New Soft Top that folds down into the bed.

[LostWoods]

So to all you engineers who seem to think Jeep's solution is half-assed, what's the alternative? You have it fold into the bed which looks great at the local mall but doesn't work with a cap/rack or if you actually have things back there. You can have it behind the seats but that either means you (1) move the seats forward and have impossible leg room, (2) stretch the cab and the chassis, or (3) stretch the cab and shorten the bed. Every one of these options is a horrible alternative to the man bun.

It's the downside of having necessary space behind the cab that the JL doesn't have. IMO Jeep should have just blown it all off and done a one-piece cab but I know I'm in the minority on that one.

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[cafecito]

So to all you engineers who seem to think Jeep's solution is half-assed, what's the alternative?

Well look at the JL soft tops. After you remove the rear corners and window, you can fold the top back once and leave the rear of the roof up so it's in that "bikini" style. You then also have the option to press/pull something to retract the roof all the way back down.

That. That is what would be better.

If you want to throw the top back into man bun - cool. Do that. But if you don't have a big rack in the back or anything in the bed that would interfere with the top being all the way behind the rear seats, give us that option too.

I'm not an engineer, but I understand that not every Gladiator driver has to have their bed stacked full of badass molle racks and roto packs at all times, and having a top that is limited in use simply to accommodate for that is just dumb.

 

[LostWoods]

Well look at the JL soft tops. After you remove the rear corners and window, you can fold the top back once and leave the rear of the roof up so it's in that "bikini" style. You then also have the option to press/pull something to retract the roof all the way back down.

That. That is what would be better.

If you want to throw the top back into man bun - cool. Do that. But if you don't have a big rack in the back or anything in the bed that would interfere with the top being all the way behind the rear seats, give us that option too.

I'm not an engineer, but I understand that not every Gladiator driver has to have their bed stacked full of badass molle racks and roto packs at all times, and having a top that is limited in use simply to accommodate for that is just dumb.

The Wrangler has 4 ft of vehicle behind the seats for the framework that supports the top which allows for way more flexibility. The JT would have to find a way to fold within its own footprint while still retaining rigidity and not hitting the vertical sport bars. It's an impossible task without intruding on the bed.

There is no room behind the seats whatsoever in the JT to the point I can barely fit a sweatshirt between the headrest and my hard top window. From that window I can't fit my hand between it and my bed cap so for something to not interfere with cargo, you're working with at most 6 inches of clearance between headrest and the bed. There's just not enough space without compromising on something else.

This is a pickup and the design needs to take into account pickup things. It's unreasonable to expect Jeep to have a Mall Crawler Edition top alongside the more utilitarian man bun design when the latter does what it's supposed to without compromising on the other important factors that make this a truck. That's what the aftermarket is for.

 

[sharpsicle]

Well look at the JL soft tops.

I think that's your issue here. You really can't compare the two. By trying to reference the JL and saying it should easily translate to the JT is ignoring the extremely important physical differences between the two.

The JL's top doesn't drop straight down to the back of the seats, it goes to the back of the cargo area. That space between the back seats and the back of the cargo area holds the mechanical supports of the JL top when folded back. The JT would have to stay tight to the back of the rear seats. That's a huge mechanical and space issue.

 

[Sazabi19]

The whole man bun thing is ridiculous, just stop.

No.

 

[Sazabi19]

So to all you engineers who seem to think Jeep's solution is half-assed, what's the alternative? You have it fold into the bed which looks great at the local mall but doesn't work with a cap/rack or if you actually have things back there. You can have it behind the seats but that either means you (1) move the seats forward and have impossible leg room, (2) stretch the cab and the chassis, or (3) stretch the cab and shorten the bed. Every one of these options is a horrible alternative to the man bun.

It's the downside of having necessary space behind the cab that the JL doesn't have. IMO Jeep should have just blown it all off and done a one-piece cab but I know I'm in the minority on that one.

Lol, so unless you have a ton of shit in your bed it's a "mall crawler" now eh? That's a new one. I've been offroading with nothing in my bed, in fact, it's usually empty. Maybe don't fold it back all the way if that's the case? If your use case would be different than the roof would allow then obviously it wouldn't be for you. You're trying to attack 1 "extreme" but your coming form another extreme, you sound like 1 of those "If it's not a Wrangler it's not a real Jeep" people right now, lol.

There are a number of us (dunno how many) that would like something different. The market hasn't responded so we just sit here and wait and wish. I still think it looks shitty and wish they'd do something with it. To me it really does look half-assed, but that's why I didn't get 1.

 

[cafecito]

I think that's your issue here. You really can't compare the two. By trying to reference the JL and saying it should easily translate to the JT is ignoring the extremely important physical differences between the two.

The JL's top doesn't drop straight down to the back of the seats, it goes to the back of the cargo area. That space between the back seats and the back of the cargo area holds the mechanical supports of the JL top when folded back. The JT would have to stay tight to the back of the rear seats. That's a huge mechanical and space issue.

No, I understand that. What I said above though was that assuming there's nothing in the bed, or no rack in the way, let the top fold all the way back. So, if it hangs behind the back seats (essentially in the front of the bed), then there's no issue. I was never saying that the top should go behind the back seats inside the cabin. Sorry if that was unclear.

 

[cafecito]

There is no room behind the seats whatsoever in the JT to the point I can barely fit a sweatshirt between the headrest and my hard top window.

Right. Sorry for the poor wording in my post. What I meant was:

1. Man bun style, as is.
2. Assuming there's nothing in the bed obstructing it from doing so, allow the top to fold all the way down and back, hanging behind the rear sits *in the bed*. Obviously it would never fit in the cabin.

 

[sharpsicle]

So, if it hangs behind the back seats (essentially in the front of the bed), then there's no issue.

I understood you correctly. Still a mechanical issue.

The JL's top doesn't drop straight down to the back of the seats, it goes to the back of the cargo area.

To work like a JL top, the Gladiator's top would fold back and rest somewhere in the middle of the bed. It's a function of the mechanical apparatus that supports the top that makes that necessary. That's a big reason why comparing the two doesn't work. Unless you're saying you want it in the middle of the bed entirely.

 

[Erievon]

I think that's your issue here. You really can't compare the two. By trying to reference the JL and saying it should easily translate to the JT is ignoring the extremely important physical differences between the two.

The JL's top doesn't drop straight down to the back of the seats, it goes to the back of the cargo area. That space between the back seats and the back of the cargo area holds the mechanical supports of the JL top when folded back. The JT would have to stay tight to the back of the rear seats. That's a huge mechanical and space issue.

On the 4 door, you're absolutely right. However, wouldn't ours work the same way a 2 door JL works? Just drop it straight down....

 

[Midnight Rider]

It’s all a matter of personal preference. Would it look better if it went all the way down? Yes. Does the man bun bother me? No, I run it every chance I get. I personally don’t like the looks of the Bestop Sunrider but again that’s me. So, to review- stock soft top:

Sunrider:

This monstrosity:

 

[Sazabi19]

It’s all a matter of personal preference. Would it look better if it went all the way down? Yes. Does the man bun bother me? No, I run it every chance I get. I personally don’t like the looks of the Bestop Sunrider but again that’s me. So, to review- stock soft top:

Sunrider:

This monstrosity:

Hey! You don't necessarily agree, so you're supposed to be a condescending asshole, go back and try again!

Also, that he-hive, hahah! Please don't keep giving this generation ideas.

 

[cafecito]

On the 4 door, you're absolutely right. However, wouldn't ours work the same way a 2 door JL works? Just drop it straight down....

Exactly! I understand the roll bars are angled differently on a JL, but the concept should still be achievable.

 

[Fcmalie]

They have found enough ways to make these things expensive, a multi-position soft top isn't something I'd be willing to pay more for.

 

[NC_Overland]

Woooof. Ugly as f***.

Also, come on mfgs, use a Rubicon or Mojave in your product shots. Not an Overland.

Not an Overland. Look at the front bumper.

Actually, that’s a max tow. I just noticed the fenders.

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