Opinion: Jeep Made A Massive Mistake By Giving Up On The Gladiator 4xe

[chaosjake]

I don't agree with everything in this article about how the JT stacks up to other midsize pickups, but I do think it was a mistake to cut the 4xe option. In 2025, it is hard to live with 13-14 mpg from a daily driver, no matter how fun it is on the weekend. I'll drive the wheels off my Gladiator, but when the time comes to replace it, I'm unlikely to buy a brand new ICE Jeep. I could get a hybrid crossover to daily and a JKUR for new JTR money, and save a mountain of cash by not commuting in a truck that has the worst fuel mileage in its market segment.

Opinion: Jeep Made A Massive Mistake By Giving Up On The Gladiator 4xe

The question has been when Jeep would extend the 4xe powertrain to the Gladiator, its midsized, Wrangler-based pickup. As confirmed by Stellantis’s UAW agreement and CEO Antonio Filosa, the Gladiator 4xe plug-in hybrid was supposed to arrive in 2025. However, Stellantis, in a frenzy of curtailing its electrified ambitions, informed suppliers that the truck is no longer happening.​

This move surprised us a bit. The Wrangler 4xe, while not perfect, has been quite popular. Jeep has sold more than 250,000 of them. The Gladiator, with sales flagging, could certainly use something to generate a little bit of interest, and hybrid sales have been booming. We’re not privy to all the data and internal information at Stellantis’s disposal, but axing the Gladiator 4xe seems like a short-sighted mistake.​

...​

The best argument against the Gladiator 4xe may not be that buyers didn’t want a plug-in hybrid. But bringing 2020’s plug-in hybrid technology to what will be a rapidly expanding market may be too little, too late for this Gladiator generation. We remain interested to see what could happen with the next generation of Stellantis midsize trucks.​

Sponsored

 

[ShadowsPapa]

and save a mountain of cash by not commuting in a truck that has the worst fuel mileage in its market segment.

Usually, the low MPG is due to the owner, not the truck.
A stock Overland could do 22-23, with A/T tires, 19-21
Not bad for a brick.
But add a lift, bigger tires, more weight, and it goes down from there.
A very heavy Mojave X still does in the 17s, not bad for a very capable but brick-shaped truck. I've seen mid 17s on mine when I get out of our hills and drive the speed limits.
If I left it 100% stock, I bet that would climb a bit, but I needed the power steps and use it for snow plowing in the winter, so it's hard to leave it stock. Still, not bad for a really heavy small truck that has fenders that act like sails as you drive down the highway. Those are huge air scoops sticking up there, don't fool yourself. You want articulation and fenders to clear the tires - you lose mpg.

Now for the rest of it - I was hoping for the 4xe to be a real thing. Yes, I would have taken a serious look, but only if it could have kept the towing and payload numbers I'm used to.
Love our JLU 4xe, but my wife hates the range of only up to 25 miles on battery.

 

[AmosMoses]

I think you are just coming to the realization that this platform is not right for your situation or anyone who needs good fuel economy.

My sport got 18/22 mpg depending on summer and winter driving and 35 inch tires. My jtr gets 15/18. Iam sure you are aware that bigger tires mean less fuel economy.

I think you have the right idea going to a hybrid crossover.

 

[chaosjake]

Still, not bad for a really heavy small truck that has fenders that act like sails as you drive down the highway. Those are huge air scoops sticking up there, don't fool yourself.

I have given serious thought to trying to make some sort of removable fairing out of Bondo and wire mesh to close out the front fenders, but my biggest problem is low speeds. My commute is almost all stop and go driving on local roads. When take a long road trip on the highway, I can get the little mpg calculator in the dash up to 16.5 cumulative, but as soon as I'm back to my normal routine, it's back to 13-15.

 

[DirkG]

I drive our '25 Wrangler 4xe a lot. Probably more than my Gladiator. So I have a foot in both camps.

My commute is almost all stop and go driving on local roads.

I think the challenge is that the Gladiator is just not a commuter vehicle. And honestly a 4xe would have such a low battery range that your gas mileage wouldn't be that great either way. The regenerative braking would help, but marginally.

Love our JLU 4xe, but my wife hates the range of only up to 25 miles on battery.

That's the biggest rub against the current 4xe powertrain. My lead foot eats up the "25 miles" fast. The only way a Gladiator 4xe would have made sense is if they increased battery size / range to at least 50 miles. And that's a bare minimum. Hopefully the next generation 4xe will generate noticeable battery gains, but as the output exists today, a Gladiator 4xe would be nothing more than a marketing ploy.

 

[D_JT]

Jeep made a massive mistake killing off the diesel. The diesel was everything the 4Xe would have been with none of the drawbacks.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I drive our '25 Wrangler 4xe a lot. Probably more than my Gladiator. So I have a foot in both camps.


I think the challenge is that the Gladiator is just not a commuter vehicle. And honestly a 4xe would have such a low battery range that your gas mileage wouldn't be that great either way. The regenerative braking would help, but marginally.


That's the biggest rub against the current 4xe powertrain. My lead foot eats up the "25 miles" fast. The only way a Gladiator 4xe would have made sense is if they increased battery size / range to at least 50 miles. And that's a bare minimum. Hopefully the next generation 4xe will generate noticeable battery gains, but as the output exists today, a Gladiator 4xe would be nothing more than a marketing ploy.

ZF has made a transmission that puts out more power while using less electricity and they say it would increase the range of the 4xe with no other changes because it's so efficient.
My wife has talked of a future trade - I'm hoping that new transmission ends up in the JLU 4xe very soon. If they combined it with better battery capacity, it would be a big deal.

our 4xe JLU is ideal for my wife - almost all of her trips are either 99% all electric, or the first half is.
That means she can drive that thing for months on less than 10 gallons of gas.

In fact, last year we had to put gas in it as it went into FORM -
3 whole months,
500 miles,
9.9 gallons of gas.
and our electricity is cheap. Winter months 25 miles costs under $1.20, in the summer months, that 25 miles costs about $1.79.
And the remainder of her trips she's getting better mpg than an ordinary JLU Rubicon gasser would get.

the math just works out for us once you get past initial costs. She loves her Jeep, and loves the quiet and smoothness of it. In fact, she's even commented on why mine is so loud and she thinks I'm really kicking into it when the thing suddenly drops two gears to make a hill hers walks up without downshifting at all. After she's driven her 4xe so much, she keeps questioning why mine is doing that and telling me to get my foot out of it.

 

[MPMB]

As always, "it depends."

As a daily driver/commuter rig, no, the JT doesn't do so hot if your focus is on MPG. Ours is 15mpg, lifted w/ 37s. On road trips I can get around 17-18mpg.

We were just in the Orlando area for a wedding and we rented a Wrangler. It was a '23 Sahara in Earl Gray (nice color) with the V6 (I'm assuming; it sounded like the JT and the historical mpgs were in the teens).

After driving a full tank - and a little more - my MPG avg was 19+ (I didn't check it when we turned it in; it was a chaos event for another time to share). And I didn't drive economical. I was passing people, driving with the flow, running 5+ mph over highway limit. Usual driving style. Fit in with the locals so I'm not branded a tourist.

Compare that to any other commuter vehicle. Overall, it won't be vastly different in most cases.

Let's take my current JT setup and compare it to what I want to get (in MT variety, preferably) - a VW GTI. In the highest trim, the MPGs are 24c/32h, and only available in AT now (sad face).

Calculations:
5 days a week for 48 weeks (vaca, holidays, days off, etc.), that's 240 days of driving
21 miles one way; 42 miles round trip - Average commute in USA
240 days x 42 miles = 10,080mi
Average gallon of gas in US: $3.16

Jeep: At 15mpg, it's 672 gallons. At 17mpg, it's 593 gallons.
VW: At 24mpg, it's 420 gallons. At 32mpg, it's 315 gallons.

Jeep: $2123.52 - $1873.88
VW: $1327.20 - $995.40

At the very worst - worst Jeep gas mileage vs. best VW mileage - you're spending $23.50 more per week for gas, on average. That's 1/2 a tank for the VW. But it's not horrible. Less than $100/mo, which if you're budget crunching, can be achieved by killing a couple streaming services, making coffee at home, and/or maybe not spending so much at AMZN.

Obviously if you live somewhere that has high gas prices (WA, PA, CA, NY), and likely longer commutes, a Jeep isn't the best choice for a commuter. Everyone can make that determination on their own. But on average, it's not a huge difference in gas cost.

If you're lucky and retired or WFH, then MPGs really don't matter.

Edit: For reference, I used to commute ~44 miles roundtrip in an Expedition EL in WA state. I could stretch fill-ups almost 2 weeks - about 9 days. I'd fill up Thursday coming home or Friday morning. About 13mpg. Today, that'd be costing me $3785/year in gas in WA state.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

Jeep made a massive mistake killing off the diesel. The diesel was everything the 4Xe would have been with none of the drawbacks.

I was happy with my ecoD getting 20ish average, and I still am, but I drove my fiancé's BMW 3 series this weekend and saw 37mpg average after a 4 hour trip and now I'm thinking to myself I need a gas saver daily lol

I was REALLY happy seeing an average of 17.8 over 3200 miles pulling our camper. And not once did I ever find myself or wishing I had more power.

 

[BlackRuby23]

Jeep made a massive mistake killing off the diesel. The diesel was everything the 4Xe would have been with none of the drawbacks.

Totally disagree. The new, emissions-laden diesels are unreliable, overpriced hot garbage with a disable switch built in from the factory which could leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Deleted member 57233]

I drive our '25 Wrangler 4xe a lot. Probably more than my Gladiator. So I have a foot in both camps.


I think the challenge is that the Gladiator is just not a commuter vehicle. And honestly a 4xe would have such a low battery range that your gas mileage wouldn't be that great either way. The regenerative braking would help, but marginally.


That's the biggest rub against the current 4xe powertrain. My lead foot eats up the "25 miles" fast. The only way a Gladiator 4xe would have made sense is if they increased battery size / range to at least 50 miles. And that's a bare minimum. Hopefully the next generation 4xe will generate noticeable battery gains, but as the output exists today, a Gladiator 4xe would be nothing more than a marketing ploy.

Just about everything I need in my city is within 10miles. I have 4 or 5 grocery stores under 5 miles, 3 home depots and a lowes under 10 miles (and another 1/2 dozen local and Ace stores), daycare is 4 miles away, work is 8 miles away. The ski resort is 15 miles. 4xe would have eliminated most of my fuel consumption.

 

[chaosjake]

our 4xe JLU is ideal for my wife - almost all of her trips are either 99% all electric, or the first half is.
That means she can drive that thing for months on less than 10 gallons of gas.

In fact, last year we had to put gas in it as it went into FORM -
3 whole months,
500 miles,
9.9 gallons of gas.
and our electricity is cheap. Winter months 25 miles costs under $1.20, in the summer months, that 25 miles costs about $1.79.
And the remainder of her trips she's getting better mpg than an ordinary JLU Rubicon gasser would get.

This is exactly what I was looking forward to with my next Gladiator 4xe. Maybe Stellantis (or whoever owns Jeep by then) will dust off the 4xe plans when CAFE penalties go back into effect.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Just about everything I need in my city is within 10miles. I have 4 or 5 grocery stores under 5 miles, 3 home depots and a lowes under 10 miles (and another 1/2 dozen local and Ace stores), daycare is 4 miles away, work is 8 miles away. The ski resort is 15 miles. 4xe would have eliminated most of my fuel consumption.

I'm on the other side of the spectrum. My commute will be changing to 35 miles one way.

Everything else we need day to day is an average of 10 miles away I'd say, most of it along my commute or the ole ladies commute.

Trying to keep this truck past warranty / pay off, don't really want more electronic wizardry to take care of.

Not to say I'm anti 4XE - it just wouldn't benefit me personally. For those that it does - seems legit.

 

[D_JT]

Totally disagree. The new, emissions-laden diesels are unreliable, overpriced hot garbage with a disable switch built in from the factory which could leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere.

I do agree. The motors are solid. Its the emissions that cause engine failure. But thats why you delete that nonsense.

 

[JTGuy]

I want my off road explore vehicle to be as simple as possible. Adding all the E to it will not make it simple. If I want an electric vehicle there are others without a gas engine .

Sponsored