MotorTrend 2021 Gladiator Review - Terrifying Towing?

[Riccochet]

I tow my bass boat all over the place with my Gladiator. 4500#, no WDH and no trailer brakes. Not even surge brakes as they're generally not an option on 18' single axle bass boat trailer setups. I've never felt like it was too much load for the Gladiator. Two guys in my bass club tow 21' bass boats with their Gladiators, no WDH. They're pushing over 5500# with surge brakes only. No issues.

On the other hand I also tow a 8000# 27' travel trailer with my Ram 1500 that's rated for 10,400. There's not a chance in hell I'd ever consider towing that without WDH, regardless of the weight ratings on the truck.

These idiots that wrote this article have no clue.

Sponsored

 

[aj8544]

In reading this (ridiculously flawed) article, as well seeing all the posts here and on fb related to towing one thing has become clear- Jeep needs to build a full size version of the Gladiator.

The simple truth is the Gladiator is drawing in truck buyers who previously likely only shopped full size trucks. Why? Because of the Jeep topless doorless and offroad features, and the fact that fullsize trucks have become a dime a dozen and boring as hell.

Seriously- does any other midsize truck get compared to and expected to perform full size truck tasks as much as the Gladiator?

I’m one of these full size converts. No other midsize truck ever even made it into consideration for me. Fortunately I thought long and hard about my real expectations and needs before buying a JT, and have no plans to tow anything this size. Im actually super impressed with my JT’s towing ability- it gets my boat to the lake and back just fine, and manages my 18ft utility trailer and atvs no problem.

If you want to tow a large camper very often buy a 1/2 or 3/4 ton truck and even then add a weight distribution hitch- end of story.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

In reading this (ridiculously flawed) article, as well seeing all the posts here and on fb related to towing one thing has become clear- Jeep needs to build a full size version of the Gladiator.
.................................

Return of the J-series trucks...........

 

[rolape2]

Return of the J-series trucks...........

We could dream, or may be ... wait for it, wait for it, The "Gladiator" again.. Too late.
It will never happen, FCA would be afraid it would take too many sells from the RAM.
Those of us old enough might remember when Jeep advertised "Highest ground clearance with lowest lift over height".
They were the only truck designed too be 4x4, then they made a 2 wheel version. Ford, Chevy and Dodge always designed a 2x4 then had to figure out how to get the extra gear under there. Made them have to raise them to clear the gear. So you had to lift stuff higher to put it in the bed.
Of course now a days they make them that way on purpose, Looks cool.
Not very functional.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

We could dream, or may be ... wait for it, wait for it, The "Gladiator" again.. Too late.
It will never happen, FCA would be afraid it would take too many sells from the RAM.
Those of us old enough might remember when Jeep advertised "Highest ground clearance with lowest lift over height".
They were the only truck designed too be 4x4, then they made a 2 wheel version. Ford, Chevy and Dodge always designed a 2x4 then had to figure out how to get the extra gear under there. Made them have to raise them to clear the gear. So you had to lift stuff higher to put it in the bed.
Of course now a days they make them that way on purpose, Looks cool.
Not very functional.

I know well it won't happen - but I'd buy a J series truck over a Ram, myself. Just my preference and experiences. Nothing specific against Ram, but I'd definitely go with the Jeep version.
Yes, it won't happen since they are all under one umbrella - I mean, look at GM - they even cut a couple of car lines.

And now it's going to be even worse as more engulf and devour takes place with FCA's future.
And sadly the Grand Cherokee is going away - oh, please! Don't even call the new version coming out a GC - what a freakin' joke! This 2021 my wife bought because I talked her into it in a way, warning here this will be the very last GC as she knows them - they'll grow in size and become something totallty different. So she hurried up and bought a 2021 before the change comes in. So in a sense, FCA is even killing the Grand Cherokee - there's a lot of buyers like us who will run - the other way and look for something else. We don't want a wider, fatter, longer 3 row vehicle. If we wanted that we'd already have one - a GM product.

Still, in a perfect world for me, if Jeep came out with a new version of their J series truck, yeah, I'd have looked at that very seriously. On the other hand, I didn't want a fat truck that barely fit in the garage and I know Jeep would have never made one that even resembled the J series truck.

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

We don't want a wider, fatter, longer 3 row vehicle. If we wanted that we'd already have one - a GM product.

But then that's the reason FCA would WANT to offer one - to keep you as a customer, rather than giving you up to GM...

 

[ShadowsPapa]

But then that's the reason FCA would WANT to offer one - to keep you as a customer, rather than giving you up to GM...

But they are losing us - and others - in the end. They are swapping a huge seller (look at the average Grand Cherokee sales over the last 10 years - amazing numbers!)
We'll likely go elsewhere now.
And with fuel prices going up again in the future - how well will those fat new versions sell?
I think they may be shooting themselves in the foot. There are thousands of Grand Cherokees around here. We call them the official vehicle of central Iowa - seriously. Thousands of them. We can't drive 2 miles and not see one and we live out in the sticks. But those big 3 row luxury tanks? Naw, not so much.
I know they are shooting for that market - but I have a feeling they'll regret it.
And I thought the new model - grand wagoneer or whatever, was supposed to fill that niche anyway.

 

[DreamedofaJeepSomeday]

Perfectly stated.

If you want to tow a 3500 lb trailer a few times a year, plus be able to fit in any parking space, have daily driver gas mileage and comfort, and never haul heavy or large loads but want the convenience of a pickup, and is off-road capable right off the lot - then the Gladiator fits the bill wonderfully, and it’s a cool-looking convertible Jeep to boot. Tow smart and it’ll do just fine. A full sized pickup fails at the majority of those things, but yeah it’ll tow more than ever needed, so there’s that. And that’s okay if that’s what you want.
<snip>
But at the end of the day I make my own decision.

 

[rolape2]

I have wanted another Jeep ever since I sold my '79 CJ-7. However, I have a 22' deck boat I need to tow. No CJ/Wrangler style Jeep has ever had a rating/ability to "Safely " tow that. Now I am happy with my Gladiator.

 

[Reeb65]

Why? It's a great platform if you understand it's capabilities.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/so-what-is-everybody-towing.19105/

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/round-trip-to-mountains-with-6850-lb-travel-trailer-max-tow-2”-spacer-lift-34s.36084/

You are 100% correct within its capabilities. Seems like a lot of people expect it to tow like a 1 ton pick-up.

 

[XJADDICTION]

These rags have never liked the Jeep, nor do they care to understand them.

Me: “Nice Ford Raptor.” (Or Toyota TURD, or Ford Ranger or Chebby Crap)

Them: “Yea, well the Jeep Gladiator is a piece of junk because it’s not a truck, it’s too noisy, it’s...”

Me: “does the top come off of your raptor?”

Them: “ No... What???”

Me: “yeah, right”

I love my JT and don’t care what those people have to say about it.

 

[Gvsukids]

Or

You are 100% correct within its capabilities. Seems like a lot of people expect it to tow like a 1 ton pick-up.

Or that it uses the whole rpm range.

 

[DRT]

I certainly have no issues towing my 20’ trailer with my six/auto Rubicon. My total weight is around 6,000 lbs. I have an equalizer hitch with a trailer brake system and feel it pulls more comfortably than when I pulled with a 5.7 V-8 Grand Cherokee. The trick is just setting them up properly.

 

[Jeepalligator]

I tow a 2020 ultra lite mini it’s 25’ around 6,000 lbs said and done. Sway bars and brake control. Pretty easy ride from SLO to Ojai, Ca. (Have V6, 8 speed auto, tow package sport model)

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I certainly have no issues towing my 20’ trailer with my six/auto Rubicon. My total weight is around 6,000 lbs. I have an equalizer hitch with a trailer brake system and feel it pulls more comfortably than when I pulled with a 5.7 V-8 Grand Cherokee. The trick is just setting them up properly.

Again, the "Rubicon" - consider the gear ratio of that vs. the Grand Cherokee..... bet that GC didn't have a 4.10 ratio.
The Grand Cherokees are heavy vehicles for an SUV. Funny thing - my wife's 2021 is rated 200 pounds MORE towing capacity than my JT. But it makes sense - a low well-balanced fairly heavy vehicle, sure, I can see that. (same engine, BTW, so it isn't that)

Sponsored