The Jeep Wrangler 4xe is the best-selling plug-in hybrid in America and its powertrain will soon come to the Gladiator. Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa confirmed the news on LinkedIn as he said a Gladiator 4xe would arrive next year. The executive didn’t go into specifics, but the model will undoubtedly follow in the footsteps of the Wrangler 4xe. This means we can expect a plug-in hybrid powertrain that features a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, a 17.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and an electric motor.
This setup enables the Wrangler 4xe to
have a combined output of 375 hp and 637 Nm of
torque. Besides being the second most powerful variant, the Wrangler 4xe can
travel 21 miles on electricity alone. The Gladiator 4xe should be similar and
will likely carry a hefty price tag. We can expect to learn more in the coming
months, but the Wrangler Sport S 4xe starts at US$ 50,695 and that’s a little over US$ 10,000 more than the four-door Wrangler Sport S. If that pattern carries over to
the Gladiator 4xe, the model would likely cost around US$ 52,000. That’s not
cheap, but the Wrangler 4xe is eligible for a US$ 3,750 federal tax credit. This
suggests the Gladiator 4xe could also get the incentive, but only time will
tell.
The plug-in hybrid powertrain will help
fill an EcoDiesel-sized hole in the Gladiator’s engine lineup. Since the death
of the mill last year, the mid-size truck has been offered exclusively with a
3.6-liter V6 developing 285 hp and 353 Nm of
torque.
