The Duck of Earl
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Hello at last! I've been lurking on the forum for a little while now and finally opened an account to flush out my last open questions/decisions for a factory order in the hopefully not to distant future. Want to make sure I put together the best package for my needs for a purchase that my family will be happy with for the long haul.
After test driving a few different spec Gladiators (and other competitors), I believe I have settled on a Gladiator to replace my current stable of two vehicles with one (currently have a GTI for getting around and a beater truck for home improvement / winter beater). Need something that can accommodate two rear facing car seats (this more or less eliminates the other 'mid-sized' truck offerings) and still want a truck bed for my hobbies and side gigs. I do not have a lot of hard core off-roading needs being in Ohio (off roading would really be limited to hunting and related farm trails) but will want something setup for winter driving when the weather is at its worst for ski trips and such. Had other trucks in the not too distant past (Silverado and F150) and have decided that I do not really want to deal with going back to daily driving a full sized truck in a mixed urban environment, parking garages, etc., and while I acknowledge the rear space of the full size crew cabs really is the best option for family duties, the Gladiator seems to be a good enough compromise and adds a 'fun' factor that is in a class of its own.
Now on to options. When I initially started looking last summer/fall, I test drove a Freedom Max Tow, and if circumstances were different back then, I would already have one of those in my driveway. I hope that particular special edition comes back (anyone hear any chatter on a new Freedom Package announcement?), but if not, I still like the Sport S Max Tow and also recently drove a Mojave. My thoughts on the Mojave are mixed - I like the stance and the aesthetics, but do not really need desert rated shocks, etc. for my needs, and not sure the tradeoff of the extra costs are worth it for me in light of the diminished capabilities (towing/payload) and I would really get more benefit out of an lsd over the manual locker. While I do think the stock Max Tow tires are a bit small-ish, the price saved and features gained on that package seems to leave open the ability to swap those out for something better .
For powertrain, the 3.6 gas is fine, if not slightly underwhelming (coming from my current GTI, and my 5.0 F150 before that, the extra giddy-up would be missed). From what I have read, there seems to be a pretty polarizing love/hate on the diesel option and my use case doesn't seem to match up with its pros (aside from my love of low down torque...) with my daily drives being mostly short distance surface streets and I also do not like that the diesel cannot be had with the Selec-trac transfer case. I think I will be fine with the 3.6. I imagine even if a v8 is ever offered it would only be the 392 and thus well outside my comfortable spending limits, and I don't see the rumored 3.0l inline 6 trickling down into the Gladiator chassis for years (similar with the 4xe offering, not that I am really interested in that drivetrain type for various reasons).
Been watching some of the leaks on potential upcoming special editions, so patiently waiting to see what is at the Easter Safari and other more formal announcements. Also, very interested in the Earl Grey color release (hence part of the meaning in the Username - bonus points if you can ID the other sources), but of course the local dealer was clueless, just hoping that is not some end of year thing.
General questions for the forum to start:
- Anyone else debate between the Max Tow and Mojave, and which way did you go and why?
- Any honest reports back on how two rear facing car seats work in the Gladiator?
- For those who 'downgraded' on power when going to a Gladiator, how much have you missed some extra giddy-up or do the other intangibles /drive characteristics make up for it?
- For special ordering, has anyone placed an order at a mid-Ohio dealer and how did they compare pricewise and process to Gupton or the other recommended out-of-state options noted on the forum?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
After test driving a few different spec Gladiators (and other competitors), I believe I have settled on a Gladiator to replace my current stable of two vehicles with one (currently have a GTI for getting around and a beater truck for home improvement / winter beater). Need something that can accommodate two rear facing car seats (this more or less eliminates the other 'mid-sized' truck offerings) and still want a truck bed for my hobbies and side gigs. I do not have a lot of hard core off-roading needs being in Ohio (off roading would really be limited to hunting and related farm trails) but will want something setup for winter driving when the weather is at its worst for ski trips and such. Had other trucks in the not too distant past (Silverado and F150) and have decided that I do not really want to deal with going back to daily driving a full sized truck in a mixed urban environment, parking garages, etc., and while I acknowledge the rear space of the full size crew cabs really is the best option for family duties, the Gladiator seems to be a good enough compromise and adds a 'fun' factor that is in a class of its own.
Now on to options. When I initially started looking last summer/fall, I test drove a Freedom Max Tow, and if circumstances were different back then, I would already have one of those in my driveway. I hope that particular special edition comes back (anyone hear any chatter on a new Freedom Package announcement?), but if not, I still like the Sport S Max Tow and also recently drove a Mojave. My thoughts on the Mojave are mixed - I like the stance and the aesthetics, but do not really need desert rated shocks, etc. for my needs, and not sure the tradeoff of the extra costs are worth it for me in light of the diminished capabilities (towing/payload) and I would really get more benefit out of an lsd over the manual locker. While I do think the stock Max Tow tires are a bit small-ish, the price saved and features gained on that package seems to leave open the ability to swap those out for something better .
For powertrain, the 3.6 gas is fine, if not slightly underwhelming (coming from my current GTI, and my 5.0 F150 before that, the extra giddy-up would be missed). From what I have read, there seems to be a pretty polarizing love/hate on the diesel option and my use case doesn't seem to match up with its pros (aside from my love of low down torque...) with my daily drives being mostly short distance surface streets and I also do not like that the diesel cannot be had with the Selec-trac transfer case. I think I will be fine with the 3.6. I imagine even if a v8 is ever offered it would only be the 392 and thus well outside my comfortable spending limits, and I don't see the rumored 3.0l inline 6 trickling down into the Gladiator chassis for years (similar with the 4xe offering, not that I am really interested in that drivetrain type for various reasons).
Been watching some of the leaks on potential upcoming special editions, so patiently waiting to see what is at the Easter Safari and other more formal announcements. Also, very interested in the Earl Grey color release (hence part of the meaning in the Username - bonus points if you can ID the other sources), but of course the local dealer was clueless, just hoping that is not some end of year thing.
General questions for the forum to start:
- Anyone else debate between the Max Tow and Mojave, and which way did you go and why?
- Any honest reports back on how two rear facing car seats work in the Gladiator?
- For those who 'downgraded' on power when going to a Gladiator, how much have you missed some extra giddy-up or do the other intangibles /drive characteristics make up for it?
- For special ordering, has anyone placed an order at a mid-Ohio dealer and how did they compare pricewise and process to Gupton or the other recommended out-of-state options noted on the forum?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
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