Things I don’t like about my new Gladiator

[dhodgeboom]

Im sure that I’m not the only person who dislikes a few things about my new Gladiator and heres my list so far. Overall I’m really liking it but there are things I wish were different about it, how about you?

#1. Its flighty at 55 mph and up. Much more so than my JKUR on 35’s. I dropped psi to 35 then 32 but its still the same, just drifts alot and requires constant focus to keep in the lane. New 35” Goodyear Duratracs on AEV wheels made no difference either.

#2. No tow mode or brake controller from the factory. Im sorry but both of these should be standard for a 60k truck that claims best in class towing. Tow mode really helps in my other vehicles when going downhill to keep from riding the brakes.

#3. Spongy ride. Overall it rides good, but its spongy in a way I cannot explain other than its what I would expect it to feel like if the frame were flexing although Im sure its not the case. I’m hoping an aftermarket 2.5” lift will help this but I also know it might just take some getting used to.

#4. No switch in the bed for the bed lights. Its annoying to have to go to the cab to turn them on when needed.

#5. Manual sliding back glass. This should be standard at this trim level, I could see it being manual in a sport but at 60k entry fee it sucks to have to lay the seat back to reach the back glass. And I’m 6’5”, you shorties will have to get out to open/close it.

#6. Side mirrors could stand to be a bit bigger, the visibility is not optimal but they are ok. Towing with them pretty much sucks.

#7. The 8.4 radio is glitchy. It has shut down and rebooted itself 3x in 500 miles. It will be going in for service next time it happens.

#8. I wish cooled seats were an option as I sit here in the carpool lane to pick up kids with the freedom panels and doors off. Leather feels like vinyl when you’re stuck to it. I absolutely love them in my F150 and prefer to use them with the windows down vs having the AC on.

Thats it, for now at least..

Check this out works

Im sure that I’m not the only person who dislikes a few things about my new Gladiator and heres my list so far. Overall I’m really liking it but there are things I wish were different about it, how about you?

#1. Its flighty at 55 mph and up. Much more so than my JKUR on 35’s. I dropped psi to 35 then 32 but its still the same, just drifts alot and requires constant focus to keep in the lane. New 35” Goodyear Duratracs on AEV wheels made no difference either.

#2. No tow mode or brake controller from the factory. Im sorry but both of these should be standard for a 60k truck that claims best in class towing. Tow mode really helps in my other vehicles when going downhill to keep from riding the brakes.

#3. Spongy ride. Overall it rides good, but its spongy in a way I cannot explain other than its what I would expect it to feel like if the frame were flexing although Im sure its not the case. I’m hoping an aftermarket 2.5” lift will help this but I also know it might just take some getting used to.

#4. No switch in the bed for the bed lights. Its annoying to have to go to the cab to turn them on when needed.

#5. Manual sliding back glass. This should be standard at this trim level, I could see it being manual in a sport but at 60k entry fee it sucks to have to lay the seat back to reach the back glass. And I’m 6’5”, you shorties will have to get out to open/close it.

#6. Side mirrors could stand to be a bit bigger, the visibility is not optimal but they are ok. Towing with them pretty much sucks.

#7. The 8.4 radio is glitchy. It has shut down and rebooted itself 3x in 500 miles. It will be going in for service next time it happens.

#8. I wish cooled seats were an option as I sit here in the carpool lane to pick up kids with the freedom panels and doors off. Leather feels like vinyl when you’re stuck to it. I absolutely love them in my F150 and prefer to use them with the windows down vs having the AC on.

Thats it, for now at least..

Check this out. Works great for me. Use it on my Gladiator and Wrangler https://www.amazon.com/CURT-51180-C...etooth+brake+controller&qid=1596858617&sr=8-3

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[msoto333]

What did the dealer charge for the lift kit and for the steering dampener?

That's sharp right there!

 

[Cobraj]

Wife just found out not to open the door when it rains lol! it will never be perfect. It is a jeep, The way It cheers me up tooling around in it on a beautiful sunny day way out-weighs the suck..

 

[DirtySaylor]

Im sure that I’m not the only person who dislikes a few things about my new Gladiator and heres my list so far. Overall I’m really liking it but there are things I wish were different about it, how about you?

#1. Its flighty at 55 mph and up. Much more so than my JKUR on 35’s. I dropped psi to 35 then 32 but its still the same, just drifts alot and requires constant focus to keep in the lane. New 35” Goodyear Duratracs on AEV wheels made no difference either.

#2. No tow mode or brake controller from the factory. Im sorry but both of these should be standard for a 60k truck that claims best in class towing. Tow mode really helps in my other vehicles when going downhill to keep from riding the brakes.

#3. Spongy ride. Overall it rides good, but its spongy in a way I cannot explain other than its what I would expect it to feel like if the frame were flexing although Im sure its not the case. I’m hoping an aftermarket 2.5” lift will help this but I also know it might just take some getting used to.

#4. No switch in the bed for the bed lights. Its annoying to have to go to the cab to turn them on when needed.

#5. Manual sliding back glass. This should be standard at this trim level, I could see it being manual in a sport but at 60k entry fee it sucks to have to lay the seat back to reach the back glass. And I’m 6’5”, you shorties will have to get out to open/close it.

#6. Side mirrors could stand to be a bit bigger, the visibility is not optimal but they are ok. Towing with them pretty much sucks.

#7. The 8.4 radio is glitchy. It has shut down and rebooted itself 3x in 500 miles. It will be going in for service next time it happens.

#8. I wish cooled seats were an option as I sit here in the carpool lane to pick up kids with the freedom panels and doors off. Leather feels like vinyl when you’re stuck to it. I absolutely love them in my F150 and prefer to use them with the windows down vs having the AC on.

Thats it, for now at least..

LOL you shoulda bought a toyota 4rav with racks on it. Maybe got one of those family stickers for the back window.

 

[DirtySaylor]

I agree with the cooled seats. It should at the least be an option. I figured the overland model would have them standard. Jeep is being cheap

Or you could just wear less clothing and drive faster?

 

[YoBub]

4 months and 4000 miles into owning my Gladiator, after 12 years in a JKU:

• Overall happy - I don't have any of the drivability issues outlined in the OP.
• The bed is much more useful than I expected. Jeep's design that allows you to add the 2x4s to create a flat surface works great for hauling drywall and plywood. I expected this to be a real compromise, but after a 2 month home remodeling project, very happy
• The top panels are much lighter than on my Wrangler, and only having latches instead of that PITA screw is great. The cover for the top panels is much better as well.
• I'm really happy with the rear under-seat storage - I had to ditch my toolbox for a tool roll, but it works well. First aid kit went from a box to a bag, and fits just fine.
• The roofline visibility is just too low for those of us who are tall with our height in our torsos. At least I fit, but obviously, all of the engineers are short. If I'm stopped at a stop light, I can't see the light. I held off on buying a JLU because I couldn't fit at all, so at least the Gladiator is better, but it's still a problem. My JKU was fine.
• Probably my #1 stupid annoyance is the key fob. Whoever designed this was a complete idiot. The fob is too big overall, but the worst part is that the button to open the emergency key sticks out so much it is always opening in my pocket. Totally unnecessary. The fob for my wife's GC fob is half the size with all the same functionality and still has the emergency key. Just stupid.
• I wish I could leave the backup camera on when driving with a trailer. I can turn it on for like 30 seconds, but then it turns itself off.
• The location of the trail rails makes them almost unusable if I have the bed cover on. These are really an either/or, when the trail rails could be really helpful to tie things down with the cover folded back 2/3.
• Other than that - very happy. I still miss my JKU, but this is a reasonable alternative.

 

[Overland-2021]

After 3K miles and a few months I can still say I love to drive this jeep.
There a sooo many little quirks that are built in that have been mentioned and some of them are annoying to me, but thats it... just a little annoyances. Having it slam into park when I opened my door to look back was fun... not!

The only WTF I have is the mirrors (or lack of options) on a truck that's supposed to be able to tow well. I had to install cameras on the back of my 16' trailer just to see behind me. Arrg!

 

[YoBub]

I didn't think of it, but agree completely on the mirrors when towning. I think that's part of why I want to be able to leave the backup camera on.

That is just Jeep building a Wrangler with a bed instead of an actutal pickup.

 

[aevgladitorrubi]

Im sure that I’m not the only person who dislikes a few things about my new Gladiator and heres my list so far. Overall I’m really liking it but there are things I wish were different about it, how about you?

#1. Its flighty at 55 mph and up. Much more so than my JKUR on 35’s. I dropped psi to 35 then 32 but its still the same, just drifts alot and requires constant focus to keep in the lane. New 35” Goodyear Duratracs on AEV wheels made no difference either.

#2. No tow mode or brake controller from the factory. Im sorry but both of these should be standard for a 60k truck that claims best in class towing. Tow mode really helps in my other vehicles when going downhill to keep from riding the brakes.

#3. Spongy ride. Overall it rides good, but its spongy in a way I cannot explain other than its what I would expect it to feel like if the frame were flexing although Im sure its not the case. I’m hoping an aftermarket 2.5” lift will help this but I also know it might just take some getting used to.

#4. No switch in the bed for the bed lights. Its annoying to have to go to the cab to turn them on when needed.

#5. Manual sliding back glass. This should be standard at this trim level, I could see it being manual in a sport but at 60k entry fee it sucks to have to lay the seat back to reach the back glass. And I’m 6’5”, you shorties will have to get out to open/close it.

#6. Side mirrors could stand to be a bit bigger, the visibility is not optimal but they are ok. Towing with them pretty much sucks.

#7. The 8.4 radio is glitchy. It has shut down and rebooted itself 3x in 500 miles. It will be going in for service next time it happens.

#8. I wish cooled seats were an option as I sit here in the carpool lane to pick up kids with the freedom panels and doors off. Leather feels like vinyl when you’re stuck to it. I absolutely love them in my F150 and prefer to use them with the windows down vs having the AC on.

Thats it, for now at least..

For number 1-- add an adjustable steering stabilizer and have it dialed down to almost no, minimal steering... For number 3-- stiffer shocks, JTR Foxs are too mushy...

 

[Trippin01]

You just listed everything I hated about the upper end models and high end packages, which I skipped for that reason.

8.4 " display takes up way to much dash real estate, 5" works great and leaves room for other gizmos

Upgrade your suspension, it will help

I had my own brake controller I was already used to, I don't want the cheap Chinese one.

Sorry about your bed light switch, I don't even need a bed light, I use my head lamp.

I have the convertible, and love the way it and the rear window work. 2 second down and stored, 2 seconds up and on. too easy

Mirrors absolutely suck for trailering, I can't believe thats the best they can do, very disappointing.

My 5" radio works damn near perfect, no complaints.

I love my cloth seats, never to hot, they stay cool and are the most comfortable I tried before purchase. The leather ones were not comfortable at all to me. And who would get black leather in a convertible? Especially in a sunny warm climate?

 

[Bucephalus]

The auto start / stop feature is a new one for me. I've been mostly leaving it enabled but at times it's annoying. I live in a mostly rural area and occasionally a stop sign requires a few extra seconds of waiting. Shutting the engine off at these times would not be my preference. I think I'd like this feature more if it remembered the last state when starting instead of defaulting to on each time.

I shift it into manual at stops and this disengages the Auto/start stop. Would work great in your case.

 

[Jonny A]

4 months and 4000 miles into owning my Gladiator, after 12 years in a JKU:

• Overall happy
• Probably my #1 stupid annoyance is the key fob. Whoever designed this was a complete idiot. The fob is too big overall, but the worst part is that the button to open the emergency key sticks out so much it is always opening in my pocket. Totally unnecessary. The fob for my wife's GC fob is half the size with all the same functionality and still has the emergency key. Just stupid.

I put this small zip tie on. It does not obstruct any of the buttons as far as being operational. It slides off if I want, usually to unlock the console. Then easily slides back.

Agreed... it is really preposterous how Damned big it is. And really? How could the designer of it not possibly know it would always open up in a pocket like a little jack knife.

Small rubber band would work too, I'd imagine.

If something comes out to replace it, I will most likely look into it.

 

[YoBub]

For the key fob, has anyone checked to see if the dealer could reprogram a Grand Cherokee fob to work on the Gladiator? The GC still has the proximity entry, the only command that wouldn't apply is the tailgate open, and I don't care whether I have the emergency key or not.

 

[JCHGlad]

Fob problem solved

 

[SteveInOrlando]

I put this small zip tie on. It does not obstruct any of the buttons as far as being operational. It slides off if I want, usually to unlock the console. Then easily slides back.

Agreed... it is really preposterous how Damned big it is. And really? How could the designer of it not possibly know it would always open up in a pocket like a little jack knife.

Small rubber band would work too, I'd imagine.

If something comes out to replace it, I will most likely look into it.

So check out the DI labs keyfob. Those of us that have them, love them.

https://mythreedom.com/pages/fobs-for-sale

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