NEXT LEVEL is a US niche off-road modification brand. The specific founding year has not been explicitly disclosed, with headquarters located in Irvine, California, USA. The brand focuses on highly professional extreme off-road vehicle modifications and upgrades. Its core positioning is to redefine the performance of pure off-road vehicles through advanced materials and innovative designs.
Unlike many modification shops that take a flashy route, NEXT LEVEL adheres to a modification philosophy of “simple, atmospheric, and highly complete.” This ensures that modified vehicles maintain the overall integrity as if they just came off the original production line, significantly enhancing off-road capabilities without losing aesthetic taste. Currently, the brand has released only one work—the NEXT LEVEL Gladiator—which is a three-axle six-wheel (6×6) modification beast built based on the Jeep Gladiator original model.
NEXT LEVEL is a low-key and mysterious modification brand in online information. As of 2026, there is very little explicit information online regarding the brand's creation time, except that the headquarters is located in Irvine, California, USA. Before officially launching its own works, the brand had already entered the 6×6 modification field. It previously helped another US off-road supercar manufacturer, Rezvani, create the Hercules 6×6 model (an upgraded version based on the Wrangler prototype), thereby accumulating valuable experience in 6×6 chassis modification and power transmission systems.
In April 2021, NEXT LEVEL publicly released its first independently built work for the first time -- the official images of the Jeep Gladiator 6×6. The brand's modification style formed a sharp contrast with the exaggerated six-wheel-drive modifications that were flooding the market at the time. It did not pursue flashy competition-style modifications but instead chose a design route of 'simple, atmospheric, and maintaining the vehicle's high integrity as much as possible like it just came off the original production line'. This made the 6×6 Gladiator appear visually more like a hardcore off-road version that Jeep originally possessed. After this, NEXT LEVEL did not launch a second car model. The brand's popularity in the global modification circle is entirely concentrated on this one 6×6 work.
NEXT LEVEL adopts an extremely focused strategic approach, with a very streamlined product line—currently, there is only one car model under its brand.
NEXT LEVEL Gladiator: The brand’s first and only work, this is a three-axle six-wheel (6×6) modified off-road pickup truck built based on the original Jeep Gladiator model, with a starting price of $132,000. The exterior follows NEXT LEVEL’s signature simple and atmospheric style, bearing little difference from the original Gladiator. A lightweight competitive bumper with an integrated winch, circular LED light clusters, and towing hooks are installed on the front. The body and cargo bed are simply extended at the rear to accommodate the added third axle. The interior offers high customization services, where designers have added hand-stitched Nappa leather interiors, sport seats with better envelopment, and special seat fabric patterns to match the car’s identity as a top-tier off-road customization. At the chassis level, it adopts a front 2, rear 4 arrangement totaling six wheels, equipped with Fox-designed shock absorber groups and a specialized central drive shaft, with optional AT tires.
The car offers three power choices:
2.0L Turbocharged Inline-4 Gasoline Engine: Max power output 270 hp.
3.6L Pentastar V6 Naturally Aspirated Gasoline Engine: Max power output 285 hp.
3.6L EcoDiesel Turbocharged V6 Diesel Engine: Max power output 375 hp, with a peak torque of 637 N·m.
NEXT LEVEL’s performance in the open market is extremely low-key. When the brand released its first work in 2021, it did not disclose how many orders had been received, nor did it reveal the total sales or production volume of the 6×6 model. However, the brand has gained significant attention within off-road enthusiast circles.
The primary reason for this interest is that the starting price of the NEXT LEVEL Gladiator 6×6, at $132,000, is significantly lower than that of the discontinued Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6×6, whose transaction prices often reach around $1 million. Foreign media have commented that while the vehicle “is not suitable for everyone,” it indeed provides a more accessible 6×6 choice compared to the G63 AMG 6×6. The brand has not published its financial data, financing records, or revenue scale.
Although NEXT LEVEL has only a single work, its technical capabilities cover vehicle structure modification, off-road dynamics, powertrain systems, and the integration of materials.
Three-Axle Six-Wheel Drive Modification: The 6×6 modification is the car’s biggest technical core. Based on the Gladiator’s original two-axle four-wheel chassis, the frame is extended, a third axle is added, and a stiffer central drive shaft is adapted, achieving full-time six-wheel drive (AWD 6×6) for the whole vehicle (front 2, rear 4). This is one of the most recognized challenging engineering solutions in the off-road modification industry, placing extremely high demands on chassis structural strength, multi-axle transmission matching, and suspension geometry design under a long wheelbase.
Suspension and Off-Road Capability: Equipped with a Fox suspension system (including custom shock absorber groups) and optional AT all-terrain tires, the vehicle is built for rugged terrain. The front bumper has undergone lightweight competitive modification, with an electric winch built inside for wilderness self-rescue. After switching to the lightweight competitive bumper, the car’s approach angle was further optimized. These modifications ensure the whole vehicle combines dual capabilities for highway driving and extreme terrain crossing.
Diversified Power Choices: The brand retained the Gladiator’s original three power solutions and added optimized diesel version tuning. Among them, the 3.6T EcoDiesel V6 Diesel Engine provides powerful off-road traction with a peak torque of 637 N·m. Matching the 6×6 chassis allows it to obtain continuous low-torque output in scenarios such as climbing slopes and sandy ground.
Materials and Interior Design: The vehicle exterior extensively uses competitive-grade alloys, composite engineering plastics, and scratch-resistant materials. The interior chooses materials such as hand-stitched Nappa leather, Alcantara, and special custom pattern fabrics, common in luxury cars, ensuring a high unity between off-road capability and luxury feel.
As of now, NEXT LEVEL has no commercial presence in the Mainland China market. While NEXT LEVEL trademarks and vehicle information are recorded on major automotive vertical websites, the brand has not opened any exclusive stores or authorized modification outlets, nor has it signed official parallel import supply agreements. There were virtually no updates regarding the brand on the Chinese internet in 2026. Vehicle delivery in overseas markets relies entirely on direct coordination between the brand’s factory and end customers. Whether the brand will further expand its sales network globally in the future remains uncertain.
From the release of its first work in 2021 to the present, the NEXT LEVEL brand has been in a “semi-dormant” state. As of the second quarter of 2026, NEXT LEVEL has not announced development plans or production schedules for a second modified model. There is also no clear information regarding model iterations or brand restructuring available online. Major automotive platforms that published parameter pages for the NEXT LEVEL Gladiator in 2024 have now listed the vehicle as “discontinued.”
Whether NEXT LEVEL can launch more modification works based on different hardcore off-road platforms, and whether it will mass-produce the 6×6 chassis technology or expand it to other brand models in the future, remains unknown. However, the brand’s quiet posture within the niche off-road modification circle might simply be an alternative embodiment of its adherence to a “minimalist, low-key, focused hardcore” style. Against the backdrop of emerging electric off-road vehicles and large-scale original factory high-performance off-road vehicles, NEXT LEVEL, with pure mechanical limits as its faith, resembles a hidden gem prepared specifically for true off-road fanatics.
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