Clever idea, but they should expand the geography to include places that are not so flat. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

One thing that the people at Stellantis North America do better than any other OEM team is create special editions of their vehicles. This helps generate interest in products that may be waning or just provide the incentive that some on-the-fence consumers might have to go visit a dealer.

Jeep has announced the availability of the 2024 Jeep Gladiator High Tide Edition.

It features a variety of unique badging as well as 17-inch black-painted aluminum wheels, 32-inch mud terrain tires, steel rock rails, and black McKinley leather-trimmed seats.

But what makes this Jeep, which has a starting MSRP of $48,275, really special is that it is available only in Florida.

While Florida is comparatively flat—according to Visit Florida, which clearly wants people to visit the state so it is not dissing it in any way, the highest point in the state, Britton Hill, is 345 feet above sea level and is “the lowest ‘high point’ in the United States—and while Jeeps are known for their ability to crawl up things like mountains (the High Tide Edition has the Jeep Command-Trac 4×4 part-time and two-speed transfer case with a 2.72:1 low-range gear ratio), you might think that Jeeps aren’t exactly the thing in the Sunshine State.

However, last April an annual Jeep event was held in Daytona Beach, which Bil Peffer, senior vice president and head of Jeep Brand North America, described as “one of the largest Jeep brand gatherings globally and a testament to Floridians’ deep passion for our 4×4 vehicles.”

Which goes to the point of the Florida-only High Tide Edition.

But if someone in Florida buys a High Tide Edition, the only other people who are likely to see it most often are other Floridians, and chances are, only Jeep-oriented Floridians are likely to realize how special it is.

And if someone drives it to, say, Brasstown Bald in Georgia, which is 4,439 feet higher than Britton Hill, and encounters other bona-fide Jeep people, wouldn’t being from a comparatively flat state reduce off-street cred?

The High Tide Edition ought to be available everywhere that there are high tides.

While that would include the states along the Atlantic south to Florida, then Louisiana and Texas on the Gulf of Mexico and then California, Oregon and Washington of the Pacific, not only would this still make it special, it would increase the potential sales of Gladiators, which were down 14% during the first half, to 23,478 vehicles.