Has anyone looked at the Jeep Gladiator?

[Redcatcher70]

Saw one on the street yesterday and glanced at the specs online. Interesting numbers and features for towing with a 3.6L engine with a 6 speed manual or 8 speed auto., 7600 tow cap. And 1600 lb. cc. I will not buy one, but anyone who likes back country camping might want to look at one...

[srt20]

I have a JL Rubicon. Well actually its my wife's. Im not a "Jeep guy".

But I will say, Ive been impressed with its road manners. It drives ALOT better than I thought it would. Its fun in towns and local commuting. Its pretty good on the interstate also. I still prefer my F150 or Durango on the interstate, but the Jeep is not bad at all.
I have the 2.0T. Pulled approx 2700lbs with it. Did fine. I come from having a few CTD trucks. And I greatly preferred the 2.0T over the 3.6 in the Wrangler. I have the 3.6 in my Durango and feel its a great engine, but it feels weak at low rpm in the Wrangler with much bigger tires.
I also chose the 3.5L Eco in the F150 because of the low end power vs the NA v-8.

Yeah, I think the Jeeps are expensive, mine is a loaded up Rubicon also. Is it worth it? IDK, my F150 was quite a bit more MSRP. Worth it? Again, IDK but I can take the doors and top off the Jeep. I cant do that in my truck. Ive taken both offroad, no doubt the Jeep is better. But then again, no doubt the F150 is better on the road.
You have to decide if its worth it to you. It doesnt matter if anyone else thinks its worth it, unless they are paying for it.....

[FishOnOne]

Flashman wrote:
Fishy - have you checked the prices on Raptors lately? Starting at $53,000.
I would take a Rubicon off road way before the mall poser Raptor.

No I haven’t because the wife wants a Jeep and not a Raptor

[Groover]

Flashman wrote:
Fishy - have you checked the prices on Raptors lately? Starting at $53,000.
I would take a Rubicon off road way before the mall poser Raptor.

That depends a lot on the type of "off road" terrain that you are going out on. The Jeeps are purpose built for extremely rough cramped terrain a low speeds. The Raptor is built for moderately rough open deserts at high speeds.

From what I hear the Jeep is great for rock crawling and decent in city driving but comes up short on highways and trailer towing. The Raptor does great on highways and can pull a pretty decent trailer when not being used for recreation. Its large size and width actually makes it a pretty poor choice for going to the mall compared to the Jeep. The Jeep would make a great second truck for me but right now I am stuck with much less expensive used vehicles for that purpose. And something with higher tow ratings than the Raptor for my main truck.

[Flashman]

Fishy - have you checked the prices on Raptors lately? Starting at $53,000.
I would take a Rubicon off road way before the mall poser Raptor.

[FishOnOne]

Flashman wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:
From the research I've been doing the 3.6L appears to be adequate at best in the 4 door Wrangler in non towing applications and I wouldn't want the turbo 4 cylinder nor would I want the Eco Diesel. In addition these two engine options add even more costs.

Personally I think both the 4 door Wrangler and the Gladiator are over priced.

There you have it folks. A totally unbiased opinion - from someone who has blue oval contact lenses.

Let's let the folks decide: Here's the vehicle in play. Pictures taken this past Sunday.

Jeep Wrangler 4 Door Rubicon
Sticker Price: $58,760
2.0 Liter I4 DOHC Turbo E Torque Engine: $1,000

[Flashman]

FishOnOne wrote:
From the research I've been doing the 3.6L appears to be adequate at best in the 4 door Wrangler in non towing applications and I wouldn't want the turbo 4 cylinder nor would I want the Eco Diesel. In addition these two engine options add even more costs.

Personally I think both the 4 door Wrangler and the Gladiator are over priced.

There you have it folks. A totally unbiased opinion - from someone who has blue oval contact lenses.

[ppine]

Dated old technology is part of the appeal for some. This type of vehicle would best pulling a utility trailer with camping equipment instead of a TT.

[FishOnOne]

From the research I've been doing the 3.6L appears to be adequate at best in the 4 door Wrangler in non towing applications and I wouldn't want the turbo 4 cylinder nor would I want the Eco Diesel. In addition these two engine options add even more costs.

Personally I think both the 4 door Wrangler and the Gladiator are over priced.

[deltabravo]

The issue I have with the Gladiator is that taking the price and comparing it to a similarly price 1500 series truck, you end up with a much better tow vehicle buying a 1500 series truck.

In other words, I think the Gladiator is overpriced for what it is.

I had a 2012 JKU Rubicon with 4:10 gears. I towed a 6x12 cargo trailer across Washington multiple time. Fuel mileage was bad. Trailer probably weight in at 3000-3500 loaded. Based on my experience, I wouldn't want to tow much more than that with the Pentastar 3.6L V6

[FishOnOne]

deltabravo wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

smarty wrote:
MSRP is off the charts, IMHO

True dat. Unbelievably so actually.

x12.

For the money a Gladiator costs, I'd be far better ahead "tow-rig wise" buying something else.... like a full size truck.

I have looked at the Gladiator a few weeks ago. The interior of the new generation Jeep is kind of nasty. Bright colors on the dash look like a Fiat. Oh wait, it is sort of a Fiat.

The dash / interior of the 2011+ JK was much nicer in my opinion.

I like the exterior of the Rubicon with the painted fenders, but I don't care for the Rubi red dash insert. I think if you could get a Rubicon with a Overland interior would be the best scenario.

[deltabravo]

Grit dog wrote:

smarty wrote:
MSRP is off the charts, IMHO

True dat. Unbelievably so actually.

x12.

For the money a Gladiator costs, I'd be far better ahead "tow-rig wise" buying something else.... like a full size truck.

I have looked at the Gladiator a few weeks ago. The interior of the new generation Jeep is kind of nasty. Bright colors on the dash look like a Fiat. Oh wait, it is sort of a Fiat.

The dash / interior of the 2011+ JK was much nicer in my opinion.

[FishOnOne]

I finally spotted my first Gladiator in the wild yesterday.

[FishOnOne]

Flashman wrote:

Bedlam wrote:

Flashman wrote:
I wonder if some one will make a flat bed for the Gladiator? I could put my 570 rzr on it and flat tow it behind a motor home. Be just about perfect.

The RZR is 9' long so you cannot side load this vehicle. It would have to ramped up over the cab since a 9' deck behind a Gladiator cab would put CG too far rear of the axle.

8 ft would be more than enough. Put the rzr in backwards - the rear is heavier and an aluminum flat bed would keep the weight down.

May want to inspect those welds before installing that flat bed. The Wrangler gets a big black eye as FCA's supplier of frames can't get their act together due to poor quality welds. Perhaps you should consider installing that flatbed on the RZR and haul the jeep. LOL...

Link

[Flashman]

Bedlam wrote:

Flashman wrote:
I wonder if some one will make a flat bed for the Gladiator? I could put my 570 rzr on it and flat tow it behind a motor home. Be just about perfect.

The RZR is 9' long so you cannot side load this vehicle. It would have to ramped up over the cab since a 9' deck behind a Gladiator cab would put CG too far rear of the axle.

8 ft would be more than enough. Put the rzr in backwards - the rear is heavier and an aluminum flat bed would keep the weight down.