Head of Jeep Brand NA is bullish on Gladiator future

[Gvsukids]

I crossed shopped the ZR2 Colorado. It was the only thing I considered besides my Gladiators. Their transmission issues scared me off, that and the fact I have always been a jeep guy. If I didn’t have the gladiator, I would have a ZR2. Nonetheless, I still prefer the simplicity of a solid axle.

I liked the ZR2, except for tow rating and rear seat comfort. Over time, I've realized the tow hooks would not be easy to use under water.

that makes perfect sense. The KOH are outside my desires too. However, many difficult trails in Moab and Colorado are not.

Often times, cars are built for extreme situations that most people will never achieve. Hence why a Corvette became faster and mid engined.

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[legacy_etu]

I don't see the Strada/Ram 700 coming for a couple reasons, but primarily because it's smaller than the current Rampage and doesn't offer AWD as an option.

OTOH, Rampage is roughly equivalent in size to the Maverick and shares underpinnings with the USDM Compass and ROW Commander (Damned shame Commander isn't sold here as a Cherokee in a 2-row version, too while we're at it). Rampage also looks much more like the full size Rams than the Ram 700/1200.

Because STLA already has all the design and tooling done in Brazil, theoretically that could be brought here in knock downs until they get a plant domestically online to avoid the dreaded Chicken Tax.

Have to remember that behind every model there's about at least a couple hundred million sunk into R&D and assembly line retooling. Financials are not great at STLA so any opportunity to save money is likely on the table.

Speaking of the Ram 1200/Peugeot Landtrek- I wonder if that could be the basis of a new Dakota?

D'oh. I forgot about the Rampage. Yup, more likely to come here with the drivetrain it has. and it's size. Gotta say it's expensive in brazil. I'm reading a 50K price.

 

[ChrisNLA]

TBH at this point in my life, if there had been a Gladiator that was just like mine and had IFS under it - I would have bought it. I think the truck looks great, I like the best in class rear seat space, and while the Pentastar is a little anemic, I enjoy that it's a relatively simple NA motor that will be easy to piddle with outside of the warranty.

I do regular guy light duty truck stuff along with some fire / forest roads and camping. I use 4WD more to move trailers on slick ground than anything else these days.

I'm not sure I could say what I would want in a future Gladiator, because truth is, if I ever need to move out of my truck - it's probably back into a full size. That's no fault of my truck, it's just that my soon to be fiance has three goblins and we may get tight on space some day

 

[BourbonRunner]

D'oh. I forgot about the Rampage. Yup, more likely to come here with the drivetrain it has. and it's size. Gotta say it's expensive in brazil. I'm reading a 50K price.

Yeah, that's steep but looks like that's base pricing for the top-end R/T. Big Horns convert to about $41k but that's still a ton of money when you consider what else you could get for the same money already.

I suppose if it were to make it here the price point would probably be closer to the Maverick, else it won't grab any market share. Those run from $24k-41K+ for a Tremor.

 

[biodiesel]

Dang, you both have beautiful properties!

Thank you! Rural/Remote living isn't for everyone, but we sure like it.

D'oh. I forgot about the Rampage. Yup, more likely to come here with the drivetrain it has. and it's size.

The Rampage has been seen testing in the United States, and it's been seen with an American Flag in the taillight.

Gotta say it's expensive in brazil. I'm reading a 50K price.

"Cars are extremely expensive in Brazil due to high import taxes, government incentives, and exchange rate risks, along with market dynamics that limit competition and shift consumer preferences toward larger vehicles. These factors combine to drive up the overall prices of vehicles in the country."

 

[ttn333]

TBH at this point in my life, if there had been a Gladiator that was just like mine and had IFS under it - I would have bought it. I think the truck looks great, I like the best in class rear seat space, and while the Pentastar is a little anemic, I enjoy that it's a relatively simple NA motor that will be easy to piddle with outside of the warranty.

I do regular guy light duty truck stuff along with some fire / forest roads and camping. I use 4WD more to move trailers on slick ground than anything else these days.

I'm not sure I could say what I would want in a future Gladiator, because truth is, if I ever need to move out of my truck - it's probably back into a full size. That's no fault of my truck, it's just that my soon to be fiance has three goblins and we may get tight on space some day

We're in a similar situation. Bought the gladiator when we only had two kids, now we are a family of 5. It's cramp with a baby car seat. We picked up a '24 Sequoia and boy is that thing roomy in comparison. We can easily fit 3 across with baby carseat and a booster seat with room to spare. I've toyed with trading JT in for a full size, but I'd be taking a blood bath. Also, the bigger point is that I would miss this truck dearly. Dispite all the complaints, I love this thing. We got rid off a subaru outback and 5th gen 4runner cause it would just sit there. I would always pick the JT everytime I had to drive. It just feels good, even on the streets.

 

[ChrisNLA]

We're in a similar situation. Bought the gladiator when we only had two kids, now we are a family of 5. It's cramp with a baby car seat. We picked up a '24 Sequoia and boy is that thing roomy in comparison. We can easily fit 3 across with baby carseat and a booster seat with room to spare. I've toyed with trading JT in for a full size, but I'd be taking a blood bath. Also, the bigger point is that I would miss this truck dearly. Dispite all the complaints, I love this thing. We got rid off a subaru outback and 5th gen 4runner cause it would just sit there. I would always pick the JT everytime I had to drive. It just feels good, even on the streets.

Same. I had to buy when I did but current economics are not in our favor to switch vehicles. We are more likely to put my woman into a Grand Cherokee L (that's my desire anyway) so we have a reasonable size / cost SUV that gives the kids breathing room (3 row) and can still pull a small (single axle) travel trailer locally. If we do that, I think we can find the combination of that and my Gladiator to be bearable for some time.

I really do like my JT too. It's not the smoothest daily but it sure is great for navigating around town, parking lots, general errands, etc due to it's size and sight lines.

 

[legacy_etu]

Thank you! Rural/Remote living isn't for everyone, but we sure like it.


The Rampage has been seen testing in the United States, and it's been seen with an American Flag in the taillight.

"Cars are extremely expensive in Brazil due to high import taxes, government incentives, and exchange rate risks, along with market dynamics that limit competition and shift consumer preferences toward larger vehicles. These factors combine to drive up the overall prices of vehicles in the country."

Yeah, I saw that flag. Gotta say I really like that little touch.

 

[djthumper]

My daily is an F150. About as boring as they get.

It's lower and easier to get in and out of.
The seats are more comfortable.
It's much quicker.
It's quiter.
It's easier to keep straight.
It gets better MPG.

For a little context, I'm 47 years old and I commute 1 hour each way. When I was in my twenties and drove 10 minutes to work, I loved my TJ as a DD. As I got older and my commute got longer, I found I preferred something more confrotable and boring.

Maybe you bought the wrong JT for the drive.

My JT is fairly quick, even with the gear I have in it.
I also get about 20MPG with my 1 hour commute.
The seats could be a bit more comfortable.
It could be a little quieter.

Mine is a Eco diesel and I am 58. Prior to this I was driving a 1500 Silverado as a DD.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Maybe you bought the wrong JT for the drive.

My JT is fairly quick, even with the gear I have in it.
I also get about 20MPG with my 1 hour commute.
The seats could be a bit more comfortable.
It could be a little quieter.

Mine is a Eco diesel and I am 58. Prior to this I was driving a 1500 Silverado as a DD.

It would be nice to have a diesel for the power.

I drove one when I bought mine. It was fairly quick for a Jeep. But I think my DD would have at least 10 car lengths on it after a 1/4 mile.

20 mpg is decent. I'm averaging 19.3 with 87 octane in my DD. Diesel is 25-30% more expensive than 87 in my area.

 

[djthumper]

It would be nice to have a diesel for the power.

I drove one when I bought mine. It was fairly quick for a Jeep. But I think my DD would have at least 10 car lengths on it after a 1/4 mile.

20 mpg is decent. I'm averaging 19.3 with 87 octane in my DD. Diesel is 25-30% more expensive than 87 in my area.

I take Mustangs and Camaros off the line and get a pretty good start on them. I am on 35s, so it throws them even more.

Here diesel has been cheaper than 87 octane but that fluctuates + or - 10%.

 

[Throwback]

They just need to engineer the price lower. I think the Nighthawk package is good, lots of things people want low 40s, bang. My dealer bought a lot of them, so I'm guessing they sell. There are a lot more Gladiators in my town this year, I see them coming around every block and I get a lot of compliments on mine. It's a cheap no-brainer for the company to build these, and they could double the sales if they would just get over the notion that this is a luxury lifestyle brand.

 

[MoDean]

No doubt you are.

That's why I'll be retired in 18 months and my peers will be slaving away for the McMansions in constant fear of being replaced by an H1 B applicant




I'm not showing anyone how, and don't care if you choose to work until the day you die making mortgage payments in the least

But the average home price in the entire country, has little bearing on the average home price in each county, or even state.

If you live in some skewed zip code where the average price is 500k and the average wage is 50, you should probably change some element of the equation.

Or not, just keep doomscrolling and crying about it, it's whatever to me.

I repeat this over and over. Where you choose to live makes all the difference. Affordable homes exist, but you won't find them in huge metro areas.

 

[legacy_etu]

I repeat this over and over. Where you choose to live makes all the difference. Affordable homes exist, but you won't find them in huge metro areas.

Exactly, although I’m watching to see what the incoming vertical “air taxis” do for home prices further out from metro areas. If you can now commute in 30 minutes and get 200 miles from a metro area then a Much larger area now becomes commutable. See Joby and Archer aviation……of course this is assuming these air taxis fares are affordable.

 

[JmattNYC]

Love the gladiator but i hate how we are treated. They can start by stop treating the gladiator like the ugly step child black sheep of the family! I've owned three gladiators already and possible thinking of purchasing a final one for this generation. I know this is not a wish list tread but here are some things i would love to see before 2027/28.

1. Give gladiator some of our own trims and packages.
2. A type of Xtreme package and Steel bumper capability package for all trim levels
3. Gearing options 4:56, 4:88, etc. like the wranglers.
4. Revisit the up country up lift packages with some product information and training for dealers. Sales people don't have a clue about the products they sell SMH.
5.Trailer brake controller standard on tow packages without killing the 12V outlet.
6. Some fun colors more color options overall. Bikini was never released.
7. Put select track fulltime 4X4 auto or whatever you call it as an option on the max tow package and basic sport S.
8. Fix Manual transmission and upgrade the clutch. Aftermarket has some good options and Jeep should secure deal to source parts.(Doubt it due to compony greed/ego)
9. Provide us with a new diesel option!! Miss my old diesel. Let manual owners have it as well.
10. Mopar "performances" package to include the snorkel, cold air intake, exhaust, wipers lol as an available option group for all trims. More expensive trims can get an enhance version.
11. Basic work truck type setup for basic sport with a little snow prep package type of a package, cargo group and haul mode. (Doubt it) Give me back my roll up windows lol
12. Armor-lite flooring system from factory like the wranglers.
13. More engine options

I never really cared for the "Electrification" push by the compony however if they ever fix the issues with the original generic Etorque system and produce an upgraded version that will help enhance the old V6 performance then sign me up!!

One can dream.

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