Jeep Wrangler Scrambler teased ... Uh Huh, we'll see

[ChrisNLA]

What's holding you back?

*Checks notes*

Two half ton trucks that probably suck less to be in all day.

To be fair, if I had a newer half ton pickup in the driveway and I was picking between that and my Gladiator to drive 70 miles a day for work and occasionally take customers or coworkers to lunch - I'd probably take the fullsize too.

Totally making assumptions though.

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[AmosMoses]

I daily drive my jt and love it. The only jt that would be better for me is a 2 door gladiator with extended cab and smaller back seats. The only thing better than that is a 2 door jt with a 5.7. Keep the bed the same so my rugged ridge trifold cover can be used on the 2 door please.

 

[biodiesel]

What's holding you back?

Two things come to mind. The cabin noise can be wearing, especially at highway speeds and/or in windy conditions. Likewise, driving input requires more work, especially on the highway. Neither are complaints and neither should be taken as disappointment or dissatisfaction.

In short, the Jeep Gladiator is a tractor not a daily driver. It was never designed to be a mass-market midsize truck. Even though the Gladiator is perfectly acceptable as a daily driver for some, I would prefer to save those miles for its intended purpose.

 

[Rusty PW]

I DD mine.

 

[biodiesel]

*Checks notes*

Two half ton trucks that probably suck less to be in all day.

To be fair, if I had a newer half ton pickup in the driveway and I was picking between that and my Gladiator to drive 70 miles a day for work and occasionally take customers or coworkers to lunch - I'd probably take the fullsize too.

Totally making assumptions though.

Your assumptions are correct. My wife and I carpool to work, which is a very short distance (8 miles), but we do travel longer distances for amenities. For example, our Ram/Jeep dealership is 120 miles away. Our John Deere dealer is 145 miles away. Our dentist and veterinarian are 65 miles away. Our mountain property is 58 miles away.

We drive the Gladiator in inclement weather, otherwise, our 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is our daily driver. It's got a quiet cab and is very comfortable on the highway. Unlike the Gladiator, the IFS on the Ram makes it effortless to drive. There's no wandering, no loose steering, and no fighting the crosswinds, etc.

The Gladiator is going to be great for hauling the firewood trailer, utility trailer, navigating forest roads, getting us to and from the property in the winter months, and being a backup vehicle when the daily driver goes down for a repair.

 

[Gvsukids]

The cabin noise can be wearing, especially at highway speeds and/or in windy conditions. Likewise, driving input requires more work, especially on the highway.

That does sound unfortunate, but I don't have those problems. I also daily drive on the highway with the doors off, so noise isn't an issue. We would have kept driving our Gladiator on long trips, but we replaced my wife's vehicle with a vehicle that could absorb those miles.

 

[biodiesel]

That does sound unfortunate

It's not unfortunate at all. It's just a reality of a true utilitarian vehicle. The Gladiator was never intended to be a quiet aerodynamic vehicle with a highway suspension.

We would have kept daily driving our Gladiator for many more miles, but we replaced my wife's vehicle with a vehicle that could absorb those miles.

Bingo! There's no need to use the Gladiator for unnecessary daily driving, especially if you have vehicle better suited for it. I can respect those who have multiple Jeeps and love to daily drive their Wranglers/Gladiators, but that's not me.

In 10 years, our Gladiator will most likely have no more than 40,000 miles on it. We'll be driving this Jeep for the next 20 years.

 

[Gvsukids]

Bingo! There's no need to use the Gladiator for unnecessary daily driving, especially if you have vehicle better suited for it. I can respect those who have multiple Jeeps and love to daily drive their Wranglers/Gladiators, but that's not me.

In 10 years, our Gladiator will most likely have no more than 40,000 miles on it. We'll be driving this Jeep for the next 20 years.

I mistyped because I'm still daily driving the Jeep. However, we have another vehicle for long trips to save miles, as we put on 21k/year for the first five years.

 

[NC_Overland]

In short, the Jeep Gladiator is a tractor not a daily driver. It was never designed to be a mass-market midsize truck. Even though the Gladiator is perfectly acceptable as a daily driver for some, I would prefer to save those miles for its intended purpose.

Wait, what? I disagree with all of that. We often take mine on long road trips because it’s so comfortable to drive long distances and we have six cars and trucks and even an Audi and BMW before that.

 

[NC_Overland]

Your assumptions are correct. My wife and I carpool to work, which is a very short distance (8 miles), but we do travel longer distances for amenities. For example, our Ram/Jeep dealership is 120 miles away. Our John Deere dealer is 145 miles away. Our dentist and veterinarian are 65 miles away. Our mountain property is 58 miles away.

We drive the Gladiator in inclement weather, otherwise, our 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is our daily driver. It's got a quiet cab and is very comfortable on the highway. Unlike the Gladiator, the IFS on the Ram makes it effortless to drive. There's no wandering, no loose steering, and no fighting the crosswinds, etc.

The Gladiator is going to be great for hauling the firewood trailer, utility trailer, navigating forest roads, getting us to and from the property in the winter months, and being a backup vehicle when the daily driver goes down for a repair.

Your Jeep shouldn’t have play in the steering or wander. Is yours lifted a lot? Mine tracks great with very little steering input. That is after the aluminum steering gear. It was like you described when it was new.

Maybe because of the heavy diesel engine?

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Wait, what? I disagree with all of that. We often take mine on long road trips because it’s so comfortable to drive long distances and we have six cars and trucks and even an Audi and BMW before that.

What cars and trucks do you have now?

I’m surprised yours is comfortable for long distance. Mine isn’t. Seats aren’t great and leg room is cramped.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

I DD my JT. Pretty much every day taking the kids to school. I enjoy the suspension sway and even the road noise to a point. The only thing I’d really change on it if cost were no object (puts on helmet) Gen 5 4Runner IGR-FE engine with an adapter for our tranny. Say what you want but that engine just RUNS.​

 

[ChrisNLA]

That does sound unfortunate, but I don't have those problems. I also daily drive on the highway with the doors off, so noise isn't an issue. We would have kept driving our Gladiator on long trips, but we replaced my wife's vehicle with a vehicle that could absorb those miles.

I genuinely love that some people use their Jeeps this way because I couldn't

Three and a half years and I haven't removed a freedom panel or a door.

 

[ChrisNLA]

What cars and trucks do you have now?

I’m surprised yours is comfortable for long distance. Mine isn’t. Seats aren’t great and leg room is cramped.

I agree on these points.

On the Scrambler topic, sounds like something I have no use for / interest in.

Though I do really like the 5.7 Rumble Bee Ram...

Probably out of my price range.

 

[biodiesel]

We often take mine on long road trips because it’s so comfortable to drive long distances and we have six cars and trucks and even an Audi and BMW before that.

That's quite surprising. At Thanksgiving, we drove the Gladiator 885 miles to my parents' house. Three days later, we drove 885 miles back home. It wasn't a horrible experience by any means, but my wife and I agreed that we wouldn't voluntarily do it again.

Oh, that reminds me. The cab seems to struggle to retain heat when the temps drop below 20*F degrees, especially when going down the highway. We left the house at 3:00 AM. By the time we got to the Continental Divide, I could feel the cab losing heat and getting colder. That's when I turned the fan to maximum to bring the cab temperature back up. We probably ran the Jeep for 4 hours like that.

Our 2015 Ram 1500 and 2020 Ram 1500 (with the air suspension) are much more comfortable on long trips. The dogs concur.

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