MotorTrend 2021 Gladiator Review - Terrifying Towing?

[RiverMtnBeach]

Max tow with Mopar lift and 35’s does great with both my 4,700lb boat (surge brakes, 500lb tongue wt) and our 4,100lb TT (proportional brakes, sway control, WDH, 400-550 TW depending on holding).
Sure, won’t win any races, but climbs mountain passes @55mph no problem. Temps don’t even break a sweat @115degrees.

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[RiverMtnBeach]

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.

Had a Commander that struggled with anything over 4K. Gearing way too tall and the 5-speed felt like missing a whole ratio between 2-3. The new 8-speed with 4.10s is awesome!

 

[Jt-wrx]

i have a manual sport on mopar with 37's and curt echo brake controller, i tow a 6'x14' plus v-nose enclosed aluminum cargo trailer with dual braked axles that i set up as home built camper, all up with all our adventure gear, fluids, people etc. adds total of 3780 lbs to the jeep and trailer, trailer portion about 3200 lbs...after a couple good trips this summer i can say i wouldn't want to tow more than 4000 lbs with a lifted gladiator, i know what they are talking about in this article, while my set up isn't as sensitive as theirs i did learn that mixing curves with bumps and wind can get the butt pucker up so just a slight touch on the brake controller keeps things settled down, keep speeds reasonable for trailering will help also, 60-65 tops, that's been my mileage so far peeps, definitely would look at the weight distribution hitch for the automatics with larger tow demands than mine, or whatever other set up is beneficial to keep the tail from wagging the dog

i also have 4.88's, power is not an issue for my set up even with the 3.6, the gearing made all the difference

 

[Leucifer76]

Read the article over the weekend. The authors revealed more about their own ignorance than anything about the Gladiator. Just shameful that Motor Trend published it. An editor should have thrown the brakes on it. At the very least, there should be a follow-up to it with people who know what they're doing to give an earnest rebuttal.

Someone in the MT editorial staff should be on this like flies on ..... and I expect that someone at Jeep is already all over it.

 

[CDN_Launch]

4700 lbs, but 2nd pic, as many mentioned, is a no brainer, wouldn’t tow without trailer braking, weight distribution, and sway bars.
Pulls like nothing is there.

Steep long uphill fuel economy...different story, but was expected.

 

[Gulf_coasterHTX]

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.

Yup, I had a 97 TJ for a long time, had to move on to other cars but have always wanted to get another Jeep. Now that I can tow my 20’ Nautical Star 203DC as well as whatever weekend warrior materials from Home Depot, it fits all my needs. It will be replacing my Nissan Frontier, so I know all this stuff from nay sayers about not being able to tow compared to whatever full size truck is just nonsense, it’s all a matter of what you are trying to tow and where and then you make sure it’s within the limits of the equipment.

I have driven full size trucks and compact trucks and live in the city in Houston - I would never WANT to drive a full size truck around town unless I HAVE to. Gladiator looks to be perfect for me. Same goes for other vehicles, too - before buying my Ascent we looked at getting a Suburban, but the Ascent just drives so much more mobile, and saved a about 20k on the cost as well.. no regrets whatsoever

 

[MemphisMississipp]

That's a BS opinion. Anyone with any trailering experience knows that you need a hitch with sway bars when towing a trailer that size to mitigate sway from cross winds, especially with a mid size truck. MT is just trying to be a turd in the punch bowl. GM or Ford probably paid them to publish that.

I agree, I towed a 26 foot trailer with a midsize Chevy truck for years and never had a problem. Truck had a six banger with 5 speed stick, I always pulled in fourth gear. The sway bars made all the difference and anyone that tried towing without them were asking for trouble.

 

[DRT]

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)

I could

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)

 

[DRT]

The Grand Summit had a 3.45 rear and had great power. I just noticed more sway plus issues with the air suspension.

 

[RiverMtnBeach]

i have a manual sport on mopar with 37's and curt echo brake controller, i tow a 6'x14' plus v-nose enclosed aluminum cargo trailer with dual braked axles that i set up as home built camper, all up with all our adventure gear, fluids, people etc. adds total of 3780 lbs to the jeep and trailer, trailer portion about 3200 lbs...after a couple good trips this summer i can say i wouldn't want to tow more than 4000 lbs with a lifted gladiator, i know what they are talking about in this article, while my set up isn't as sensitive as theirs i did learn that mixing curves with bumps and wind can get the butt pucker up so just a slight touch on the brake controller keeps things settled down, keep speeds reasonable for trailering will help also, 60-65 tops, that's been my mileage so far peeps, definitely would look at the weight distribution hitch for the automatics with larger tow demands than mine, or whatever other set up is beneficial to keep the tail from wagging the dog

i also have 4.88's, power is not an issue for my set up even with the 3.6, the gearing made all the difference

Thats a lotta tire! Happy I went with the 35s. Acceptable with the 4.10 gears. Swapping to 4.88s is on my wish list but $$$$$.

 

[Caraholic]

I THINK THIS BELONGS HERE.
it’s a tow review that actually talks about weight and balance and gvw and towing.... from an experienced tower. Wierd how different his conclusions are.


https://news.pickuptrucks.com/2021/...diator-diesel-tow-with-the-wrong-trailer.html

 

[Summitsearcher]

That's a BS opinion. Anyone with any trailering experience knows that you need a hitch with sway bars when towing a trailer that size to mitigate sway from cross winds, especially with a mid size truck. MT is just trying to be a turd in the punch bowl. GM or Ford probably paid them to publish that.

It is BS. I’m just glad like their opinions, the turd stays in the punch bowl and I carry my own flask.

 

[Redline360]

Of course they were going to have massive issues towing with that set up. Its all about setup. However with that said the gladiator is not an ideal towing vehicle even with ideal set up on anything other than flat roads compared to a silverado or etc. Just goes with the territory.

The 6cyl is downright anemic to begin with and towing in the hills or mountains gets scary even at 3-4k pounds. For a 60k optioned truck to still have the 6cyl is honestly an insult.

If it wasnt for the 6cyl it would be fine with the proper set up when towing through the hills

 

[XJADDICTION]

Of course they were going to have massive issues towing with that set up. Its all about setup. However with that said the gladiator is not an ideal towing vehicle even with ideal set up on anything other than flat roads.

The 6cyl is downright anemic to begin with and towing in the hills or mountains gets scary even at 3-4k pounds. For a 60k optioned truck to still have the 6cyl is honestly an insult.

If it wasnt for the 6cyl it would be fine with the proper set up.

I respectfully disagree with you. My JT Max Tow stock is brilliant towing 6000lbs up grade with no problem. The 3.6 and the 8 speed auto are awesome!

 

[Redline360]

I respectfully disagree with you. My JT Max Tow stock is brilliant towing 6000lbs up grade with no problem. The 3.6 and the 8 speed auto are awesome!

Agree to disagree

I tow on winding / steep roads and the 6cyl is just pathetic and gets scary on some steep grades. Granted I've only towed with something that made good power.

I also think the 6cyl is underpowered. Gladiator deserves and needs the 5.7 imo

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