Jeep’s decision to take the Wrangler and create the Gladiator has proven to be a resounding, award-winning success. The one slight disappointment may be the pickup truck’s trim options — or lack thereof. The Gladiator began with a pared-down lineup of four trims; the Wrangler, by comparison, currently has 13 different variants.
Since it launched, Jeep has been fleshing out the choices in the Gladiator lineup, with the Desert Rated Mojave version and the North Edition. Now, according to a leak on Gladiator Forum, two more trims may be incoming.
The post shows what appears to be a dealer bulletin detailing two new Gladiator trims: the Willy’s Edition and the 80th Anniversary Edition. Both would be based on the base Gladiator Sport, and come in at the lower end of the truck’s price spectrum.
The Willy’s Edition is analogous to the same trim on the Wrangler, where it features 17-inch black wheels, a blacked-out grille and black detailing. It also offers some off-roading goodies, including a Trac-lok limited-slip differential, Rubicon rock rails and mud-terrain tires. It will reportedly retail for $39,240 MSRP with the Technology and Convenience package, and $35,245 MSRP without.
The 80th Anniversary Edition, unique to the Gladiator, is reportedly more of a style-and-tech package. It includes 18-inch wheels, body-color fender flares, all-terrain tires and neutral gray exterior accents. It also adds the Premium Audio package and remote start. That trim will reportedly start at $41,740 MSRP.
Adding more lower-level trims to the lineup makes sense. The Gladiator has done exceptionally well with well-heeled buyers who are going to blow out $60,000 builds, but we’ve seen Jeep offering discounts on the base models. The base price of $33,545 leaves the Gladiator Sport competing head-to-head with upper-level TRD Off-Road, Limited and Pro trims of the Tacoma, for example — making it a less-appealing proposition.