Another thinking about switching to a Gladi from a Taco thread

[Fortus]

Went from a '19 taco to my current '21 High Altitude. I like the Gladi much better than I did the taco and feel that the gladi is of much better quality. I tried commuting with the taco and flat out didn't think it was safe on the freeway with such lack of power. I basically had to lock in 4th gear to make it usable on any sort of incline on the freeway.

One think you'd have to get used to with the Gladi is the steering feel on the freeway. The front solid axle feels quite different that the Tacoma's independent front suspension. However, the 8-speed transmission will more than make up for it.

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[Cwg33]

Can’t speak to the Mojave, but my 22’ Diesel is incredible depending on your daily drive. I smile each time on longer road trips at how well it drives, passes, and sips diesel even when towing #1500-2000 pounds. I also have 34” tires, plus another #400 daily pounds with bumpers, winch, rear steel rack, bed cover, etc.
On the downside, it is sluggish off the line in heavy drive-time work traffic or stop-n-go. If you have a moderate commute it’s fantastic, a terribly busy commute not its sweetspot.
I only have 15k miles on mine, but have never received below 21mpg avg, going over northwest passes, winter blend diesel, and driving aggressively when not towing.

Hope this helps.

 

[biodiesel]

I'm a diesel guy, so I'm biased towards the diesel. With that said, towing 2,500 lbs. or less shouldn't be a problem with the diesel. Yes, you may need to slow down on the mountain passes if you come out west to keep temps in check, but overall, the diesel is an amazing tow rig.

I've averaged 28 mpg (hand calculated) with my diesel Rubicon running back and forth between Gallup, NM and Albuquerque, NM with the cruise set at 72 mph. The diesels come with 3.73 gears.

 

[Firingpin1977]

Long-time Toyota guy, even had a specialty shop more dedicated towards Toyota offroad until I expanded the business.
I got my Mojave about two weeks ago and not looked back. MPGs are great over the Taco and 4Runner, but what really set the JT apart was the amount of rear seat room for my kiddos. The rear room in the Taco just kept getting smaller with each gen since the 2nd gen.

 

[Texbaz]

Long-time Toyota guy, even had a specialty shop more dedicated towards Toyota offroad until I expanded the business.
I got my Mojave about two weeks ago and not looked back. MPGs are great over the Taco and 4Runner, but what really set the JT apart was the amount of rear seat room for my kiddos. The rear room in the Taco just kept getting smaller with each gen since the 2nd gen.

I agree especially the back seat. On my Mojave, that is probably the the first thing, major improvement I noticed when compared with the 2018 Tacoma TRD OFF RD.
What is truly sad is Toyota, on the 2024 TRD Pro has completely eliminated the rear seating with the "SteamPunk" lookin back of the front seats. And if someone should perch up in the back it is liken to an oversize prey mantis position.
Another plus for some Mojave configs is the back seat center arm rest.

 

[Gvsukids]

Motor might not be as bulletproof as the Tacoma, but changing suspension components is definitely easier.

 

[ZeeJay]

It is probably good you are looking to test drive a Mojave as that is considered on of the best riding gladiators. You need to pay attention to the increased cabin wind noise coming from a Taco to a Gladiator. If you stick to factory tire sizes with the 4:10 gearing, you will probably like the towing capability.

Lastly, I think you will see slightly better MPG's vs what you are experiencing now, but nobody that has owned a Gladiator really sings the praises of the real world MPG use and once you go larger in tire size and add ons, that kind of goes out the window.

Or your name isn’t Nathan Arizona……

 

[Baxter]

Motor might not be as bulletproof as the Tacoma, but changing suspension components is definitely easier.

The reliability of the Jeep vs the Tacoma was my only concern when I made the move to the Gladiator.

 

[GeneralMaximus]

Didnt know the Taco rear view cam sucked so bad. The Gladiator’s cam is the best Ive seen in any vehicle. Like true HD image.

 

[Fortus]

The Taco was reliable, but not necessarily that well put together. At least mine wasn't. E.g. the bed was put on a little offset to the left. There was a wobble/rubbing sound coming from the left rear wheel. Interior plastics felt like they were made of milk jug plastic to me.

 

[Curly71]

I appreciate all the insight on these threads as I am trying to decide my next truck. Currently driving a 2009 F150 with 215,000 miles I have had since 2012. I have test driven just about everything and was super impressed with the new Taco hybrid performance, just can't see paying over 60K for a taco. Really didn't like the 3.6 engine in the JT, but absolutely loved the way the diesel felt. The torque was always there and it just felt right. I tow a 5000lb boat about 10 miles twice a year (storage to launch and back again) but am slightly concerned about the heat issues I'm reading about. Thinking about an overland / Hi Altitude with a 2 in lift and 33s

 

[JCappy]

Hi all, new here.

Lately I've been contemplating switching from my 2020 Tacoma TRD PRO to either a JT Mojave or a Rubicon diesel.

I love everything about my Tacoma except the lack of power, gear hunting transmission, and piss poor mpgs. With 32's I get 15mpg avg in the summer, and I'm expecting to see about 13 avg winter. Yes I know, its a Taco, not a Prius, but the lack of power combined with piss poor mpgs, I just don't enjoy driving it and dread long trips. I could live with 15mpgs if I had good, usable power. We live in MN but we head west multiple times a year pulling a ~2k lb off road squaredrop camper. I'll see 13mpg with the trailer, which is fine considering, but it lacks so much power its a non-stop struggle.


I've been lurking for a while and from what I've read it sounds like even a gasser JT is going to perform better, even when towing.

A) What are common JT complaints? For examples, a huge 3rd gen Tacoma complaint is non-stop gear hunting. Breathe wrong and it will constantly downshift looking for power. I knew this was an issue with the Taco, but didn't realize how bad of an issue it actually was. Seating position and lack of rear leg room, piss poor video quality from rear cameras making them almost unusable, outdated tech, buggy and laggy touchscreen, etc. are common complaints in the Tacoma.

Is the 3.6 gasser going to be an improvement over the Taco? Is it going to tow better? From what I have read, a Mojave on 35s will still see better mpgs and power than my Taco on 32s.

The diesel would obviously be much better, but the overheating issues worry me, and I haven't seen much for a good solution because it's poor airflow and poor cooling system design to fit the small engine bay. Are there ways to combat the heat?

Theres a 2020 Mojave at the local dealer I'm going to go test drive tomorrow I think. Unfortunately the closest Rubi diesel is 250 miles away. There are closer diesels, but I don't want to test drive any other model because they won't drive the same.

Sold my 2017 Tacoma Sport 4WD a year ago. Bought a 2023 Mojave. Absolutely love it. Did my research, test drove the Mojave and Rubicon and liked the Mojave better. Definitely handles the road and bumps better in my opinion. I get about 1 MPG less but love every other thing about it. It's more comfortable on trips and have found it easier to work on. And no more of those stupid oil filter housings to deal with. Easiest oil change ever. Sold the Tacoma and never looked back. I'm 100% happy with my decision.

 

[Cwg33]

As someone that drove Toyota trucks throughout the 80’s - 90’s, then varied on Jeeps & Toyota trucks since 2007, I don’t get the Toyota loyalty. My 2001 Taco with 3.4 was bulletproof, but got long in the performance tooth.
I loved my 1996 3.4 T100 but was totaled, then Toyota lost their way. My 2013 Tacoma DC LB looks like they threw whatever was in the extra camry/corolla parts bin. Switch & stitch colors didn’t match, fit/finish didn’t match, and engine/tran performance was terrible.
The 2013 Taco was a trade from an anemic Jeep 2007 4dr 3.8/4spd auto, then 2008 Wrangler to the 2013 Taco QuadCab LB which was no better. I was stupid nostalgic, and went back to Toyota for so-called reliability.
I immediately regretted what was no better. Since then, I’ve had a 2014 Wrangler JK 4dr 3.6 5spd auto(a decent improvement), then 2019 4dr Moab(3.6, 8sp), 2022 Gladiator Willys diesel, and 2024 2.0 Wrangler 2dr. I still have the Gladi diesel, and the Wrangler 2dr, and no intention of going back to Toyota. No issues on Jeeps since 2007 other than terrible 4-speed Auto, and 3.8 minivan engine performance. Toyota was no better.
I don’t get the loyalty any more. My Brother-in-law was a Toyota Master-Tech and even he left. Toyota no longer valued performance, but profits. Hopefully Jeep found this error with discarding Tavares and they can strive to meet their loyal customer needs and F/U CEO sales bonuses.
Sadly Long term ownership has lost its luster.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

The reliability of the Jeep vs the Tacoma was my only concern when I made the move to the Gladiator.

Yeah that's kind of the biggest hangup for me. I know Jeeps can last and I know every manufacturer can have issues, but Toyota is known for reliability, Jeep is not. I've owned three Wranglers, each was a great vehicle in it's own way, but none were without issues.



So the test drive last night was not great, but it also wasn't something that has swayed me from looking at more. When I arrived I immediately noticed the previous owner didn't take much care of it. It had the grey leather seats that were already staining brown, scratches on panels, hard top had a big gash in one corner where it must have been dropped, remote start wouldn't start the truck, etc. I took it for a test drive and brought it home to look it over more, oil was built up around the transmission pan so that was an immediate pass.

It drove well enough. I think it rides smoother than my Taco, but I also have constant 600lb rated springs in the rear. It did wander quite a bit, but it was also windy. Power felt decent with 33s, little sluggish from a stop, but the transmission was smooth and responsive. Overall not bad, definitely not as bad as folks have made them sound. Taco is definitely more responsive and crisp and feels more put together as far as driving feel, but the Gladi wasn't bad.

Cameras are 100xs better than the Tacoma. I could actually make out objects instead of seeing blurry blobs. Touchscreen was also much more responsive than the Taco. Heated seats work better and faster. Road noise I didn't find bad at all. I'd say it's about the same as my Taco.

I have a couple others saved to go look at on Friday. One is a stock Rubi, the other is a Rubi on 37s. I don't necessarily want 37s but figured I might as well drive one and see how it feels with larger tires compared to stock 33s, and the price is right with low miles. Can always downsize tires. There's also a diesel overland I'm going to go look at but I have no intentions on buying an overland, I just want to get a closer look at it and how crammed everything is in that engine bay.

EDIT: Local dealer just informed me they just took in a unmolested, retired couple driven white 2022 JTRD, 34k miles. Not even through inspection or detail yet. Fingers crossed I can go look at it tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Bonanza]

Yeah that's kind of the biggest hangup for me. I know Jeeps can last and I know every manufacturer can have issues, but Toyota is known for reliability, Jeep is not. I've owned three Wranglers, each was a great vehicle in it's own way, but none were without issues.



So the test drive last night was not great, but it also wasn't something that has swayed me from looking at more. When I arrived I immediately noticed the previous owner didn't take much care of it. It had the grey leather seats that were already staining brown, scratches on panels, hard top had a big gash in one corner where it must have been dropped, remote start wouldn't start the truck, etc. I took it for a test drive and brought it home to look it over more, oil was built up around the transmission pan so that was an immediate pass.

It drove well enough. I think it rides smoother than my Taco, but I also have constant 600lb rated springs in the rear. It did wander quite a bit, but it was also windy. Power felt decent with 33s, little sluggish from a stop, but the transmission was smooth and responsive. Overall not bad, definitely not as bad as folks have made them sound. Taco is definitely more responsive and crisp and feels more put together as far as driving feel, but the Gladi wasn't bad.

Cameras are 100xs better than the Tacoma. I could actually make out objects instead of seeing blurry blobs. Touchscreen was also much more responsive than the Taco. Heated seats work better and faster. Road noise I didn't find bad at all. I'd say it's about the same as my Taco.

I have a couple others saved to go look at on Friday. One is a stock Rubi, the other is a Rubi on 37s. I don't necessarily want 37s but figured I might as well drive one and see how it feels with larger tires compared to stock 33s, and the price is right with low miles. Can always downsize tires. There's also a diesel overland I'm going to go look at but I have no intentions on buying an overland, I just want to get a closer look at it and how crammed everything is in that engine bay.

EDIT: Local dealer just informed me they just took in a unmolested, retired couple driven white 2022 JTRD, 34k miles. Not even through inspection or detail yet. Fingers crossed I can go look at it tonight or tomorrow.

If this helps, I have had 3 Jeeps with the pentastar engine. I have a 2020 gladiator MT, which I regeared myself on 37s. I've had zero issues with the engines on all 3 of my jeeps, but none got past 50k miles before I traded them. (More kids, went from 2dr to 4dr to truck) I wheel mine a lot, and I've done nearly every trail in southern california minus some of the more extreme hammer trails. A couple of things to note-

- MPG is terrible (Gears didn't help. 16.7mpg on 37s while on 4.10s, literally the same on 4.88s)
-Power is terrible
-Ride is terrible
-Reliability is top notch, YRMD
-Towing is adequate, in that it will do the job. Expect to enjoy it howling at 4k rpm a lot.
- Low speed Offroad is incredible
-High speed Offroad is not incredible
- A bigger tire will tend to wobble if it's cold and the truck has been sitting. Solid Axle tire wobbling, including and up to death wobble, does reoccur.

I have since retired my JT as a DD and it sits in the driveway until I go wheeling, I need to tow, or I need to haul something. I simply don't enjoy driving it on the street. It's like having a Uhaul-- it serves a function but isn't fun to drive at all. But as a toy vehicle, it's great.

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