I Took a test drive, and have some questions

[Ohio JKU]

Background: 138,000 miles in my JKU most fun vehicle ive ever owned. So my next Jeep will be either a Gladiator or another wrangler. I really like the Willys looks and options in both Jeeps. Im leaning gladiator atest drove one for the first time today:

Questions:

In the gladiator, it seems like the drivers seat sits higher on its lowest adjustment will not slide back as far.... coupled with the low rear view mirror i felt like traffic to my right was blocked by the mirror (im 6’-2”)

i drove the gladiator and wrangler back to back, the wrangler seemed to be similar to mine. Without measuring i feel like theres a few more “clicks” or about 1” more rearward adjustment and the seat traveled lower... very similar to my jku.
Am i wrong?
Does the seat travel the same?
Is the mirror lower?

Positives: looks very cool & the ride

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[Birel33]

I’m 6’0 and wish the seat would go further back too. I also feel like I have to stop short at lights so that I can see them.

 

[LancGladiatorGuy]

Background: 138,000 miles in my JKU most fun vehicle ive ever owned. So my next Jeep will be either a Gladiator or another wrangler. I really like the Willys looks and options in both Jeeps. Im leaning gladiator atest drove one for the first time today:

Questions:

In the gladiator, it seems like the drivers seat sits higher on its lowest adjustment will not slide back as far.... coupled with the low rear view mirror i felt like traffic to my right was blocked by the mirror (im 6’-2”)

i drove the gladiator and wrangler back to back, the wrangler seemed to be similar to mine. Without measuring i feel like theres a few more “clicks” or about 1” more rearward adjustment and the seat traveled lower... very similar to my jku.
Am i wrong?
Does the seat travel the same?
Is the mirror lower?

Positives: looks very cool & the ride

I’m 6’2 also and feel like the JT is bigger than my JLU was in the driver seat. I also feel like the windshield is bigger, even though it most likely isn’t. That being said I had no hesitation trading in the JLU for the JT.

 

[AZJT]

I've never driven a JKU or other Jeep models. However, I'm just over 6' and have had no issues with views, angles, or being able to monitor traffic around my JT - and I pay close attention to that because I have a tendency to back up into parking spaces, including my driveway. I travel ~20 freeway miles each way to work every day and haven't had issues - seat-wise or views.

 

[John Hursh]

I traded my 17 JKU Sahara for an Overland a month ago. At 6’ tall I can’t tell any appreciable difference between the two for seating. I love the additional flexibility the bed & towing capacity provided by the JT. When you test drive a JT, park the it in your garage - the lenght is very different from the JKU. Test drive the Overland and Sport or other model that interests you. So glad i did. The suspension, tires, and spring rates are hugely different. The Overland best met what I needed and was the best day to day driver for me.

 

[Ohio JKU]

I traded my 17 JKU Sahara for an Overland a month ago. At 6’ tall I can’t tell any appreciable difference between the two for seating. I love the additional flexibility the bed & towing capacity provided by the JT. When you test drive a JT, park the it in your garage - the lenght is very different from the JKU. Test drive the Overland and Sport or other model that interests you. So glad i did. The suspension, tires, and spring rates are hugely different. The Overland best met what I needed and was the best day to day driver for me.

Thanks, as far as i can tell Jeep lists them both at 41.2” im wondering from reading here and researching if the difference wasnt the adaptive cruise sensor in the gladiator making that mirror lower?

ill pay closer attention next time.

thanks for the input, still going to look at the Gladiators some more.

 

[thecalebclark]

Somewhere on the forum there is a post about flipping the rear view mirror for better visibility and it tucks it out of the way. I did it and was happy with it. Also there are brackets you can buy to give yourself more leg room to slide back.

All that being said, I don’t think it is any different than the current JL’s and the things above you can also do to a JL.

 

[Front Runner]

Im 6 feet and I find myself moving the seat closer than I had it in my JKU. Seems to me like there is more room...

 

[Ohio JKU]

I found a 2019 thread by Canyonrat that seems to answer it!!! Thanks for the heads up, i found it looking for the mirror flip:

post bu canyonrat 2019:
“Things that make a Gladiator comfortable for me at 6'4":
- Cloth seats not leather. From comparing multiple vehicles, the leather tends to sit about 1/2" higher at the lowest seat setting on both. When you are at the cusp of fitting/not fitting, that 1/2" can seem like a lot.

- No ACC box above mirror - I need all the windshield real estate since the bottom of mirror is line of sight level for me. And I'm a little claustrophobic so that box creeps me out. (Also have no desire for any of its functions.)

- The mirror flip... Well, I just came back from the dealer looking at the interior on a cloth-seat Rubicon and it looks like the mirror flip might be a little more involved. I flipped the mirror on a Sport S I rented while sitting at a stoplight with just a little encouragement. The Rubi looks like it will require a detach. Anyone flipped the Rubi mirror?”

 

[Dkronke]

Differences in posture and preferred seating position can drastically change results, but I'm 6'6, and haven't had any issues whatsoever in my Gladiator. My wife has a new JL, and I don't have any issues driving hers either, and haven't noticed any obvious differences between the two aside from the ACC box behind the mirror. Mine has the ACC, and the mirror sits fine for me. Headroom is also not an issue, I've never felt like I was too close to the ceiling.

I have my seat and steering wheel all the way back with the seat leaned back a little. I can't lean it too far back because my 2 year old's carseat is behind my seat. I'm not sure if I have it as low as it will go, I just adjusted it until it felt right, and left it alone after that.

 

[brianinca]

Along with a MUCH longer wheelbase, the Gladiator is a truck and has a rake. May not seem like much, but that changes all your viewing angles from the drivers seat and points your view DOWN. If you recall what your JKU felt like if you lifted it or even put bigger tires on it, little things make for big perceptual changs.

Background: 138,000 miles in my JKU most fun vehicle ive ever owned. So my next Jeep will be either a Gladiator or another wrangler. I really like the Willys looks and options in both Jeeps. Im leaning gladiator atest drove one for the first time today:

Questions:

In the gladiator, it seems like the drivers seat sits higher on its lowest adjustment will not slide back as far.... coupled with the low rear view mirror i felt like traffic to my right was blocked by the mirror (im 6’-2”)

i drove the gladiator and wrangler back to back, the wrangler seemed to be similar to mine. Without measuring i feel like theres a few more “clicks” or about 1” more rearward adjustment and the seat traveled lower... very similar to my jku.
Am i wrong?
Does the seat travel the same?
Is the mirror lower?

Positives: looks very cool & the ride

Sponsored