Gladiator or Wrangler??

[Deleted member 57233]

Yeah that is why I am looking at used. New prices are absurd right now. You can get a decent packaged Mojave with 20k or Miles for $45k around here

Same prices here. The funny thing is they are all $45k for some reason. Sport S, Overland, Mojave... $45k. Rubicons are a bit more, but most have been modified.

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[Klicht87]

I may get some hate for my statements below. I have a Willys JT and my wife has a JL. The JT is my first jeep and I bought it because my wife wouldn't let me mess with hers. I actually do a lot of house projects and though having a bed on the jeep would be nice. I absolutely think the JT bed is a waste as it can't haul 4x8 sheets of anything easily. Yes it fits but not between the wheel wells. I wanted to modify my JT but I really don't offroad so it would be for looks, as I think most of them are. I should add I traded from a Ram 1500 and I highly regret it.

At the end of the day, I enjoy driving the JL better. If you don't need the bed or you can use a trailer for anything else, a JL may be a better option. Just my two cents.

 

[High Alextude]

I also had a 2019 JLU and jumped on the gladiator wagon. No regerts.

Hardtop plus sunrider is the perfect combo. Gladiator has the better ride, more cargo, Dana 44’s, and you can find them at a steep discount some places still.

 

[Deleted member 57233]

I absolutely think the JT bed is a waste as it can't haul 4x8 sheets of anything easily. Yes it fits but not between the wheel wells.

That's why I love my '66 Chevy. 4x8 sheets lay flat between the wheel wells with the tailgate up. It's like they designed it to haul stuff ?

 

[High Alextude]

Check out Koons in VA or Farrish. Farrish has brand new rubis for 45k - https://www.farrishdodgejeep.net/new/Jeep/2023-Jeep-Gladiator-845434170a0e0a920f6a2590117e86f3.htm

 

[Stuntman Mike]

Can only compare the Gladiator to TJ and early JKU.

But my feeling is that the Gladiator, due to the long wheelbase, has a very stable ride quality. Even at 110 mph.

I would of course go for the Gladiator.

 

[Gobirub]

Check out Koons in VA or Farrish. Farrish has brand new rubis for 45k - https://www.farrishdodgejeep.net/new/Jeep/2023-Jeep-Gladiator-845434170a0e0a920f6a2590117e86f3.htm

Be careful of Farrish, I tried buying there but got extra addons, can’t stand misleading sales so went elsewhere.

 

[DBravo]

I know this is a Gladiator forum...

But I need a new vehicle and am looking at used Mojave's and used Wranglers.

I had a 19 Sahara a couple years ago but sold it and not sure if the Gladiator would be better in the long run and was wondering if anyone has had experience with both. I won't do any off-roading, just daily driving with the kids, errands, etc.

The main reason I like the Wrangler is for the Sky One Touch. Removing my old hard top was such a pain, I hated it and the gladiator doesn't have that option. Kids would love having that open air feeling

However, having the Mojave comforts, shocks, and bed would be better on a day to day basis (at least I think)

Any opinions would be great

Thanks!

I've had Wranglers in the past and now that the kids are growed and out of car seats, I bought a new Gladiator Overland in 2020. My wife "borrowed" it so often we ended up purchasing her a Sahara in 2021 with the SkyTouch roof. The Skytouch is great and in my opinion functions exactly as you think it should. No leaks in the car wash, no flapping and the material is pretty thick so the road noise, while more noticeable than a hard top, is not deafening. This is a convertible after all. You can open and close it at speeds up to 30mph.

For me, I prefer the Gladiator for two reasons:
1] The truck bed.
Runs to the home store for plants, or mulch are no longer a concern, just hose out the bedliner. So many times in the past I would rent or borrow a truck for smaller jobs that the Gladiator handles with ease.

2] The ride. In my opinion, the slightly longer wheel base on the Gladiator makes for a smoother ride on longer trips. My '20 Gladiator now has 68k miles on it - many of those are road trips of more than 1,000 miles.

I have the premium stereo, leather heated seats and heated steering wheel, standard cruise, Mopar hard tri-fold tonneau cover (pretty secure - cannot open unless you unlock and open the tailgate) and jeep/dealer option floormats with integrated drains and standard cruise. I purchased a BestTop sunrider (sunrider now available as a dealer option) which i use all summer. If there was one thing I will add next time, it would be the blind spot monitoring.

Good luck!

 

[Badunit]

Counter to post #23 I've had good experience with Farrish in the past, but it has been a few years since buying anything from them. But a problem I had with them earlier this year was salesperson lack of knowledge about Jeeps, other than Jay and the sales manager. You might also look at Fair Oaks in Chantilly. I was near Koons in Vienna today and saw a few Gladiators on their lot. Skip talking about discounts or invoice price and get straight to asking for the "out the door" price so that the outrageous "doc fees" or dealer-added stuff (and state taxes) are not a surprise at the end.

Choosing between an SUV-type vehicle and a pickup is difficult. I chose a JT because I often haul things that I don't want inside my cab like gas/diesel cans, stinky trash bags, muddy stuff, etc.

 

[wchevron]

I have a 2020 JLU Sahara and a 2021 JT Rubicon. JLU is my daughters. I drive it occasionally. The JT is my daily. The JL is the turbo. It's like a little rocket compared to the JT. But I find the ride in the JT is smoother. Over road bumps the JT soaks the bumps up more than the JL. Not sure if it's the Rubicon shocks or the longer wheelbase but I find it a more comfortable ride. I'm sure if I drove the JL for a week or so straight I'd get used to the ride but its something I noticed jumping from the JT to the JL. Plus I like having the bed to throw stuff in.

 

[Tim. Y.]

 

[Carrotzilla]

that was a machine. I do love having the bed though. If you have a 4 door, you already compromised. miss the 2 door but im glad I bought the glad (w/manual)

 

[rockymountainhigh]

This is my 8th Jeep and first Jeep truck. I traded in my '16 Wrangler Sport S that I lightly modified for light trail use. Nothing crazy. 34s, budget lift. Bilstein shocks. It off-roaded just excellent but was rough it seemed in town. And the hardtop, even with the Harken Hoister, weighed almost 610,014 pounds...

The '22 Gladiator I'm in now has 33s I installed and no lift or any other suspension mods, the top lifts off with complete ease on the same hoister and is featherweight in comparison. The bed is super useful and I've hauled everything from an N-Scale train layout to a shit ton mulch bags to a pair of Honda Navi's to all kinds of boards and tools and free firewood for the firepit, to old fence panels and everything in between. Nothing like cruising home and seeing something cool on the curb and being able to throw it in the bed and boom, done.

The interior of the gladiator seems just as spacious if not bigger than the JK, except the small JK back and having the hardtop. But the truck ride, being longer wheelbase, is so much more smooth that it makes all the difference to me. And the ability to haul most anything.

My vote for you is for the Gladiator. Just a lot more practical than a Wrangler. And I love Wranglers! Hope this helps.

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

I know this is a Gladiator forum...

But I need a new vehicle and am looking at used Mojave's and used Wranglers.

I had a 19 Sahara a couple years ago but sold it and not sure if the Gladiator would be better in the long run and was wondering if anyone has had experience with both. I won't do any off-roading, just daily driving with the kids, errands, etc.

The main reason I like the Wrangler is for the Sky One Touch. Removing my old hard top was such a pain, I hated it and the gladiator doesn't have that option. Kids would love having that open air feeling

However, having the Mojave comforts, shocks, and bed would be better on a day to day basis (at least I think)

Any opinions would be great

Thanks!

We have had both…. My wife usually runs with the kids (two boys) and loves the gladiator for the amount of crap she can stick in the back….. hates the steering. Says cool- full size truck steering with no truck capability… lol.
So daily for us wrangler wins…. Have had 3.6’s, 3.0 is the only way to go…dispute what you read ?.

 

[GeneralMaximus]

The main reason I like the Wrangler is for the Sky One Touch. Removing my old hard top was such a pain, I hated it

What year was your wrangler? Ive had two JK wranglers and both hardtops were heavy and cumbersome to remove. I haven’t removed the hardtop on my Gladiator yet, but I can tell you, the freedom top panels weigh a lot less than my JK wranglers did.

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