator JT structure Good on moderate overlap front and Good on roof strength (5.34 strength-to-weight ratio), with Superior optional front crash prevention, but small overlap, side, and head-restraint tests were not conducted and no Top Safety Pick award was earned — solid where tested, incomplete overall.

The base Sport trim ships with essentially no active driver-assistance — only a rearview camera is standard. AEB, forward collision warning, and adaptive cruise are bundled in an optional Safety Package ($795) starting at Sport S, and blind-spot/rear cross-traffic are a separate optional Active Safety Group ($995); only the top High Altitude trim gets the full group standard.

IIHS rated the optional front crash prevention system Superior for vehicle-to-vehicle avoidance, stopping short in both the 12 mph and 25 mph tests, but the system has no pedestrian detection at all and AEB is not standard equipment, capping the real-world score below a top-tier suite.

Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are purchasable across most trims via the optional Active Safety Group, which is a reasonable spread, but the system is alert-only radar coverage with no active steering/braking intervention and is absent from the base Sport trim entirely.

Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist is offered only as part of an Advanced Safety package on upper trims (Overland/Rubicon and up), not standard or widely available, and forum/owner feedback describes basic warning-plus-gentle-steering-nudge behavior rather than true lane centering.

Adaptive Cruise Control with full-stop capability is available (optionally) and functions as advertised, maintaining a set following distance down to a stop, but there is no combined highway-assist/lane-centering pairing, and it remains an option rather than standard equipment.

No hands-free highway driving system was available on the Gladiator in 2021 — Jeep's hands-free tech push (competing with Super Cruise/BlueCruise) targeted other Stellantis models later on, and the Gladiator's most advanced offering was standard adaptive cruise, hands-on only.

IIHS tested the shared Wrangler JL-family LED projector headlight and rated it Marginal overall, citing fair visibility on the left side of the road but inadequate visibility on the right on straightaways, plus some glare — a below-average result even accounting for the option package.

The Gladiator's upright windshield, low beltline and large glass area give strong forward and side sightlines typical of the JL/JT family, but the tall tailgate, spare tire and thick D-pillars restrict the rear view, partially offset by a standard backup camera.

The crew-cab rear seat has two complete sets of exposed, easy-to-reach lower LATCH anchors, but the top tether anchor is hard to access and reviewers reported a time-consuming, multi-step process (folding the seat, threading the strap) to get it properly tight.

The 2021 Gladiator is offered only as a 4-door crew cab with a 5-passenger cabin across Sport, Sport S, Overland, Rubicon and Mojave trims.

Tall, boxy Wrangler-derived cabin gives class-leading front headroom for a mid-size truck.

Front legroom sits at the low end for the segment — the Wrangler-based cabin is tall but not especially long.

The upright, tall greenhouse carries into the second row, giving rear headroom nearly equal to the front — best-in-class for the segment.

Rear legroom is genuinely usable for the segment, a frequently cited advantage over rival crew-cab mid-size pickups.

The Gladiator offers a single bed length across all trims, shorter than most mid-size and all full-size truck beds.

Bed volume is on the low end for the segment, consistent with the short 5-ft box.

The Gladiator offers the Trail Rail cargo management system in the bed, lockable underseat storage and a spray-in bedliner option, but nothing that stands out as a segment-defining storage innovation like a giga-console or in-bed trunk.

Seats are supportive enough for daily use with acceptable cushioning, but reviewers note they are firmer and less plush than rivals' long-haul-tuned buckets.

The Gladiator's solid front axle produces a brittle, jittery ride on broken pavement and a tendency to float/wander at highway speed, cited consistently across period reviews.

Wind and road noise intrude notably at highway speed, worsened on soft-top-equipped trucks — a widely repeated complaint in period reviews.

Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are available from Sport S/Overland up, and remote start is offered, but these features are optional rather than broadly standard across the lineup.

Entry Sport trim MSRP for the 2021 model year, before the diesel or option packages.

Overland is the volume/recommended mid-trim for 2021 — power windows/locks, 7-inch Uconnect touchscreen, leather-wrapped wheel, 18-inch wheels — and is the trim most reviews steer buyers toward for value.

Class data puts the Gladiator's 5-year maintenance and repair burden below the mid-size truck band midpoint, helped by the shared Wrangler parts bin.

The Gladiator holds value reasonably well for a truck but trails its Wrangler sibling and the mid-size truck class average slightly.

Standard FCA/Jeep bumper-to-bumper coverage, at the low end of the segment band.

Standard FCA/Jeep powertrain coverage, at the short end of the 5-10 year segment band and well behind Hyundai/Kia's competing truck warranties.

2021 was the first model year enrolled in Jeep Wave, adding 3 years of scheduled maintenance and roadside-style perks on top of the otherwise ordinary warranty — a meaningful step up from the prior no-frills coverage, though shorter than the multi-year unlimited plans some rivals offer.

$41,135 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (63% retained, or about $25,915) leaves about $15,220 in depreciation. Add the projected $3,948 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $19,168 in total.

Signals disagree sharply across sources for the 2021 model year: J.D. Power's predicted reliability score for the 2021 Gladiator lands around 85 ("Great"), while Consumer Reports' subscriber-survey-based reliability rating for the same year is well below average and among the weaker scores in its class. Split the difference toward the middle of the average/mixed-signal band given CR's owner-survey data typically weighs heavier for real-world dependability.

Jeep sits near the bottom of brand dependability rankings in this era — Consumer Reports has placed the brand around 31st of 32 brands for overall reliability, and J.D. Power's 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study also placed Jeep below the industry average. This is a bottom-third brand standing.

NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns touching the 2021 Gladiator, including a major fire-risk recall (electric hydraulic power steering pump wiring) later expanded across model years 2021-2025 covering over 1 million Jeep Gladiator/Wrangler units with dozens of confirmed fires, plus a manual-transmission clutch pressure plate overheating/fracture recall, a 3.0L diesel high-pressure fuel pump stall recall, and a rearview-camera software recall. This is a pattern of repeated and in one case safety-critical (fire) recall activity, not a clean record.

The 2021 Gladiator's standard 3.6L Pentastar V6 (285 hp) paired with a 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic is a long-proven FCA powertrain family with owners regularly reporting 150,000-200,000+ mile service lives when maintained. It is not trouble-free — recurring owner and forum reports cite VVT phaser wear, oil cooler leaks, and weak thermostat/water pump components — but there are no systemic failure patterns rising to a red-flag level, placing it in the solid mid-band for a mainstream V6.

The Gladiator's cabin is lifted largely from the Wrangler JL: rubberized, wipe-clean surfaces and abundant hard plastics by design (removable doors/roof, off-road washout capability) rather than soft-touch richness. Reviewers describe it as functional and rugged-feeling rather than premium, which is competitive but unremarkable for a premium-priced mid-size truck.

Owner complaints for the 2021 model year include paint fading/chalking/peeling, loose interior trim and moldings, hinge corrosion, and infotainment/Bluetooth connectivity glitches — a scattered-but-real pattern of assembly and finish issues rather than an isolated complaint.

Jeep dealers are part of Stellantis' large, dense US dealer network with wide geographic coverage, comparable to other domestic brands, but service satisfaction surveys for Jeep/FCA dealers have historically trended mid-pack rather than best-in-class.

The Gladiator shares its frame, drivetrain and much of its parts bin with the high-volume Wrangler JL, giving it one of the largest aftermarket support ecosystems of any current truck and generally available OEM parts. Repair costs run moderately above mainstream mid-size trucks (typical of a Jeep/4x4-focused platform) but are not in luxury-brand territory.

The volume Sport S trim carries the 7-inch Uconnect 4 touchscreen; the larger 8.4-inch Uconnect 4C is an available upgrade, and base Sport still ships with a 5-inch non-touch/basic display.

Uconnect 4/4C was widely praised in this era for quick response times, logical menus, and generous physical knobs/buttons alongside the touchscreen.

The 2021 Gladiator's Uconnect 4/4C systems support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but only via wired USB connection — wireless projection was not offered this model year.

Uconnect's voice command and the optional 4C NAV system are functional and reasonably accurate for the era, but most owners still default to CarPlay/Android Auto for navigation.

A 9-speaker Alpine premium audio system is available as an upgrade; the standard system is a basic setup adequate for daily use but unremarkable.

Base trims use a small 3.5-inch monochrome trip computer within analog gauges; a 7-inch full-color driver information display is available only on upper trims, so a fully digital cluster is not broadly standard.

Uconnect of this generation supports over-the-air updates for maps and some infotainment software, but not whole-vehicle module updates.

The Uconnect app supports remote start, lock/unlock and vehicle locate on equipped trims, but remote start requires the optional package and continued app functionality is subscription-gated after a trial.

The Gladiator offers a handful of USB-A ports and a 12V outlet but no USB-C, no wireless charging pad, and no onboard household/inverter power in 2021.

Proximity keyless entry with push-button start and remote start are available from Sport S/Overland upward, but base Sport relies on a traditional key and lacks proximity entry.

A rearview camera is standard and ParkSense rear park-assist sensors are available, but the 2021 Gladiator does not offer a 360-degree surround camera.

No head-up display was offered on any 2021 Gladiator trim.

Rear legroom and headroom are genuinely good for the segment and LATCH anchors are present, but the tall step-in height, removable doors/soft top (less weatherproof, more wind/water intrusion for young passengers), and narrow rear door openings make everyday car-seat loading more of a chore than in a conventional crew-cab truck.

Adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking are available, but only as options bundled into upper packages rather than standard, and IIHS's updated moderate-overlap front test rated the Gladiator platform 'Marginal' — second-lowest of the ratings tiers.

Highway wind/road noise and a busy, floaty ride at speed undercut multi-hour comfort for the whole family, even though rear-seat space itself is competitive.

Vague, heavy steering, a tall step-in, and wandering highway manners make the Gladiator noticeably more effortful in daily traffic than a typical mid-size truck or crossover.

The standard 3.6L V6 returns roughly 17 city/22 highway MPG (EPA), among the worst in the mid-size truck segment, making per-mile commuting costs comparatively high.

A wide 44.5-45 ft curb-to-curb turning circle, a long wheelbase for the class, and tall proportions make the Gladiator noticeably harder to park and thread through tight urban spaces than most mid-size trucks.

Max towing of 7,650 lbs and payload up to 1,700 lbs are respectable for the segment, but the single 5-ft/60.3-in bed length limits usable cargo length and volume versus longer-bed rivals.

The body-on-frame construction and solid axles are proven, rugged underpinnings shared with the Wrangler, but the removable doors/soft top and less work-truck-oriented interior trim are not purpose-built for hard fleet-style abuse the way a Silverado or F-150 is.

The Trail Rail bed cargo-management system, tie-down points, and available spray-in bedliner give reasonable jobsite utility, but there is no factory onboard 115V power outlet or RamBox-style lockable bed storage.

Wind/road noise, a busy ride, and modest highway fuel economy (~22 mpg, roughly 480-mile range on a 22-gallon tank) make the Gladiator an average-to-below-average mile-eater despite reasonably comfortable seats.

This is the Gladiator's defining strength: removable doors, fold-down windshield, removable top, and Rubicon/Mojave variants with locking differentials, sway-bar disconnect (Rubicon) or Fox Racing shocks tuned for high-speed desert running (Mojave, 'Desert Rated' — best-in-class approach angle 44.7 degrees and 11.6 in ground clearance).

The open pickup bed with Trail Rail tie-downs and available bed accessories handles bulky gear better than an enclosed cargo area, but the short 5-ft box is more restrictive than longer-bed rivals for large loads.

The solid front axle, tall stance and off-road-biased suspension produce noticeable body roll and low-grip cornering behavior compared to segment rivals with independent front suspension.

Reviewers describe the steering as vague and requiring frequent small corrections at highway speed, a widely repeated criticism of this generation's setup.

Braking performance is adequate for a heavy body-on-frame truck with no reported major complaints, but nothing in period reviews suggests standout pedal feel or short stopping distances.

The 3.6L Pentastar V6 paired with the 8-speed automatic (the volume configuration) shifts smoothly and Jeep tuned throttle response well for off-road modulation, though the standard 6-speed manual is comparatively rougher.

The V6 itself is reasonably refined under load, but it contributes to an overall noisy highway cabin dominated more by wind and road noise than driveline harshness.

Curb-to-curb turning diameter for the volume Sport/Sport S configuration, wider on Rubicon and Mojave due to their larger tires and off-road suspension.

The classic upright Jeep seating position, tall greenhouse and good outward visibility are praised, offsetting the taller step-in height for ingress/egress.

The open-air experience — removable doors, fold-down windshield and removable top — plus genuine trail/desert capability on Rubicon and Mojave give the Gladiator a character and enjoyment factor that on-road dynamics alone don't capture, and it is frequently recommended to enthusiasts on that basis.

Base Sport trim is deliberately spartan — manual windows/locks, cloth seats, a small touchscreen — trading standard content for a build-your-own Mopar accessory approach, so essentials like power windows/locks and the larger touchscreen cost extra versus rivals like the Tacoma and Colorado at similar price points.

Unique open-air/removable-top capability, class-leading off-road credibility on Rubicon, and a new-for-2021 diesel option add genuine content rivals can't match, but pricing runs a few thousand above Tacoma/Colorado/Ranger at comparable trims and fuel economy lags the class.

Five trims (Sport, Sport S, Overland, Willys, Rubicon) plus a new High Altitude special edition and the added EcoDiesel powertrain option in 2021 give a reasonably wide spread from work-focused to loaded, though there is only one cab/bed configuration (crew cab, 5-foot bed).

2021 was the Gladiator's best sales year yet, a clear riser, though it remained a distant third in the mid-size truck class behind the Tacoma and Colorado.

Jeep carries a strong, aspirational off-road/lifestyle brand image, and the Gladiator inherits the Wrangler's cult following and open-air identity, which supports both showroom appeal and resale.

2021 was a high-demand year amid the industry-wide inventory shortage, so Gladiators — especially Rubicon — commonly sold at or near sticker with limited discounting versus a normal model year.

2021 is the third model year of the first-generation Gladiator (launched for MY2020), still current with no redesign imminent, and it gained a genuinely new powertrain (EcoDiesel V6) and the High Altitude special edition rather than being a pure carryover.

Reviewers praised the Gladiator's unique open-air versatility and off-road chops (Rubicon) but consistently dinged on-road ride/handling and fuel economy versus the Tacoma and Colorado, keeping it a well-regarded niche pick rather than a comparison-test winner.