The Gladiator
2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport S Ecodiesel
I have been a Jeep guy my entire life owning and still owning several models of Jeeps. But none were ever really set up for more than a day or weekend of off-road exploring, well comfortably at least.
Feel free to scroll down to see the build sheet and photos. It won’t hurt my feelings.
Working in the overland and off-road industry for the past 20 years, I have been lucky to spend time in numerous makes and models of vehicles. None of them captured my interest like the Gladiator.
Once the diesel option was announced I had to have one. Unfortunately, most of the diesel-equipped Gladiators in my area (and around the country) were full of options that I just didn't want or need. For example, knowing that I was going to change out the suspension and install ARB Air Lockers, I didn’t need the Rubicon model. Yes, it has a different geared transfer case, but I didn’t need that low gearing. This Gladiator was going to be set up for long-distance travel.
Using the build tool on the Jeep website, I priced out the cheapest model that offered the diesel as an option (Sport S) and selected just a few options that I wanted:
- Auxiliary Switches
- Cold Weather Package - Love me some heated seats while in the snow
- Convenience Package - For the remote start
- Active Safety Group - I knew a camper would be installed and liked the idea of the blind spot system
- LED Headlight - Headlights are super important to me and have been upgraded to LED on all of my other Jeeps over the years
- Tow Package - Includes a 240 Amp Alternator
…..and it had to be Firecracker Red.
With the printed build sheet in hand, I special ordered it from my local dealership (Bud Clary) and a few months later, they personally delivered it to my house.
The plan was to build the Gladiator into a comfortable and very capable long-distance adventure or overland vehicle. This was accomplished with a few key upgrades like ARB Air Lockers, AEV suspension, 37” Nitto Recon tires, and Alu-Cab Camper for shelter.
And with that, the build happened fairly quickly over the spring and summer of 2021. And here we are, the ultimate (in my opinion) adventure Jeep. The perfect platform for exploring the northwest and beyond.