Showing love for the “419.”
The new Jeep Gladiator is a pretty big deal. We’ve been waiting for a Wrangler-based pickup for nearly 13 years now; the company teased the Gladiator concept back in 2005. But now that the Gladiator is finally here in production form, and we’re digging a bit deeper to uncover some pretty interesting details. This one is one of our favorites.
Apart from the many Jeep logos located on the dash, door panels, and wheels, per usual, there’s one wonderfully fun nod to FCA’s 312-acre Toledo Assembly Complex where the Wrangler and Gladiator are both built. Look in the left rear of any Gladiator and you’ll notice a heart monogram followed by the numbers “419” – Ohio natives should recognize that as the Toledo area code.
This neat little Easter Egg pays homage to the Toledo facility and the people that work there. Jeep’s commitment to the American manufacturing facility, to which it invested part of $1 billion in 2017, is represented well on arguably one of Jeep’s most-anticipated new models.
Currently, the south end of the Toledo plant is responsible solely for pre-production examples of the Gladiator (Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited take up most of the north end). Expect production models off the line by the “first half of 2019,” and into showrooms the second half of 2019.
At launch, the new Jeep Gladiator is powered by a 3.6-liter V6 producing 285 horsepower (212 kilowatts) and 260 pound-feet (353 Newton-meters) of torque. That engine is paired to either a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional eight-speed automatic. In 2020, the Gladiator will get 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesel with 260 hp (194 kW) and 442 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque.
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