Cancelled MY Launch Edition order

[WildJD]

Im not even trying to compare the gladiator to a full size truck, they are simply incomparable. But with that said, the 7k tow rating is grossly overstated for the gladiator unless your towing duties are limited to a short tow from your house to a boat ramp a few miles away. I only want to outfit it for North American overland travel with a 2200lb teardrop in tow which is typically long distance interstate driving to reach a scenic off road destination. Will it do it? Yes, absolutely in fact. But the 1800 miles of interstate will be miserable at best. Our interstates are ridiculously crowded and not being able to maintain speed on a slight incline let alone mountain passes get awfully frustrating. My JKUR struggles badly at the exact task but I do it as lightly loaded as possible when doing so, so the idea of a truck bed to me is to be able to bring a bit more, or to at least not have to pack as if Im on a backpacking trip. Once its built for offroading (35’s, winch, rack with RTT, fridge, dual Batt’s etc) and then loaded up with 4 peoples stuff for 2+ weeks it is simply no better at the task than my JKUR and not worth the additional cost to me, but of course opinions are like as*holes, we all have our own...

Probably better to put a rack in the bed with a rooftop tent, and forget towing altogether... then it would out perform both the JKUR & the full size truck! Probably be able to maintain hiway speed, and be more nimble and maneuverable on crowded interstates too! The TFL guys did pull 7000lbs up the mountain in Colorado with the Gladiator Rubi though... it did great, they just complained it wasn’t as fast doing it as a full size! (Only a couple seconds slower!) ;{

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[WXman]

20 years ago people weren't trying to tow 5-6k lbs. at 70+mph with a mid-sized truck.

Right, because 20 years ago we were towing 7,000 lbs. at 70 miles per hour. Done it many times and have seen it on the highways since I was a kid. All it takes is a flatbed car hauler and a 4x4 rig or a decent camper and boom you're there.

Hell, a 1999 Dodge Dakota had a 6,700 lb. towing capacity with half the transmission gears, less axle gearing, and an engine that only made 230 horsepower.

 

[TheITGuy]

Where is everyone getting the idea that the Gladiator will have such a hard time towing? The Super Ike video?

 

[NORDNDED]

Where is everyone getting the idea that the Gladiator will have such a hard time towing? The Super Ike video?

I would never base my towing needs on an online review, it will be a lightly loaded, empty bed vehicle with 1/2 tank of fuel or less which is not how anyone uses their vehicle. My own experiences with the same engine in a '16 JKUR and a long test drive of a stock gladiator is how I made my decision. Granted the JKUR only has a 5 Spd auto (but 4.88 gears) vs the 8 Spd but regardless, the engine is gutless even though it is exceptionally reliable.

2 years ago while towing my teardrop with a RTT on top it across Wyoming in my JKUR in a headwind I was unable to maintain 55mph (in 2nd gear, 5k RPM!) on a very busy highway. I literally had 18 wheelers nearly pushing me out of the way so that they did not have to slow themselves down and then try to build speed back up. I did have to pull over several times to let traffic pass and got several single finger salutes from those that were able to pass me and the line behind me. It was the most frustrating drive I've ever made, having to choose 55mph at 5k RPM and maybe 3- 4 mpg or 40mph in 3rd on a 75mph hwy absolutely sucks arse.. I left Shoshoni with a full tank of fuel and pulled into Casper on fumes after going only 100 miles, no joke...

The same conditions were encountered over the last 3 weeks while in NM, AZ and CO with the same camper and tent. The only difference was the tow vehicle, my 2015 F150 with the 3.5 twin turbo and it was loaded far heavier than my Jeep is when traveling in it. 70mph at 7k elevation into a sandstorm headwind in N. AZ. was no issue at all and it held overdrive with only an occasional downshift to 5th, the Rubicon Gladiator I test drove could not do the same at sea level with 1/8th tank of fuel, 2 passengers and nothing in tow. The gladiator was gear searching.. Its all comes down to the fact the Ford was actually designed to tow what it claims to be able to do vs Jeep wanting to make a best in class claim even though it isn't really up to the task..

I'm not saying its a POS or even knocking it for that matter, it will be more than sufficient for most people. Just not for me and how I plan to use it. Ultimately I will probably end up with one in the future as I really do love the truck but its not the right truck for me at this very moment with the travels that I have planned. (Alaska, Trans Labrador etc)

 

[Tacoman03]

My 2018 JLUR had absolutely no trouble towing our Vintage Cruiser(3500#)...and we actually just towed it with the JT this past Saturday to RV place for service and the JT had no problems at all....and our camper looks heavier than the one in the pic....#lovingourJT!

Im not even trying to compare the gladiator to a full size truck, they are simply incomparable. But with that said, the 7k tow rating is grossly overstated for the gladiator unless your towing duties are limited to a short tow from your house to a boat ramp a few miles away. I only want to outfit it for North American overland travel with a 2200lb teardrop in tow which is typically long distance interstate driving to reach a scenic off road destination. Will it do it? Yes, absolutely in fact. But the 1800 miles of interstate will be miserable at best. Our interstates are ridiculously crowded and not being able to maintain speed on a slight incline let alone mountain passes get awfully frustrating. My JKUR struggles badly at the exact task but I do it as lightly loaded as possible when doing so, so the idea of a truck bed to me is to be able to bring a bit more, or to at least not have to pack as if Im on a backpacking trip. Once its built for offroading (35’s, winch, rack with RTT, fridge, dual Batt’s etc) and then loaded up with 4 peoples stuff for 2+ weeks it is simply no better at the task than my JKUR and not worth the additional cost to me, but of course opinions are like as*holes, we all have our own...

 

[Rover_boy]

Everyone wants to compare the Gladiator to big trucks... even the TFL guys, in their tow test, grumbled about the Glad taking a second or two longer to climb the hill (maxed out at 7000lbs) than a 2500...
jeeze... they did say they weren’t doing an “Apples to Apples” comparison! Well, why the hell not? Like to see one of those big trucks thread the needle at Moab, or switchback down Black Bear Pass in Telluride! ;{

But the towing capability matches those of a big truck and its price range. In my opinion its why. This is coming from a guy that never owns a truck. So take it with a big a$$ grain of salt.

 

[5JeepsAz]

I already have an F150 and agree with everything else you said. It has been to places that are quite surprising given its size and honestly is nearly perfect for North American Overland type of travelling.

Dude, that's a pic the San Francisco Peaks, viewed from the West, my guess would be north of I-40, on RT 66, in May .... agree with your theory of this thing, it's a buy for the 100% Jeep part, but not until price is right!

 

[mimms123]

Well, no.. my dealer is making excuses as to why he cannot refund it after it sells including that FCA won’t allow it.. yeah right, and this is directly from the general managers mouth.

Anyhow, I signed the paper so I’m guilty, I understand I’ll loose it and its 100% my fault. I’ve sent a lot of business their way, my BIL came with me the day I ordered the LE and bought a new JLU, but I cannot recommend them any longer to anyone after this experience in its entirety. I asked several other questions and for updates and have never gotten a response other than the time I was adamant and asked the same question 3x...

Ultimately, the 3k deposit lost is cheaper than the 65k OTD I would’ve regretted so oh well...

NO WAY! Dude.... fight it. That's pretty steep. Have them keep $500. Ask them to do that. If they say no, contact the attorney general. Such crap!

 

[Jake]

And for certain write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper for them to publish, a public bashing this dealership needs badly.

 

[duckyjp]

3k deposit? Ouch! Check if your state permits keeping the deposit. Some states require the dealership to refund.

This is exactly right. The dealership won’t tell you this but depending on your state, they may have to refund it if you make a stink.

 

[NORDNDED]

Dude, that's a pic the San Francisco Peaks, viewed from the West, my guess would be north of I-40, on RT 66, in May .... agree with your theory of this thing, it's a buy for the 100% Jeep part, but not until price is right!

Thats for the most part exactly right, I took the pic last May while there for the expo. It was about 1.5mi NW of the lava tube off of 171. Some of my favorite camp spots anywhere are in the Flagstaff area, its absolutely beautiful up there.. I've thought of just saying f*ck society and joining the ever increasing homeless population in the area, some of those dudes have it figured out...

 

[NORDNDED]

NO WAY! Dude.... fight it. That's pretty steep. Have them keep $500. Ask them to do that. If they say no, contact the attorney general. Such crap!

This is exactly right. The dealership won’t tell you this but depending on your state, they may have to refund it if you make a stink.

State of NC does not have any laws in place protecting consumers in terms of deposits..

 

[NORDNDED]

And for certain write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper for them to publish, a public bashing this dealership needs badly.

I wouldn't go that far, I did sign the deposit form knowingly so they really do not have to refund it. I will post up here later whether they do or not and honestly, their decision will state all that needs to be said about them..

 

[Hootbro]

And for certain write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper for them to publish, a public bashing this dealership needs badly.

Dealerships are large revenue full page buying advertisers to newspapers. Unless they are caught kicking puppies and feeling up Nuns, they are not going to publish such complaints.

 

[NORDNDED]

Just an update to wrap up this thread...


After reading more reviews on the JT and with it being pretty clear to me that I would be losing my deposit (3k) by not going through with my LE order I decided to drive another one to see if I felt the same as before. After talking with my dealer I was told the one I test drove had been back in for service after selling so he set me up with another Rubicon to drive for the day. About 20 min in this one has changed my mind, it drove and shifted so much better than the last one. But, I am not going with the LE as we still have no clue when itll be here. So, I drove the one I test drove home... It worked out much better than the LE in terms of price, he could not discount the LE but was able to knock about 4k off the price of this one so Im happy...

Time to start the build...

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