So at the end of the day why the Gladiator? Pickup is better

[MTH]

Crazy how well the Honda Ridgeline is reviewed. The JT eats the regular Jeep Wrangler points (noisy, bumpy, etc.).

Makes me wonder if the Ridgeline is decent? We usually kinda laugh at them.

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[WXman]

Hogwash. All of this assumes a limited number of factors. It’s like saying “for the $ of a Porsche Boxster you could get a Corvette. A wise person would get the Vette.” Or “for the price of that Ducati, you could get a Harley. A wise person would buy the Harley”. OPINIONS do not make wisdom, especially on the internet.

I look outside the window of this Starbucks right now and see 25 vehicles in the parking lot. 2 are different generations of Chevy Equinox...among the other 23 there are no duplicates. Each of us have MANY different variables that go into deciding what type of vehicle we drive, and there is always going to be overlap, price wise between vehicles of different classes and genres. Ultimately, we try to get the best tool we can afford to do the job that we, as indivuals, need to get done.

One might look at me and say, “dude, you need a Tesla for your 60 mile commute. You need an old Cummins powered beater truck for work on the farm. You need an Oddysey for hauling the kids and family road trips. You need a Cessna 210 for those times when it makes more sense to fly. You need a TJ for trails. You need a Ranger for small jobs around the house.” Maybe there is some wisdom in having many tools for specific jobs, but it’s up to each of us to figure out what is the best balance for our own life situations, not to decide which factors, in our opinion, should define wisdom for someone else.

Hogwash. It's not like that at all.

Payload, towing capacity, interior space, horsepower, torque output, etc. are ALL objective measures.

Everything you just said is referring to subjective measures.

This thread is about the fact that objectively, you can buy more truck for less cash money if you don't buy a Gladiator.

For the third time, the wild card is the removable top and doors, which is the only subjective thing in this debate, and is the sole reason anyone would buy a Gladiator vs. a more practical and less expensive truck.

 

[Haus]

For the third time, the wild card is the removable top and doors, which is the only subjective thing in this debate, and is the sole reason anyone would buy a Gladiator vs. a more practical and less expensive truck.

Actually, removable top and doors are objective, not subjective. Objectively, you can remove them.
Now, while emotional appeal and desire of a vehicle are subjective, the fact that they exist is objective.

One can even argue that emotional appeal is the only thing that matters when it comes to a vehicle choice. Even those who value practicality (X is objectively better than Y) are fulfilling their emotional need to be reasonable and objective. Welcome to the human brain.

 

[Oilburner]

Makes me wonder if the Ridgeline is decent? We usually kinda laugh at them.

Friend at work's wife has one of the newer body style.
Nice car.

 

[Tire Guy]

She who must be obeyed summed up this argument/discussion easily. She said "If you buy a full size truck, I won't drive it". End of discussion.

 

[steffen707]

A Power Wagon is 5 inches wider than a Rubicon. There are a handful of trails in America where 5 inches would be the difference between fitting and not fitting, but for most people that will never ever be an issue.

I'm not saying don't buy a Gladiator. I'm just supporting what the OP meant with this thread which is that for the money there are certainly much better options out there for most people. As I keep saying, the removable top and doors is the money ball and that is the sole reason most people who shop Gladiator will be shopping the Gladiator. If you didn't care about those two things, then it would be wise to spend the money elsewhere.

my 2008 Grand Caravan is a better option than most trucks for the money. My van is worth like $1500, can haul 7 people, or tow 5,000 lbs, or carry 19 sheets of plywood, i can sleep it it when camping.

Will I replace it with a JT???????????

 

[5chema]

She who must be obeyed summed up this argument/discussion easily. She said "If you buy a full size truck, I won't drive it". End of discussion.

We can read you... and misinterpret you! You can want a truck on your own!!! But I understand it’s not the meaning of you post... I’m sure that “she-who-must-be-obeyed” will love the Gladiator! In my case she’s so excited that our kayaks will fit so easily!!!

 

[steffen707]

She who must be obeyed summed up this argument/discussion easily. She said "If you buy a full size truck, I won't drive it". End of discussion.

EHHHH, that might be a good thing though. If you don't want "she who must be obeyed" driving your truck, i think you have an option.

I want my wife to be able to drive it, so midsize and automatic it is. The kids like it. I have never heard my kid say, "Daddy, look at that f150, colorado, z71, tundra, titan, ranger".

He did once say, Daddy look at that truck, cool!, (a raptor), but that's way bigger than i want and

as Steve Magnante Says, "When the top goes down the price goes up!

 

[5chema]

my 2008 Grand Caravan is a better option than most trucks for the money. My van is worth like $1500, can haul 7 people, or tow 5,000 lbs, or carry 19 sheets of plywood, i can sleep it it when camping.

Will I replace it with a JT???????????

And you can have a luxury Town and Country for almost the same price and all the same convenience!!!

Why were we so blind?!? The ideal vehicle was at hand all this time!!!

No jokes, there’s not a universal car or truck that can do it all. Even worst, just and only for the JT, there’s many people asking for a 2-door Gladiator, but there’s families that just want a 4-door version! And for the 2-door, some ask for a longer bed, other ask for the same 5' bed to get a shorter Jeep...

 

[steffen707]

And you can have a luxury Town and Country for almost the same price and all the same convenience!!!

Why were we so blind?!? The ideal vehicle was at hand all this time!!!

No jokes, there’s not a universal car or truck that can do it all. Even worst, just and only for the JT, there’s many people asking for a 2-door Gladiator, but there’s families that just want a 4-door version! And for the 2-door, some ask for a longer bed, other ask for the same 5' bed to get a shorter Jeep...

We're on the same page absolutely, can't make everybody happy, but the JT ticked most of my boxes so i'll get one.

 

[Ichthus]

You assume everyone wants to maximize those factors for their $. Bigger isn’t always better. It’s a WASTE of money for me to buy a truck so big that it has to sit outside and rust. It’s a hassle to buy a truck so big that I have to park at the back of parking lots, and would struggle to maneuver parking garages. I need to haul stuff for small projects and don’t plan to tow anything bigger than a Gator on a trailer. Why buy something with single-digit fuel economy? For me, buying the biggest, most capable truck is foolish, NOT wise.

Oh, and it’s not just removable roof and doors: also manual transmission.

 

[Blown7]

Dimension wise the Glad is 218 inches long the Ram 1500 is 229 inches so the Glad is 10 inches shorter.
Width for the Glad is approx 74 inches and the Ram 1500 is 79 inches. height wise the same.

The argument of a full size pickup against the Glad is pretty much moot.......at least for the wife that won't drive a full size pickup.
If 10 inches longer is a big deal it's only a perception problem.

Now on the COOLEST FACTOR the Glad has to win.

But pound for pound and dollar for dollar the ram 1500 wins..especially with the manufacturers deals and incentives.

For argument sake put it to the wife this way "I can purchase the Glad fully loaded for $55K out the door or the pickup fully loaded for $40K"

Which one would most cost watching wives pick?? No brainer there....

 

[Blown7]

. Why buy something with single-digit fuel economy?
.

I haven't compared fuel economy yet but my hunch is a 5.7 with MDS will meet or beat the V-6.

i looked it up and was correct and the etorque meets the V-6 mileage wise. And 100 horsepower more.

 

[steffen707]

Dimension wise the Glad is 218 inches long the Ram 1500 is 229 inches so the Glad is 10 inches shorter.
Width for the Glad is approx 74 inches and the Ram 1500 is 79 inches. height wise the same.

The argument of a full size pickup against the Glad is pretty much moot.......at least for the wife that won't drive a full size pickup.
If 10 inches longer is a big deal it's only a perception problem.

Now on the COOLEST FACTOR the Glad has to win.

But pound for pound and dollar for dollar the ram 1500 wins..especially with the manufacturers deals and incentives.

For argument sake put it to the wife this way "I can purchase the Glad fully loaded for $55K out the door or the pickup fully loaded for $40K"

Which one would most cost watching wives pick?? No brainer there....

Ram is 8" wider.

And this argument doesn't listen to people's needs or wants And luckily for me, my wife is on board, and even of she wasn't, it's my truck, she can pound sand!


It's funny, are you trying to convince us to switch, or convince yourself that the Gladiator isn't your truck?

 

[Tire Guy]

EHHHH, that might be a good thing though. If you don't want "she who must be obeyed" driving your truck, i think you have an option.

I want my wife to be able to drive it, so midsize and automatic it is. The kids like it. I have never heard my kid say, "Daddy, look at that f150, colorado, z71, tundra, titan, ranger".

He did once say, Daddy look at that truck, cool!, (a raptor), but that's way bigger than i want and

as Steve Magnante Says, "When the top goes down the price goes up!

For her it is difficult to park and drive a larger/wider vehicle. She has depth perception problems. The bigger vehicle is problematic at best. For me the alternative is her driving my Vette or our 10 year old MDX with 200k miles. Both are not good options. And as always, happy wife happy life.

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