You are standing in front of two Gladiators with the same number on the window sticker, and one of them is black everywhere the other one is chrome. That is usually where the Nighthawk question starts. It looks like the sharpest truck on the row, it costs the same as the Willys parked beside it, and nobody can quite tell you whether the darker one is a styling package with a nice badge or a genuinely different truck underneath. It is worth knowing before you sign, because the answer changes which one you should be driving home. If you want to see what we have on the ground right now, our new Jeep Gladiator inventory in Portage la Prairie is the fastest way to check.

This is the plain read on the 2026 Gladiator Nighthawk. What Jeep Canada actually lists in the package, what it gives up compared to the Willys that sits at the same money, and the two or three things that matter differently here than they do in a brochure shot taken somewhere warm and paved.

Key Takeaways

• The Nighthawk is a listed 2026 Gladiator model in Canada, not a dealer add on. Jeep Canada shows it in the lineup between the Willys and the 85th Anniversary Edition.
• What Jeep Canada lists in it: gloss black 20 inch wheels with all terrain tires, a body colour hardtop, body colour fender flares, and Dana 44 front and rear axles. The package that this model grew out of also brought rock rails, black bumper accents, deep tint sunscreen windows and power heated mirrors.
• It sits at the same starting price as the Willys. Jeep Canada publishes both at a starting price of $57,890, before freight and applicable taxes, less any applicable incentives. That is a starting price as Jeep publishes it, not a bare MSRP, and it moves. Check our current pricing here for the most up to date pricing information.
• The Willys tows more. Jeep Canada rates the Willys at 2,722 kg and the Nighthawk at 2,041 kg. Payload is 465 kg on both. If you pull anything meaningful, that gap is the whole decision.
• Every 2026 Gladiator uses the same engine. The 3.6 litre Pentastar V6 with the eight speed automatic, at 285 horsepower and 260 lb ft. The Nighthawk is not a power upgrade and does not claim to be.
• The body colour hardtop is the underrated piece out here. In a climate that spends five months below freezing, a factory hardtop is not a styling item, it is how the truck stays usable in January.

What the Nighthawk Actually Is

The Nighthawk started life as a package on the Gladiator Sport. Stellantis introduced it in 2024 as a limited run for the United States and Canada, and the brand described it at the time as adding both cosmetic and capability enhancements. That is a fair description, and it is worth holding onto, because most of what gets written about the Nighthawk online treats it as pure appearance. It is not. There is real hardware in it.

For 2026, Jeep Canada lists the Nighthawk as its own model in the Gladiator lineup rather than a box you tick. The four items Jeep Canada calls out as the step up are the gloss black 20 inch wheels with all terrain tires, the body colour hardtop, the body colour fender flares, and Dana 44 front and rear axles.

The original package release also named rock rails, black bumper accents, an anti spin rear differential with a 3.73:1 axle ratio, deep tint sunscreen windows, power heated mirrors, and power windows and locks. Most of that content carried forward into the model, but Jeep does move content around between model years, so treat that longer list as the shape of the truck rather than a build sheet. When you are ordering, the build sheet on the actual unit is the only list that counts, and we will pull it for you before you commit to anything.

Nighthawk Versus Willys: The Same Money, Two Different Trucks

Here is the comparison that actually gets made on our lot, because Jeep Canada publishes both of these at the same starting price.

Willys. 17 inch low gloss black painted wheels, LT255/75R17C on and off road tires, a gloss black grille, and heavy duty red painted front and rear shocks. Rated to tow 2,722 kg.

Nighthawk. Gloss black 20 inch wheels with all terrain tires, body colour hardtop, body colour fender flares, Dana 44 front and rear axles. Rated to tow 2,041 kg.

Read those two lists side by side and the split is clean. The Willys spends its money on suspension and rubber. The Nighthawk spends its money on axles, a roof, and the way the truck looks from thirty feet away. Neither one is the wrong answer. They are answers to different questions.

The towing number is the part people miss, and it is a 681 kg gap, which is not a rounding error. If you have a small utility trailer, a couple of quads, or a boat under two tonnes, the Nighthawk carries it without complaint. If you are moving a loaded trailer of hay, a side by side plus gear, or anything approaching the Willys ceiling, the Willys is the truck and no amount of black paint changes that. And if you are pulling more than either of them handles comfortably, you are in half ton territory and we should be talking about a Ram 1500 instead. We have written the Ram 1500 versus Jeep Gladiator comparison for exactly that conversation.

What the Dana 44 Axles Are Worth

The Dana 44 front and rear axles are the piece of the Nighthawk that people undersell. A heavier axle is not something you feel on the drive home. You feel it four years in, when you have been running gravel roads all summer and frost heaved pavement all spring, and the truck still tracks straight and quiet.

For a Gladiator that spends real time off pavement, and out here a lot of them do, a stouter axle package is the kind of content that shows up in what the truck is worth at trade time rather than in how it drives on delivery day. If you want a read on what your current vehicle is worth against one of these, our instant cash offer tool will give you a number in a few minutes without a trip to the lot.

The 20 Inch Wheel Question on Prairie Gravel

This is where local experience earns its keep. A 20 inch wheel with an all terrain tire looks better than a 17, and there is no argument to be had about that. But a 20 inch wheel means a shorter sidewall, and a shorter sidewall means less cushion between the rim and whatever is in the road.

Around Portage la Prairie that matters more than it does in most places. We have washboard gravel that goes for kilometres, spring frost heaves that turn familiar pavement into a series of small jumps, and potholes that open up in March and do not get filled until somebody complains twice. A short sidewall is less forgiving of all of that. It is not a reason to avoid the Nighthawk. It is a reason to keep your tire pressures right, slow down on the bad stretches, and budget for the possibility that a rim finds a hole one spring.

The counterpoint is that the all terrain tire on the Nighthawk is a genuinely capable tire, and it is quieter on the highway than the more aggressive rubber on the Willys. If most of your kilometres are Highway 1 and a bit of gravel at the end, the Nighthawk is the more pleasant truck to actually live with.

The Body Colour Hardtop Is a Bigger Deal Here Than It Sounds

In a warm climate the hardtop is a preference. Here it is closer to a requirement, and the fact that the Nighthawk includes a body colour one is worth more than the styling.

A hardtop seals better, holds heat better, and is far quieter at highway speed in a crosswind. If you have ever run a soft top through a Manitoba January you already know the trade. The heater works harder, the wind noise is constant, and the zippers get stiff enough that you stop taking the top down anyway. The body colour version also avoids the slightly unfinished look a black top gives a light coloured truck, which is a small thing until you are the one looking at it every day.

Owners here overwhelmingly run a hardtop through winter and keep a soft top or the panels off for July and August. If that is your plan, starting with a factory hardtop already colour matched saves you a purchase and a paint conversation. The Jeep Wrangler hardtop versus soft top breakdown goes into the full trade if you want it, and most of it applies straight across to a Gladiator.

Who the Nighthawk Is Right For

The Nighthawk suits the buyer who wants a Gladiator that looks sharp, does light to moderate towing, spends real time on gravel but is not rock crawling, and drives enough highway that a quieter tire matters. That is a lot of people out here, honestly.

It is the wrong truck if towing near the top of the Gladiator's range is a regular part of your life, or if you are building a serious trail rig. For the first, the Willys, or a half ton. For the second, the Rubicon, which Jeep Canada rates at 3,175 kg of towing and 499 kg of payload and which is built around articulation and traction rather than looks. We have covered the Gladiator Mojave and the Gladiator Rockslide if you are working through the off pavement end of the lineup.

If the payment is the question rather than the trim, start a finance application and we will work backward from a number that fits instead of forward from a sticker.

FAQs

Is the Jeep Gladiator Nighthawk a trim or a package?

Both, depending on the year. It arrived for 2024 as a package on the Gladiator Sport, limited in volume across the United States and Canada. For 2026, Jeep Canada lists Nighthawk as its own model in the Gladiator lineup alongside Sport S, Willys, the 85th Anniversary Edition and Rubicon.

What does the Gladiator Nighthawk include?

Jeep Canada lists gloss black 20 inch wheels with all terrain tires, a body colour hardtop, body colour fender flares, and Dana 44 front and rear axles as the step up. The original package also brought rock rails, black bumper accents, an anti spin rear differential, deep tint sunscreen windows and power heated mirrors. Confirm the exact content on the specific unit's build sheet before you order.

How much can a Gladiator Nighthawk tow?

Jeep Canada rates the 2026 Nighthawk at 2,041 kg of towing and 465 kg of payload. The Willys is rated at 2,722 kg and the Rubicon at 3,175 kg. Towing ratings depend on configuration and equipment, so confirm the rating on the truck you are actually buying.

Is the Nighthawk more powerful than other Gladiators?

No. Every 2026 Gladiator in the Canadian lineup uses the 3.6 litre Pentastar V6 with the eight speed automatic, rated at 285 horsepower and 260 lb ft. The Nighthawk changes wheels, tires, axles and appearance, not output.

Nighthawk or Willys if they cost the same?

Willys if you tow near the limit or want the more off road biased suspension and tire package. Nighthawk if you want the hardtop, the heavier axles, the quieter highway tire and the darker look. At the same starting price it is a genuine preference decision, which is unusual and is why it comes up so often.

The Bottom Line

The Gladiator Nighthawk is the rare appearance focused model that also brings hardware. Dana 44 axles and a factory hardtop are not styling items, and out here the hardtop in particular earns its place from November through March. What you give up for it is towing capacity against the Willys and a bit of sidewall against every 17 inch Gladiator on the lot.

If you tow light and drive a lot of highway with gravel at the end of it, the Nighthawk is an easy recommendation. Come look at one, and ask us to pull the build sheet so you are comparing the actual truck rather than the brochure. If you already own a Gladiator and just need it looked after, our service department in Portage la Prairie handles them every week.