Here in time to help Jeep fans make the most of summer 2020, the off-road brand's first-ever "Desert Rated" model, the Jeep Gladiator Mojave, has officially started landing on US dealer lots. The Mojave is essentially the high-speed, desert-running "yin" to the Gladiator Rubicon's rock-crawling "yang," not slotting above the Rubicon in the lineup, but instead carrying an identical starting MSRP, and giving would-be Ford F-150 Raptor buyers and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 fans another sand-slinging, dune-climbing option.
It's frankly stunning that Jeep is able to offer the Gladiator Mojave at the same starting price as the Rubicon model, given what all you get.
The Mojave's parts list includes specially tuned 2.5-inch external reservoir dampers made by Fox, Fox front hydraulic jounce bumpers, a one-inch suspension lift up front, and stronger axles. Even the frame has been reinforced - in case you were concerned with whether the Gladiator Mojave could indeed stand up to some abuse.
Despite all those modifications, the 2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave carries a relatively affordable $43,875 starting MSRP - exactly identical to the Gladiator Rubicon's, and several thousand below the base MSRP of the range-topping High Altitude model. That said, the price tag will swell pretty readily as soon as you start piling on the options; load it up as far as it'll go and you're looking at a $64,025 MSRP before tax or destination.
Given how US dealers tend to favor keeping highly optioned, high-priced examples in stock, we expect that a great number of the examples out there will have MSRPs closer to the top end of that price range. Nearly all are bound to have the $2,000 8-speed automatic transmission option, the $995 Cold Weather Group, and the $1,845 Premium Audio Group with 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment screen.
The new Jeep Gladiator Mojave is just the first of what could be several "Desert Rated" models to come from FCA's rugged off-roader brand, and the iconic Jeep Wrangler is also expected to get the full Mojave treatment in the not-too-distant future.