Jeep
I thought to myself earlier this week, “Man, when will the Jeep Gladiator go hybrid?” It’s awfully strange, then, that Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa confirmed just now that such a truck is coming. Maybe he hears my thoughts, in which case, I’ll start wondering what the winning Powerball numbers are and turn on post notifications for this fella on LinkedIn.
That’s where Filosa announced the Gladiator 4xe’s impending reveal, and CarBuzz spotted it early on Friday. He didn’t say much about it, only tacking it onto a monologue about more color options across the brand by adding, “Next year, we’ll extend that freedom of choice even further with a Gladiator 4xe option (colors to be announced)…” It was only a matter of time until this happened, and now, we know roughly how much longer until the truck drops.
It may or may not seem like it to you, but this is a pretty big deal for one main reason: The Gladiator 4xe might be the first plug-in hybrid pickup. There isn’t one on sale right now as both Toyota and Ford’s electrified gas models are conventional hybrids—a la, there’s no plug on ’em. Jeep has tapped into this market already as the Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe are the best-selling PHEVs in America today.
While Filosa didn’t say for sure, it’s likely the Gladiator 4xe will sport the same powertrain as its electrified sister models. That means a 2.0-liter turbo four making 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque with help from an electric motor. In the Wrangler’s case, it gets up to 21 miles of electric-only range while the Grand Cherokee nets 25 miles. I expect the Gladiator to come in somewhere around 20 miles of range.
Plug-in hybrids are a solid in-between for people who want to start transitioning from internal combustion but aren’t yet ready for full EVs. Manufacturers have found that out the hard way, especially when it comes to electric pickups like the Ford F-150 Lightning. Demand was high at first but now, the new has worn off and the reality is sinking in that most folks can’t really swing an EV given their daily driving habits. Surely the day will come, but for now, PHEVs like the Jeep 4xe family are a solid place to land.
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