2023 Honda Ridgeline vs 2024 Jeep Gladiator

Trucks are the most popular vehicles in North America. We buy them for work, for play, and, let’s be honest, for posing. We slam them down, we jack them up, and we make them loud and imposing. We brag about them, too: how much power they make, how much weight they tow, how far they go off-road, and how reliable they are. Trucks are our pride, our joy, and for some people, our substitution for therapy.

The 2023 Honda Ridgeline is one of several midsize trucks you can buy, but it bucks convention, making it an outlier. For people who need a truck to tackle modest tasks and don’t want to live with the compromises inherent in a traditional pickup, the 2023 Ridgeline is perfect. Just don’t expect to fit in with the crowd described above.

The open-air driving experience you can enjoy with a Gladiator is just one of many appealing things about it. As expected of a Jeep, the Gladiator is also a rock star off-road. And some versions of this crew-cab midsize truck offer substantial payload and towing capacity. Better yet, Jeep has updated the 2024 Gladiator with minor styling revisions, next-generation infotainment technology, added comfort and convenience features, and new range-topping trim levels. A Gladiator 4xe plug-in hybrid arrives in 2025.

Verdict: Though we’re fans of the 2024 Jeep Gladiator, it requires some trade-offs. Fuel economy is poor, the ride can be rough, the interior is loud at higher speeds, and the cabin looks like you can hose it out—because you can. Buy a 2024 Gladiator for what it can do and not for the image it projects, and you’ll more easily accept its inherent flaws.