If you’re in the market for a 2020 Jeep Gladiator, you may be able to scoop one up for less than you think. Jeep’s newest model is leasing for less than a new Wrangler, but first, you’ll have to find the right trim and prepare for some heavy-handed restrictions.
CarsDirect reports that a new Gladiator Sport can be for as little as $363 per month (effective cost)—that price undercuts a new Wrangler Unlimited Sport by $28. Two-door Wranglers are even more expensive, landing at an effective cost of $438 per month because of their lower residual value, or how much it’s worth at the end of the lease.
There is, as they say, a catch. Leases almost always come with mileage limits, and the one applied to this low-cost Gladiator plan is brutal: 10,000 miles per year. Anyone with even a mild commute will surpass that number with no problem. Customers will also likely find it hard to locate a true “base” Gladiator since dealers are still focusing their efforts on selling the more expensive, higher trim levels.
Payment amounts are calculated based on the price of the vehicle and are at least partially based on how much depreciation is expected to eat away at its value over the term of the lease. The Gladiator is about $5,000 more than a Wrangler to start, but this is a good indicator that the Gladiator is expected to hold its value for a longer period of time.
Of course, all of this is a reversal from what we’ve come to know as the “Gladiator tax”, where dealers take the opportunity to prey on Jeep-crazed buyers that can’t find one anywhere else. Though we’re talking about leasing here instead of buying, just a couple of months ago we saw reports of markups as high as $20,000 over MSRP for new Gladiators.