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Gladiator vs. Wrangler Unlimited

WXman

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So after being in a JL Wrangler Unlimited Sport S for almost 18 months and now being in a JT Gladiator Sport S, I've noticed a few differences.

Interior

JT has chrome bezels on the steering wheel, vs. the nice brushed nickel look of the JLU. I highly prefer the JLU version. Not only does the chrome on the JT not match anything else on the Sport trim level, but it also causes more sun glare on bright days.

The seats in the JT seem to have slightly more cushioning and padding, though generally being the same design and look.

The Mopar floor liners for the 2nd row won't work in the JT due to the storage bin under the seat.

The dash cluster display is faster and more responsive, though it has the exact same information and layout. The dyslexic brain-bending is still present in the JT; you must press up arrow to go down in the menu, down arrow to go up. Same with the shifter for the trans. in manual mode...pull down to upshift, push up to downshift. It's maddening and stupid. And I don't care that they do it this way in race cars; this isn't a race car.

The passenger grab handle is blank. In the JLU it is stamped "Wrangler" which is a nice touch. In the JT it's just blank and looks cheap. Why couldn't they stamp those with "Gladiator"?

The $1,295 Alpine system is a disappointment. Yes, it does have a little bit of thump from the sub, but at high volumes (14 and beyond) it begins to rattle and sounds cheap. And, the rest of the system doesn't sound any better than the standard system in the JLU I had. I would have skipped the Alpine system if I could do it over again. Too much money for too little gain.

The way the rear seats fold two ways is very nice. Wrangler seats can't fold up at all, only the seat backs fold down.

Despite having 3 mufflers (ridiculous), the JT seems to be louder in the cabin. I hear more engine note and the acoustics are just very different. The JLU was more quiet despite being a shorter wheelbase with less restrictive exhaust system. Odd. Very odd.

The auto climate control in the JLU is bad. Real bad. I did a series of YouTube videos that showed that the actual interior temperature was sometimes nearly 20 degrees different from the temperature that the climate control was set to. Well, the JT is even worse. On the ride home, I had to set the controls to 62 degrees just to get somewhat comfortable and it was only 82 degrees outside. Not even the heat of summer yet. Why can't Jeep program a climate control system properly? My Nissan Frontier with auto climate was spot-on. Set it to 70 degrees and it stayed nice in the truck year round.

Exterior

The Jeep fender emblem is black on the JT, which I prefer over the chrome one on the JLU.

The JT has a noticeably higher stance than the JLU.

The JT inner wheel-well splash guard on the front is cheap, flimsy material that flops around a lot. This is not the case on the JLU. The JLU fender liners were rigid and worked great. I have no idea why Jeep would change this.

The JLU hard top freedom panels are identical to the JT panels and my Sunrider for Hardtop fit like a glove on the truck.

Driving

It feels like they didn't update the JT steering calibration to accommodate the longer wheelbase. It requires a lot more turn of the steering wheel to go around curves and make turns. This causes the steering to feel "slow" compared to JLU. I wish they would have updated this.

On the local CAT scale, my JLU went 4,200 lbs. and my JT is 4,700 lbs. You can feel the extra 500 lbs. of weight some, but what surprises me is that the 4.10 gears don't seem to make up for the weight penalty like I expected. The JT still feels slower and more sluggish. Perhaps the engine is still breaking in.

Fuel economy so far is quite a bit worse. My bone stock JT is getting worse MPGs than my JLU was getting on a 2.5" lift with 35" mud tires. Ouch. I have no idea why that's the case. The 4.10s in the axles keep the JT in 8th gear more often. I would have expected similar gas mileage but so far there's at least a 2.0 MPG difference between the JT and JLU. Again, the engine in the JT is still breaking in so perhaps it'll get a little better?

Ride quality is noticeably better in the JT. Very smooth and rides softer than the JLU. JLU was stiff and choppy from day 1.

Brakes are noticeably stronger in the JT. The truck stops so well that even the wife commented on it when she drove it.

The coolant in the JT is blueish purple. Not the case on the JLU. Why do they change coolants like underwear?

I love that JT has standard D44s front and rear and they are heavier duty axle tubes than what JLU gets even in Rubicon trim.


Overall a whole lot is familar on the JT, but a whole lot is different. Quite an interesting experience.
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Thanks very much for the write-up.
 

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So after being in a JL Wrangler Unlimited Sport S for almost 18 months and now being in a JT Gladiator Sport S, I've noticed a few differences.
This is the kind of comparison I am interested in, love that it's about as close to apples to apples as you're likely to find. The only thing that would make it better is a JKU vs JT (for my purposes anyway), but seeing same spec level comparison is nice. I did find that my aftermarket suspension made driving my JKU way more comfortable and fun to drive than the JT Rubicon I test drove last month. Hopefully you'll follow up after a few thousand miles so we can find out if it feels improved.
 

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So after being in a JL Wrangler Unlimited Sport S for almost 18 months and now being in a JT Gladiator Sport S, I've noticed a few differences.

Interior

JT has chrome bezels on the steering wheel, vs. the nice brushed nickel look of the JLU. I highly prefer the JLU version. Not only does the chrome on the JT not match anything else on the Sport trim level, but it also causes more sun glare on bright days.

The seats in the JT seem to have slightly more cushioning and padding, though generally being the same design and look.

The Mopar floor liners for the 2nd row won't work in the JT due to the storage bin under the seat.

The dash cluster display is faster and more responsive, though it has the exact same information and layout. The dyslexic brain-bending is still present in the JT; you must press up arrow to go down in the menu, down arrow to go up. Same with the shifter for the trans. in manual mode...pull down to upshift, push up to downshift. It's maddening and stupid. And I don't care that they do it this way in race cars; this isn't a race car.

The passenger grab handle is blank. In the JLU it is stamped "Wrangler" which is a nice touch. In the JT it's just blank and looks cheap. Why couldn't they stamp those with "Gladiator"?

The $1,295 Alpine system is a disappointment. Yes, it does have a little bit of thump from the sub, but at high volumes (14 and beyond) it begins to rattle and sounds cheap. And, the rest of the system doesn't sound any better than the standard system in the JLU I had. I would have skipped the Alpine system if I could do it over again. Too much money for too little gain.

The way the rear seats fold two ways is very nice. Wrangler seats can't fold up at all, only the seat backs fold down.

Despite having 3 mufflers (ridiculous), the JT seems to be louder in the cabin. I hear more engine note and the acoustics are just very different. The JLU was more quiet despite being a shorter wheelbase with less restrictive exhaust system. Odd. Very odd.

The auto climate control in the JLU is bad. Real bad. I did a series of YouTube videos that showed that the actual interior temperature was sometimes nearly 20 degrees different from the temperature that the climate control was set to. Well, the JT is even worse. On the ride home, I had to set the controls to 62 degrees just to get somewhat comfortable and it was only 82 degrees outside. Not even the heat of summer yet. Why can't Jeep program a climate control system properly? My Nissan Frontier with auto climate was spot-on. Set it to 70 degrees and it stayed nice in the truck year round.

Exterior

The Jeep fender emblem is black on the JT, which I prefer over the chrome one on the JLU.

The JT has a noticeably higher stance than the JLU.

The JT inner wheel-well splash guard on the front is cheap, flimsy material that flops around a lot. This is not the case on the JLU. The JLU fender liners were rigid and worked great. I have no idea why Jeep would change this.

The JLU hard top freedom panels are identical to the JT panels and my Sunrider for Hardtop fit like a glove on the truck.

Driving

It feels like they didn't update the JT steering calibration to accommodate the longer wheelbase. It requires a lot more turn of the steering wheel to go around curves and make turns. This causes the steering to feel "slow" compared to JLU. I wish they would have updated this.

On the local CAT scale, my JLU went 4,200 lbs. and my JT is 4,700 lbs. You can feel the extra 500 lbs. of weight some, but what surprises me is that the 4.10 gears don't seem to make up for the weight penalty like I expected. The JT still feels slower and more sluggish. Perhaps the engine is still breaking in.

Fuel economy so far is quite a bit worse. My bone stock JT is getting worse MPGs than my JLU was getting on a 2.5" lift with 35" mud tires. Ouch. I have no idea why that's the case. The 4.10s in the axles keep the JT in 8th gear more often. I would have expected similar gas mileage but so far there's at least a 2.0 MPG difference between the JT and JLU. Again, the engine in the JT is still breaking in so perhaps it'll get a little better?

Ride quality is noticeably better in the JT. Very smooth and rides softer than the JLU. JLU was stiff and choppy from day 1.

Brakes are noticeably stronger in the JT. The truck stops so well that even the wife commented on it when she drove it.

The coolant in the JT is blueish purple. Not the case on the JLU. Why do they change coolants like underwear?

I love that JT has standard D44s front and rear and they are heavier duty axle tubes than what JLU gets even in Rubicon trim.


Overall a whole lot is familar on the JT, but a whole lot is different. Quite an interesting experience.
So are you happy with your decision to trade your JLU in for the JT or is the jury still out?
 

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It requires a lot more turn of the steering wheel to go around curves and make turns. This causes the steering to feel "slow" compared to JLU.
I haven't compared the steering to a JL, but I agree it feels like a lot of effort for a little gain. If the turning radius was tighter I wouldn't even complain about it. Again, not comparing to a JL, just in general I was hoping it was tighter.
 

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@WXman , couple questions for ya....

“4:10 gears” so I take it you got max tow pkg??
Wondering if that could account for the better brakes and high stance maybe?
Have you asked the dealership maintenance department about the auto a/c calibration?
Just wondering if there could be a problem with the internal temp sensor being covered or blocked close to a vent so it’s reading the temp from inside the dash instead of the cabin. Only reason I ask is FCA uses a lot of those same parts on multiple vehicle models and brands (just rebadged where visible) and my former charger and challenger were spot on. Bought a outdoor thermometer once and had it in the back seat with a/c set to 72 and when I got home I noticed it was reading right about 72. 95 outside that day.

I Went and looked at a few JT’s Monday with the wife and test drove a rubicon which got the wife approved seal. :like: The ride, even with the rubi on m/t tires rode far smoother than my lifted jk which she noticed and commented on. I agree that the steering wasn’t as nimble as my jk but I equated it to being a lot longer than my 2 dr jk.

Also, now that you mention it, I see what your talking about as far as the center cluster navigation being backwards. My challenger had the same shifter and center cluster as the new jeeps but I always thought of it as the list of pages being 1-8 or whatever with 1 at the top and 8 at the bottom so pushing the down arrow to go from page 2 to page 3 made sense in a way but I can see how it actually does seem weird when you think about it to go up on the button to go down in screen numbers.
Lastly, I’ve seen a few things about those front fender liners being floppy and the thing that has me confused is, as you said, if the front fenders are the same, why would they change the inner liners to soft or floppy ones when what they already use on the JL’s is fine?? :lipssealed:
 
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So are you happy with your decision to trade your JLU in for the JT or is the jury still out?
I'd do the trade again 6 days a week and twice on Sunday. The cargo box makes the vehicle so much more usable and practical.

@WXman , couple questions for ya....

“4:10 gears” so I take it you got max tow pkg??
Wondering if that could account for the better brakes and high stance maybe?
Have you asked the dealership maintenance department about the auto a/c calibration?
Just wondering if there could be a problem with the internal temp sensor being covered or blocked close to a vent so it’s reading the temp from inside the dash instead of the cabin.
I had them look at the issue on the JLU and they flashed the computer and it didn't do a single thing to help the auto climate control issue, but it did ruin the performance of the radiator fan and interior blower fan. Apparently a lot of whiny people were complaining about the noise those fans were making on the JL so Jeep turned the speeds down on both of them. Sigh......
 

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I had them look at the issue on the JLU and they flashed the computer and it didn't do a single thing to help the auto climate control issue, but it did ruin the performance of the radiator fan and interior blower fan. Apparently a lot of whiny people were complaining about the noise those fans were making on the JL so Jeep turned the speeds down on both of them. Sigh......
Well that figures....

So did you get the sport s with max tow pkg?? I really want to know as that is the debate I’m having with myself right now....

Max tow sport S with the 7” radio and a few other options or get a rubicon that already has the HD 44’s w/ 4:10’s, 7” radio and those other things standard but gain lockers, nicer rims, bigger tires, higher fenders, vented hood, etc that’s not on the sport as well as the ability to add a couple things that aren’t available on the sport (proximity and saddle leather being the two key things) all for a little bit more up front.

Just curious if you did get the max tow, what your thoughts were on it value wise. Does it have the same high fenders as the rubicon? Does it sit higher than a stock sport??
Sorry, inquiring mind. When we went to look, they had already sold the sport they had with the max tow pkg so I couldn’t see the difference or compare for myself.
 
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Well that figures....

So did you get the sport s with max tow pkg?? I really want to know as that is the debate I’m having with myself right now....

Max tow sport S with the 7” radio and a few other options or get a rubicon that already has the HD 44’s w/ 4:10’s, 7” radio and those other things standard but gain lockers, nicer rims, bigger tires, higher fenders, vented hood, etc that’s not on the sport as well as the ability to add a couple things that aren’t available on the sport (proximity and saddle leather being the two key things) all for a little bit more up front.

Just curious if you did get the max tow, what your thoughts were on it value wise. Does it have the same high fenders as the rubicon? Does it sit higher than a stock sport??
Sorry, inquiring mind. When we went to look, they had already sold the sport they had with the max tow pkg so I couldn’t see the difference or compare for myself.
Yes, Sport S. I added the Max Towing package and several other packages. When I "built" a Rubicon with the same features, it was $7,700 more money MSRP. That's not even including leather, proximity entry, etc. To me, two lockers, a disconnecting sway bar, and 4.1 transfer case were NOT worth $7,700. I've already got a set of wheels and 35" tires in the barn that I took off my JLU, so I didn't care about the larger tires either.

Here's the way I looked at it: IF you're going to work with the truck hauling and towing, then the Sport with Max Towing is the only way to go. Yes, the Rubicon does have a 7,000 lb. tow rating, BUT, it's also straddled with a miserable 1,100 lb. payload capacity. So, unless you always drive alone and never carry passengers and cargo, it will be impossible to reach the maximum towing capacity on a non-Max Towing model.

With the 1,511 lb. payload, my truck opens up a LOT more possibilities in the future. Plus, it saved me $7,700. It was a no-brainer. I will add lockers of some sort later down the road..
 

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This all just makes it harder for me to commit to anything.. Maybe I should just wait until they make corrections in future model years like they did on the JK
 

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Yes, Sport S. I added the Max Towing package and several other packages. When I "built" a Rubicon with the same features, it was $7,700 more money MSRP. That's not even including leather, proximity entry, etc. To me, two lockers, a disconnecting sway bar, and 4.1 transfer case were NOT worth $7,700. I've already got a set of wheels and 35" tires in the barn that I took off my JLU, so I didn't care about the larger tires either.
I've seen you quote this $7700 difference and I'm confused how you got such a wide range. Every time I spec out a Sport S w/ features and then the Rubicon with the same features, the difference is $3500 (I'm always comparing Invoice on each.) Mind you I'm going fairly spartan in feature selection, but feature for feature it seems like the delta would always be around $3500. Maybe you're making a super spec'd Rubi vs a basic Sport S?
 

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I've seen you quote this $7700 difference and I'm confused how you got such a wide range. Every time I spec out a Sport S w/ features and then the Rubicon with the same features, the difference is $3500 (I'm always comparing Invoice on each.) Mind you I'm going fairly spartan in feature selection, but feature for feature it seems like the delta would always be around $3500. Maybe you're making a super spec'd Rubi vs a basic Sport S?
I was thinking the same thing, I'm debating Sport S with Max Tow vs Rubicon, and when "built" apples to apples, the price difference is way less than $7700, more like $4400 and if you deduct the $1500 for a 2" lift, your at $2900....
 

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I was thinking the same thing, I'm debating Sport S with Max Tow vs Rubicon, and when "built" apples to apples, the price difference is way less than $7700, more like $4400 and if you deduct the $1500 for a 2" lift, your at $2900....
You forgot the price difference is even less at or below invoice pricing when the Rubicon and Sport S w/ Max Tow are optioned similarly. Around $3,700. I hope everyone is buying their JT's below invoice.

And when equipping both trims with 35s, the difference in payload capacity is only 275lbs in Favor of the Sport S. I've been researching religiously comparing the 2 trims and the longer I wait, the more I'm convinced the Rubicon is the better buy.
 

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I haven't compared the steering to a JL, but I agree it feels like a lot of effort for a little gain. If the turning radius was tighter I wouldn't even complain about it. Again, not comparing to a JL, just in general I was hoping it was tighter.
I felt the same way - mind you I haven't driven my LE a lot yet prolly the least amount of miles among everyone on this forum cuz I have been busy and have put 100 miles on it so far LOL... so, it is def not broken in but I felt the same with the steering a bit loose and almost to the point where I don't trust it - Like it doesn't instill a lot of confidence in me gauging the wheels... I feel like this will improve greatly with the steering stabilizer. At least hope so...
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