We’ve finally driven the hotly anticipated 2020 Jeep Gladiator and can confirm that it lives up to the hype. If you’re one of the folks who’s been waiting for a Wrangler-based pickup for awhile now, you won’t have to wait much longer. And as a special treat for first-in-line buyers, Jeep announced the Gladiator Launch Edition on Friday, which will be limited to just 4,190 units.
Why 4,190? It’s a nod to 419, the area code of Toledo, Ohio, where the Jeep Gladiator and its Wrangler sibling are built.
The 2020 Jeep Gladiator Launch Edition takes the top Rubicon trim and adds a few fancy badges and trims.
FCA US LLC
The Launch Edition is based on the fully loaded Gladiator Rubicon but gets a few unique visual accents, including special badging, 17-inch midgloss black aluminum wheels, black leather seats and red contrast stitching. Like other Rubicon models, the Launch Edition will be powered by the Gladiator’s 3.6-liter V6 engine, with 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The Launch Edition will also come with the Rubicon’s robust four-wheel-drive system, forward-facing camera, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and more.
If you order one of the Launch Edition models, you’ll be eligible to enter Jeep’s “Find Your Freedom” contest, in which you can win $100,000, presumably to take a year off and go camping around the country in your brand-new truck. Me? I’d invest in a roof-top tent and Yeti cooler and see if I can make that vacation last for longer than a year…
In order to enter the contest, buyers will need to submit some sort of Gladiator video, and Jeep will choose a winner with the help of US Army veteran Noah Galloway. Galloway was injured during the Iraq war, losing part of his left arm and leg, and has gone on to work as a motivational speaker and author.
You’ll only have one day to preorder the Launch Edition Gladiator: April 4, otherwise known as Jeep 4×4 Day. (Get It? April 4, or 4/4.) You can order yours at Jeep.com, and you’ll be contacted by a concierge the same day.
You’ll pay a huge premium for a Launch Edition. While the Rubicon starts at $43,545, plus $1,495 destination, the Launch Edition is a whopping $60,815 plus destination. Yowza.
The 2020 Jeep Gladiator hits dealers this spring.