I feel ya on this as I have been living with a Jeep for the past 6 years and a lot of your complaints are the same as mine. I'm 90% sure Im going full size but I am waiting it out and seeing what the diesel is like on the hwy as I personally think it will have better drivability.
You can't look at MSRP as no one pays MSRP. Once you factor in incentives the Power Wagon is cheaper across the board. I did the calculations in another thread on here and posted them.
If they're giving that much incentives on it, it means nobody is buying them.
Yes you are correct. I drove a Sport S with a soft top today and it was pretty good on noise until 60 MPH or so, after that the hard top is definitely quieter. To be clear, the heart wants the Gladiator and I have been trying to rationalize why I should get it. If it was a good value that would be a plus. I agree the JT is a good value to those looking for a topless truck with very good off-road capability and even better value if you can buy for below invoice, as the JT is only really competing with it's own MSRP. In my particular situation and after numerous test drives, regardless of how much I prefer the interior functionality and off-road capability of the JT, there are better options for my needs. The half-ton diesels makes sense for me due to the better towing, payload, interior room, bed room, and fuel economy both while towing and on long highway trips. I routinely do 600 mile round trip weekends to hunt and salt-water fish (well over 20 times a year). I like to have the flexibility to tow a small center console over 300 miles to fish different bay systems when the urge strikes me. My Tahoe, Tundra, and my fishing partners ecoboost all get around 11 MPG when towing and between 17 and 21 on the highway, which is far less than the new 3.0 diesels. Outside of the excursions, I prefer to have a mid-size truck for commuting, weekend errands, and to have soft road ability to get to my hunting and wade fishing spots on the bay, thus the dilemma and wandering eye for a JT. But after my 5th test drive of a JT today, I have real concerns about the ergonomic cost to me of keeping it straight on the highway during long trips, wind noise over 75 MPH, tight drivers door room, and engine effort the JT takes to drive over 75 MPH and while towing 4k pounds at highway speeds on an occasional basis. Perhaps the diesel would bring the JT back into consideration, but I am very worried it will be limited to the Rubi trim level with an MSRP of 65k due to options, thus far more than the 40k I will spend (I plan to pay off the truck within two years and retire at 52).
Just can’t beat the GLADIATOR BAD ASS LOOK AND RIDE LOL. I have the Rangers and lifted them and you can get a 6 inch lift to accommodate 35s. I went with the 2 inch leveling kit and did 33s. If you look closely I have my Rubicon Gladiator 33s on my Blue Ranger. My Rangers are excellent trucks and a lot of fun but my Gladiator is just awesome and over the top looks and truck feel ride. And I have owned every truck under the sun lol and the Jeep Gladiator is my new favorite. And I just recently sold my Ford Raptor 2018 which she was the baddest of the trucks I have ever owned.I evaluated several different options as well. And "YES" it is a hard decision. I first compared all the mid-size trucks. I also looked at the full size trucks. I would agree dollar for dollar you can buy a full size truck and get better value or towing or a big V8 if that is more desirable. But you shouldn't try to compare the Gladiator to any fully size truck. You should only compare the Gladiator to all the other mid-size trucks. In that case you are getting more off road capability and a little less riding comfort on the highway. So it boils down to what you want a full size truck or a mid-size truck. Then do you want the best in class towing and offroading capability or highway riding comfort. Independent front suspension is great for the riding comfort but doesn't compare to the solid front axle for four wheeling. I'm not sure there is a lift available to put a 35" tire under a Colorado or Ranger. so if you want more ground clearance go with the Jeep. Jeep waited to see how Ford priced the Ranger before they released the Gladiator pricing. I believe the pricing was set with what will the market will bare for a best in class JEEP trade name. But there is a wide variance of pricing from a bare bones Sport to a fully load Rubicon. The bottom line trade-off decision are difficult. (PERIOD) I have owned seven Jeeps so I guess I am just stuck in the rut... pun intended!
nice, thanks for the user perspective.
Just can’t beat the GLADIATOR BAD ASS LOOK AND RIDE LOL. I have the Rangers and lifted them and you can get a 6 inch lift to accommodate 35s. I went with the 2 inch leveling kit and did 33s. If you look closely I have my Rubicon Gladiator 33s on my Blue Ranger. My Rangers are excellent trucks and a lot of fun but my Gladiator is just awesome and over the top looks and truck feel ride. And I have owned every truck under the sun lol and the Jeep Gladiator is my new favorite. And I just recently sold my Ford Raptor 2018 which she was the baddest of the trucks I have ever owned.
The local dealers around me are starting to run ads on the JT indicating they have upcoming deliveries of anywhere between 40 and 120 JTs in the coming weeks. That should help ease pricing and perhaps open up to affiliate pricing come September or so.
