The 2021 Jeep Gladiator Texas Trail is a special trim that’s set up to handle Texas terrain. Although the Gladiator looks like a Wrangler with a pickup bed, the frame is different. As if Jeeps weren’t already attention grabbers, this one had a very flashy Firecracker Red color. It worked well with all the black accents that it had. One of my favorite things was the satin black grille that I’ve determined should be required on every Wrangler faced Jeep. 

What sets the Texas Trial apart from everything else? Well we’re looking at the 17” black wheels with mud-terrain tires. They stand 32” tall to help with off-road traction you’ll encounter in Texas ranches or trails. Of course if you’re tackling malls, the setup will still behave and make driving easy. Although the Texas Trail comes with the hardtop roof, the cabin noise is on the louder side. 

The included side steps makes getting into the Gladiator fairly easy. You’re then greeted with the Texas Trail logo embossed on the black leather trimmed seats. The seats were comfortable enough to drive through the whole state of Texas. The main thing this Gladiator was missing, was the larger infotainment screen. The smaller 7” screen doesn’t really cut it specially after having used the larger 8” screen. I also can’t wait till it gets the updated UConnect 5 system which allows wireless Apple CarPlay. 

After having driven virtually every engine in the current Jeep lineup, the 3.6L V6 made power delivery extremely smooth. The 8-speed automatic also shifted smoothly. The only thing the Gladiator needs is the new 4Xe treatment to get massive torque numbers and gas efficiency.

Although it may look like a Wrangler with a truck bed, the Gladiator was way beyond that. The only thing I’d really change from its current lineup is adding a 4Xe hybrid drivetrain, and adding UConnect 5 for wireless Apple CarPlay.