Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
There must have been some cooling concerns, they opened up the grille slots for '24 to increase airflow. They are no longer solid like they have been forever.
For sure. Here's a great article on the limiting factor for towing on the Gladiator during development. Not horsepower, not the rear axle, not brakes or anything like that. Also why the diesel with massive torque has a lower tow rating than the gas engines.
Cooling.

The Engineering Behind The Jeep Gladiator's Tow Rating, And Why The Diesel Will Tow Less
Right Now, Auto Writers Are In Sacramento, California Testing The 2020 Jeep Gladiator, And While Driving Impressions Are Embargoed For A Bit Longer, There's A Great Story To Be Told About How Jeep Engineers Managed To Get The Truck To Tow A Best-In-Class (For A Gas Vehicle) 7,650 Pounds—and Why...

I agree that the payload on the Wrangler is just paltry. I would love to hear a good explanation on that from Jeep, I've heard it is because of the rear suspension. Some of the development work they did on the J8 program seems to confirm that as they ditched the rear coil suspension for leaves to get the 1250kg ( 2750lbs!) payload rating.
Yeah, the J8 has rear leafs and a D60.
I have to assume it's also about ride comfort - it would be *very* stiff when empty if it had a ~2000lbs payload.
-Dan