Gladiator

Make
Jeep
Segment
Sports Car

In case you haven't noticed, the Jeep Gladiator is not exactly cheap. Buyers don't seem to care too much given the reported average price is around $56,000, nearly double the $33,545 starting MSRP. That's also $5,500 more expensive than the base Wrangler. But these figures relate to actually purchasing the truck, not leasing one. Could leasing be a better deal? Possibly, yes.

CarsDirect completed a Gladiator pricing analysis and the results were quite interesting. Turns out that thanks to favorable residual values, leasing a Gladiator can be up to $75 less per month over a Wrangler Unlimited. Kind of strange, right? Yes, and here's an example from an offer in California: A 2020 Gladiator Sport is being advertised at $245 per month for 36 months with $4,259 due at signing and an annual allowance of 10,000 miles per year.

With an MSRP of $37,070, that comes to an effective cost of $363 per month. Okay, so how does this compare to the Wrangler? Well, take this Wrangler Unlimited Sport with an MSRP of $36,235 as an example. It's being listed at $269 per month for 36 months with $4,389 required upfront. This comes to $391 per month – an effective cost that's $28 more than the Gladiator. Its gets even weirder regarding the two-door Wrangler.

The entry-level Wrangler Sport has an MSRP of $31,540 but Jeep is advertising a lease price of $327 per month for 36 months with $3,999 required at signing. That's an effective cost of $438 per month - $75 more than the Gladiator. Why is this?

Because, as mentioned above, residual values. Dealer leasing guides show the Gladiator's residual value has an 18 percent advantage in 36-month leases compared to base trims. Lastly, it's also important for any potential Gladiator and Wrangler customers to know this: although less expensive Gladiator trims are in very short supply (good luck finding one for less than $40k), Jeep is offering some great Wrangler deals with unadvertised cash incentives to help reduce leftover 2019 inventory. Point being, now's probably a good time to get a 2019 Wrangler before 2020s arrive.