Jeep's Gorilla Glass windshield cuts crack and chip chances
Jeep is offering a toughened glass option for the Wrangler and Gladiator, with the same Gorilla Glass that likely protects your smartphone screen coming to your truck's windshield. Handiwork of the automaker's Mopar tuning and performance parts division, the replacement glass promises to be far more resilient to chips, cracks, and other accidents both on and off the road.
It's fair to say that a cracked windshield is one of the most frustrating maintenance issues to have to deal with, not to mention likely to get you a ticket if you're stopped in many US states. The risks are even greater if you do any amount of off-roading, where kicked-up grit and debris are a natural hazard.
Mopar's answer comes courtesy of Corning's Gorilla Glass. It's designed to fit to the newest Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator – as well as the last-generation Wrangler – and do better at withstanding sharp impacts such as from small stones, blunt impacts from smaller rocks and debris, and biaxial flexure cracks where larger blunt objects, like hail or stones, hit the glass.
It's covered by a two year, unlimited mileage warranty, Mopar says. The glass itself combines an ultra-thin Gorilla Glass inner ply with an outer ply that's 52-percent thicker than normal. The end result is still lightweight, the company says, but more durable.
Important to Jeep fans, you still get the branded "Easter eggs" on the glass, along with Gorilla Glass' gorilla head logo.
Initially, you'll only be able to get the Mopar Gorilla Glass windshield for standard Jeep models, including the Wrangler (JL) and Gladiator (JT). It'll be priced at $793 plus installation. However later in the summer there'll be versions for Wrangler and Gladiator models that have extras on their glass. An $820 version will support an antenna, a $927 version will handle windshields with the forward camera and surround heater, and finally a $932 model will support the forward camera, surround heater, and antenna.
As for the 2007-2018 Jeep Wrangler (JK), that windshield is available in Gorilla Glass form for $645, plus installation.