Jeep has come through on its promise to give us a diesel Jeep truck. The 2021 Jeep Gladiator EcoDiesel might just be the diesel Jeep pickup we’ve all been asking for for years.
- Gladiator gets the 3.0L V-6 turbo-diesel with 260 hp and 442 lb.-ft. of torque
- Expected longer range and efficiency, compared to standard gasoline V-6 engine option
- Order now for Fall 2020 delivery
Jeep Gladiator Diesel
The third-generation of the 3.0-liter turbocharged EcoDiesel V-6 engine is what you’ll find under the hood of the 2021 Jeep Gladiator. This diesel engine will put out 260-horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque in the Gladiator. The standard 3.6-liter gasoline V-6 in the Gladiator puts out 285-horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Fewer ponies will no doubt be felt, but that extra torque will come in handy while towing, hauling, or tackling off-road obstacles.
The Jeep Gladiator EcoDiesel gets a new 8-speed automatic transmission (TorqueFlite 8HP75). It is specifically designed to handle the increased torque from the diesel engine. It also has over 40 individual shift maps for optimal performance in a wide range of conditions. Sadly we’ll only get the automatic and no manual option with the diesel lump under the hood of the Gladiator.
Of course on all modern diesel vehicles you have to have a diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) system. On the new EcoDiesel Gladiator, you get a 5.1-gallon DEF tank. That should be good for up to about 10,000 miles, which aligns well with the required service intervals on the truck.
Diesel Gladiator Trim Levels
The EcoDiesel will be available on the Sport, Overland, and Rubicon trim levels of the Gladiator. It will sadly not be available on the Mojave, Sport S, Altitude, or North Edition models.
Under all of the EcoDiesel equipped trim levels you get front and rear Dana 44 axels with a 3.73 axle ratio. You also get a two-speed transfer case standard. A Rock-Trac t-case with 4.0:1 low-range gear ratio on Rubicon and Command-Trac t-case with 2.72:1 gear ratio on the Sport and Overland.
“Before we introduced Gladiator, one of the most common questions consumers asked us was, ‘Will you please offer a Jeep truck?,’ followed closely by, ‘Will it be offered with a diesel engine?’ While we know the answer to the first question, I’m pleased to answer the second with a resounding, ‘Yes!’,” said Jim Morrison, Head of Jeep Brand – North America. “Gladiator’s combination of unmatched off-road capability and the vehicle’s fun-to-drive on-road performance, best-ever Gladiator fuel economy and incredible driving range underwrite the fact that our customers knew exactly what they were asking for.”
Gladiator EcoDiesel Economy, Range, & Price
No EPA fuel economy numbers have been released just yet. But, we do already know that this powerplant in the Wrangler gets 25 mpg combined. That is about 5 mpg more than the 3.6-liter V-6 gasoline engine in the Wrangler. We expect the Gladiator EcoDiesel to come in around 24 mpg, as the gasoline-powered Gladiator gets 19 mpg combined.
The range should also be improved as well, although it hasn’t been officially announced. The Wrangler gets 75+ miles more on a tank with the diesel engine, and we’d expect similar in the Gladiator.
Sadly we don’t yet know how much the EcoDiesel engine option will add to the Gladiator’s price. The online Jeep Gladiator configurator does not yet have the diesel engine option listed. We do know that the EcoDiesel adds $4,000 to the Wrangler, which we assume will be the case as well with the Gladiator.
Get your order in now. We’re sure there will be a run on these, as there was the early Gladiators.
