Car and Driver has posted a 10,000 mile update to their long term Gladiator review. Pretty negative

[Chilli]

Perhaps Fiat just didn't do an ''under the table'' off to the DRIVER part

Or the C-19 has hit hard at C&D

Who really cares. . . . . . I'm most pleased w/ our 6th gear dragster

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[MtnRanger]

"One-hundred-percent throttle is needed to merge, to climb, to pass, to get anywhere." My JTR will do over 90mph easily without hitting full throttle. I don't know what parachute they are towing around, but mine averages about 20mpg running 75mph according to my 700 mile trip to Death Valley and accelerates effortlessly. Is it fast? hell no, but it's ridiculous to assert it necessitating full throttle to merge, pass, or to generally get around.

My 2nd to last car was a 330whp 350wtq protuned WRX... after my wife got a CX5 with 180? hp I realized I hardly floor her car. So I sold it and bought a Civic Si with 200bhp and hardly ever floored it. So I'm quite happy with the penta-power and it gets better gas mileage than my Tacoma and STi did. While the WRX got 19mpg, it required premium so my 17+ is quite similar in cost.

I'd love to see this idiot drive my old 98 12v Cummins when it was stock with a 215hp pump. That thing was SLOOOOW and iirc the governor springs would defuel it right before 80mph.

The mpg doesn't matter much to me because it's a fun vehicle. But in city I get 16 mpg, on highway around ~70mph, I am getting 17mpg, lower at 85mph. But in 45-50mph winding back roads, I get 19mpg even with all the stop signs and driving spiritedly in 3rd gear over between 2.5-4k rpm.
The most annoying thing is with parking. I rented an expedition max and suburban for vacay and work, they seem to be about same length and have similar turning radius on paper, but they seem so much easier to park straight in between the lines in small parking lots compared to gladiator willys

 

[Willpower1]

Just burned down a washboard dirt road (with great visibility, no side roads coming into and can see a loooong way), grinning from ear to ear! This Mojave is so much fun! And I’m getting 18+ all city driving. If I milk it, I get 19.5. Man do I love this truck.
car and driver lost its way a long time ago...

 

[centra28]

It’s not for everyone

 

[Willpower1]

It’s not for everyone

Nope. It isn’t. But when you do BONEHEAD stuff like a “brutal, high rpm launch in 4hi” just after the break-in period, abuse it in many other ways as well, and then whine that something broke, well, no sympathy for you. You take care of a machine, and the vast majority of the time, it’ll take care of you. Also when you test a 6 speed manual‘s 30-50 and 50-70 acceleration times in the TOP GEAR, well, imo, you’re a blathering idiot. If they had the auto, guess what?! It would DOWNSHIFT when they floored it and lo and behold, better times. When you have a manual, there’s a thing called a clutch. You press it, SHIFT into the appropriate gear, and wow!!, better acceleration times! Amazing!! I’ve been a fan of car and truck magazines since I was about 12. Let’s see, that‘s 45 years. I used to subscribe to car and driver back in the day. They used to be a respectable publication. Now, like much media, all they are is empty snark and grabby headlines trying desperately to sell a dying product. I say, rip...

 

[Chilli]

centra28 nailed it " it's not for everyone''

It is a 4 wheeled beautiful mule. A race horse would not last long out there & I don't mean at the mall.

 

[Chilli]

I will admit there is a knack to earning better MPG. This may be a lot of fun for some.
For others Jeepin is what the vehicle does w/ you & can do for you. . . .

I'm not very guarded about what some say about Jeeps in general, especially when they don't own one.
They're just not very interesting folks to begin with.

 

[Slojo]

Ignore CD and others. These JLs JTs need to be evaluated for off roading. Jeep says that is the reason they exist so we should hold them to a high standard.
I have been looking at JTs. I currently have an 08 JKU 6MT I've owned since Oct 07. It is a blast around town. Doors off, Top Off, rowing gears. Its the most fun you can have in a non-sports car. The other day a brand new Suburban pulled up next to me at a light. There were 4 little faces in the windows staring at Storm Trooper. Yes little guys, you too can bag the luxury and join the dark side.

 

[Firestarter]

The mpg doesn't matter much to me because it's a fun vehicle. But in city I get 16 mpg, on highway around ~70mph, I am getting 17mpg, lower at 85mph. But in 45-50mph winding back roads, I get 19mpg even with all the stop signs and driving spiritedly in 3rd gear over between 2.5-4k rpm.
The most annoying thing is with parking. I rented an expedition max and suburban for vacay and work, they seem to be about same length and have similar turning radius on paper, but they seem so much easier to park straight in between the lines in small parking lots compared to gladiator willys

I too am underwhelmed by the turning radius which is something Jeep should have emphasized. Though, it’s nearly the same on paper as the taco despite a longer wheelbase.

But I wasn’t saying it doesn’t have faults. Just that the truck doesn’t need to be floored, nor does it average better city MPG than highway.

 

[brianinca]

Get the steering box TSB done, it's a huge improvement in wandering.

Edit: Dang you have a 2021, you should get it evaluated for warranty work, then.

This review isn’t a good one. They don’t get Jeeps. Car magazines have ragged on the Wrangler for decades. Why should the Gladiator be different? I agree it wonders too much. My 2005 lifted LJ Rubicon isn’t nearly so flighty. Unfortunately, I think that will have to be lived with. Overall, the Gladiator is the nicest Jeep I’ve ever owned and it is helping me by doing away with the need to have my truck and toy be separate. I couldn’t be happier so far...

 

[aldo98229]

Car magazines are having a tough time adapting to life in a truck world.

 

[yoda13]

Get the steering box TSB done, it's a huge improvement in wandering.

Edit: Dang you have a 2021, you should get it evaluated for warranty work, then.

Adding 35s at a lower PSI seems to have fixed my problem, ironically…

 

[brianinca]

Oh, yeah, if the dealership aired the OEM tires to 42 lbs like mine did, yeah that's a whole different kind of squirrely.

Adding 35s at a lower PSI seems to have fixed my problem, ironically…

 

[seven30]

I too am underwhelmed by the turning radius which is something Jeep should have emphasized. Though, it’s nearly the same on paper as the taco despite a longer wheelbase.

But I wasn’t saying it doesn’t have faults. Just that the truck doesn’t need to be floored, nor does it average better city MPG than highway.

Im going to post my mileage after 1600 miles of travel. At 7000 feet with stock size AT3 tires I averaged 22.8 rising to 23.1 occasionally. Driving back to central Texas with thicker air and some headwinds it dropped to 20.2. That is at 70-72 mph. My city average in Texas is 18-19.
The truck has 6spd and 5000 miles on it.
Swapping AT3s for MTs it came with improved mileage and steering manners.
I see how the AT3 do in Colorado snow. The MT may go back on for winter.

 

[Gvsukids]

The mpg doesn't matter much to me because it's a fun vehicle. But in city I get 16 mpg, on highway around ~70mph, I am getting 17mpg, lower at 85mph. But in 45-50mph winding back roads, I get 19mpg even with all the stop signs and driving spiritedly in 3rd gear over between 2.5-4k rpm.
The most annoying thing is with parking. I rented an expedition max and suburban for vacay and work, they seem to be about same length and have similar turning radius on paper, but they seem so much easier to park straight in between the lines in small parking lots compared to gladiator willys

I too am underwhelmed by the turning radius which is something Jeep should have emphasized. Though, it’s nearly the same on paper as the taco despite a longer wheelbase.

But I wasn’t saying it doesn’t have faults. Just that the truck doesn’t need to be floored, nor does it average better city MPG than highway.

Probably to allow for fit of larger wheels on a stock vehicle.

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