JT a sales failure & doomed to same fate as the Scrambler?

[redriderjf87]

It's regional. We saw a LOT of Gladiators when in Florida.
In Iowa - we MAY see one or two, the most we've ever seen when out and about around Polk County is 4 or 5. Some days, we may see one or none.
It's not a serious enough truck for our state - Farmers, contractors, etc. - the full size truck rules here. (meaning Silverado, etc.)
Jeeps here are Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, Cherokee, Renegade, and Gladiator in that order.
Wranglers rule some days, but the Grand Cherokee is the official Jeep of our county.
I bet we see 20 Wranglers for every 1 Gladiator.
We were shocked when in Florida last fall - the number of Gladiators amazed us. We were just not used to seeing so many.
But it's not "truck territory" like Iowa and some other states where you need a truck because you need a TRUCK. Iowans don't care much about the convertible bit - weather is too goofy and unpredictable.

Don't disagree, in the QCA I'm at least to the point where I'll see one or two Gladiators every time I'm out driving. Along with 10 angry-eye 4-door Wranglers and 20 Grand Cherokees lol.

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[Gvsukids]

The gentleman in this video claims Gladiator sales have slowed significantly and, without better powertrain options, JTs are doomed to fail soon as 'too niche a vehicle'. I don't know what the latest sales figures show, but prior sales figures showed Gladiators as selling well enough.

Of course, I want the Gladiator to be very successful. But what if there was a reason the Scrambler was discontinued while the CJ/Wrangler platforms carried on? Was the Scrambler, like the JT, not a great pickup and not a great Wrangler, but only great at overlanding or other niche fun?

Just trying to boost his viewership by hyping a hype video?

it will be interesting to see if it’s still a viable model 3-5 years from now.

Might be more on the used car lots, but I know of some people wanting to buy the Gladiator for the bed, and just saving their money.

I agree with this sentiment. It was never about converting owners of Tacomas, Frontiers, Colorados, etc. It was about adding an option to those already drinking their kool aid. Although this is my first true solid axle 4x4, I’d always wanted a JKU and then a JLU, but the practicality and peculiar look of the JT seduced me to my own financial ruin.

We bought the Gladiator after looking at the Tacoma and Colorado. The Gladiator fit our towing needs with the added benefit of having a bed and being a Jeep.

 

[Rusty PW]

I'm seeing more and more JT's every day on the road now.

 

[Closet Jeep guy]

Did any of you watch the video , Ben was a car salesman so he isnt really some random clown , he reviews a lot of vehicles. All he is saying is give it more power. The engine they chose was a poor idea considering the power other mid size trucks are coming out with . And you can say blah blah jeep doesn't care about attracting Toyota or Nissan owners, guess what I'm a Toyota owner who loves to off road and I'm looking at a Gladiator for several reasons . I'm sure there are more of us out there as well. Jeep should have thrown the hemi in there for the price they are selling Gladiators for .

 

[sharpsicle]

Did any of you watch the video , Ben was a car salesman so he isnt really some random clown , he reviews a lot of vehicles. All he is saying is give it more power. The engine they chose was a poor idea considering the power other mid size trucks are coming out with . And you can say blah blah jeep doesn't care about attracting Toyota or Nissan owners, guess what I'm a Toyota owner who loves to off road and I'm looking at a Gladiator for several reasons . I'm sure there are more of us out there as well. Jeep should have thrown the hemi in there for the price they are selling Gladiators for .

Compared to what? It has comparable power to the Tacoma, Colorado, Ranger, etc. even when you spend for the upgraded power plants. And the Tacoma and Colorado come with a 4 cylinder standard to boot which is the real definition of underpowered. So it's a far cry to say the standard V6 option in the Gladiator is going to make it get cancelled when the competition doesn't break 200hp without upgrading.

It's possible you (and Ben) aren't actually understanding the market that the Gladiator is in, and that would explain much about the comments.

In the end, though, if he isn't a clown, this video really does a good job of making him look like one anyway. But I think you'd find being a "car salesman" isn't really a pedigree that carries a lot of respect in the first place. The video is baity, the title is baity, and the conclusions are questionable.

 

[Gren71]

Unless the JT gets a better engine option that doesn’t reduce towing ill be riding this Jt until its nearly dead. Or i win the lottery.

 

[loganjeeps]

Not saying this means anything, but maybe it does. I started looking in early Jan 2023 to get out of my WK2 and pass it down to a family member. There were several Southeast area rebates from MOPAR offerred on 2022 model year Gladiators and Wranglers. Over the course of my search I found a couple dozen 2022 Gladiator Rubicons I persued. I only found one 2022 Wrangler Rubicon.

The cargo space in Wranglers is impractical to me so I wouldn't have gone there anyway (says the guy who still has a Chevy 3500 with 8ft bed). But it's interesting there seemed to be a lot of 2022 Gladiators still on lots across GA, TN, FL, AL.

 

[sharpsicle]

Not saying this means anything, but maybe it does. I started looking in early Jan 2023 to get out of my WK2 and pass it down to a family member. There were several Southeast area rebates from MOPAR offerred on 2022 model year Gladiators and Wranglers. Over the course of my search I found a couple dozen 2022 Gladiator Rubicons I persued. I only found one 2022 Wrangler Rubicon.

The cargo space in Wranglers is impractical to me so I wouldn't have gone there anyway (says the guy who still has a Chevy 3500 with 8ft bed). But it's interesting there seemed to be a lot of 2022 Gladiators still on lots across GA, TN, FL, AL.

Jeep could always resort to botched manufacturing like Ford to keep dealership stock scarce...

On-lot vehicles is more of an indicator of a manufacturer's ability to produce than it is of sales. Jeep can produce Gladiators and Wranglers. Ford can't figure their manufacturing out years later...

 

[Mr._Bill]

If they are really going to drop the diesel option, Jeep better step up their power game else they are gonna get left in the dust.

The V6 in the JT is 'good enough' for the people that are willing to buy it. The potential increase in sales for different engine options is not enough to convince those in charge to spend the money necessary to be able to offer them.

The Jeep market is unique. The only area where they have tried to compete is towing capacity. The overall sales may not be high, compared to the competition, but they are still selling. I don't see any changes coming to the JT lineup until they are ready to offer the hybrid option.

 

[Jaxmax]

I bought my gladiator for the same reason I bought my1982 Scrambler, cause it towed my two campers I had during the eight years I had her, and my 46CJ2A was too small as was the CJ-7.I Ordered it , think I paid $6900 for it. Bought a fiberglass cap for it unbolted the partition between the cab and bed put in a rear seat with seat belts and towed our 16’ Sunline camper all over. Did blow the engine driving in huge snow storm, packed engine compartment with snow and it overheated, not sure but I think it was only around until perhaps 1984. It was not a pickup truck as much as an extended CJ…..Jack
PS: Gladiator is a much better design than the Scrambler which was just another version of the extended version CJ-6.

 

[Closet Jeep guy]

Compared to what? It has comparable power to the Tacoma, Colorado, Ranger, etc. even when you spend for the upgraded power plants. And the Tacoma and Colorado come with a 4 cylinder standard to boot. So it's a far cry to say the standard V6 option in the Gladiator is going to make it get cancelled.

If he isn't a clown, this video really does a good job of making him look like one anyway. But I think you'd find being a "car salesman" isn't really a pedigree that carries a lot of respect in the first place.

You just listed 3 trucks that either have over 300 hp or will have over 300 hp this year. And the Gladiator will be dogging behind.
Jeep needs to add power , it's what people want regardless of what is posted on here .

 

[India-ThreeZeroThree]

The Gladiator isn’t anywhere near how poorly Scrambler sold. I know it’s a thing, not to remember at all, but we did have a bad recession in the 80’s with sky high interest rates. Hence how all auto industry struggled.
On that chart yeah numbers are down but look at the rest. Wranglers are down too. Now they have the Bronco to compete with. Gladiator compete with midsize. Although I see it as a Wrangler with a bed. The economy is taking a hit. But JT sales are not as catastrophic. I don’t see them dropping the JT. It’s a hot seller even though it’s the most expensive mid size pickup. Would be interesting seeing a Bronco pick up although I doubt it will have the same success as the JT. Bronco competing with the Wrangler should maybe bring down the over priced market. And I think I speak for most with a Gladiator, even though it’s a midsized pickup I’m sure most JT buyers couldn’t give a crap about the competition as the JT is a unique vehicle as they come.

 

[sharpsicle]

You just listed 3 trucks that either have over 300 hp or will have over 300 hp this year. And the Gladiator will be dogging behind.
Jeep needs to add power , it's what people want regardless of what is posted on here .

You could’ve at least pretended to read the entire post I made. You’ve entirely missed the point.

But in the end, this isn’t really a conversation we need to have. The video is click bait garbage.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Did any of you watch the video , Ben was a car salesman so he isnt really some random clown , he reviews a lot of vehicles. All he is saying is give it more power. The engine they chose was a poor idea considering the power other mid size trucks are coming out with . And you can say blah blah jeep doesn't care about attracting Toyota or Nissan owners, guess what I'm a Toyota owner who loves to off road and I'm looking at a Gladiator for several reasons . I'm sure there are more of us out there as well. Jeep should have thrown the hemi in there for the price they are selling Gladiators for .

Disagree on the power. My JT tows my trailer as well as my Chevy did - and gets better mpg. He must be driving something that needs some work. I can not only pull 5,000 pounds on the hills of I80 in the east half of our state - I can accelerate up the hills if needed.

I guess you don't understand what the future of the "hemi" is (old old tech, nothing more than a name these days) or about CAFE rules and keeping viable in today's world of rules and laws and EPA requirements and so on.
Give it up - the hemi is nice for those who believe they NEED that power, but why? Seriously. It's a want, not a need. If you NEED more power, buy a BIGGER truck. These were never to compete with an LS equipped full-size Silverado or a big Ford.
Do you need that engine, or simply want it?
There's a list of reasons these don't have a 'hemi' in them.

(be careful - saying "was a car salesman" so isn't some random clown will get a few laughs out here. Most actually are.)

Jeep needs to add power , it's what people want regardless of what is posted on here .

Sorry, that's one of those things that makes me "smile".
Yeah, sure.
What for? Why?
Something to prove? Can't it get up to 90 fast enough for you?
I've never had a time when I felt like it needed more power - and I haul and tow and have been around with these things.

(and I drive one of these things - so I know power)

Apparently a lot of folks will disagree with you as there's a whole lot of Jeeps with the 3.6 and 2.0 out there.
It just seems to be a few who need power for some reason - even though all they do is drive it without working it with a load.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I bought my gladiator for the same reason I bought my1982 Scrambler, cause it towed my two campers I had during the eight years I had her, and my 46CJ2A was too small as was the CJ-7.I Ordered it , think I paid $6900 for it. Bought a fiberglass cap for it unbolted the partition between the cab and bed put in a rear seat with seat belts and towed our 16’ Sunline camper all over. Did blow the engine driving in huge snow storm, packed engine compartment with snow and it overheated, not sure but I think it was only around until perhaps 1984. It was not a pickup truck as much as an extended CJ…..Jack
PS: Gladiator is a much better design than the Scrambler which was just another version of the extended version CJ-6.

It was a CJ8, wasn't it?

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