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People love Jeeps. To be clear: when I say “Jeeps,” I mean specifically Jeep Wranglers and Wrangler-based products like the 2023 Jeep Gladiator. People love them so much that despite the 2023 Jeep Wrangler and the 2023 Jeep Gladiator being the worst vehicles in their categories, folks still buy them. Even more impressive, folks still buy the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, the Jeep truck’s highest trim. Why? Well, here are three reasons people still buy the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon. 

Updated: 7/5/23

The best value midsize trucks include the 2023 Jeep Gladiator
A 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon | Jeep

The 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon is a monster off-road

Jeeps are, first and foremost, off-roaders. Even though it’s tough to find a positive thing said about the 2023 Gladiator in many reviews, its off-road performance is never called into question. 

While the base Jeep Gladiator is a good off-roader, the Rubicon comes with factory upgrades to help get the Jeep further off-road. The Rock-Trac 4WD system comes with ultra-low gearing, which works extremely well when coupled with V6 diesel or gas engines. The Rubicon also comes with locking differentials front and rear. The front sway bar up front can also be disconnected, giving the all-terrain tires more articulation. Lastly, the Rubicon comes with bigger tires and a slightly taller suspension giving it more ground clearance. 

New Jeep colors 

A 2023 Jeep Gladiator with new Jeep color, early gray paint, driving in the woods.
2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon in new Earl exterior paint color | Stellantis Media

The Rubicon package also allows buyers to pick from new jeep colors for 2023. Not all trims are available in all color options. Stepping up to the Rubicon trim gives buyers more options. 

So what are the new Jeep colors for 2023? Limited Edition Earl Clearcoat is now available for the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon. Other 2023 Jeep colors include:

  • Black Clearcoat
  • Firecracker Red Clearcoat
  • Granite Crystal Metallic Clearcoat
  • High-Velocity Clearcoat
  • Hydro Blue Pearlcoat
  • Sarge Green Clearcoat
  • Silver Zynith Clearcoat
  • Sting-Gray Clearcoat

The 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon makes buyers feel something

As a former Jeep owner, I know how this last part goes. I took my Jeep off-road all the time – at least a few times a month. However, even in spells when I got too busy, and my Jeep was only a grocery-getter, I still felt like I could tear off down any path I saw fit whenever I wanted or needed to. I’m convinced this is what sells Wranglers and Gladiators. 

Consumer Reports rated the 2023 Jeep Wrangler and 2023 Jeep Gladiator like it rates everything else. But these trucks shouldn’t be rated like everything else because customers don’t buy them like they buy everything else. People buy Jeeps because of that feeling I described earlier; the feeling that you could go wherever you want, not because you will go.

The Gladiator offers the same impractical, uncomfortable, rugged, stiff, yet ultimately inspiring sensation of driving a Jeep that the Wranglers have given all these many years. This is why people still buy the 2023 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, despite Consumer Reports saying it’s the worst pickup truck.