There is a particular kind of buyer who walks into a dealership in Ohio, looks past the sensible midsize trucks, and asks the same question two different ways: how fast can it go across rough ground, and how much of the trail can it handle without breaking? The 2025 Jeep Gladiator Mojave and the 2026 Ford Ranger Raptor both answer that question — in completely different languages.
The Mojave is Jeep's desert specialist, a Gladiator tuned to run hard over sand and whoops, wearing a Desert Rated badge instead of the usual Trail Rated one. The Ranger Raptor is Ford Performance's answer to the same itch: a midsize truck engineered for high-speed off-roading, with a twin-turbo V6 that makes nearly half again as much power as the Jeep's. They cost within a few thousand dollars of each other, wear the same size tires, and would both happily spend a Saturday in the dirt. Choosing between them comes down to what kind of off-roading you actually do — and how much speed matters to you.
The short answer: for most buyers, the Ranger Raptor is the pick — dramatically faster, more refined on pavement, and easier to live with every day. But if your weekends involve high-speed desert running with the roof off, the Mojave offers an experience nothing else in this class can match.
Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
| Straight-line performance | Ford Ranger Raptor | 405 hp vs 285 hp; 0–60 in about 5.3 seconds vs just over 8 |
| Desert running & high-speed dirt | Tie, different styles | Raptor: FOX Live Valve + anti-lag; Mojave: FOX bypass shocks + hydro jounce bumpers |
| Rock crawling & clearance | Jeep Gladiator Mojave | 11.6-in clearance, 44.7° approach angle, live axles |
| Daily driving comfort | Ford Ranger Raptor | Quieter cabin, sharper steering, better ride on pavement |
| Towing & payload | Jeep Gladiator Mojave (towing) / Ford Ranger Raptor (payload) | Mojave tows 6,000 lbs vs 5,510; Raptor hauls 1,373 lbs vs 1,050 |
| Fuel economy | Jeep Gladiator Mojave | 17/22/19 MPG on regular vs 16/18/17 on premium |
| Open-air fun | Jeep Gladiator Mojave | Removable top and doors — the Raptor cannot match this |
| Value | Ford Ranger Raptor | More power and equipment for about $4,000 more |
At a Glance: Specs Compared
| Spec | 2025 Jeep Gladiator Mojave | 2026 Ford Ranger Raptor |
| Engine | 3.6L Pentastar V6 | 3.0L twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 |
| Power | 285 hp @ 6,400 rpm | 405 hp @ 5,750 rpm |
| Torque | 260 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm | 430 lb-ft @ 3,250 rpm |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic | 10-speed automatic |
| Drivetrain | Part-time 4WD, 2.72:1 low range, rear locker | Full-time 4WD, locking front & rear diffs |
| EPA fuel economy | 17 city / 22 hwy / 19 combined MPG | 16 city / 18 hwy / 17 combined MPG |
| Max towing | 6,000 lbs | 5,510 lbs |
| Max payload | 1,050 lbs | 1,373 lbs |
| Ground clearance | 11.6 inches | 10.7 inches |
| Approach / departure / breakover | 44.7° / 25.5° / 20.9° | 33.0° / 26.4° / 24.2° |
| Tires | 33-in Falken Wildpeak AT3W | 33-in BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 |
| 0–60 mph | Just over 8 seconds | About 5.3 seconds |
| Starting price | $53,095 MSRP (plus destination) | $57,070 MSRP (plus $1,895 destination) |
Design & Exterior
Park them side by side and the family resemblance ends at the pickup bed. The Gladiator Mojave looks like a Wrangler that grew a bed — because that is exactly what it is. The seven-slot grille, round headlights, and upright windshield all say Jeep before you read a single badge. The Mojave adds a one-inch front lift, a wider track, a Desert Rated badge, and a functional hood scoop. 33-inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrains sit on 17-inch wheels, and the stance is tall and narrow in the classic Jeep way.
The Ranger Raptor looks fast standing still. Ford widened the stance, fitted pumped-up fender flares, and gave it the signature oversized F-O-R-D grille. The 33-inch BFGoodrich KO3s fill the wheel wells properly, the stance is athletic, and the functional hood vents and reinforced skid plate signal that this truck was developed alongside the F-150 Raptor by the same Ford Performance team. It is handsome the way a trail-running shoe is handsome — purpose-built, with nothing decorative about it.
The practical difference is the roof. The Gladiator's top comes off — so do the doors, and the windshield folds down. No other pickup on sale offers that, and it changes the entire character of the truck: a summer evening drive through the Hocking Hills with the top down is something the Raptor simply cannot replicate. The Raptor answers with a quieter cabin and a lower bed liftover height.
Interior, Comfort & Technology
Climb inside the Mojave and you get the best version of Jeep's familiar formula: a 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen running wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with dedicated off-road pages showing pitch, roll, and steering angle. The seats are supportive, the controls are big and glove-friendly, and the cabin is quieter than earlier Gladiators, though wind noise with the soft top fitted is still part of the deal. Rear-seat room is respectable for the class. What you will not find is luxury for its own sake: hard plastics are everywhere, and that is fine, because this is a truck you hose out after a muddy weekend.
The Ranger Raptor's cabin is the more premium place to spend a commute. Deep-bolstered sport seats in black leather with orange contrast stitching, a flat-bottom steering wheel with paddle shifters, a 12.4-inch digital cluster, and a 12-inch touchscreen. Dual-zone climate and an available 10-speaker B&O sound system round out a cabin that feels like a premium sport sedan with a pickup bed. The rear seat is roomier than the Jeep's, and the whole interior stays quiet at highway speed in a way the Gladiator cannot match.
Performance & Driving Feel
This is where the two trucks diverge most dramatically, and where the spec sheet tells the story in one glance: 405 horsepower against 285. The Ranger Raptor's 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 makes 405 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque with genuine sports-car urgency — independent testing has clocked 0–60 mph in about 5.3 seconds. The 10-speed shifts crisply, full-time 4WD keeps traction seamless, and an anti-lag system keeps the turbos spooled in Baja mode. On a fast dirt road, the FOX 2.5-inch Live Valve internal-bypass shocks and Watts-link rear suspension deliver the controlled, floaty compliance that made the Raptor name famous.
The Mojave answers with suspension instead of horsepower. Its 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 makes 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque — adequate, never thrilling — and the 8-speed automatic is the only gearbox for 2025, the manual having been dropped from the lineup. In testing, the combination produced a 0–60 time of just over eight seconds — roughly three seconds behind the Raptor. But the Mojave was never built to win drag races. Its FOX 2.5-inch internal-bypass shocks with remote reservoirs and industry-first front hydraulic jounce bumpers are tuned for high-speed desert running. The live axles front and rear — the only midsize pickup still built this way — give it an articulation advantage on slow, technical terrain, and the 4.10 Dana 44 axles with the Tru-Lok rear locker crawl with the patience of a mountain goat.
On pavement, the Raptor is the clear winner: sharper steering, a more composed ride, effortless highway merging. The Mojave's live axles make it wander a little at speed, and the V6 needs a firm right foot to keep up with traffic. But point both trucks at a fast, rough dirt road and the gap narrows to almost nothing — the Mojave's desert suspension is that good. It simply arrives at the fun about three seconds later.
Fuel Economy & Towing
Neither truck will win efficiency awards, but the Mojave has the edge on paper and at the pump: 17 mpg city, 22 highway, and 19 combined on regular unleaded, against the Raptor's 16/18/17 on premium fuel. In real-world use, expect both to land in the mid-to-high teens; the Raptor's premium requirement makes it the more expensive truck to feed.
The Mojave is rated to tow up to 6,000 pounds, nearly 500 more than the Raptor's 5,510, and its 4.10 gearing makes it a willing tower within that limit. Payload flips the other way: the Raptor carries up to 1,373 pounds against the Mojave's 1,050, because the Jeep's heavy FOX hardware and steel skid plates eat into its carrying capacity. Both will comfortably tow a pair of jet skis, a side-by-side on a trailer, or a modest camper — though buyers who tow heavy loads regularly should be looking at full-size trucks anyway. Remember that a weight-distributing hitch is required to reach the Raptor's maximum tow rating.
Safety & Driver Assistance
Both trucks come standard with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. The Raptor adds trail-control off-road cruise and a 360-degree camera with trail sight lines; the Mojave counters with an available forward-facing off-road camera and hill-descent control. Neither off-road trim has been IIHS crash-tested in its exact configuration, but both share their standard siblings' safety structures and full-length side curtain airbags, and the NHTSA rates the Gladiator at four stars for frontal impacts.
One honest note: the Gladiator's removable doors and folding windshield mean its side-impact protection differs fundamentally from a conventional truck's. The Raptor is the safer choice for a family daily driver.
Pricing, Trims & Value
The money story is closer than the horsepower gap suggests: the 2025 Gladiator Mojave starts at $53,095 MSRP plus destination, about $4,000 less than the 2026 Ranger Raptor at $57,070 plus a $1,895 destination charge. Both are single, well-equipped trims near the top of their lineups, and the hardware that defines them — the FOX suspension, the lockers, the 33-inch tires, the big touchscreens — comes standard, not as optional extras.
The Mojave X sits above the standard Mojave at $63,095, adding a full-time transfer case, steel bumpers, and an off-road camera — though it pushes the price past the Raptor. The Raptor has no trim above it in the Ranger lineup, and most buyers will only add a spray-in bedliner and perhaps a set of graphics.
Resale favors the Raptor slightly: both badges hold value well, but the Raptor's broader appeal gives it a small edge on the used market. Fuel costs favor the Mojave (regular vs. premium), but the Raptor's stronger demand narrows the total-cost gap. Insurance will be steep for both — shop quotes before you buy.
Pros and Cons
2025 Jeep Gladiator Mojave — Pros
- Only open-air pickup on the market: removable top, doors, and folding windshield
- Best clearance (11.6 in) and approach angle (44.7°) in this pairing
- Superb desert suspension: FOX bypass shocks and hydraulic jounce bumpers
- Live axles and rear locker for genuine slow-speed crawling
- Better fuel economy on cheaper regular unleaded
- Tows more (6,000 lbs) and costs about $4,000 less
2025 Jeep Gladiator Mojave — Cons
- Slow: 285 hp and a 0–60 time over eight seconds
- Noisy, windy cabin with the soft top; hard plastics throughout
- Lowest payload in the class (1,050 lbs)
- Part-time 4WD only — no full-time mode for wet pavement
- Manual transmission dropped for 2025
2026 Ford Ranger Raptor — Pros
- Fastest gasoline midsize pickup: 405 hp, 0–60 in about 5.3 seconds
- FOX Live Valve suspension and Baja mode with anti-lag
- Full-time 4WD with locking front and rear differentials
- Quiet, premium cabin with the best tech in the class
- Higher payload (1,373 lbs) and roomier rear seat
2026 Ford Ranger Raptor — Cons
- Costs about $4,000 more than the Mojave
- Thirstier, and requires premium fuel
- Less ground clearance (10.7 in) and a worse approach angle (33.0°)
- No open-air option — a fixed steel roof
- Tows less than the Mojave (5,510 lbs)
Who Should Buy Which?
Buy the Gladiator Mojave if your idea of a perfect Saturday is a desert wash or a sandy trail with the top off and the doors in the garage. Buy it if you crawl as much as you run, if you value ground clearance and approach angle over acceleration, and if the open-air experience is worth more to you than three seconds to sixty. It is also the better pick if you tow regularly and want the higher tow rating — or if you simply want a Jeep.
Buy the Ranger Raptor if you want the fastest, most capable all-rounder in the midsize class. Buy it if your truck is a daily driver first and a toy second, if you commute on the highway and play in the dirt on weekends, and if you want the most power and the most sophisticated suspension your money can buy in this segment. It is the better family truck and the better road-trip truck.
Final Verdict
The Ranger Raptor wins this comparison on the scoreboard: more power, more speed, a better cabin, and a higher payload, for about $4,000 more. For most Ohio buyers, it is the truck we would take home. It does everything the Mojave does at speed, and it does the other ninety percent of truck life — commuting, hauling kids, merging onto I-70 — substantially better.
But the Mojave refuses to be dismissed: it offers something the Raptor cannot buy at any price — the open air, the desert-tuned suspension, and the only live-axle pickup in the class. If your weekends are measured in sand and sunshine rather than stoplights, the Mojave is not the consolation prize — it is the whole point. Choose the Raptor for the truck you will love every day; choose the Mojave for the truck you will remember every weekend.
Which one would you park in your driveway? Tell us in the comments.
By Stefany Aurora, ABBOhio Editorial
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is faster, the Gladiator Mojave or the Ranger Raptor?
The Ranger Raptor, by a wide margin. Its twin-turbo V6 makes 405 horsepower and independent testing puts its 0–60 mph time at about 5.3 seconds; the Mojave's 285-horsepower V6 needs just over eight seconds.
Can the Gladiator Mojave keep up with the Ranger Raptor off-road?
On fast desert terrain, yes — the Mojave's FOX bypass shocks and hydraulic jounce bumpers are purpose-built for high-speed whoops, and it has more ground clearance and a far better approach angle (44.7° vs 33.0°). On slow rock crawling, the Mojave's live axles and rear locker give it an edge. The Raptor pulls ahead on pavement and outright speed.
How much can the Gladiator Mojave and Ranger Raptor tow?
The 2025 Gladiator Mojave is rated to tow up to 6,000 pounds; the 2026 Ranger Raptor, 5,510 pounds. Payload goes the other way: the Raptor carries up to 1,373 pounds against the Mojave's 1,050.
Which truck is better for daily driving in Ohio?
The Ranger Raptor. Its full-time 4WD, quieter cabin, and stronger highway power make it the easier truck to live with every day, especially in winter. The Mojave is more fun with the top off in summer, but louder and slower in daily traffic.
Does the 2025 Gladiator Mojave come with a manual transmission?
No. Jeep dropped the six-speed manual from the Gladiator lineup for 2025, so the Mojave comes only with the 8-speed automatic; the Ranger Raptor is also automatic-only, with a 10-speed.
