Interesting update regarding 2025 Gladiators

[DanW]

Good. The JL-era manual is trash. It's like seeing a good friend comatose. Just pull the plug.

Actually, I have an early production 2018 JL with 100k on it and the clutch/tranny is outstanding, IMO. The only reason I did not get on on a Gladiator is for the auto's higher towing ability.

It's all subjective. But personally, I love everything about that manual. I've run mine hard, too, from spirited driving to rock crawling to daily commuting and lots of boat towing, I've not had any issue with it. It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. So I'm sad to see it go.

It's always nice to have choices. But it has to have a good business case, and Stellantis knows it better than anyone speculating. It clearly didn't make the cut. But it does continue in the Wrangler. I plan on keeping my JL until the wheels fall off. I love the JT's auto, too, for what it does...better gas mileage, towing, and a little more comfortable in traffic jams. (Both Jeeps are lifted with 35's) It's a great match with the V6 and the gas mileage really astonishes me. It gets 3 to 3.5 mpg better than my JL consistently, in spite of a higher curb weight and 4.10 gears vs. 4.56 in my JL. (I re-geared the JL because 6th gear was too tall with 35's.)

As for the 2025's being cheaper, that's only pricing. There is no way they are less expensive to produce. There WILL be incentives on the 2024's that will get the pricing below the 2025's. Guaranteed. If I were in the market, I'd wait a bit. They'll get antsy and start cutting the heck out of the price on the 2024's if they don't move.

Finally, I'm also not sure the breaking point for cancelling the JT. It shares MANY parts with the Wrangler, and the rear suspension design is basically off the Ram, so there is more economy of scale than with competitor's models and the development cost was relatively low. It likely reached amortization far earlier than any other truck in its class, too. Plus, we all know that some of this sales dip is due to an overall dip that is related to inflation and the economy. It might actually be well positioned to weather that storm, especially if the 4xE gives it a boost of renewed interest. And, it has a huge markup to begin with and they got away with that for a long time. There is a lot of room in the sticker price to give incentives to boost sales. I think they can make a profit on this thing longer than most of us would believe.

Time will tell. In the meantime, it's still a very unique truck with unique capabilities. And it's reliable and durable. If they cancel it, there will be low mile used ones out there for a long, long time. And plentiful parts, too.

Just my 2 cents.

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[00Mutt]

The Gladiator feels like a stepchild of the Jeep family at this point. Wouldn’t be surprised if Stellantis kills it soon. Especially if they introduce a midsize in the Ram lineup.

(I have no sources…obviously)

I hope to hell they don't do that. I love my Gladiator and plan to get a new one in a couple years.

 

[Sweetums]

Good. The JL-era manual is trash. It's like seeing a good friend comatose. Just pull the plug.

I agree. I set out to buy a manual after spending more miles in a manual than an auto since I started driving. The Jeep manual was junky just driving around town. I went to Jeep Safari and drove a gas powered JL with the Auto over Baby Lion's Back; I was impressed with what Jeep did with that transmission and it brought me around on buying one.

I've been a hardcore "Three Pedal Life" guy since I was 15, but the ZF8 is just better in every way (it's also less likely to explode). If the manual was more enjoyable and didn't blow up, I'd be more tempted to buy one. I even had a deposit down on a brand new gas powered Rubicon, but after several weeks of stop-sale with no end in sight, we asked for the money back and bought a used diesel.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Especially if they introduce a midsize in the Ram lineup.

(I have no sources…obviously)

Vehicles, like GMC and Chevy, can be largely the same, and wear different names.

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

Vehicles, like GMC and Chevy, can be largely the same, and wear different names.

I agree. The other mid sized trucks don’t move me at all. They look good but I’d never give up my Jeep for one.

 

[Sweetums]

If I showed you a silhouette of a Frontier and a Tacoma, I bet you wouldn't know they were two different trucks. Things are way too generic, but the Gladiator stands out from others in the class.

 

[Jrgunn5150]

You guys aren't picking up what I'm putting down lol, and I need to keep my job for 5-6 more years, so I'll just leave it at, if the GMC and Chevy can be the same, so could two trucks under another corporate umbrella.

 

[Thinback]

I picked up my 2023 JTR in march heavily discounted. 63k sticker for 43k. I would be patient, I’m sure the discounts will get better.

 

[Mister Lamb]

I picked up my 2023 JTR in march heavily discounted. 63k sticker for 43k. I would be patient, I’m sure the discounts will get better.

$20k off? Holy... Where at?

 

[jayinyourway]

$20k off? Holy... Where at?

I got a similar deal from McGee CJDR in Springfield, VT on a '23...33% off + a few fees...amazing service...

 

[sunrise089]

Is it really that bad? I knew there were some issues, but didn't follow it. Too bad they didn't just use the MT from the JK/LJ.

It’s not bad at all. I have 80k miles on my JT manual and had 100k miles on my JK manual. The JT is vastly better for all the obvious reasons that a decade of vehicle development provides.

Is it a world class transmission with a world class shifter? Not at all, but it’s fine, and in the right circumstances it’s still way more fun than the auto (which I also have experience with).

So why the dislike on the forum?

1) the Pentastar is a somewhat marginal engine for the JT, and is becoming more marginal in a world where turbocharged engines become more and more prevalent (and hence the JT’s low end torque disadvantage stands out more). The manual doesn’t hurt the Pentastar, but it certainly doesn’t help it.

2) the auto really is quite good…one of the best mass market transmissions in the world.

3) JT owners can be weird. Many come from either other trucks (often torquier half tons) or from other ‘lifestyle’ vehicles which likewise have a lot more power. A manual Challenger owner is not going to find a similar experience in a JT even though they’re both manual transmission mopar vehicles. I’m a rare driver that has gone directly from parking a (manual, they all are) Honda S2000 with 150lb/ft of torque and stepped into a manual diesel Ram 3500 with 1k lb/ft of torque, and if you don’t drive those two vehicles very differently you’re going to have a bad time. Trying to drive the JT like it’s a manual muscle car, manual HD pickup, or even a (much lighter) manual 2door JL is likewise going to result in a bad time.

4) probably a little bit of defensiveness for some people. The auto is the more expensive ‘safer’ choice and so some users are going to just want to defend it on principle.

 

[Thinback]

i Got my deal from

$20k off? Holy... Where at?

Tate Jeep, they had a handful of leftovers 23’s left.

 

[bd100]

Had a great time tearing through mountain switchbacks with the 6-speed manual. 55MPH speed limit with 15-20MPH curves. What a blast.

Auto is fine. Manual is fun.

Got the JT manual while I could, so the kid can learn it in a few years when it won't be new any more. If I ever have problems with the clutch, I'll just upgrade it. So far so good with the original clutch with 30K miles with some towing.

Recently discovered it'll chirp into 2nd. Never tried it before. (Edit: 265/70 LT all-terrain tires, 32" diameter, limited slip diff, 3.73 gears.) Accidentally went into sports car driving mode for a moment, you see. Now I have to remind myself to settle down before I have too much fun and cause Ruckus and Chaos.

 

[00Mutt]

They could start pumping out the 2025 4xe without really impacting the 2024 sales, don't you think? Seems like two different customers... you know, one set of customers that want terrible MPG while running on gas so they can haul around a heavy battery with a tiny electric range for the added bonus of zero resale value.... and another set of customers who have their head screwed on all the way.

So what you're saying is that you are excited for the 4xE?

 

[Dp7]

So what you're saying is that you are excited for the 4xE?

Can't Wait! If it's anything like the JLU, I'll be able to wave at them all shiny and new parked there on the dealer lot for months.

In all seriousness, I do love electric for the performance, but a short electric range hybrid is kind of a limp noodle IMO. I'd need an electric range of 80-100mi to cover my daily driving to even get close to justifying the expense. I think REEVs are where it's at.

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