How do Gladiators handle on the highway?

[COASTAL CAJUN]

Honestly, mine handles fine. My wife and I did a 5000 mile road trip from the Texas Gulf Coast to Las Vegas and into Colorado and back. Drove great. Even in the mountains ?. Million Dollar Hiway and all.. milage was as expected and at 95mph heading into Vegas felt like 55. Glad the cops were on break. I always have something in my truck bed. Never fails. Really think the ride is great. Rock On!!

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[Ferg]

Long-time, multi-Jeep owner (first one was a CJ; current is a 2021 JTR). The JTR handles like a Wrangler with a smoother ride, IMHO.

 

[ElJeffe77]

What kind of Audi you coming from? My Q5 is a great car, and I’m sad to see it go. That is, until it gets replaced by punk’n!

I know this is WAY later, but I just turned in my 2018 q5 as the lease was up - how's your gladiator coming from the q5?

Thanks!

 

[Mojave2021]

Installed a Hellwig rear sway bar a few days back. My Mojave handles nice and flat now on curvy highway on ramps and off ramps. It’s really fun to drive.

 

[Knightindullarmor]

I wish to God that they would stop making Jeeps for non-Jeepers. The Mojave may enjoy a comfortable highway ride, but that is a byproduct of it being designed for desert racing. Is my Willys with its 32" MT tires too bumpy of a ride for you (even though it rides smoother than my previous TJ Wranglers and ZJ Grand Cherokee - all lifted on 31 to 32" tires)? Then buy a godforsaken AWD Honda Ridgeline. Ugh...

Please do not buy a solid axle Jeep. Please buy a Ford Bronco or Toyota TRD Pro truck and leave a Jeep for someone who knows & appreciates Jeeps.

Sorry if this seems like an attack, but the Mojave trim is really watering-down the bloodline of Jeepers. Not that there is anything wrong with the Mojave... I know for a fact that RWD Porsche enthusiasts hated when AWD became the "norm". So many non-gearheads bought Porsche because of the "now-acceptable" handling and reduced learning curve vs prior rear-engine, RWD track cars. They can "be cool" without suffering any learning curve or bad off-track manners.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Wow, a bit arrogant isn't it? I mean - only YOU get it and understand!

So, AMC should have let Jeep DIE in 1970 according to you.
Lee Iacocca should have let AMC/JEEP die instead of buying AMC for the sole purpose of obtaining the Grand Cherokee (and the new engine technology AMC had on the drawing board but didn't have the money to make a reality)
IF not for AMC and later Chrysler, Jeep WOULD have died if YOUR desires and wishes had some true. There aren't enough people like you (I don't see that as a negative) to keep Jeep alive.
Further, if not for new people buying and wanting to learn - but having the desire for the ride to even get to the roughs be a decent ride. Maybe you know that a good chunk of the vehicle buying public don't even live near your hard-core trails that only experts, such as yourself, can handle.

A lot of places where Jeeps were used for military were sandy and not all that mountainous. But then of course you knew that.
Watering down the line - wow, that is truly arrogant, sounds like someone from the past, say, the late 30s, 40s.

I see also that you are a believer in the bull shit that solid axle vehicles will inherently ride rough or handle like crap. Sorry if you can't get past your youth but this isn't 1940. There is no reason at all a solid axle vehicle can't ride very nicely on the highway, streets, even the rural back roads.
If ride and handling were an issue then the ZJ, WJ and others would have been a huge failure. They ride and handle great - and there are some WJs around where I live that are lifted nicely, big A/T tires, and they actually do pretty well on the highways but can handle mudding through the rivers and hitting some rocky trails now and then. I have a friend in MN who has built some trick air ride suspensions for the ZJ and I've been in them - yeah, they aren't like a car, but they sure don't ride or handle like a CJ5, either.
I have some college courses in steering and suspension and this bit about "it's a Jeep thing" - or worse, "it's a solid axle thing" is so 1940s it's silly and I laugh.
There are inherent differences under some conditions - the way the steering articulates with the IFS control arms plays huge in rough terrain, either side can articulate up and not have all that much impact on steering unlike the solid axle - but then this thread is about handling on the highway.
There's a suspension engineer out there who has talked about this at length. Boy do I wish I had saved THAT link to throw it in some faces of those that claim a solid axle will ride and/or handle like crap.

The JT is also a LONGER wheelbase than other Jeeps that existed at the time of its creation - of course it's going to be better. It's like comparing my huge long and wide Javelin to my short-sprung SX4. No comparison - want a good ride and crazy great handling, the Javelin will run circles around the short SX4 but then the Javelin won't go where the SX4 will. Gee, both are IFS.

AMC was the first company to mass produce an all wheel drive car in the USA, technically the first CUV made in the US (Ok, let's not forget those made in Brampton - sorry, Canadians!)

If not for people who buy Jeep and don't crawl over huge dunes or piles of rocks, your precious brand would be DEAD. If not for AMC, it would have died long ago. If not for the Grand Cherokee (and magnum engines) it would have died again in 1988.
I talked to AMC employees and engineers directly - there's a few things some people don't know about.

So don't diss those who aren't as great as you or who buy Jeep vehicles for purposes other than those you believe they should be reserved for - with only people like YOU driving or owning them.

 

[rvillano8188]

I know this is WAY later, but I just turned in my 2018 q5 as the lease was up - how's your gladiator coming from the q5?

Thanks!

I always wanted a wrangler, and also had the need for a weekend warrior pickup, so it was a no brainer to get a JT for me.

that being said, going from a supercharged truck to a Rubi on 37’s took some getting used to. Felt like I was white knuckling for the first month I had it. Feel much better driving it now and so glad I made the jump.

 

[jac04]

I know this is WAY later, but I just turned in my 2018 q5 as the lease was up - how's your gladiator coming from the q5?

Thanks!

I traded in my 2019 Audi A4 Allroad on my Mojave. I knew what I was getting myself into because I also own a 2014 JKR. The Gladiator is a completely different experience overall than a modern Audi. Is it a worse experience? That all depends on you and what you are looking for. If you are looking for a refined vehicle that will eat up 300 highway miles at 80-85mph and leave you feeling refreshed, then the Gladiator might not be for you. If you don't mind some tire & wind noise and taking your time getting where you are going, then the Gladiator could be what you are looking for. I have a completely 'chill' attitude driving either my JKR or JTM. In my Allroad, it was always about trying to exploit the car's power & handling to make it enjoyable.

 

[Junker21]

I bought my JT because it's a convertible and a truck. Traded my
Volvo C70 (retractable hardtop) .
The Volvo was a fun car for traveling
but very limited space with the top down. Now we have room to spare.
On the JT test drive it did feel vague? on the Interstate but I got used to it within a few days. I think it drives great and am amazed at what they
have done with a straight axle .
If I had ordered mine it would have
all season tires but am loving the
Firestone MT/2's . (I know , they're only 32's ) .
Ride is as good or better than my
old Tundra TRD and night and day
compared to my 93 F-150 Off Road RC/SB .
That thing will beat you to death!
I'll be selling the Tundra and the
F-150 (which has gone up in value a ton since I bought it 7 years ago. ).
Now I have the best of both worlds,
a convertible and a very capable truck !

 

[AlxCZ]

Be honest. Asking about stock not modified Gladiators. I was fairly unimpressed when I test drove a Gladiator on the highway. It reminded me of a VW van getting pushed around in crosswinds. Off the highway it felt like any other decent modern vehicle... no issues. But on the highway at 75 mph I wondered how much I would enjoy a 5 hour drive... or not.

There is something to be said when the Gladiator is compared to one of the quirkiest cool vehicles out there, the VW van or bus 60's-70's. I can think of one other vehicle that holds that crown, the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 70's. the quirkiness is what gives them personality. So we deal with cross winds

 

[ElJeffe77]

I traded in my 2019 Audi A4 Allroad on my Mojave. I knew what I was getting myself into because I also own a 2014 JKR. The Gladiator is a completely different experience overall than a modern Audi. Is it a worse experience? That all depends on you and what you are looking for. If you are looking for a refined vehicle that will eat up 300 highway miles at 80-85mph and leave you feeling refreshed, then the Gladiator might not be for you. If you don't mind some tire & wind noise and taking your time getting where you are going, then the Gladiator could be what you are looking for. I have a completely 'chill' attitude driving either my JKR or JTM. In my Allroad, it was always about trying to exploit the car's power & handling to make it enjoyable.

I've rented jeeps a few times, and found myself driving MUCH more relaxed (and liking it) than I did with my q5, which I was always enjoying the 0-60 of - this is good to know, thanks!

I always wanted a wrangler, and also had the need for a weekend warrior pickup, so it was a no brainer to get a JT for me.

that being said, going from a supercharged truck to a Rubi on 37’s took some getting used to. Felt like I was white knuckling for the first month I had it. Feel much better driving it now and so glad I made the jump.

Great to hear this, thanks!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I find it interesting that so many of the responses are people who normally drive Audi, Volvo, BMW, Porsche, etc.

Apples to lettuce - comparing a tall square truck to a car of any sort, let alone a luxury or sports car.

 

[Scootjeep]

Mine handled like crap, but from the stealership the psi on my Mojave was 42, dropped to 36 and it’s a night and day difference.

 

[dcmdon]

I wish to God that they would stop making Jeeps for non-Jeepers. The Mojave may enjoy a comfortable highway ride, but that is a byproduct of it being designed for desert racing. Is my Willys with its 32" MT tires too bumpy of a ride for you (even though it rides smoother than my previous TJ Wranglers and ZJ Grand Cherokee - all lifted on 31 to 32" tires)? Then buy a godforsaken AWD Honda Ridgeline. Ugh...

Please do not buy a solid axle Jeep. Please buy a Ford Bronco or Toyota TRD Pro truck and leave a Jeep for someone who knows & appreciates Jeeps.

Sorry if this seems like an attack, but the Mojave trim is really watering-down the bloodline of Jeepers. Not that there is anything wrong with the Mojave... I know for a fact that RWD Porsche enthusiasts hated when AWD became the "norm". So many non-gearheads bought Porsche because of the "now-acceptable" handling and reduced learning curve vs prior rear-engine, RWD track cars. They can "be cool" without suffering any learning curve or bad off-track manners.

Perhaps the most ridiculous thing I’ve read in a year.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Mine handled like crap, but from the stealership the psi on my Mojave was 42, dropped to 36 and it’s a night and day difference.

Don't any dealers know how to set tires to the door jamb sticker?
I've even had trouble with TIRE DEALERS, not just the JEEP dealer, setting Falken A/Ts up to 41 psi in the winter - imagine when they warmed up to 40 degrees.

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