JT a sales failure & doomed to same fate as the Scrambler?

[Rohdster]

Looking at the 2022 Stellantis sales numbers, there are a lot of vehicles with lower sales numbers than the JT. With the shared components between the Gladiators and Wranglers, I think the Gladiator is safe.

I purchased my Mojave in July, 22. I currently have 13,000 miles on my JT. My last four vehicles have been an FJ, Tacoma, Tacoma, and Tundra over the last 14 years. I had a 2022 F150 King Ranch on order for 11 months because I couldn’t stand the new gen 3 Tundra. On a whim, I took a Mojave for a test drive.… cancelled my Ford order and bought a loaded Mojave.

I have to say this vehicle has been as trouble free and tight as any of my previous Toyotas. Everything works and I am very happy with the power of the 3.6. I tow a 4,000 pound boat and it does shift a lot, but it gets me where I want to go. The ride quality of the Mojave is amazing. Wife and I will be heading west on a 7,000 mile national park tour next Fall. Can’t wait to hit the road.

This said, problems may develop tomorrow. If they are serious, I’ll find a new ride. For now, I’m loving my Mojave.

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[BAT]

Hard or soft top? Once you get a system for either, it’s a pretty quick process. A good chunk of JT owners in my area are in that camp though (perfect weather and the top Is on).

I agree on the doors. Most people aren’t going to remove them. For starters, you’ve got to have somewhere to put them, so that rules out most folks that don’t have a garage or storage shed. I imagine that there‘s a good amount of folks that won’t be removing them due to physical limitations, as well.

In my case, the weather is very hit or miss in my area. I’ve gotten caught out in the rain without my freedom top panels a few times. One time was so bad that it reminded me of getting caught in a downpour on my old motorcycle. I’m sure it would be a bit less fun with spray coming in through the side, as well.

Part of me would like matching half-doors some day (would be a good compromise vs. Door-less). Maybe if the price comes down someday.

Out of all the Jeep Gladiators I see around me I am the only one running with the doors off and top either down or in Safari mode. The biggest drawback to the doors are those dam pin connectors which are pain in the you know what. My soft top went on and the hard top got sold. Now I can put the top open or closed in seconds regardless of the weather. When I had the hard top it mostly never was off cause the panels were just to much of a pain

 

[NeatFreq]

For what's it worth, I sold my Tacoma to get my JT. I love my JT, it has more power than my Tacoma, more interior space, the top comes off and I still keep my bed. Oh and I get better gas mpg than my Taco did also. I have absolutely no regrets.

 

[JTlikestheDuck]

A search within 150 miles of my remote location in Maine shows 143 2022 models and over 400 2023 models.

I would call Norway rural, not remote. 150 miles of Norway, Maine includes Boston, Massachusetts so your statistics are completely useless. Now if you were in Caratunk, that would be remote. Maine is not Jeep country and never will be. It’s a full size plowing/hunting truck state.

 

[dcmdon]

The Gladiator needs a new motor. It needs a gas motor that gives the effortless power and torque of the diesel.

The obvious answer is a turbo engine in the 3.0 liter range.

 

[jeepit]

i really waited 5 years to get my JT, from roomer to concept to delivery so i don’t care if they quit selling today or tomorrow. i got mine i’m all set. i never liked that they call gladiator anyway

 

[Digster]

I would call Norway rural, not remote. 150 miles of Norway, Maine includes Boston, Massachusetts so your statistics are completely useless. Now if you were in Caratunk, that would be remote. Maine is not Jeep country and never will be. It’s a full size plowing/hunting truck state.

On the contrary - lots of Jeeps in Maine - the Jeep Wave is constant - the fact that there are so many left over 22’s in this region is a big deal and they will be discounted and weigh down the prices/sales of the 23’s - my “useless statistics” are right from the search feature on the web site - the numbers are what they are.

And by the way, Northern New England includes Boston the last time I checked.

 

[258_T18A]

Looking at the 2022 Stellantis sales numbers, there are a lot of vehicles with lower sales numbers than the JT.

Yeah, if you look at the sales chart posted on page 1, the problem isn't the Gladiator the problem is everything Stellantis makes that ISN'T Jeep or Ram.

 

[GOT FLOYD]

Why does everyone need a 4 second 0-60 vehicle? My 21 Mojave has been just what I wanted. Plenty of room, top and doors off and drives just fine for my standards. I'm from a GM family and would Never own another one! My opinion. My Gladiator has more character than Any midsize truck out there period!

 

[AU_Thach]

Thanks. Yes, I looked up Wrangler sales and they were also off about 12% last year from 2021. While Gladiator sales did decline some in 2022, they were about the same as 2020 sales.

I assume many (most?) JT sales are by people who would have otherwise bought a JL because I think people look at JTs as an off-road fun vehicle like a Wrangler more than as a regular pickup truck. I also image the cost to build a JT is reduced by the huge amount of parts it shares with the JL. So Stellantis doesn't need to sell as many JTs as say, Ford needs to sell Rangers, to make them profitable.

I know for me I liked the idea of a Wrangler but I do enough DIY stuff that I wanted a truck. I wouldn't have sold my Colorado if it wasn't for the Gladiator. If I was in the market for a new truck it would have maybe been a Colorado again (unlikely my kids hated it) or I would have gone a little bigger or EV...

The JT filled a gap for me. I don't know if I would have really gone just Wrangler I really don't think I would have but maybe...

It doesn't take much for the Gladiator to be profitable bc it shares soo much with the Wrangler. Maybe they drop some trims if it's not selling well but it feels like it's positioned in a place where they can sell a few units to folks that wouldn't have gotten a wrangler.

 

[Joe Gladiator]

IMO an I6 gasser would solve the power issue, I6 would have enough low end to make a difference. There hasnt been any news at all about whats coming up for the Gladiator so to me it looks like they'll move forward on the Dakota and let the Gladi end. All IMO ofcourse.

 

[Orange01z28]

I agree the engine is not enough for towing... but, for non-towing, with the right gears for the tires, I think the engine is satisfactory. I have been watching some you tubers lately that have replaced their engines with Hemi and Hemi supercharged, and they show themselves adding gas now in all their 4WD videos. My JTR with 37s, 5:13 gears, manual transmission gets much better gas mileage than I every anticipated. This is much appreciated in this day and age, and super nice when you are rock crawling in 4WL all day in some remote areas. For me, with a manual transmission, crawling in granny gear or 4WL 2nd gear, rarely using the clutch, the gas mileage is amazing.

As an example, when we ran the Rubicon Trail last year (two nights camping), I brought with me an extra 5 gallons of gas, and it turned out that I did not need it at all. I was basically in granny gear just above idle for 3 days and the JTR was very miserly on gas. The automatic JTRs with us used a little more gas because of the torque convertors and they rev. a little more when climbing rocks, but, it was still impressive overall.

Yeah, I did the White Rim trail and finished with more than half a tank.

 

[Dryfly24]

Did any of you watch the video , Ben was a car salesman so he isnt really some random clown , he reviews a lot of vehicles. All he is saying is give it more power. The engine they chose was a poor idea considering the power other mid size trucks are coming out with . And you can say blah blah jeep doesn't care about attracting Toyota or Nissan owners, guess what I'm a Toyota owner who loves to off road and I'm looking at a Gladiator for several reasons . I'm sure there are more of us out there as well. Jeep should have thrown the hemi in there for the price they are selling Gladiators for .

I USED to be a Toyota guy, until I traded my Tundra in for a 2019 Tacoma Off Road. That ”truck” was enough to end a lifelong love affair with Toyota. The Gladiator destroys the Taco in almost every category I can think of - especially drivability.

Go to the Taco forums and see how many complaints the 5th gen got due to the horrible shift points on the trans till they started tweaking the tune around 2019. I don’t know what they were thinking when they engineered that thing but the guy who did it must’ve been drunk.

So that and the plastic bed that requires reinforcing with metal brackets before you can even mount a bed rack in if you intend to carry an RTT or risk warping the bed walls. I got warned about that one when I bought my tent and they showed me one that belonged to a guy who hadn’t reinforced his.

The Taco is not even close to a serious off road vehicle without major modding and even then, all else being equal, it can’t touch the Gladiator. I’ve got other issues with it but those are the ones that really pushed me over the edge.

 

[Closet Jeep guy]

I USED to be a Toyota guy, until I traded my Tundra in for a 2019 Tacoma Off Road. That ”truck” was enough to end a lifelong love affair with Toyota. The Gladiator destroys the Taco in almost every category I can think of - especially drivability.

Go to the Taco forums and see how many complaints the 5th gen got due to the horrible shift points on the trans till they started tweaking the tune around 2019. I don’t know what they were thinking when they engineered that thing but the guy who did it must’ve been drunk.

So that and the plastic bed that requires reinforcing with metal brackets before you can even mount a bed rack in if you intend to carry an RTT or risk warping the bed walls. I got warned about that one when I bought my tent and they showed me one that belonged to a guy who hadn’t reinforced his.

The Taco is not even close to a serious off road vehicle without major modding and even then, all else being equal, it can’t touch the Gladiator. I’ve got other issues with it but those are the ones that really pushed me over the edge.

I stopped taking you serious when you said 5th gen ....its a 3rd gen Tacoma going into a 4th gen and composite beds are not solid plastic bro look it up. Composite is a mixture of materials. Personally I have no issue with composite beds . For me it is the seating position that mainly gets me , I get leg cramps and back issues .

 

[BLK HOLE]

The gentleman in this video claims Gladiator sales have slowed significantly and, without better powertrain options, JTs are doomed to fail soon as 'too niche a vehicle'. I don't know what the latest sales figures show, but prior sales figures showed Gladiators as selling well enough.

Of course, I want the Gladiator to be very successful. But what if there was a reason the Scrambler was discontinued while the CJ/Wrangler platforms carried on? Was the Scrambler, like the JT, not a great pickup and not a great Wrangler, but only great at overlanding or other niche fun?

Dude has a punchable voice.

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