Vs. 2024 ZR2... (Edit- Test Driven, opinions inside)

[bleda2002]

So even with 15% off MSRP from Jeep and another 7% or so from the dealers, the Colorado is a good 10% cheaper.

Because its a colorado and not a jeep. Nothing against the colorado, but it wont hold its value like a jeep, it doesnt have the lifestyle appeal of a jeep, and its not anywhere near as capable as a jeep. Things that perhaps hold no value to you, but to many buyers do. If all you need is a midsize truck to do dirt roads, the colorado is a great option, if you want more capability, upgradeability, and dare I say significantly more fun quotient, the jeep is easily worth the price difference.

My Gladiator has 6 cup holders btw, 2 center, 2 on the floor in the rear, 2 in the rear bench fold down arm rest.

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[Bonanza]

Because its a colorado and not a jeep. Nothing against the colorado, but it wont hold its value like a jeep, it doesnt have the lifestyle appeal of a jeep, and its not anywhere near as capable as a jeep. Things that perhaps hold no value to you, but to many buyers do. If all you need is a midsize truck to do dirt roads, the colorado is a great option, if you want more capability, upgradeability, and dare I say significantly more fun quotient, the jeep is easily worth the price difference.

My Gladiator has 6 cup holders btw, 2 center, 2 on the floor in the rear, 2 in the rear bench fold down arm rest.

I wouldn’t be so sure on that exceptionalism. For one, my gladiators value has sunk like a stone. Second, as far as capability the zr2 is very capable. “Lifestyle appeal” is a marketing gimmick. These are both midsize trucks.

The Colorado has gobs more power and will blow away a Jeep at any sense of speed. The Jeep would be my preference in the rocks, but these colorados have been through clawhammer. Which is pretty good in my eyes.

 

[maSS-hole]

Because its a colorado and not a jeep. Nothing against the colorado, but it wont hold its value like a jeep, it doesnt have the lifestyle appeal of a jeep, and its not anywhere near as capable as a jeep. Things that perhaps hold no value to you, but to many buyers do.

My Gladiator has 6 cup holders btw, 2 center, 2 on the floor in the rear, 2 in the rear bench fold down arm rest.

Capability is interesting to me. I think to truly find the difference between the two trucks you would need to be on a pretty extreme trail and, since the ZR2 can fit 35's right off the showroom floor, i think that its capable enough for most anything short of some a near buggy trail. Hell, with a few extra skids bolted on I doubt it would have any issue with the Rubicon trail or similar. Ive seen plenty of guys on the Toyota groups run that trail with skids, 35's and a rear locker and that is a less capable truck than the ZR2. My guess is the Jeep probably handles things with more poise being solid axle, but I am not sure that the actual capability difference is that large unless you really build out the jeep with a lift and 37+" tires, which I dont think I would do.

And no, those things dont mean a lot to me. I cannot see taking the doors and roof off just to go bomb down a dusty trail in the desert and be covered in crap. I already had a 4Runner with a roll down rear window and that was a no go.

Oh the other thing is the ZR2's payload is quite a bit higher. The Jeeps I looked at were ~1000 lbs while this fully pimped Zr2 was nearly 1300. Without the moonroof it would probably be mid 1300's.

 

[bleda2002]

I wouldn’t be so sure on that exceptionalism. For one, my gladiators value has sunk like a stone. Second, as far as capability the zr2 is very capable. “Lifestyle appeal” is a marketing gimmick. These are both midsize trucks.

The Colorado has gobs more power and will blow away a Jeep at any sense of speed. The Jeep would be my preference in the rocks, but these colorados have been through clawhammer. Which is pretty good in my eyes.

Sunk like a stone compared to what? I bought mine right at the very beginning of covid, i've lost 10K vs what I paid in 3 years and nearly 40K miles, literally 25%. If you bought during covid at inflated values, then yes you lost a good bit, but so did everyone else and probably still less than other vehicles.

I dont see lifestyle appeal as a marketing gimmick, its an open air, do everything, go anywhere adult lego. Thats the lifestyle appeal and there is no other midsize truck that has that appeal. If you arent in to modding trucks, off roading, camping, and doing that kind of stuff, then lifestyle appeal is just a marketing gimmick.

As for power/speed, the colorado zr2 did 0-60 in 7.1 seconds the gladiator in just under 8, neither of them are speed demons, especially compared to something like the wife's 4xe wrangler which was mid 5's. Yes the engine on paper has more power, but like the bronco, the real world performance seems lacking.

As for what its been through, you can take almost anything through almost anything (jeep drags these stock trucks through the rubicon for god sakes) if you dont care what it looks like when its done. I've wheeled with bisons, tacoma's, rangers, broncos and even outside of rocks (not a whole lot of that in florida outside of the off road parks), with 3K bucks sunk in to all the trucks the jeep is the one that for average people who dont want a repair bill just goes everywhere confidently. No excessive gassing, no drama, no picking just the right line, its just so much easier to wheel. If you only care about getting to the end, then sure they're probably all pretty close in "capability" if you care about how much fun and how easy the actual getting there is its not even close.

 

[maSS-hole]

I wouldn’t be so sure on that exceptionalism. For one, my gladiators value has sunk like a stone. Second, as far as capability the zr2 is very capable. “Lifestyle appeal” is a marketing gimmick. These are both midsize trucks.

The Colorado has gobs more power and will blow away a Jeep at any sense of speed. The Jeep would be my preference in the rocks, but these colorados have been through clawhammer. Which is pretty good in my eyes.

The used prices dont seem to have caught up with the massive discounts on new. Looking at used JTR diesels around here, they are going for just about as much as a new one would be. $48k for a minimally optioned 2022 JTR Diesel with the only option I can see being the cold weather package and hard top. Im pretty sure I could get that same price for one new.

But yeah the lifestyle thing is BS to me. That shouldnt cost me money. All you are doing is handing Jeep an extra 10k to feel good. Im sure they(Jeep's executives) feel great too after you buy one

 

[maSS-hole]

Sunk like a stone compared to what? I bought mine right at the very beginning of covid, i've lost 10K vs what I paid in 3 years and nearly 40K miles, literally 25%. If you bought during covid at inflated values, then yes you lost a good bit, but so did everyone else and probably still less than other vehicles.

I dont see lifestyle appeal as a marketing gimmick, its an open air, do everything, go anywhere adult lego. Thats the lifestyle appeal and there is no other midsize truck that has that appeal. If you arent in to modding trucks, off roading, camping, and doing that kind of stuff, then lifestyle appeal is just a marketing gimmick.

As for power/speed, the colorado zr2 did 0-60 in 7.1 seconds the gladiator in just under 8, neither of them are speed demons, especially compared to something like the wife's 4xe wrangler which was mid 5's. Yes the engine on paper has more power, but like the bronco, the real world performance seems lacking.

As for what its been through, you can take almost anything through almost anything (jeep drags these stock trucks through the rubicon for god sakes) if you dont care what it looks like when its done. I've wheeled with bisons, tacoma's, rangers, broncos and even outside of rocks (not a whole lot of that in florida outside of the off road parks), with 3K bucks sunk in to all the trucks the jeep is the one that for average people who dont want a repair bill just goes everywhere confidently. No excessive gassing, no drama, no picking just the right line, its just so much easier to wheel. If you only care about getting to the end, then sure they're probably all pretty close in "capability" if you care about how much fun and how easy the actual getting there is its not even close.

I am into all of that stuff. Our weekends consist of offroading to remote lakes in the national forest behind our house to paddle board or heading down in the desert in southern UT to camp 5 miles from the nearest person.

What makes the jeep more appealing in that sense? The doors and roof come off? Why would I want that when im driving around on dusty, silty desert roads? That would all blow into the truck the second you slow down.

I am not being a jerk, I am genuinely curious where those things even come into play?

 

[bleda2002]

I am into all of that stuff. Our weekends consist of offroading to remote lakes in the national forest behind our house to paddle board or heading down in the desert in southern UT to camp 5 miles from the nearest person.

What makes the jeep more appealing in that sense? The doors and roof come off? Why would I want that when im driving around on dusty, silty desert roads? That would all blow into the truck the second you slow down.

I am not being a jerk, I am genuinely curious where those things even come into play?

If your level of off-roading can easily be done by a subaru, or a stock ifs midsize truck, we're not talking about the same stuff honestly. There is a vast gulf between stock ifs truck on 35's and a rubicon on 37's in terms of capability and not just "in the rocks" as people like to claim. If you dont mind taking the easier line or the bypass and the joy is in the destination, not in the challenge of getting there, then you wont get the added appeal of the Jeep. Nothing wrong with that either btw, most people I think care more about saying they "did" a trail, not about how well they did on the trail. To get a zr2 close to what my rubicon is in terms of capability, it would take 10's of K's honestly because IFS is just so much more limiting and inherently weaker as it comes from the factory. I like to do the hard stuff, I see an obstacle and ask how can I make it harder, I want to climb up everything, go down the drops, try to lift a tire etc.

The open air is because its a convertible, if you dont find the appeal of a convertible, then it holds no value to you, and that is again fine. I use my sunrider almost every day that isnt raining. I love the open air feeling and freedom, I've had sunroofs its just not the same to me. In the spring I take the doors off and leave them off for weeks at a time, the kids get a big kick out of it even just around town.

As for the adult lego, I love modding things. I cant leave things alone or I get bored. The jeeps are the only vehicles (and maybe the bronco to a lesser degree now) where you can really customize and improve for relatively cheap and with out a lot of cutting/permanent modifications. This last point alone is a big reason for the jeep appeal to me, its designed to let me do that, other vehicles are instead doing their best to stop that kind of behavior.

I am probably towards the extreme side of why a Jeep fits my wants and needs and not anything else. No other vehicle on the market will satisfy what I want to be able to do, so an extra 5K is a bargain to me because I'll use what the 5K is buying. On the other hand it appears that you( and probably a lot of jeep owners as well) would be better served by a different midsize truck.

Not being rude, but why do you stick around here when it feels like its pretty obvious a jeep isnt for you? Like what about the jeep keeps drawing you back even though its clearly not a better fit than the zr2 you love?

 

[maSS-hole]

If your level of off-roading can easily be done by a subaru, or a stock ifs midsize truck, we're not talking about the same stuff honestly. There is a vast gulf between stock ifs truck on 35's and a rubicon on 37's in terms of capability and not just "in the rocks" as people like to claim. If you dont mind taking the easier line or the bypass and the joy is in the destination, not in the challenge of getting there, then you wont get the added appeal of the Jeep. Nothing wrong with that either btw, most people I think care more about saying they "did" a trail, not about how well they did on the trail. To get a zr2 close to what my rubicon is in terms of capability, it would take 10's of K's honestly because IFS is just so much more limiting and inherently weaker as it comes from the factory. I like to do the hard stuff, I see an obstacle and ask how can I make it harder, I want to climb up everything, go down the drops, try to lift a tire etc.

The open air is because its a convertible, if you dont find the appeal of a convertible, then it holds no value to you, and that is again fine. I use my sunrider almost every day that isnt raining. I love the open air feeling and freedom, I've had sunroofs its just not the same to me. In the spring I take the doors off and leave them off for weeks at a time, the kids get a big kick out of it even just around town.

As for the adult lego, I love modding things. I cant leave things alone or I get bored. The jeeps are the only vehicles (and maybe the bronco to a lesser degree now) where you can really customize and improve for relatively cheap and with out a lot of cutting/permanent modifications. This last point alone is a big reason for the jeep appeal to me, its designed to let me do that, other vehicles are instead doing their best to stop that kind of behavior.

I am probably towards the extreme side of why a Jeep fits my wants and needs and not anything else. No other vehicle on the market will satisfy what I want to be able to do, so an extra 5K is a bargain to me because I'll use what the 5K is buying. On the other hand it appears that you( and probably a lot of jeep owners as well) would be better served by a different midsize truck.

Not being rude, but why do you stick around here when it feels like its pretty obvious a jeep isnt for you? Like what about the jeep keeps drawing you back even though its clearly not a better fit than the zr2 you love?

So the removable top probably works better for your environment. Here in UT I think I would really only get May-September where I could comfortable take the top off. And even then, at 7AM in July its 50-60* outside due to the desert climate swinging the temperature 30-40* per day. So its not even like in any given day I could just drive around with it off.

When did I say I loved the ZR2? I think I said I was unimpressed by the engine. What gets me is that that the sticker price is SOOOOO much lower. If Jeep was not running a 15% off MSRP rebate right now the two trucks would be $21k apart! I find that offensive. Sorry. Im not saying the Jeep is a bad vehicle, I actually quite enjoyed the 3 I drove. But I also want my money's worth. I plan on going an sitting in another Gladiator tonight or tomorrow now that I was just in the ZR2 to try to see exactly how they compare.

I am not looking for a daily driver. My wife and I both work from home and when we just scoot around locally we take the Chevy Bolt. I am looking for a truck that can tow my travel trailer, and then wheel when I get to my destination with the trailer. There are not many vehicles that can check both of those boxes well. My GX460 can do most of the wheeling I want and cost me $20k and is an all around solid truck, but lacks in the towing department. My F150 tows great but is humongous on trails and physically wont fit down many of them.

So far the only vehicles that seem to fit my requirements are an Ecodiesel Gladiator, a Colorado with the 2.7L, and I have also been looking really hard for a 200 series Land Cruiser. Problem with the Land Cruisers is the price is absolutely insane. $72k for a 2018 with 45k miles when I looked at one not too long ago. So I have pretty much written those off. At least with the Land Cruiser I would have to spend 72k and then spend thousands more on a lift, tires and skids. I'd probably be into it $80k when all is said and done just to get it even remotely trail ready. So I do understand that aspect

 

[Bonanza]

If your level of off-roading can easily be done by a subaru, or a stock ifs midsize truck, we're not talking about the same stuff honestly. There is a vast gulf between stock ifs truck on 35's and a rubicon on 37's in terms of capability and not just "in the rocks" as people like to claim. If you dont mind taking the easier line or the bypass and the joy is in the destination, not in the challenge of getting there, then you wont get the added appeal of the Jeep. Nothing wrong with that either btw, most people I think care more about saying they "did" a trail, not about how well they did on the trail. To get a zr2 close to what my rubicon is in terms of capability, it would take 10's of K's honestly because IFS is just so much more limiting and inherently weaker as it comes from the factory. I like to do the hard stuff, I see an obstacle and ask how can I make it harder, I want to climb up everything, go down the drops, try to lift a tire etc.

The open air is because its a convertible, if you dont find the appeal of a convertible, then it holds no value to you, and that is again fine. I use my sunrider almost every day that isnt raining. I love the open air feeling and freedom, I've had sunroofs its just not the same to me. In the spring I take the doors off and leave them off for weeks at a time, the kids get a big kick out of it even just around town.

As for the adult lego, I love modding things. I cant leave things alone or I get bored. The jeeps are the only vehicles (and maybe the bronco to a lesser degree now) where you can really customize and improve for relatively cheap and with out a lot of cutting/permanent modifications. This last point alone is a big reason for the jeep appeal to me, its designed to let me do that, other vehicles are instead doing their best to stop that kind of behavior.

I am probably towards the extreme side of why a Jeep fits my wants and needs and not anything else. No other vehicle on the market will satisfy what I want to be able to do, so an extra 5K is a bargain to me because I'll use what the 5K is buying. On the other hand it appears that you( and probably a lot of jeep owners as well) would be better served by a different midsize truck.

Not being rude, but why do you stick around here when it feels like its pretty obvious a jeep isnt for you? Like what about the jeep keeps drawing you back even though its clearly not a better fit than the zr2 you love?

Im not sure who this is directed to, but I don’t love the ZR2. Indeed I stated I test drove one and was underwhelmed.

I bought mine in 2020 for 43 flat. So I didn’t overpay, and mine is not paid off.

However I agree with the other poster that no doors and no roof means nothing to me. I rockcrawl on 37s, and it’s dry and dusty. I have no desire to choke on dust and be covered in dirt. No doors and top might be fun in a Starbucks drive through, but not for wheeling. Going further, the top is kind of a pain in the ass as the panels take a ton of room. But I do enjoy sunroofs and would likely use that bestop soft panel replacement a lot

The Lego aspect is fine, sure. But my Jeep is finished. Bumpers, sliders, lift, I regeared mine with my own hands, 37s, wheels, swaybar, lights, etc etc. It’s not -that- fun but I suppose it was when I was doing it.

Overall, the Jeep is fine. It currently does everything I need it to do. But I could easily be swayed to get something else. I’ve grown weary of driving something so slow. I think I’d be really content if this engine wasn’t such a dog. (The eco diesel doesn’t interest me, V8 would)

 

[bleda2002]

Im not sure who this is directed to, but I don’t love the ZR2. Indeed I stated I test drove one and was underwhelmed.

I bought mine in 2020 for 43 flat. So I didn’t overpay, and mine is not paid off.

However I agree with the other poster that no doors and no roof means nothing to me. I rockcrawl on 37s, and it’s dry and dusty. I have no desire to choke on dust and be covered in dirt. No doors and top might be fun in a Starbucks drive through, but not for wheeling. Going further, the top is kind of a pain in the ass as the panels take a ton of room. But I do enjoy sunroofs and would likely use that bestop soft panel replacement a lot

The Lego aspect is fine, sure. But my Jeep is finished. Bumpers, sliders, lift, I regeared mine with my own hands, 37s, wheels, swaybar, lights, etc etc. It’s not -that- fun but I suppose it was when I was doing it.

Overall, the Jeep is fine. It currently does everything I need it to do. But I could easily be swayed to get something else. I’ve grown weary of driving something so slow. I think I’d be really content if this engine wasn’t such a dog. (The eco diesel doesn’t interest me, V8 would)

Was directed at maSS-hole as it just seems like he isnt the target audience for a gladiator.

How much have you lost in 4 years? At 43K you should be doing pretty well compared to the average car market, i'd expect somewhere around 30-35% depreciation vs actual transaction price. Obviously compared to the covid highs its a lot lower, but I ignore those 2.5 years as the market was in an out of whack state.

Try the sunrider, the freedom panels suck, the sun rider is awesome. When I had the freedom panels I rarely took them off, but with the sun rider it basically opens as soon as I get in. The best part of the sun rider is also that it is useable on trails, if its too dusty close it on the move, if not pop it open and enjoy the open air, the sun rider has to be my single most favorite addition.

I totally understand the dog of an engine, I regeared to 5.13's to make it palatable, but will be greatly tempted by the 4xe when it comes out. The wife has a 4xe wrangler and it absolutely thrills even on 39's with 3.73's compared to my gladiator. Its 0-60 on 39's is still about 7 seconds.

 

[maSS-hole]

Was directed at maSS-hole as it just seems like he isnt the target audience for a gladiator.

How much have you lost in 4 years? At 43K you should be doing pretty well compared to the average car market, i'd expect somewhere around 30-35% depreciation vs actual transaction price. Obviously compared to the covid highs its a lot lower, but I ignore those 2.5 years as the market was in an out of whack state.

Try the sunrider, the freedom panels suck, the sun rider is awesome. When I had the freedom panels I rarely took them off, but with the sun rider it basically opens as soon as I get in. The best part of the sun rider is also that it is useable on trails, if its too dusty close it on the move, if not pop it open and enjoy the open air, the sun rider has to be my single most favorite addition.

I totally understand the dog of an engine, I regeared to 5.13's to make it palatable, but will be greatly tempted by the 4xe when it comes out. The wife has a 4xe wrangler and it absolutely thrills even on 39's with 3.73's compared to my gladiator. Its 0-60 on 39's is still about 7 seconds.

Is a 4Xe gladiator coming out? That I would be interested in.

 

[bleda2002]

Is a 4Xe gladiator coming out? That I would be interested in.

MY2025 according to union docs. The old head of jeep confirmed it multiple times as well that it was coming with out a date, but the union docs says MY2025 is the planned release.

 

[Bonanza]

Was directed at maSS-hole as it just seems like he isnt the target audience for a gladiator.

How much have you lost in 4 years? At 43K you should be doing pretty well compared to the average car market, i'd expect somewhere around 30-35% depreciation vs actual transaction price. Obviously compared to the covid highs its a lot lower, but I ignore those 2.5 years as the market was in an out of whack state.

Try the sunrider, the freedom panels suck, the sun rider is awesome. When I had the freedom panels I rarely took them off, but with the sun rider it basically opens as soon as I get in. The best part of the sun rider is also that it is useable on trails, if its too dusty close it on the move, if not pop it open and enjoy the open air, the sun rider has to be my single most favorite addition.

I totally understand the dog of an engine, I regeared to 5.13's to make it palatable, but will be greatly tempted by the 4xe when it comes out. The wife has a 4xe wrangler and it absolutely thrills even on 39's with 3.73's compared to my gladiator. Its 0-60 on 39's is still about 7 seconds.

MY2025 according to union docs. The old head of jeep confirmed it multiple times as well that it was coming with out a date, but the union docs says MY2025 is the planned release.

The 4xe is better than nothing I guess, but it isn't going to inspire me to trade. My buddy has a 4xe JL, and it's certainly quicker, it isn't anything special. His readout was 24 mpg. Good-ish, I guess? I have a hard time getting hosed on a trade unless there is a significant upgrade. a 392 would've been ideal. There's no reason the V8 should been such an expensive option. Oh well.

I'm going to wait a bit for the Ranger Raptor. If the going rate these days is 60k+, I might as well take that 430tq/400hp truck for a spin.

 

[bleda2002]

The 4xe is better than nothing I guess, but it isn't going to inspire me to trade. My buddy has a 4xe JL, and it's certainly quicker, it isn't anything special. His readout was 24 mpg. Good-ish, I guess? I have a hard time getting hosed on a trade unless there is a significant upgrade. a 392 would've been ideal. There's no reason the V8 should been such an expensive option. Oh well.

I'm going to wait a bit for the Ranger Raptor. If the going rate these days is 60k+, I might as well take that 430tq/400hp truck for a spin.

If the 4xe isnt impressive I doubt anything will impress you. The 4xe punches well above it's weight with the instant torque, it should easily be the quickest of all the new midsize trucks. Also that's 24mpg with 6 litre v8 power...impressive as hell to me lol.

 

[Bonanza]

If the 4xe isnt impressive I doubt anything will impress you. The 4xe punches well above it's weight with the instant torque, it should easily be the quickest of all the new midsize trucks. Also that's 24mpg with 6 litre v8 power...impressive as hell to me lol.

It's odd, my wife's 6 speed 1.8t golf wagon with a tune (est 230 hp) feels like a rocketship compared to the Jeep. I know it isn't, but it feels quick. I suppose I can't be too harsh considering I'm asking the Jeep to get moving with 37s. I echo @maSS-hole about the ZR2's "meh" feeling of power. It didn't feel torquey to me at all, and I was bracing for it. It went forward, sure. But not at any pace that either squished me into the seat nor felt fast. With 37s, (which is can't even fit), it would be nightmarishly slow I think.

But there isn't a review out there of the 392 that echoes these sentiments. I could sacrifice a little towing for a proper V8 or V8 level power. 400+ is probably sufficient.

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