Detachable roof panels are nice, till you must discover a place to retailer them. A September 2021 submitting with america Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) signifies Jeep could also be engaged on an answer for the Gladiator.
First noticed by Muscle Vehicles & Vans, the submitting particulars a method of storing Gladiator roof panels on a tough tonneau cowl, which in flip would sit over the mattress and create lined cupboard space.
In accordance with the doc, roof panels might be organized on the tonneau cowl and locked in place utilizing a rotating lever. All items will match inside the footprint of the mattress, the doc reveals.
Jeep Gladiator roof panel storage on mattress tonneau cowl (patent picture)
Use of the mattress means this setup is exclusive to the Gladiator, so Wrangler house owners would nonetheless have to seek out other ways of stowing panels in the event that they resolve to do some open-air driving. Nonetheless, it is a intelligent concept to make use of obtainable house. The Gladiator does not have a frunk just like the one used to retailer the GMC Hummer EV’s t-top roof panels, in spite of everything.
It is unclear if Jeep’s mattress tonneau cowl will make it to manufacturing in any respect, nevertheless. A patent submitting will not be affirmation of manufacturing plans, however it’s doable that one thing like this might seem on one among Jeep’s SEMA or Easter Safari ideas as a solution to gauge buyer curiosity.
The Gladiator carried over to the 2022 mannequin yr principally unchanged, with the one actual information being the return of the Gobi exterior paint coloration that was final supplied on Jeep’s pickup for the 2020 mannequin yr.