Sponsored

Gladiator on order and now not sure

rocky4by

Active Member
First Name
steve
Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Threads
7
Messages
28
Reaction score
40
Location
oregon
Vehicle(s)
18 Ram cummins
I have been thinking that maybe I should stick with the Wrangler. I am keeping our 2018 Ram 2500 Cummins, I just haul a lot of heavy and big loads around, so I don't really need another truck. I have been watching a lot of videos and the Gladiator and it really seems long out on the trail, I know it can do it, but dang its long. We are buying this to replace our Subaru and my 91 Isuzu trooper which has been tough as any other truck, Jeep, Toyota that we have had, we have beat it everywhere Mountains/Dunes/ quad trails. I have been looking at wheel base numbers:
2018 Dodge Ram 147"
Trooper 104"
Gladiator137"
I think Wrangler is 118" ?
And I am not sure on the Toyota Tacoma ?
We really need an off road capable and daily driver combo, so we are not using our Ram for grocery's and and general town runs. I also just ran into a guy that spent 2 weeks out in the south west in a Gladiator and said he would have much rather been in the Wrangler, he said he hauls an off road trailer when needed and much prefers that setup.

So I am not sure what to do, I ordered the Gladiator on 9/23/20 not really sure if that dealer will still work with use if we want to change our order or not. Just looking for opinions, anyone else chose the Wrangle and happy they did?
Thanks.
Sponsored

 

athous

Well-Known Member
First Name
JOhn
Joined
Oct 1, 2020
Threads
7
Messages
128
Reaction score
164
Location
Rancho Cucamonga
Vehicle(s)
2021 Gladiator Mojave
Occupation
IT
Gladiator rides better, handles better on the freeway. Has more back seat space, small bed is great for camping gear (Where do you put that in a wrangler?) can tow decently. Does great On trails and much smoother ride on dirt. Still not wide for all those tight areas too. imho it’s much more useful than the standard 2 or 4 door wrangler.
 

johnparjr

Well-Known Member
First Name
John
Joined
Sep 5, 2020
Threads
36
Messages
1,174
Reaction score
1,394
Location
New Caney, TX
Vehicle(s)
2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave
Your not stuck in stone for what you ordered and I just did the opposite I went from a JL to. JT I do a fair amount of off-road but I do not rock crawl where a JL would be better.

just to add on from another post the backseat space is virtually the same
 

Gladiator in my dreams

Active Member
First Name
Bob
Joined
Aug 22, 2020
Threads
6
Messages
34
Reaction score
8
Location
Stuart, FL
Vehicle(s)
2020 Gladiator Overland, 1997 Land Rover Defender, 2018 Q7 Audi
Occupation
Reitired
I have been thinking that maybe I should stick with the Wrangler. I am keeping our 2018 Ram 2500 Cummins, I just haul a lot of heavy and big loads around, so I don't really need another truck. I have been watching a lot of videos and the Gladiator and it really seems long out on the trail, I know it can do it, but dang its long. We are buying this to replace our Subaru and my 91 Isuzu trooper which has been tough as any other truck, Jeep, Toyota that we have had, we have beat it everywhere Mountains/Dunes/ quad trails. I have been looking at wheel base numbers:
2018 Dodge Ram 147"
Trooper 104"
Gladiator137"
I think Wrangler is 118" ?
And I am not sure on the Toyota Tacoma ?
We really need an off road capable and daily driver combo, so we are not using our Ram for grocery's and and general town runs. I also just ran into a guy that spent 2 weeks out in the south west in a Gladiator and said he would have much rather been in the Wrangler, he said he hauls an off road trailer when needed and much prefers that setup.

So I am not sure what to do, I ordered the Gladiator on 9/23/20 not really sure if that dealer will still work with use if we want to change our order or not. Just looking for opinions, anyone else chose the Wrangle and happy they did?
Thanks.
If mainly using for running around town and 4 wheeling have you considered the 2 door Wrangler? I had one and it is a blast to run around town. Short wheel base, will turn on a dime. Every parking spot is EASY. We took out the back bench seat and ended up with a very nice large cargo area that was very easy to load. Gas mileage with the 3.31 axle ratio and light weight gave easy 30+ hwy mileage. Went from Stuart, FL to Orr's Island Maine and back and averaged 28.2 MPG including around town in Orr's. Good luck, Bob
 
OP
OP

rocky4by

Active Member
First Name
steve
Joined
Sep 1, 2020
Threads
7
Messages
28
Reaction score
40
Location
oregon
Vehicle(s)
18 Ram cummins
If mainly using for running around town and 4 wheeling have you considered the 2 door Wrangler? I had one and it is a blast to run around town. Short wheel base, will turn on a dime. Every parking spot is EASY. We took out the back bench seat and ended up with a very nice large cargo area that was very easy to load. Gas mileage with the 3.31 axle ratio and light weight gave easy 30+ hwy mileage. Went from Stuart, FL to Orr's Island Maine and back and averaged 28.2 MPG including around town in Orr's. Good luck, Bob
Thanks for the information, We really have to have the 4 door as we have so many people that run around with us. It just seems to me there is really not much room in the bed anyway for dirt bikes or quads, and then we are still lifting them up high into the bed just like our Dodge. Also from videos I have been watching, it sure looks like 37" tall tires are required to get the ground clearance that the Gladiator needs to clear things. With a trailer we will be able to get more on, and it has easier loading and you can leave it somewhere if need be.

I am still thinking but right now I am leaning towards the Wrangler, I am going to put a pro's and cons side by side list together and see what it looks like for our needs and how we will use it.
 

Sponsored

HorneyBadger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Samuel
Joined
Jun 21, 2019
Threads
5
Messages
687
Reaction score
916
Location
San Diego, Ca
Vehicle(s)
2020 JL Sport, 2022 JT Rubicon
Occupation
Performance Analyst
Been on the trails alot. The only shortcoming of the JT compared to the JL's is on tight turns on trails and the breakover angle. Tight turns I have to occasionally back up to make the turn. Not a deal breaker. And you are talking an extreme breakover angle or heavy duty rock crawling if you need 37's. Not trying to sway you. But if you already have a truck then you should consider a JLU. Jeeps a jeep! :)
 

Shackleton

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jeff
Joined
Jun 2, 2020
Threads
11
Messages
435
Reaction score
355
Location
Newbury, MA
Vehicle(s)
Gobi Gladiator Sport S Max Tow, Camry
If mainly using for running around town and 4 wheeling have you considered the 2 door Wrangler? I had one and it is a blast to run around town. Short wheel base, will turn on a dime. Every parking spot is EASY. We took out the back bench seat and ended up with a very nice large cargo area that was very easy to load. Gas mileage with the 3.31 axle ratio and light weight gave easy 30+ hwy mileage. Went from Stuart, FL to Orr's Island Maine and back and averaged 28.2 MPG including around town in Orr's. Good luck, Bob
Pretty special Place- Bailey and Orr’s Island!
 

ShadowsPapa

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Threads
178
Messages
29,083
Reaction score
34,568
Location
Runnells, Iowa
Vehicle(s)
'22 JTO, '23 JLU, '82 SX4, '73 P. Cardin Javelin
Occupation
Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
Vehicle Showcase
3
I also just ran into a guy that spent 2 weeks out in the south west in a Gladiator and said he would have much rather been in the Wrangler, he said he hauls an off road trailer when needed and much prefers that setup.
Basing it on the OPINION of one person?
I live mine and am very glad I chose the JT. My Silverado was over-kill, sat most of the time.
This JT gets driven a LOT, it's great for trips to town, hauls stuff from Menards or Lowe's just fine, and it's fun. It's the best of all things to me.
It's comfortable, likely more comfortable than a Wrangler due to the wheelbase.
Long? Not really compared to my other stuff.

There's a lot of stuff you can't stuff into a Wrangler that you can haul with the JT.
You have to decide but don't base it on one or two people's OPINIONS.
If you do that you will have regrets for sure.
 

lrtexasman

Well-Known Member
First Name
Larry
Joined
Sep 7, 2017
Threads
6
Messages
853
Reaction score
715
Location
Dallas, TX
Vehicle(s)
Tahoe
To me it comes down to whether you want cargo storage behind the seat or a 5’ bed. Towing is also limited on the wrangler. The JT bed will hold a couple dirt bikes or a decent sized quad. The rear seat will fold up for a semi flat area as well. I see myself needing to pull a boat or trailer on occasion while putting stinky and wet cargo in the bed. Of course a good cargo basket on the roof or bumper of the JL would mitigate the bed for wet and stinky stuff a little bit
 

Sponsored

MMMII

Well-Known Member
First Name
Michael
Joined
Aug 4, 2019
Threads
21
Messages
307
Reaction score
579
Location
Henderson, NV
Vehicle(s)
2020 JTR - 2017 BMW X5
Occupation
Redfin - Real Estate Consultant
To me it comes down to whether you want cargo storage behind the seat or a 5’ bed. Towing is also limited on the wrangler.
This <insert finger pointing up emoji which this forum doesn’t support>.
 

Gladiator in my dreams

Active Member
First Name
Bob
Joined
Aug 22, 2020
Threads
6
Messages
34
Reaction score
8
Location
Stuart, FL
Vehicle(s)
2020 Gladiator Overland, 1997 Land Rover Defender, 2018 Q7 Audi
Occupation
Reitired
Pretty special Place- Bailey and Orr’s Island!
Yes, such natural beauty every place you look. Have small cabin that is just right for getting out of the swamp in FL for 4 months in the summer.
 

Andrew05LJR

Well-Known Member
First Name
Andrew
Joined
Sep 23, 2020
Threads
5
Messages
124
Reaction score
96
Location
Fort Lauderdale
Vehicle(s)
2020 Gladiator, 2015 911 C2S
I can give you firsthand experience having owned both...

I ordered a stacked JLUR last year and it was a great Jeep. Slapped 37s on it and drove it daily for about 5 months and realized it was reckless to have a $58k sticker price Jeep that's more expensive than my wife's loaded Audi Q5. Dumped it for an RS7 and never really missed it. I picked up an LJR, modified the hell out of it, and realized that was a little too raw for hauling a baby around in the head down in Florida. Which led me into a Gladiator Sport S with a decent options list but raw enough to feel like a Jeep, something my Rubicon didn't have due to the options list. The Gladiator rides much better due to the wheelbase and has a much better curb appeal, in my opinion. The length is a little crazy but I can't stop staring at it or any lifted gladiator. I can't ever see myself going back to a JLUR regardless of the short comings off-road the gladiator has due to length. The JL is great but for me, the Gladiator takes the win, very easily.
 

Gvsukids

Well-Known Member
First Name
Justin
Joined
Mar 7, 2020
Threads
22
Messages
4,947
Reaction score
4,608
Location
Grand Rapids
Website
www.youtube.com
Vehicle(s)
2020 Gladiator Sport S Max Tow
Occupation
Delivery Driver
We bought our JT to tow, so we bought a max tow. It ties excellent.
We've taken it on seasonal roads, sandy trails and tight woodsy trails. We've been able to maneuver in the woods or back out if we couldn't turn around. Recently we had a sandy hill climb on a power line trail that was challenging because the rear end would hop when the truck would bog down in the sand near the top of the hill.
 

ShadowsPapa

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bill
Joined
Oct 12, 2019
Threads
178
Messages
29,083
Reaction score
34,568
Location
Runnells, Iowa
Vehicle(s)
'22 JTO, '23 JLU, '82 SX4, '73 P. Cardin Javelin
Occupation
Retired auto mechanic, frmr gov't ntwrk security admin
Vehicle Showcase
3
We bought our JT to tow, so we bought a max tow. It ties excellent.
We've taken it on seasonal roads, sandy trails and tight woodsy trails. We've been able to maneuver in the woods or back out if we couldn't turn around. Recently we had a sandy hill climb on a power line trail that was challenging because the rear end would hop when the truck would bog down in the sand near the top of the hill.
The sand would hold just enough to get you started, load on the axles, then break loose, drop down, you'd hit traction again until the sand particles could no longer hold on and let loose again............... I've seen some pretty obvious hopping watching guys on certain types of hills or sand. In fact, I've watched semi tractor wheels hop when trying to get out of certain snow pack here.
Sponsored

 
 



Top