Is the diesel gladiator worth it?

[Gruffid]

The diesel is $2000 more than gas (in USA)


$4000.00 option - $2000.00 diesel only rebate.

The transmission option is a non factor as nearly all are ordered with auto trans anyway.

I didn’t buy a Jeep for financial reasons, but let’s be accurate about reporting prices.

So, the OP didn’t state he wouldn’t consider the manual transmission on another vehicle, and when I went into the “vehicle configuration” on the Jeep website, I didn’t see the $2000 discount for the Diesel engine. So… I don’t see where I’m being dishonest about prices.

Here’s a local vehicle window sticker…. Am I missing the $2k diesel discount?

https://www.jeep.com/hostd/windowsticker/getWindowStickerPdf.do?vin=1C6JJTBM9ML573624

Additionally, I think my list of pros and cons are awfully objective. Most of the posts on this thread are along the lines of “I like it and you should too.”

And to be fair, I do really like my diesel rubicon. I knew about most of the “cons” when I bought it and I still bought it. And I’m not new to diesel powered vehicles… prior to my JTRD, I had a 2019 Ford F-150 3.0L powerstroke, a 2011 F-350 powerstroke, a 1996 GMC 6.5L turbo-diesel, 2006 GMC Duramax, 2004.5 Chevrolet Duramax as previous vehicles. I buy diesels because I like them. The smaller fuel tank, and suspension issues were two of the cons that I don’t remember Jeep listing as a “pro.” And yet, those are facts that I and several others on this forum are dealing with.

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[sharpsicle]

Not one reply from someone who actually owns a diesel.

That's because we did a comparison and decided the 3.6 was a better all-around option. Don't need to own the diesel in order to understand it.

 

[dcmdon]

Its all about money.

If you are going to sell your current gladiator on your own and get close to retail in today's inflated market, and then buy at 8% off invoice using one of the dealers on this group, then you may do very well.

If you are going to trade it in and then pay MSRP (because of the "shortage") for the new truck, you will get screwed over royally. (I'm guessing $15K in additional cost)

Either way, the diesel appears to be a "want" not a need.

One other option, if you are the type of person who normally keeps their cars for awhile. Drive it as is for another 5 years, then have a LT1 conversion done on it and drive it for another 5+ years.

 

[azaustin]

After waiting a year and a half I finally got my diesel Rubicon Gladiator in late April. I traded in my 2107 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon for it. The Wrangler was great, but we decided to buy a small travel trailer, and the Wrangler just didn’t have the towing capacity. The trailer we bought weighs just under 5,000lbs, and the Gladiator tows it very well. I do watch the oil temps in warm conditions, and, so far, the highest oil temp I have seen was 260 degrees between Albuquerque and Flagstaff, on our trip back from Texas/Oklahoma to buy the trailer. The worst mileage was a little under 11mph, the best was right at 14mpg, running 65mph most of the time. The Gladiator will easily pull the trailer faster, and I accelerated uphill to pass slow 18-wheelers with ease, watching the oil temps as I did so. Overall, I’m really pleased with the Gladiator. It’s pretty stable, has all the power I need, and, no matter what the testers say, is very quiet, especially compared to the 7.3 Powerstroke that was in the 2000 F250 I traded in on the Wrangler. The diesel isn’t for everyone, but I bought mine with a specific purpose in mind and, so far, it has met or exceeded my expectations. I knew the oil temps might be an issue and was prepared to deal with that when I bought it. One more thing - I’ve only been off-road a few times, but the diesel is like a steam engine. Amazing.

 

[iadslgladiator]

i've owned both, gas and diesel gladiators. to start with i'll concede that there are likely exceptions to my experience however this is my experience.....

my opinion.......if your plan is basically a lifted daily driver running 37's, the stock diesel will probably leave you with a smile on your face and thinking how could anyone not love this! it does "average to moderate" fantastic......however once you start pushing it and in my opinion using a diesel for what it's meant for it falls on it's face. for the guys out there saying "just slow down", "don't tow at it's limit".....blah blah blah. why the hell spend the money for the diesel if you have to baby it and get no better (actually worse) performance than a gasser. (obviously one shouldn't have unrealistic expectations but i find it hard to believe that anybody would think towing 6k lbs at the speed limit on a hot day or up a moderate grade is "unrealistic") if you are working it, your fuel mileage will be virtually the same as a gas and you'll use several times over, more DEF than usual. in my opinion there is no upside to the diesel if you are going to really work it, pulling, hauling, hills, altitude..etc..... (if they could get the cooling figured out and remove the DEF and emissions crap, i think the diesel would blow the doors off a gasser)

i really wanted to love it and for the most part did even with the few DEF and other issues i had but once i actually pulled with it, i was wildly disappointed. I had several life changes that just gave me a really good excuse to bail on it. i still miss the JTRD at times but i now have zero anxiety about CEL's, high temps, emssions/def probs.....etc.....

i did enjoy it but am relieved i got rid of it.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I’ve owned two 4.0 TJ’s and a Pentastar and now the ecodiesel. I have to be honest, I hated and still hate the Pentastar. I‘ll go as far to say I would never buy another one and not just because mine was a lemon with sand casting problems. I don’t like gas V6s generally. When I watch videos of people off-roading with that roaring engine and fan noise it makes me cringe. Personally, I think its a pig. Obviously most people disagree. I was set to do a Hemi conversion until the the Diesel came out. $18K is how much I don’t like the Pentastar.

Off road:
My old Nissan with is KA24E inline 4 drove like a little tractor off road, my TJ’s drove like tractors off road. My Eco-diesel drives like tractor off road. I absolutely love how this performs off road. It just idles at 1000 RPM and I select the gear for the speed (Not that off-road cruise control thing they have). It doesn’t care about rocks or ledges or holes or mud. It just chugs along (slowing filling up the DPF, lol)

On road:
Its unfazed buy hills, pulling, passing, cargo, towing. Anecdotally, it’s unfazed by 37s (I’ll know soon) and only mildly by 40s on 3.73s. The Diesel is a beast and its factory detuned. Banks anyone?

Overheating:
I had both my 4.0 and Pentastar inexplicably overheat in Virginia In the summer. I’m not sure anything does well in extreme heat and humidity. Diesel‘s sure seem to be popular in a lot of hot places all over the world. Maybe FCA managed to build one that doesn’t like heat. Time will tell with the Eco-Diesel in the Jeep, but I don’t think towing at or near the rated capacity is a good idea for other reasons besides heat management.

Suspension:
The stock suspension on the Gladiator is crap regardless of engine. It’s undersprung and underdamped. It verges on dangerous. Obviously we all should be upset about spending a lot for these things and getting this kind of tuning but if you plan on lifting, it becomes moot doesn’t it?

Towing:
This is just my opinion, but if you’re looking at towing anything near the rated capacity of the Eco-diesel or Pentastar, this is the wrong truck. The reason they make duelies isn’t about weight. It’s about what happens when a light duty truck tire blows out while you’re towing 6K plus pounds. The Gladiator is good for towing a very small boat, jet skis or an adventure trailer. I wouldn’t tow anything more. It looks stupid in the Motor Trend article towing that huge Airstream. Buy a heavy duty truck. That’s just me. My buddy got a loaded 2500 HD GMC for about the same price as my Gladiator. He thinks what these things cost is ridiculous and he’s right. If you want to tow or haul stuff, you can get so much more truck for the money. My buddy called my Gladiator a “lifestyle“ truck. Yep and my lifestyle involves overlanding, something I would never do in a 2500 HD, not pulling a horse trailer, something I would never do in a Gladiator.

Cost:
Obviously the math doesn’t add up for the Diesel. You won’t recoup the costs. Although, since you’re amortizing the upgrade, my Eco-diesel feels cheaper to own and drive. It’s cheaper to take on a trip. The fuel ranges from slightly less to slightly more, but I fill up less. Range anxiety is gone. The maintenance is included now for the first couple of years and at least you’re not doing oil changes in a Cummins. No one should be buying a Eco-diesel to save money, but maintenance costs are certainly not extreme for this vehicle.

Longevity/Reliability/Repair Costs:
I’m not particularly concerned about the maintenance costs of the emissions components, DPG, or DEF. My experience so far has been nothing like the dire warnings about filling up the DEF tank constantly or constant regens. I’ve had 5 regens in 5000 miles and still on the original tank of DEF. All modern cars emissions control systems are expensive and account for the majority of mechanical issues. It costs $800 to clean out the pcv vapor canister on a Ford Escape because of where they could fit the thing and because DI gas engines are prone to pcv system issues. All of the DI engines I’ve had have had issues. Every car I’ve ever own has had some kind of repair associated with EC systems. Lit’s of vehicles have multiple O2 and exhaust temp sensors. You’re going to have problems with anything and nothing is cheap.

I‘m looking to spend around $12K in off road mods In the coming weeks on A $70K truck. I’m not going to allow myself to get preemptively upset about some $700 emissions component that fails at 100K miles. Don’t go mudding in this thing. You should save your disk rotors and everything else under the truck anyway. Wash the underside if you do. Do the maintenance. Get the EGR cleaned out. Try to put highway miles on it as much as possible. Buy quality DEF. Buy quality parts. Buy quality aftermarket parts is you can find them. I think the Diesel is worth it in that its an expensive thing I don‘t need and brings me enjoyment. It sparks joy, lol.

 

[alpineovernappa]

I have a diesel sport s and I love it. Last wrangler was a 3.6 JK. Good motor, but I feel that it’s underpowered in the gladiator. Absolutely love my diesel. I do a lot of travel, sometimes thousands of miles at a time. I have a hard shell rooftop tent above the bed and average 29mpg. This means my usable range is about 450 miles which is huge for me. Having all that torque available down low makes it much better to drive. I was extremely hesitant going with a modern diesel- a the EPA crap really is a huge gamble. It will almost certainly be less reliable than the 3.6 in the long run. Having owned half a dozen wranglers, 4L, 3.6, and the 3.0 I can wholeheartedly say the diesel is worth the extra money. Towing more than 6k lbs with any of the gladiators is rough. The gladiator is more of a Jeep with a utility bed than it is a midsized truck.

 

[the3rdlp]

Well said @Wolf Island Diver X's 2 for me. No regrets on the diesel. I've had 2 jeeps with the 3.6 and was fine with it but my JTRD makes me smile that much more. YMMV

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

Well said @Wolf Island Diver X's 2 for me. No regrets on the diesel. I've had 2 jeeps with the 3.6 and was fine with it but my JTRD makes me smile that much more. YMMV

Yep! On the way back from first picking it up I stopped at a McDonalds drive thru. I can remover sitting there with the window rolled down barely able to hear the intercom to order with the diesel chugging away like a little school bus or tractor. I love that sound. I pulled up to the window with this big creepy grin on my face like the Cheshire Cat I’m sure they were terrified.

Every time I drive it I’m like Jeremy Clarkson…
”What a machine!”

This thing will make you a weirdo in a good way.

 

[Tarpon]

Yep! On the way back from first picking it up I stopped at a McDonalds drive thru. I can remover sitting there with the window rolled down barely able to hear the intercom to order with the diesel chugging away like a little school bus or tractor. I love that sound. I pulled up to the window with this big creepy grin on my face like the Cheshire Cat I’m sure they were terrified.

Every time I drive it I’m like Jeremy Clarkson…
”What a machine!”

This thing will make you a weirdo in a good way.

 

[Tarpon]

I am new to the forum as well as owning a Jeep. Firstly great Jeep community. I sold my BMW M2 competition and am now the proud owner of a Gladiator diesel Overland. I am just shy of 3,000 miles and don’t tow anything at this point. The diesel tranny combo are awesome. No M2 but pretty impressive with the low rpm shifting transmission. I live I South Florida and have not experienced any cooling issues. I am looking forward to some upgrades in the near future. “Life’s a journey not a destination”.

 

[OrangeCJ]

After waiting a year and a half I finally got my diesel Rubicon Gladiator in late April. I traded in my 2107 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon for it. The Wrangler was great, but we decided to buy a small travel trailer, and the Wrangler just didn’t have the towing capacity. The trailer we bought weighs just under 5,000lbs, and the Gladiator tows it very well. I do watch the oil temps in warm conditions, and, so far, the highest oil temp I have seen was 260 degrees between Albuquerque and Flagstaff, on our trip back from Texas/Oklahoma to buy the trailer. The worst mileage was a little under 11mph, the best was right at 14mpg, running 65mph most of the time. The Gladiator will easily pull the trailer faster, and I accelerated uphill to pass slow 18-wheelers with ease, watching the oil temps as I did so. Overall, I’m really pleased with the Gladiator. It’s pretty stable, has all the power I need, and, no matter what the testers say, is very quiet, especially compared to the 7.3 Powerstroke that was in the 2000 F250 I traded in on the Wrangler. The diesel isn’t for everyone, but I bought mine with a specific purpose in mind and, so far, it has met or exceeded my expectations. I knew the oil temps might be an issue and was prepared to deal with that when I bought it. One more thing - I’ve only been off-road a few times, but the diesel is like a steam engine. Amazing.

Hey azaustin, You saw 260 on your dash display? My Gladi shuts down at 248. I was climbing up in the hills of Idaho, it was warm, and I was trying to keep up with traffic... just cargo, no trailer. Just wondering if you knew how fast you were going and maybe what your RPM's were looking like?

 

[Wageslave]

I have a '21 Overland EcoDiesel and I love mine. I get 28-29mpg reliably and have done a fair amount of towing with it. If you are one of those people who still long for the 4.0 inline 6, then the Diesel is going to scratch that itch. Great torque and power, and even sounds like a wore out 4.0.

That being said, if a lot of heavy towing is your main goal then a 1/2 ton might be a better choice.

 

[azaustin]

Hey azaustin, You saw 260 on your dash display? My Gladi shuts down at 248. I was climbing up in the hills of Idaho, it was warm, and I was trying to keep up with traffic... just cargo, no trailer. Just wondering if you knew how fast you were going and maybe what your RPM's were looking like?

InterestIng that your truck shuts down at 248. That’s nowhere near the danger zone for synthetic oil. The highest rpm I can recall seeing was a little north of 3,000. Most of the time I was running around 2200 at 65 I think, but I would need to check that to be sure. A good friend of mine is a retired mechanical engineer who ran refineries for Mobil for many years. According to him, modern synthetics are good well past 300+. However, I hesitate to post something like that because it will probably light up a firestorm of negative responses. One post I read earlier stated that his truck shut down around 265-68 I think. I have seen 248 just pulling the hill up to Williams (near Flagstaff, AZ) with two people and no cargo aboard, running 75-80mph. If you’re shutting down at 248, I’d have your dealer take a look. It’s interest to me that my coolant temps never really get that high. I think the diesel truck will be fine as long as everyone is aware of the temperature issues.

 

[Oilburner]

I was watching a TFL tow video the other day, and they said the body that sets load/tow limits on vehicles (sorry can't recall the name/acronym) does their stress testing at 45 mph. I think it was here: (1) Here Is Why My Ford F-150 Hybrid Overheated on the Ike Gauntlet! - YouTube
Just noticed a new 'overheat' tow video from them as well: (1) This new Chevy Silverado 1500 Overheated Towing Uphill - Here's What Happened! - YouTube

To address the OP, I have a diesel Wrangler and have enjoyed 25K+ trouble-free miles. I live in the foothills and it powers through effortlessly. Last weekend, I towed ~3,000# from Memphis to NW Arkansas, averaged 18.5mpg with no problems whatsoever. I am chomping at the bit to order a new Gladiator, just waiting for new colors. I have every intention of ordering another 3.0L. I have always enjoyed life at 1,800 rpm rather than 4,000 rpm. Nothing is 'free' however; power comes at a cost - whether it is worth it for you is something you must decide.

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