Car And Driver - Gladiator vs Colorado vs Ranger vs Ridgeline

[WXman]

Careful about threads like this - I understand forum moderators take a dim view of any contrarian viewpoints about the Gladiator....

I haven't seen that on Wrangler or Gladiator forums yet. I have seen that on the Ranger forum. That place is a disaster. Even if you're being very honest, any opinion that doesn't make the Ranger sound like the best thing since sliced bread will elicit an automatic ban. They won't tell you when. They won't tell you why. You'll just log in one day and it'll say "banned". A complete and utter joke if you ask me.

Thankfully, the JL and JT forums haven't been that way at all. People can share their love, hate, observations, experiences, whatever and it seems to be fine.

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[RedTRex]

This review is bullshit. (Well, except for the Ford being last, of course!) The Honda is a unibody platform with a front-wheel drive layout (with AWD added to it). This is a completely different class of vehicle. And of course it has a well-laid out, spacious interior - it's intended to be sold to people who want to look like they're taking a walk on the "wild side", but actually would be better served with a CR-V. The horrid sounds it made trying to tow are a pretty clear indication that it shouldn't be in the same class.

And the Colorado is a nice truck, but with some fatal flaws... namely a terrible drivetrain, and an interior that reminds me of a 90s Malibu. But if you can get over those things, then it's a really good truck.

But the Gladiator is in a class by itself... solid axles and available lockers and sway bar disconnect? Ridgeline buyers wouldn't even know what those are, let alone how and when to use them. So since the Gladiator is a focused off-road specialist, of course it wasn't rated as well as the Ridgeline or Chevy when they were canyon carving on pavement. I guess that's why they chose the Overland model for the comparo - although it actually has the lowest payload of the all JT models (so they really should have gone with a Sport or Sport S, which would be best of the bunch in terms of payload.)

In terms of their little off-road 'test' … everyone moans about the wheelbase of this truck, but I think Jeep knew what they were doing. It has a backseat usable for adults, a respectable bed length, and tows very well for a mid-size truck; shortening the wheelbase would have been a compromise. But the low-ish stock breakover angle is easily corrected for with more lift... and most anyone with intentions to wheel this truck will be lifting it at least 2", and fitting 35 or 37" tires, which makes a world of difference in breakover angle. (If you do the math, every inch of lift gets you about 1.6° of breakover at the JT's wheelbase... so it only takes 1.5" of lift to exceed a stock JLUR, and with a 3" lift and 37" tires, the JTR breakover angle is actually better than a JLUR with a 2" lift on 35s.). Yes, it needs a little more lift to offset the longer wheelbase, but it will also climb better, ride more smoothly, and carry more in the back seats, so to me it's totally worth it.

A respectable test would be to compare the Rubicon to a ZR2, a Ranger Raptor (I know, they're not in the US yet), and a Tacoma TRD Pro. All of those trucks have reduced payload and towing capacities, and diminished steering and on-road feel due to off-road suspension, higher ground clearance and off-road oriented tires. With that bunch, they could have had a more interesting and meaningful story to tell.

The Honda looks like a Odyssey with the rear chopped off.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

It was an article by Car & Driver, WOW I am really impressed...yea!

Lets see been behind the wheel of Jeeps since the 60's and they are CRUDE, ROUGH and a zillion other things you can say...BUT:

13 Trips to Moab, spanking trails like they are rented mules. Ohhh yea I see an 'ota from time to time, in fact, next time you are in Moab, look for them they are at the bottom of some of the deep canyons, still!

Let me put it this way: Zuckerberg calls me up, tells me I have won and he is going to buy me ANY car sold in the world by anyone, money is no object, but there a catch, what ever car I chose is my forever car. So what do I want $ 3 M Bugatti Veryon, La Ferarri, McLaren, you name it? Thanks Zuckerman, meet me down at the Jeep dealer, Rubicon, 2 dr, 6 sp manual...see ya on the trails!

 

[WXman]

I'll just drop this right here.....

 

[sandbaja]

His list is the same as mine. I am and will continue to struggle with all the available options until later this year. I really want to add the ecodiesel v2 into the mix and that wont happen until later this year. Concerns of ED reliability come into play especially since I was an early adopter of the pentastar and paid the price. I'll use my wife to control any impulse buying that I may succumb to.

 

[5JeepsAz]

Ahhh. so now we know why we have all these whiny people on here talking about POS other trucks!!!

They got booted off their fav truck websites for being pissants.

Okey dokey.

Hey all you inglorious bastards, we like Jeep's on here.

Yep we know they can be turdy mcturdface at times. We know electronics, uh, about electrical issues, steering, welds, etc. And we don't give a shit.

We like Jeep's. We love Jeep trucks. And all of us will end up one day with a JT, new, used, or borrowed.

So have fun while you are here. Be funny, smart, great.

And learn you this...

There is no comparison the ways these guys are comparing on all the comparison videos.

Here's the truth. Ole Fivers true test of compar-o jeep vs POS Truck:

Three trucks pull up to a stoplight in anytown USA.
JT driver is only one not looking at the other two.
JT driver is the only one smiling.
JT driver is the only one on the gas when pavement ends and road turns to dirt.

End of comparison.
#heartofachampionoveranalyticseverydayallday
#whiskeydrinkersovermilkdrinkerswhenits4thandgoalkennystablersaidsogoRaidersloleatme

 

[baron95]

Here's the truth. Ole Fivers true test of compar-o jeep vs POS Truck:

Three trucks pull up to a stoplight in anytown USA.
JT driver is only one not looking at the other two.
JT driver is the only one smiling.
JT driver is the only one on the gas when pavement ends and road turns to dirt.

You need to get out more. The JT is awesome and I'm happy Jeep is making it. But every day there are tons of people having great fun with all sorts of other trucks.

Lets celebrate the choices and push these manufacturers to compete hard for our $$$.

 

[5JeepsAz]

You need to get out more. The JT is awesome and I'm happy Jeep is making it. But every day there are tons of people having great fun with all sorts of other trucks.

Lets celebrate the choices and push these manufacturers to compete hard for our $$$.

lol. True. And, here ya go...

 

[relapsekg]

Thanks for the excellent post, as it saves me a lot of typing.

My decision has always come down to JT vs ZR2.

This was my decision, I live in the city, a full size truck will not fit through my gate.
The zr2 was almost 20K less for me, however I could not get excited about a colorado, which i think only looks good in ZR2 trim.
I could not accept how bad the chevrolet generic interior is.
Also... its just a truck... not a Jeep.

 

[Murgatroid]

Humm....wouldn't the Rubicon be even heavier (meaning even lower payload) and $5K more expensive (making it over $20K or ˜50% more expensive than the others)?

How would that improve the picture?




P.S. This is the first test that I know of, that actually weighed all the competitors (like Car and Driver typically does) and gave us real world payload of typical configurations. The ZR1 like the Overland is one notch below the top. The Ranger and Ridgeline were in their top configurations.

(I assume you meant back seat leg/seat space)

Back seat space is the same as in the JLU and the Gladiator. The JT wheelbase is over 18" longer than the JLU, so obviously those 18" did not go towards back seat space. The explanation must be somewhere else.

When you want the same 4 door leg room and a 5 foot bed, you've got no choice because the rear over hang is already bad, move the wheels even closer and you could not drive off even a parking garage ramp without dragging.

 

[MF Comics]

I know I'm late to the 5 O'clock free crack giveaway, but besides wrong trim, none of the others are convertibles

If the JT were just a truck without the capability of going topless, it'd cost a lot less. Also, none of the competitors in the competition are available with manual, and the one competitor with also comes with stick wasn't tested

 

[jeepncrowd]

I don't get the hate for the overhang. Yes its not a JL, but its the best in class for the mid sized and full sized trucks. (Looking at you Raptor...)

 

[MF Comics]

The Honda looks like a Odyssey with the rear chopped off.

As some guy with a RL in the JL forum said, it's a Pilot you jackass xD

Still, Jeep over a Minivan with a bed

 

[noside85]

For someone that doesn't intend on going off-roading and want a smooth ride in the city or highway but still want the truck bed, it's a better choice over a Jeep. Or just get the Jeep solely for looks and not practicality.

 

[Airmousam]

Thanks for the excellent post, as it saves me a lot of typing.

My decision has always come down to JT vs ZR2. I don’t care for any of the drivetrain combinations offered for the ZR2 - the 8 speed shudders badly and the 4-pot baby D’max mated to the ancient 6 speed auto leaves a lot to be desired. If they would offer a stick shift with either engine I’d be far more interested in the Chevy. But then again, the interior space is CHEAP, and back seats are unusable for anyone over 5’2” even in the larger cab, so that might not even be enough to sway me

....just getting around to reading this thread...I want a JT, and own a ZR2...”the 8 speed shudders badly” is total BS...a very small percentage of owners (I’m on the Colorado site) experience this and there’s a fix for those that do...I’m at 40k on mine (bought new) and have never experienced this, not once...I’ve also had zero problems with the truck, and with the front and rear lockers she goes anywhere I need it to go..backseats......unusuable for anyone over 5’2”...stop it already...great read, but try and stick to facts and not hyperbole...cheers

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