Impressions after first 400 miles driven

[BlackRuby23]

I just picked up my Gladiator Rubicon a week ago this past Monday. I hadn't driven it too much but then did a few hundred miles the past couple days. All in all, I really enjoy driving it. First, I find the seat to be supremely comfortable. And all the controls are very close and handy. I am still getting used to them.

While the truck is not a powerhouse, the engine (3.6 Pentastar) is acceptable. I have seen where people complain about it being underpowered. I was under no illusions it would be a sports car. I don't plan on towing with it save for an empty trailer to move around here and there (I have a 1 ton diesel truck for that), so no worries there.

The fuel mileage is a bit worse than maybe I had envisioned, but truth be told I did not do much research on that. It appears I'll only be getting about a mile per gallon better than my full size Cummins diesel, maybe 2 if I'm lucky. The lie-o-meter in the Jeep says 18.3, and I assume that's a bit optimistic. I'll do some hand calculations once it starts to get broken in.

I have been doing a mix of city and highway, trying to vary RPMs. I try to do the same with all my new vehicles. I haven't really pushed the engine hard into the upper RPMs. I think maybe a bit over 4k is as high as I've gone.

The road manners take a little bit of getting used to. Wind can cause me to veer back and forth in the lane. The truck also has a tendency to "dive" in ruts and bumps, for lack of a better description. But these are tiny things, and I really do enjoy driving it. It feels well planted and solid, overall. No rattles or anything to speak of.

I do wish it had the Cold Weather Group, but beggars can't be choosers. This is what was on the lot, and the price was good. The engine warms up very quickly, so cabin heat comes fast. It's too bad a dealership can't add the package after the fact, but oh well.

I will add to this thread as I think of more things.

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[Viper501]

I’d suggest an alignment check for your diving experience. You may need some adjustment to the caster.

 

[GeneralMaximus]

The Pentastar is sufficient for a truck this size. My last Jeep was a 2 door with Pentastar so it felt a lot more zippy than the Gladiator. But I rather have the reliability of todays Pentastar than be a guinea pig with a new engine.

 

[Lunentucker]

I’d suggest an alignment check for your diving experience. You may need some adjustment to the caster.

There are no adjustments for caster on a stock Rubicon, not without some new parts.

 

[Lunentucker]

The road manners take a little bit of getting used to. Wind can cause me to veer back and forth in the lane. The truck also has a tendency to "dive" in ruts and bumps, for lack of a better description. But these are tiny things, and I really do enjoy driving it. It feels well planted and solid, overall. No rattles or anything to speak of.

Pretty common, but it doesn't have to stay that way.
If you're leaving it at stock height and tires for a while, I'd suggest the Mopar longer control arms to give it a bit more positive caster. They are cheap and easy to install.

Genuine Mopar Front Lower Control Arm - 68322798AA | All Mopar Parts

It's also not a bad idea to go over everything with a torque wrench, or at least a regular wrench to make sure something's not stupid loose.
There are some stories.

Death Wobble, DW, Death Wobble, DW, Death Wobble, Shimmy, Wander, Drift, Bump Steer | Jeep Gladiator Forum - JeepGladiatorForum.com

Edit: Forgot the meme

 

[Idlethunder]

One of the first mods I did after getting my 2022 Rubicon was to add the 1/4 longer lower control arms that they include with the Mopar 2" lift kit. They upped my caster to an average of 6.4 and it tracked a lot straighter and didn't requires as much steering input as before. As suggested above, have an alignment done to see where you are first.

You may have already done this but my tires came off the lot at 37 psi but lowering it down to 32 also helped tremendously. These things are a lot of fun, congratulations on the new Jeep!

 

[Idlethunder]

Pretty common, but it doesn't have to stay that way.
If you're leaving it at stock height and tires for a while, I'd suggest the Mopar longer control arms to give it a bit more positive caster. They are cheap and easy to install.

Genuine Mopar Front Lower Control Arm - 68322798AA | All Mopar Parts

It's also not a bad idea to go over everything with a torque wrench, or at least a regular wrench to make sure something's not stupid loose.
There are some stories.

Death Wobble, DW, Death Wobble, DW, Death Wobble, Shimmy, Wander, Drift, Bump Steer | Jeep Gladiator Forum - JeepGladiatorForum.com

Beat me by 2 minutes!

 

[CrazyIvan]

I just picked up my Gladiator Rubicon a week ago this past Monday. I hadn't driven it too much but then did a few hundred miles the past couple days. All in all, I really enjoy driving it. First, I find the seat to be supremely comfortable. And all the controls are very close and handy. I am still getting used to them.

While the truck is not a powerhouse, the engine (3.6 Pentastar) is acceptable. I have seen where people complain about it being underpowered. I was under no illusions it would be a sports car. I don't plan on towing with it save for an empty trailer to move around here and there (I have a 1 ton diesel truck for that), so no worries there.

The fuel mileage is a bit worse than maybe I had envisioned, but truth be told I did not do much research on that. It appears I'll only be getting about a mile per gallon better than my full size Cummins diesel, maybe 2 if I'm lucky. The lie-o-meter in the Jeep says 18.3, and I assume that's a bit optimistic. I'll do some hand calculations once it starts to get broken in.

I have been doing a mix of city and highway, trying to vary RPMs. I try to do the same with all my new vehicles. I haven't really pushed the engine hard into the upper RPMs. I think maybe a bit over 4k is as high as I've gone.

The road manners take a little bit of getting used to. Wind can cause me to veer back and forth in the lane. The truck also has a tendency to "dive" in ruts and bumps, for lack of a better description. But these are tiny things, and I really do enjoy driving it. It feels well planted and solid, overall. No rattles or anything to speak of.

I do wish it had the Cold Weather Group, but beggars can't be choosers. This is what was on the lot, and the price was good. The engine warms up very quickly, so cabin heat comes fast. It's too bad a dealership can't add the package after the fact, but oh well.

I will add to this thread as I think of more things.

A Bilstein stearing damper improved mine substantially.

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