Extended road trip in our Mojave.

[Olivia2023]

My wife and I just returned from a 12-day, 16-state road trip in our beloved sarge green Jeep Gladiator Mojave named “Olivia.” I wanted to take a moment and share how the vehicle performed during the trip. We live near the Lake of the Ozarks, MO and it started off with a “lets drive Olivia up to Maine and eat some lobster.” It kind of morphed into a little bit of a longer trip and we ultimately were able to fit in 6 National Parks along the way and ended up with just over 4,000 miles driven.

I was initially a little concerned as to whether we would be comfortable taking the Gladiator on such a long journey, but I would like to share that it was wonderful. The Mojave trim level is a dream to drive on the interstate… as well as on some of the more colorful roads that we ended up on (read that as we got way lost in a back Appalachian holler somewhere in West Virginia).

I put a Diamondback HD tonneau cover on the back, and I would never have any other cover after having this one. I kept a large YETI cooler underneath it, along with a smaller one in the back seat and it worked out perfectly. The highlights of the trip were certainly eating the fresh lobster in Maine and driving through the New England countryside, which neither of us had ever been.

We averaged 18.3 mpg over the course of the trip and except for getting lost in Appalachia (it was kind of cool), and almost smoking a MOOSE in Vermont, this was probably the best vacation that either of us had ever been on. Taking road trips in our Jeep will probably be the new norm for vacations for us. Just way too cool.

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[legacy_etu]

Ha, great pic of the Maine harbor and lobsters. I love Maine and camp there often. In fact we just got back Tuesday night from a camping trip in the mountains. Also first towing trip of our camper with the Mojave. Gotta say the truck was very comfortable and towed well.

 

[PuddleJumper]

That's awesome man! I do that all the time. But solo cus my Wife isn't easily convinced of leaving the house . I've dipped all around to Georgia, Tennessee, Vermont, you name it. Can't wait to eventually try out west. A nice set of 37s or 35s on a Mojave with a hammock and 12v fridge. Its the best nomad setup I've ever had. If i was single, I'd just live on the road like that 24/7.

 

[wally1955]

How were the Falkens on the highway, thinking of putting those on my Willys and dumping the M/T’s.

 

[PuddleJumper]

How were the Falkens on the highway, thinking of putting those on my Willys and dumping the M/T’s.

I went through 50% of my tread in 18,000 miles. They were quiet and did quite well on snow and ice. I do drive like a jackass though.

 

[Olivia2023]

How were the Falkens on the highway, thinking of putting those on my Willys and dumping the M/T’s.

Absolutely outstanding. I love the aesthetics of them but wouldn't let that be my only deciding factor. They have to perform well too, and they do. I believe that when it comes time to replace these tires (they currently are a little under 17k miles on them), I will replace them with the same tire.

 

[Olivia2023]

How were the Falkens on the highway, thinking of putting those on my Willys and dumping the M/T’s.

100% satisfied with them. I have just under 17K miles on them and couldn't be happier with them. They look awesome, but absolutely perform well on the highway too.

 

[Olivia2023]

I went through 50% of my tread in 18,000 miles. They were quiet and did quite well on snow and ice. I do drive like a jackass though.

I have not found that to be an issue. I have just under 17k miles on these and I honestly can't notice any tread loss. I do drive like the senior citizen that I am though! LOL.

 

[HorsesRear]

My wife and I took a very similar trip from Clever Missouri up the entire coast of Maine. It was the best road trip we ever took. Beautiful place and we got lots of photos. The only downside to the entire trip was all the Semi's on the major roads.

 

[ErylFlynn]

We are running from Washinton to North Dakota in a few weeks ourselves, and doing it in the Mojave. Did you do any headliner or Armorlite? I did the Killz mat and headerline and armor lite. Waiting to see how it works for a long trip. I only have 2200 miles on mine so far.

 

[Olivia2023]

We are running from Washinton to North Dakota in a few weeks ourselves, and doing it in the Mojave. Did you do any headliner or Armorlite? I did the Killz mat and headerline and armor lite. Waiting to see how it works for a long trip. I only have 2200 miles on mine so far.

Good luck on your journey. Like I mentioned in my post, I simply couldn't be more impressed with the overall drivability of the Mojave trim line on the interstate. Absolutely happy with it. As far as a headliner goes, it didn't come with the factory headliner (which I was actually happy about).

We purchased a Hothead brand headliner with the optional "sound assassin" strips. 100% couldn't be happier with it. You will have a splendid trip and I'm glad that you got a couple of thousand miles on it before you did a longer road trip with it.

Are you going to change the oil before the trip? I changed ours out initially at 3K and will do it every 5k after that. After this last 4K mile trip, we are just under 17k miles on it and haven't had a single issue with her so far. I would probably want to change out the factory oil before the trip, if you haven't done so, but that is just me.

Safe travels friend,

Steven Snow
Warsaw, MO

 

[ErylFlynn]

Likely changing after I get back, I changed my oil at about 800 miles to get some break in wear metal out just to be safe. Even got an oil analysis done as well which came back good as you would expect. Wanted to start a baseline is all. Debating on using my wave so I can get the tires rotated. Wondering if they balance them as well, if not might as well just do it my self.

Sounds like you hit some light trails, what did you hit? Did you do any pseudo desert running? We are going to Medora and there are some dirt road trails out to a house that Roosevelt live at, hoping I can do some mojave type driving.

 

[Olivia2023]

Likely changing after I get back, I changed my oil at about 800 miles to get some break in wear metal out just to be safe. Even got an oil analysis done as well which came back good as you would expect. Wanted to start a baseline is all. Debating on using my wave so I can get the tires rotated. Wondering if they balance them as well, if not might as well just do it my self.

Sounds like you hit some light trails, what did you hit? Did you do any pseudo desert running? We are going to Medora and there are some dirt road trails out to a house that Roosevelt live at, hoping I can do some mojave type driving.

Hey Brett,

I am glad to hear that you had changed the initial oil before the trip. When we got our 2023 Mojave last summer that was actually quite a debate as to when to change the initial oil. In the past, I have always changed it at 1k miles. I'm sure there are a zillion opinions on it, but one that I took to heart was from a trusted mechanic buddy of mine who suggested the 3k mile mark as that would give the engine sufficient time to break it a bit before the first change.

At any rate, it will be done every 5k from then on, and I will rotate the tires each time I do the oil change. I didn't know about the oil analysis option until recently. I sent a sample into Blackstone labs with this last oil change and am anxiously awaiting the results. (It was the 3rd oil change - 3k, 8k, and 13k). I can spend the $35 on a decent meal, so getting the oil analysis done for that little bit of money is super cool (at least in my humble opinion).

As far as the trails go, as I mentioned in my post we got lost and did like 10 miles on some way back country Appalachian holler road. The truck performed flawlessly, with the exception that I was throwing rocks from the tires for several minutes after getting back on the interstate.

I can't say enough about the Mojave trim line. This is absolutely my favorite vehicle that we've ever owned.

Safe travels friend,

Steven

 

[shikamaroxu]

That sounds like an amazing road trip. I love how you went from Maine lobster to National Parks and a bit of unexpected detouring through the Appalachian holler! It’s great to hear the Gladiator performed so well; it’s always a relief when the vehicle you love can handle long distances and a bit of an adventure. On a similar note, when I was in Sydney, I stayed at a great accommodation Sydney CBD and had an unforgettable time exploring the city. After a full day of walking around, it was nice to have a comfortable, central spot to return to.

 

[MassMopar]

Great idea for a roadtrip and couldn't agree more. It's a great truck and trim level, and in a nice color too! Glad you and the Moose didn't have a closer encounter!
The Northeast can be a great destination for exploring. Atlantic Canada is too. If you ever have the chance, highly recommend making it up to Newfoundland!

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