Jeep CEO confirms Gladiator getting a 4xe trim next year

Not only will the exterior palette for the Jeep Gladiator expand with Tuscadero Pink next year, the pickup's powertrain options will expand with a 4xe trim. Antonio Filosa, the brand's global CEO, broke the news on LinkedIn about the new color as well, writing, "Next year, we’ll extend that freedom of choice even further with a Gladiator 4xe option (colors to be announced) that will join the No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling plug-in hybrids in the U.S, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe and the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe." When Jeep dropped the Gladiator's EcoDiesel option last year, buyers have had to make do with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 as the only engine option.

A plug-in hybrid will make the Gladiator more frugal and more powerful. The V6 makes 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Assuming Jeep engineers port the current 4xe powertrain over to the Gladiator without changes, the 4xe trim will make 375 hp and 470 lb-ft. That's the product of a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 270 hp and 295 lb-ft. a starter/generator making another 44 hp and 39 lb-ft, and an electric motor in the eight-speed automatic adding 134 hp and 181 lb-ft. A 17.3-kWh battery will likely be able to fuel an all-EV range of 20 miles or more. The Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe can both tow 3,500 pounds.