Yahoo Finance Jeep Wrangler, Gladiator reportedly gaining Gorilla Glass windshield
Cracking a Jeep Wrangler's windshield will soon require a more hardcore round of off-roading, according to a recent report. The SUV and its Gladiator sibling will allegedly gain an optional Gorilla Glass windshield in June 2021.
Dealer sources who asked not to be named told enthusiast website Mopar Insiders that the Gorilla Glass windshield is weeks away from joining the list of extra-cost features. While that's far from an official confirmation, they gained credibility by providing the three-digit order code (GMA) used internally by dealers and by adding that it will cost $95, which is a shockingly reasonable amount of money. Not all trim levels will be eligible to receive the windshield, however. At launch, it will only be offered on the Willys, Sahara, Rubicon, Rubicon 392 (pictured), Sahara 4xe, and Rubicon 4xe variants of the Wrangler, and on the Willys, Overland, Rubicon, and Mojave version of the Gladiator.
Gorilla Glass is not related to the ground-dwelling, mostly herbivorous apes that live in Africa. Normally found on smartphones and other electronic gadgets, it's a chemically-strengthened glass that's thin, light, and highly resistant to impacts. The part designed to fit the Jeep duo will consist of a thin Gorilla Glass inner ply and an outer ply that's about 52% thicker, Mopar Insiders learned. It will be about three times stronger than a standard windshield, which is fantastic news for off-road explorers who regularly have damaging encounters with branches and other obstacles, and for long-distance highway cruisers who end up with a galaxy's worth of chips after a year of driving.
Jeep hasn't commented on the report, and it hasn't announced plans to make a Gorilla Glass windshield available for either off-roader. If the rumor is accurate, official details will likely be revealed during the next few weeks.
If it's not, the aftermarket has already stepped in to fill this void. Michigan-based Hyperperformance Glass Products makes a Gorilla Glass windshield for the fourth-generation Wrangler and the Gladiator. It charges about $700 for a standard windshield, including free shipping and a two-year warranty but excluding the cost of installation. It also makes Gorilla Glass windshields for the original Ford Bronco, among other off-roaders.
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