Gladiator VS ZR2

[dakota.morgan91]

One of my buddies just bought the new ZR2 and paid about 3k less for it than my Willys Gladiator. I was floored by the value of the truck on paper..... until I looked at it. It feels like I'm sitting in a lifted Malibu with locking differentials. Now I see why it's cheaper, it feels cheaper. Still happy with my decision!

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[869 KPH]

Yeah that truck is awesome on paper (and maybe reality too), but never felt 'good' to sit in to me either. Very car or crossover-like.

 

[Papa Jawa]

One of my buddies just bought the new ZR2 and paid about 3k less for it than my Willys Gladiator. I was floored by the value of the truck on paper..... until I looked at it. It feels like I'm sitting in a lifted Malibu with locking differentials. Now I see why it's cheaper, it feels cheaper. Still happy with my decision!

I looked at the Colorado. On paper, and probably on the trail, the ZR2 is a Beast! But, I never even test drove it. I showed my son a pic of the Bison and he said "That's cool. If you want to drive a corolla truck?"

So stoked with my Gladiator.

 

[staying_tuned]

The ZR2 is fun and offers a lot of bang for the buck. Sorry to hear he paid anywhere close to 3k below a Willy's for it, that's a shame. They go for mid-30's in our area. Their interior is archaic and visually they appear tiny when parked next to anything. Parked next to a standard full-size truck, they look like a child's toy. At least the ranger, standard colorado and canyon are toned down enough to appear right-sized.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

Chevy interiors are vomit

 

[DankjeeP]

One of my buddies just bought the new ZR2 and paid about 3k less for it than my Willys Gladiator. I was floored by the value of the truck on paper..... until I looked at it. It feels like I'm sitting in a lifted Malibu with locking differentials. Now I see why it's cheaper, it feels cheaper. Still happy with my decision!

Haha yeah, there is that. Never have been a bowtie fan for that very reason. Although we were impressed with the performance of the Impala we rented once. Although the infotainment system didn't work half the time.

 

[ClunkyJeep]

At work our Chevy and GMC vehicles feel nice at first but then seem to rapidly deteriorate. The commercials seem to really focus on the JD power initial quality award. After a year they feel old.

 

[Sorbs]

Not crazy about most GM interiors. Grey dead whale plastics as far as the eye can see. The TFL guys try to argue how well placed the switch gear is, but sitting in one for any extended period of time, would make riding the NYC subway just as appealing.

 

[WXman]

I test drove a ZR2 Duramax. Hated it. Typical GM. Exterior is ugly, interior is ugly, layout is terrible, steering was awful, seating position was awful, poor visibility, and the engine felt like it had no guts at all. It didn't even feel like a diesel. It was just miserable. Sticker on it was $51k but they had discounts. Way too much money for that POS.

I don't even know why I test drove it. All my prior experience with GM trucks told me exactly what to expect.

 

[InvertedLogic]

I cross-shopped a ZR2 and really wanted to like it. What killed it for me was the cheap interior, sketchy trans issues reported form people running bigger tires, and the difficulty at the time to fit anything bigger than a 32" tire on there. The price/quirks ratio just didn't do it for me.

 

[MoparToYou]

I owned a ZR2 before my Gladiator Mojave. The ZR2 had better suspension than the Mojave does. Power is about equal. Interior is much better on the Mojave. Exterior styling is better on the Mojave. Offroad capability is better with the Mojave, even though it only has a rear locker and the ZR2 has front and rear lockers, because it requires a 4" lift to run 35s on the ZR2, and the Mojave can run 37s stock.

My ZR2 cost $10,000 less than my Mojave.

 

[Bonanza]

I test drove a gas Colorado once to get a free $100 voucher for something. Can't remember. The interior felt like driving a base rental car from an airport. Absolutely no "wow" factor, or even anything special at all. Which is a shame because I like what they tried to do with it.

 

[jfhull71]

Looked at it and the ranger on paper only, I know FCA has some quality quirks, but nothing like GM. Plus All GM trucks since 2000 have the worst seating position to me, too car like. These trucks are also rust magnets, see a bunch around Pittsburgh with big holes wheelhouses down at 5 years old. Overall the styling is bland like everything else. Let's face it, we went with Jeep for the live axle, off road durability and to stand out from the crowd. That said, a coworker got a stripper stick Gladiator sport. Parked next to my loaded sport, all I can say is...where did the extra ten grand go?

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

Terrible interior on the Colorado in my opinion. It’s like they put no effort in differentiating the truck from its car/crossover lineup. Ford Ranger is almost just as bad too.

The Gladiator looks better inside and out by a large margin in my eyes. I’m sure the Colorado drives better on pavement and scoots a little quicker too though. However, I’m willing to sacrifice those two aspects for what the Gladiator offers.

So yea, I agree with your son, “a lifted Malibu with locking differentials”.

 

[grownwrong]

Wow, so much hate for the ZedR2! lol... I have a ZR2 right now, and I just ordered a 6-speed Mojave. I've enjoyed the Colorado just fine, guess I'm being too generous with my opinion of it? So it sounds like I'm gonna LOVE my new Mojave coming soon? Glad to hear that.

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