When Jeep introduced the Gladiator pickup in 2020, it filled a void in the company’s lineup that has existed since the Cherokee-based Comanche went extinct. The new Gladiator was both fully truck and fully Jeep. The Gladiator comes in a bevy of interesting flavors including Sport, Sport S, Dark Sky, Big Bear, and Willys. At the top-end of the lineup live the rock-pounding Rubicon and desert-loving Mojave.

Jeep recently treated its flagship pickup to a glow-up that includes a greatly improved interior along with a few tasteful exterior updates and the addition of the fully kitted Rubicon X and Mojave X models.

How Can You Tell A Jeep Gladiator Mojave?

We can forgive anyone who’s forgotten that the Mojave exists or doesn’t think they’ve seen one on the road. From a distance the Jeep Gladiator Mojave looks an awful lot like a Rubicon. These two share the same size tires, wheel styles, available body color fenders, and more.

However, the Jeep Gladiator Mojave sports a distinctive style with its orange accents and tow hooks, along with “Desert Rated” badging and a unique performance hood. A black “Mojave” hood graphic from Mopar is also available.

A Desert-Rated Live Axle Suspension

Midsize pickups have carved out an interesting niche with all the major brands offering a desert-oriented performance off-road model. These include Ford’s Ranger Raptor, Chevy’s Colorado ZR2, GMC’s Canyon AT4X, and Toyota’s Tacoma TRD Pro.

As the only midsize pickup on the market with live axles at both ends, the Gladiator Mojave has an inherent disadvantage compared to those with an independent front suspension. Nevertheless, Mojave makes do just fine thanks to its 2.5-inch Fox internal bypass dampers and front-mounted hydraulic jounce stops.

We absolutely love how well the Gladiator Mojave dominates desert sand washes along with rough and rutted roads. Small whoop sections are no match for the Fox dampers; however, sustained sections of larger bumps have a tendency to unsettle the rear suspension. The front hydraulic bump stops do a fine job of protecting the suspension from harsh bottoming along with minimizing how these impacts translate to the passengers through the chassis. That said, the sound they make upon impact can be alarming at first to the uninitiated.

While it may not be the quickest truck on dirt, where the Gladiator Mojave really shines is in its ability to be a true jack of all trades. Although the Mojave was bred to tackle faster dirt trails, it still rock crawls as a proper Jeep should. Despite lacking the front locking differential and disconnecting sway bar of its Rubicon counterpart, we found the Mojave to handle rocky trails with relative ease.

Jeep Gladiator Mojave’s Extreme Off-Road Hardware

In addition to the 2.5-inch Fox internal bypass dampers, the Gladiator Mojave X sports a host of additional off-road hardware. The Mojave rides on 33-inch Falken Wildpeak AT3W all-terrain tires that come mounted on 17-inch aluminum wheels. The Gladiator Mojave’s front suspension is lifted an inch compared to the standard Gladiator. This combines for an impressive 11.6 inches of ground clearance. Track width is extended an inch as well.

Paired with high clearance steel bumpers the Gladiator Mojave X boasts a 44.7-degree approach, 20.9-degree breakover, and 25.5-degree departure angle. With a sealed intake, the Mojave can ford up to 31.5 inches of water. Steel rock rails protect the rockers and skid plates keep the underslung vitals safe from trail rash.

Now With Only One Engine Option

Under the hood lives a single engine option: Jeep’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. This engine produces 285 hp with 260 lb-ft of torque. Sadly, for 2025 Jeep has dropped the six-speed manual transmission option, leaving only the 8-speed automatic transmission. In testing the combination produced a 0-60 time of just over 8 seconds.

Off-road, we’ve found the Pentastar V6 to be perfectly adequate. Sure, we’d prefer more torque, but there’s plenty of twist to get the Jeep into, and out of, trouble. On the highway the story is a bit different, however. Living in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles often means traveling at greater-than-the-posted-limit speeds along with the need to merge forcefully. In these situations, the truck leaves a great deal to be desired. Gladiator desperately needs a 4xe option as 470 lb-ft of torque would make a world of difference.

The Mojave X offers a maximum of 1,050 pounds of payload capacity and maximum of 6,000 pounds of towing.

Jeep’s Best Off-Road Drive Mode: Off-Road+

One of the Gladiator Mojave’s secret weapons is its off-road plus drive mode. One press of the bright red Off-Road+ button on the center stack quickens throttle response, adjusts the transmission’s shift points, and all but completely disables traction and stability control. This allows for the greatest amount of wheelspin and highest amount of off-road fun. This also allows the rear differential to be locked. This combination offers the ability to easily steer with the rear and hoon with the best of them. Off-Road+ is so good, in fact, that we pretty much defaulted to driving with it engaged anytime we were on dirt.

What Exactly Is The “X” Package

Choosing the Mojave X package is equivalent to “checking all of the boxes.” Functionally, this adds a steel, winch capable, front bumper; steel rear bumper; full-length steel rock rails; a forward-facing trail camera; and a full-time transfer case. From a styling standpoint, X adds a body-colored hard top and fenders along with a leather-trimmed interior and the most premium Uconnect 5 with navigation infotainment system. The package adds about $10,000 to the price of the Gladiator Mojave.

Taken as a sum of the parts, the Mojave X package is absolutely worth the price of admission. The Gladiator’s interior is now properly upscale. The leather seats are comfortable for long slogs, and we adore the addition of power adjustability (finally). The audio system is adequate considering that the Gladiator’s interior can be quite loud (even with the accessory Mopar roof panels). That said, we love the new 12.3-inch Uconnect touch screen. Everything in the truck’s interior is thoughtfully laid out and it makes great use of the space available. The rear seat can prove a bit tight for adults, but hauling around a family of four, including one in a car seat, proved to be a non-issue.

Why Should I Buy A Gladiator Mojave?

Looking further than just numbers on a page, the Jeep Gladiator Mojave X evokes emotion. It’s the only convertible pickup on sale in America today. And for those so inclined the doors come off and the windshield folds. It offers a raw ruggedness that no other vehicle can match. At the same time, it can be civilized with a refined presence. It’s that whole Jeep thing, you know.

A standard-issue 2025 Gladiator Sport starts at $40,095, including a $1,995 destination and delivery charge. Stepping up to a Mojave will cost $52,995. Our top-spec Gladiator Mojave X tester checks in at $68,425, which includes the $10,000 Mojave X package, $2,095 Cargo Group, $1,050 heavy-duty rock sliders, and an additional $2,285 of options.