Finally took a test drive today

[jlg]

I just took a test drive today of a Gladiator with the MAX tow package and premium alpine stereo (and other packages -- heated steering wheel gets nicely warm!!), two things I wanted to make sure I tried out.

A few questions:
I've never had a Jeep 4x4 -- when you put this into 4H, and then do a tight lock to lock TURN -- it seems the front end is fighting itself -- like a lot of "bucking" and yanking of the wheel. I'm guessing because there wasn't really any way for the wheels to slip (ground was wet, but blacktop). This is normal, yes? Didn't go into 4Lo -- does it do the same?

Also, I didn't see any indicator in the dash once I got the thing into 4H -- shouldn't there be some sort of dash or display indicator of this?

Third, for the alpine premium. I was thinking there would be a good graphic EQ -- but just saw bass,mid, treble. No way to set the subwoofer boost? No real graphic eq at all -- kind of surprised for a "premium" sound system NOT to be able to do that -- unless I missed it?

It had a lot more acceleration than I thought and a MUCH smoother ride than I was expecting (my wife also thought this!).
I'm going back on Friday to see about an order. The salesman did tell me that if I ordered now it probably wouldn't be in until Jan or even Feb as they close the factory for the Christmas-NewYears week...

He also told me that when it was released, they got to go down to the Meadowlands (in NJ) and drive the Gladiator, the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, and the Chevy Colorado. I was also thinking about the Colorado, and he said the ONLY thing he liked about the Colorado was that it had more power and a little better acceleration than the Gladiator. He said the Ranger was awful -- the EcoBoost engine just didn't cut it.

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[TYJ]

I just took a test drive today of a Gladiator with the MAX tow package and premium alpine stereo (and other packages -- heated steering wheel gets nicely warm!!), two things I wanted to make sure I tried out.

A few questions:
I've never had a Jeep 4x4 -- when you put this into 4H, and then do a tight lock to lock TURN -- it seems the front end is fighting itself -- like a lot of "bucking" and yanking of the wheel. I'm guessing because there wasn't really any way for the wheels to slip (ground was wet, but blacktop). This is normal, yes? Didn't go into 4Lo -- does it do the same?

Also, I didn't see any indicator in the dash once I got the thing into 4H -- shouldn't there be some sort of dash or display indicator of this?

Third, for the alpine premium. I was thinking there would be a good graphic EQ -- but just saw bass,mid, treble. No way to set the subwoofer boost? No real graphic eq at all -- kind of surprised for a "premium" sound system NOT to be able to do that -- unless I missed it?

It had a lot more acceleration than I thought and a MUCH smoother ride than I was expecting (my wife also thought this!).
I'm going back on Friday to see about an order. The salesman did tell me that if I ordered now it probably wouldn't be in until Jan or even Feb as they close the factory for the Christmas-NewYears week...

First, you should NEVER put any 4WD vehicle in 4WD on dry pavement. Only on loose dirt or snow. So, what you experienced was normal given the circumstances. AWD is different.

2. Yes there’s an indicator in the instrument cluster that illuminates which drive you’ve selected.

3. Yes, there’s an EQ.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Don't put one of these in 4H on dry pavement. Yeah, it will fight because you are winding things up tight. They are part time only, not full-time 4 wheel drive transfer cases.
Anyway, do not put these in 4 anything on dry roads.

It's true that there are shut downs in many factories like that over the holidays. I can recall my father, a proud UAW member (and local president for a while) being off now and then for shutdowns, inventories, etc.

I also noted the lack of any sort of real control over the so-called premium audio. It came with the package I wanted otherwise I'd skip the premium audio. My Chevy had a much better sound. Way too much muddy bass in these JTs and no real way to control it.

Acceleration is fantastic on these - I think even better than my wife's Grand Cherokee which has the same engine. I recall when I first hit the gas to merge into commute traffic on the interstate and ZOOM, I was off!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

First, you should NEVER put any 4WD vehicle in 4WD on dry pavement. Only on loose dirt or snow. So, what you experienced was normal given the circumstances.

2. Yes there’s an indicator in the instrument cluster that illuminates which drive you’ve selected.

3. Yes, there’s an EQ.

You can't say ANY 4wd vehicle - sorry, some are made for that - 4x4s that can run on dry roads exist and I own one.
Granted I need to stop to shift in and out of 4x4 mode because the split axle is not synchronized, but I could shift it into 4 and leave it there on any road. It's got a silicon coupling in the transfer case, an NP129.
Some, many, are part time, but there are also those that can run in 4 wheel drive mode on dry roads - these Jeeps are not them, though. These are part-time.

The only EQ I found was three settings - bass, midrange and hight - hardly an EQ. Unless there's something deeper, what I saw was pretty lame for premium.

 

[TheWingman]

Yes, in 4hi and 4lo, when the surface is not slippery enough, binding in the transfer case will cause bucking and wheel hop. Can happen off road with grass and other surfaces that do not give enough. Definitely switch to 2hi when this is occurring. It should say 4H in the display by the tach when in 4wd.

3 channel EQ is all you get with premium audio packages. Kinda stinks but I lived with it in a JL wrangler and now a gladiator and it seems to be adequate, although a better EQ would be nice. And yeah, the ride is awesome.

 

[jlg]

3. Yes, there’s an EQ.

So, WHERE is the EQ. I went to settings->Audio, and the ONLY thing I saw in there was a balance (L/R, F/B), and Bass/Mid/Treble. NO eq other than that.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

So, WHERE is the EQ. I went to settings->Audio, and the ONLY thing I saw in there was a balance (L/R, F/B), and Bass/Mid/Treble. NO eq other than that.

That's all there is - at least as far as I've found on mine. I think he's calling THAT the EQ. Lame after I had my 12 channel or so EQ in my Comanche's sound system, all Alpine. My system back then would blow this "premium audio" out of the water.
I'd take what I had in that Comanche over this so-called premium system in a heartbeat. I've had high-end sound systems and this ain't it, but that's not enough to stop my buying one because I didn't get a truck to listen to opera or blow the glass out of the neighbor's house.

 

[jlg]

Another quick question -- with no rear wiper, what do folks do for keeping the back window clean in the rain/snow?
The model I tested had the soft top, but I don't think the hard tops have that either?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Another quick question -- with no rear wiper, what do folks do for keeping the back window clean in the rain/snow?
The model I tested had the soft top, but I don't think the hard tops have that either?

Rear window defrost. No need for a wiper. I've never had a wiper on a pickup rear glass, just rear defrost. Mirrors for looking behind...... or the backup camera.
I guess I've never had, nor seen, a rear wiper on a pickup. Since it's not at the rear of the vehicle it's not prone to road crap being sucked up onto it. Just getting wet. So unless you drive backwards a lot........ ;-)

 

[Gecko-JKU]

Normally keep a small teenager back there... They can reach through the beer hole and wipe things down on the go for you. HAHAHAHA

 

[Trippin01]

Excellent guidance for you on this thread, you are already in very capable hands.

 

[Airmousam]

The lack of an awd mode is a sticking point for me at the moment...when its pouring or semi slick, I like being able to use 4W auto...I will miss that if take the plunge...

 

[Trippin01]

I hear ya. My JT is my foul weather car, when I can no longer drive my front wheel drive Veloster. I had a Durango before this JT and it to had the AWD engaged all the time and was fairly good in the snow, so I will miss the AWD mode, however, I have excellent tire that are siped and a little weight in the back to help out, so the benefits of having the JT for the rest of my needs are outweighing the trouble of switching between 2 hi & 4 hi a little more often.

 

[Mark Doiron]

Just to clarify, the Gladiator has part time 4WD. That part time mandates that it be used on surfaces that allow the axles to slip. While the binding is occurring in the transfer case, it is the axles that are the problem, carried through the driveshaft to the tansfer case. The front and rear axles/driveshafts are essentially locked together--they will both spin at the same rate in 4WD. On full-time 4WD vehicles, there will be a third differential between the axles to allow for different rotation speeds--just as the differential on your axles allows for the two tires on each axle to rotate at different speeds (such as in a turn). In a turn, all four tires are turning at different speeds, and both driveshafts are turning at different speeds. Without a differential to allow that, you have the binding that you experienced if on a non-slip surface. Some of those third differentials will have a locker, which would allow locking the two axles/driveshafts together to ensure you don't have one axle getting torque while the other is not working. So, essentially you have a locker when in 4WD between your axles--which is a good thing until you try to use it on pavement.

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