A Wrangler with a bed, and the only pickup with a top that comes off. The ladder runs from $44,000 to $67,000, and sitting in the middle is the one trim Jeep rates for the desert. Here is where the money shows up on the sand.
The opinions on this page come from Beach4x4, our rental company in Kill Devil Hills, whose 4x4s run the Carova beach every day of the season. The Beach Test Drive is our drive-before-you-buy program: a new vehicle, this beach, nobody selling. Planned for summer 2027.
2027 starting prices including the $1,995 destination charge, as Edmunds listed them in October 2026.
The base, the sweet spot and the finished one
The Gladiator rides longer and smoother than the Wrangler, and the bed changes the beach day: the sandy gear rides outside. The trims decide how much of the beach you can ignore, and one of them was designed for exactly this surface. Highway 12 below is North Carolina Highway 12, the two-lane road up the Outer Banks; the drive from Kitty Hawk to the Corolla beach ramp is about 45 minutes of it.
Sport S
The base
$44,0952027, with destination
Part-time Command-Trac 4x4, the 3.6-liter V6 and eight-speed automatic, solid axles, a soft top, and a bed. The plain Sport is gone for 2027, so this is the bottom of the ladder.
Aired down, it floats, and the long wheelbase rides the ruts better than a Wrangler. Add the all-terrain tires; the stock all-seasons are the one thing you’d change before the ramp.
The best-riding Jeep on Highway 12, because it’s the longest. The steering still wanders a little and the top still drums.
The driver who wants the open-top pickup and the beach, and will spend the rest on the summer.
Willys
The sweet spot
$49,4402027, with destination
A rear locker, 32-inch mud-terrains on 17-inch black wheels, rock rails, Off-Road Plus mode, and the Sport S comforts. The same idea as the Wrangler Willys: the useful half of the Rubicon for a lot less.
Everything this beach asks for and nothing it doesn’t. The locker is the backup for the one soft spot that bites; the mud-terrains aired down do the rest.
The mud-terrains hum a little on Highway 12, and the ride is the Gladiator ride: long, settled for a Jeep, loud with the top off.
The driver who wants a Gladiator finished for the beach, and would rather not pay for rock-crawling gear.
Rubicon X
The finished one
$66,9902027, with destination
Rock-Trac 4:1 low range, lockers front and rear, the sway-bar disconnect, 33-inch Falken all-terrains (mud-terrains optional), a body-color hardtop, a steel front bumper, leather. The Mojave X, at $65,290, is the desert version: Fox internal-bypass shocks, hydraulic jounce bumpers and a reinforced frame instead of the rock gear.
The Rubicon’s hardware is for rocks and mostly stays off here. The Mojave’s is for sand at speed: the Fox shocks and the stiffer frame are the one set of upgrades on this ladder built for this exact surface, if the budget stretches that far.
The Rubicon’s all-terrains are quiet; the Mojave rides firmer. Both are long, stable and loud with the top off.
The driver who wheels rocks at home, or wants the desert truck. For sand alone, the Mojave is the one of the two.
What the money buys you on this beach
Carova is soft sand, packed sand, ruts and 45 minutes of two-lane each way. That is the whole test. Here is which Gladiator money shows up in it.
What you’d feel
The all-terrains over the all-seasons in the first soft spot. The rear locker, once a summer. The Mojave’s Fox shocks over washboard sand and the ruts by the ramp, if you go that far up the ladder.
What you wouldn’t
The front locker, the 4:1 low range and the sway-bar disconnect; those are rock gear. Steel bumpers, except on the scale. Leather, until it’s wet.
What the Mojave buys
Jeep’s Desert Rated badge: Fox internal-bypass shocks with external reservoirs, hydraulic jounce bumpers, a reinforced frame, a rear locker and 33-inch all-terrains. It is built for exactly what this beach is, at $58,195. If you’d spend Rubicon money, spend it here.
Every Gladiator, bottom to top
Starting price, the off-road gear that matters here, and our take. Trims and prices change every model year; the note under the table says which year and when we looked.
| Trim | Starts at | Off-road gear | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport S | $44,095 | Part-time 4x4, solid axles, all-season tires, no locker | The baseThe bottom of the ladder; add the all-terrains |
| Willys | $49,440 | Rear locker, 32-inch mud-terrains, rock rails, Off-Road Plus mode | Sweet spotFinished for the beach |
| Sahara | $50,395 | 18-inch wheels, street tires, no locker | The pavement Gladiator |
| Sport RHD | $51,495 | Right-hand drive | For rural mail routes |
| Rewind | $53,535 | The Willys underneath: rear locker, rock rails, the mud-terrains on gold-accent wheels, Nappa leather | The ’90s look on the sweet spot |
| Rubicon | $57,695 | Rock-Trac 4:1, lockers front and rear, sway-bar disconnect, 33-inch all-terrains (mud-terrains optional) | The rock crawler; on sand it does the Willys’ job |
| Mojave | $58,195 | Desert Rated: Fox internal-bypass shocks, jounce bumpers, reinforced frame, rear locker | Built for sandThe one built for sand |
| Mojave X | $65,290 | Mojave with leather, a body-color hardtop and steel bumpers | The Mojave, finished |
| Rubicon X | $66,990 | Rubicon with leather, a body-color hardtop and a steel front bumper | The finished oneThe Rubicon, finished |
2027 model year, starting prices including the $1,995 destination charge, as Edmunds listed them in October 2026. Trim equipment from Jeep’s 2026 feature sheet and Mopar Insiders’ 2026 guide; Jeep had not published the 2027 sheet when we looked. One engine and one transmission on every Gladiator: the 3.6-liter V6 and the eight-speed automatic; the manual ended with 2024.
Watch a review, not ours
Two videos, two sets of opinions, neither of them ours. They are here because they are the best we found; we make nothing from either.
The couple behind WAYALIFE have owned a Gladiator since the truck came out in 2019. At the end of 2023 they bought another one, a loaded Rubicon, because the price was right. What they got and why.
Crazy great deal on a Jeep Gladiator that we just couldn’t pass up. WAYALIFE, on YouTube. Model year shown: 2023, the same generation sold today. Plays from YouTube when you press play; YouTube’s terms and cookies apply then.
The Straight Pipes drive the 2026 Gladiator Willys ’41, the Willys underneath, which is the sweet spot on this page.
2026 Jeep Gladiator Willys ’41 review. The Straight Pipes, on YouTube. Model year shown: 2026. Plays from YouTube when you press play; YouTube’s terms and cookies apply then.
Every Gladiator version in one checklist
Jeep sells the Gladiator in nine versions plus a 2027 edition, all four-door, all with a five-foot bed and one powertrain: the 3.6-liter V6 and the eight-speed automatic. The manual ended with 2024; the plug-in hybrid never came. Here is all of it on one sheet. 2027 starting prices including the $1,995 destination charge as Edmunds listed them in October 2026; equipment from Jeep’s 2026 feature sheet, since Jeep had not published the 2027 sheet when we looked.
Every Gladiator has four-wheel drive with a low range. A dash under Full-time 4x4 means part-time: two-wheel drive on the pavement, four on the sand, which is all this beach asks. No Gladiator offers a 35-inch factory tire. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
| Version | Starts at | Full-time 4x4 | 4:1 low range | Rear locker | Front locker | Sway-bar disconnect | Tires, as it comes | Rock rails | Max tow | On this beach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport S | $44,095 | — | — | —1 | — | — | 32-in. all-seasons, 17s; all-terrains optional | ○ | 4,500 lb; 7,700 with Max Tow | The bottom of the ladder; check the all-terrain box |
| Willys | $49,440 | — | — | ✓ | — | — | 32-in. mud-terrains, 17s | ✓ | 6,000 lb | Finished for the beach as it comes |
| Sahara | $50,395 | †2 | — | †2 | — | — | 32-in. all-seasons, 18s | † | 4,500 lb; 6,000 with Max Tow | The pavement Gladiator; comes up the beach fine |
| Sport RHDright-hand drive | $51,495 | A right-hand-drive Sport for rural mail routes. Jeep publishes no separate equipment sheet for it; ask the dealer. | ||||||||
| Rewindon the Willys | $53,535 | — | — | ✓ | — | — | 32-in. mud-terrains, gold-accent 17s | ✓ | 6,000 lb | The ’90s look on the sweet spot |
| Rubicon | $57,695 | ○3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 33-in. Falken all-terrains, 17s; mud-terrains optional | ✓ | 7,000 lb | The Willys plus rock gear you’ll leave switched off |
| Mojave | $58,195 | ○4 | —4 | ✓ | — | — | 33-in. Falken all-terrains, 17s; mud-terrains optional | ✓ | 6,000 lb | Desert Rated, on Fox internal-bypass shocks with jounce bumpers: the one Jeep built for sand at speed |
| Mojave X | $65,290 | ○4 | — | ✓ | — | — | 33-in. Falken all-terrains, 17s | ✓ | 6,000 lb | The Mojave, finished: leather, body-color hardtop, steel bumpers |
| Rubicon X | $66,990 | ○3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 33-in. Falken all-terrains, 17s | ✓ | 7,000 lb | The Rubicon, finished; same on the sand |
| Sarge2027 edition | +$500over a Willys or Rubicon | A Willys or a Rubicon underneath, so its row is that trim’s row, in ’41 Green or white with the 1941 hood graphic, 33-inch BFGoodrich KO2s on ’41 Green wheels, bronze tow hooks and star door graphics. Limited quantities from late summer 2026. | ||||||||
- The Sport S offers a Trac-Lok limited slip in a package, not a locker. If you want the locker, buy the Willys.
- The Sahara arrived in December 2025, after Jeep’s 2026 feature sheet; its release names 18-inch wheels, a body-color hardtop and leather but not the transfer case or a locker. Rock-Trac, the front locker and the disconnect are Rubicon-only, so those are dashes; the rest, ask.
- Rock-Trac part-time with the 4:1 low range is standard; a full-time Rock-Trac is a package item.
- The Mojave runs Command-Trac part-time with a 2.72:1 low range; Selec-Trac full-time (also 2.72:1) is a package item. No 4:1 on the Mojave.
Tops, bumpers and the winch
The soft top is standard on Sport S, Willys, Rewind, Rubicon and Mojave; the Sahara and the X versions come with the body-color hardtop. Steel bumpers are Rubicon and Mojave items.
| Version | Soft top | Freedom Top (black) | Body-color hardtop | Dual Top Group | Steel bumpers | Factory winch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport S | ✓ | ○ | ○ | ○ | — | — |
| Willys | ✓ | ○ | — | ○ | — | — |
| Sahara | ○a | ○ | ✓ | ○ | † | — |
| Sport RHDright-hand drive | Ask the dealer. | |||||
| Rewindon the Willys | ✓ | ○ | † | ○ | — | — |
| Rubicon | ✓ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○b | ○c |
| Mojave | ✓ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○b | — |
| Mojave X | ○a | † | ✓ | ○ | ✓ | — |
| Rubicon X | ○a | † | ✓ | ○ | ✓d | † |
| Sarge2027 edition | Takes the tops of the trim underneath. | |||||
- Hardtop standard; the soft top comes through the Dual Top Group.
- Steel Bumper Group: a winch-capable steel front bumper with removable end caps; the Mojave’s adds a steel rear bumper with bed rock rails. Shipped without a winch.
- The only factory winch is the Warn unit in the 2026 Rubicon Shadow Ops package ($4,995, with steel bumpers and a body-color hardtop); Jeep had not listed it for 2027 when we looked.
- The Rubicon X package lists a steel front bumper only.
The Freedom Top is the black three-piece hardtop, $1,895 on the trims that offer it; the body-color version is standard on Sahara, Mojave X and Rubicon X and a package elsewhere, and not offered on the Willys.
Packages worth knowing
The option sheet is long. These are the six that change how a Gladiator feels on this beach or on Highway 12, with our take under each.
- Dual Top GroupEvery trim: optional. $2,495 on the Sahara, about $3,690 on a soft-top truck.
The Sunrider soft top and the black Freedom Top hardtop, both, swapped in your driveway.
Hardtop for a March drive down Highway 12, soft top for July. The best beach option on the Gladiator list.
- Max Trailer Tow GroupSport and Sport S: optional. Sahara: $1,995. Not offered on Willys, Rubicon or Mojave.
A 240-amp alternator, heavy-duty cooling, a Class IV hitch, wide-track Dana 44 axles with 4.10 gears; the rating goes from 4,500 to 7,700 pounds.
If the boat is coming to the Whalehead ramp, this is the Gladiator that tows it. The Willys and the Mojave stop at 6,000.
- Trailer Tow and Aux Switch GroupWillys, Mojave and Rubicon: standard. Sport, Sport S and Sahara: optional, $995 on the Sahara.
The hitch, the cooling, the big alternator and four programmable switches on the dash.
The switches run a light bar or a compressor without a wiring project.
- Off-Road+ and Selec-Speed ControlOff-Road+: standard on Willys, Rewind and Mojave. Selec-Speed: package content on every trim.
Off-Road+ retunes the throttle, transmission and traction control for sand in high range and rocks in low. Selec-Speed holds a set crawl speed in 4-Low.
Off-Road+ in high range is the sand button. Selec-Speed is for the rocks.
- Steel Bumper GroupsRubicon and Mojave: optional. Rubicon X: steel front bumper included. Mojave X: steel bumpers included.
A winch-capable steel front bumper with removable end caps; the Mojave group adds a steel rear bumper with bed rock rails. No winch included.
A winch on this beach is for the other guy, stuck past the last house. Good to have, not needed.
- Trail Rail Cargo Management GroupEvery trim: optional. A stand-alone roll-up tonneau is $995.
Three bed rails, four sliding anchors, a 115-volt bed outlet, a roll-up tonneau cover and a lockable under-seat bin.
The bed is why you bought the Gladiator; this is what keeps the sandy gear from sliding and the cooler from walking off.
Special editions
Paint, graphics and seats on top of a trim you already know from the tables above. The 2026 editions were not on Jeep’s 2027 list when we looked; dealers still have them.
| Edition | Built on | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarge (2027) | Willys or Rubicon | +$500 | ’41 Green or Bright White, the 1941 hood graphic, 33-inch KO2s on ’41 Green wheels, bronze tow hooks. Limited quantities. |
| Rewind | Willys | +$1,900 | Multicolor ’90s graphics, gold-accent wheels and tow hooks, color-matched flares, Nappa leather, on the Willys’ locker, rails and mud-terrains. |
| Shadow Ops (2026) | Rubicon | +$4,995 | The factory Warn winch in a steel front bumper, a steel rear bumper, satin black grille, body-color hardtop and flares. |
| Willys ’41 (2026) | Sport | $47,840 before destination | A Kaiser M715 tribute: Olive Drab wheels on 32-inch mud-terrains, a steel front bumper with a triple-hoop grille guard, the rear locker. |
| 85th Anniversary (2026) | Sport S | +$6,990 package | Steel Oxide wheels, bronze tow hooks, plaid seat inserts, Blue Agave badging, heated seats and wheel. |
| Texas Trail | Sport, Texas dealers only | about $47,800 (2026) | 32-inch mud-terrains on black 17s, a body-color Freedom Top hardtop, the Willys suspension and side steps. |
The beach checklist
What the Carova sand asks of a Gladiator, and what it does not.
- You need
✓Four-wheel drive with a low range. Every Gladiator has it.
✓Tires you can air down to 18 to 20 psi, and a gauge and a compressor in the back. Any of these tires will do it; the mud-terrains and all-terrains do it better than the Sport S all-seasons.
✓The Currituck County beach parking permit in season, to stop or park on the sand; the Currituck 4x4 beach guide has the dates.
- Nice to have
○A rear locker, for the one soft spot a summer that bites. Willys and up.
○The Mojave’s Fox shocks over the washboard sand and the ruts by the ramp, if the budget stretches.
○A top that opens at the ramp: the soft top, or the two front hardtop panels.
- Skip for sand
—The front locker, the 4:1 low range and the disconnect. Rock gear; it stays switched off here.
—Steel bumpers, except on the scale. Leather, until it’s wet.
—A 35-inch tire. Jeep does not offer one on the Gladiator, and the 33s float fine aired down. The beach limit is 35 miles an hour, 15 within 300 feet of any person.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need lockers for this beach?
No. Four-wheel drive, tires aired down to 18 to 20 psi and a little momentum get a stock 4x4 up and down Carova every day. A rear locker is a nice backup in the softest spots. Front lockers, 37-inch tires and desert-racing shocks are built for places that aren’t this one.
Is the top trim better on sand?
Usually not in any way you’d feel at beach speed, which is 35 miles an hour and 15 near people. The top trims buy horsepower, 35-inch or 37-inch tires and shocks tuned for speed over rough ground. What you’d feel here is the ride on Highway 12, the seat, and whether the tires float, and the sweet-spot trim has all three.
Can I try one on this beach before I buy?
Yes. The Beach Test Drive, our drive-before-you-buy program planned for summer 2027, puts shoppers in new Broncos, Wranglers, Gladiators, Silverados and Rams for five and a half hours on the Carova sand, the whole family along and no salesperson. Until then, Beach4x4, our rental company in Kill Devil Hills, rents 4x4s for this beach by the day or the week.
Why the Willys and not the Rubicon?
Because on sand the Rubicon’s front locker, 4:1 low range and sway-bar disconnect stay off; the Rubicon does this beach on its tires and its rear locker, which the Willys also has for about $8,000 less. The Rubicon is the right Gladiator if you also wheel rocks. The Mojave is the right one if the sand is the whole point and the budget stretches.
Sources
- Edmunds, 2027 Jeep Gladiator pricing and trims (October 2026)
- Jeep, 2026 Gladiator features and availability sheet (copy hosted by Jeep Gladiator Forum)
- Stellantis, 2026 Jeep Gladiator press kit
- Mopar Insiders, 2026 Jeep Gladiator buyer’s guide
- Mopar Insiders, the Gladiator Sahara reaches dealers (January 2026)
- Stellantis, Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator Rewind editions (April 2026)
- Mopar Insiders, the 2027 Gladiator Sarge (June 2026)
- The Drive, the Gladiator Rubicon Shadow Ops package (December 2025)
- Kelley Blue Book, 2027 Jeep Gladiator
Prices on this page are the makers’ published starting prices on the dates shown and change with every model year. Dealers in The Beach Test Drive program sell to its drivers at the factory invoice, which is a different number; that program explains it. Opinions on how each trim feels are ours, drawn from the published equipment lists and from running four-wheel drives on this beach.
Related: Which 4x4 for the beach? All the comparisons · The Beach Test Drive, summer 2027 · Best tires for sand · How to air down · Beach driving setup