astronerd
Active Member
- First Name
- Mike
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2021
- Threads
- 4
- Messages
- 43
- Reaction score
- 30
- Location
- Raleigh/Durham, NC
- Website
- www.astronerd.net
- Vehicle(s)
- 22 JT Sport S, 14 Mustang GT/CS, 04 Honda Pilot
- Occupation
- Finance/Accounting
- Thread starter
- #1
Hello All,
I’m in the market for a mid sized pickup truck. I’ve never owed a truck or a Jeep so the Gladiator would be a real first for me.
The use case for me is around towing and payload. I’m an amateur astronomer and my gear can get heavy and take up quite a bit of space. When I head out for more than one night of observing, I’ll tow my Aliner camper. I don’t go wheeling and the most off-road I see is towing my gear down a dirt path or on to a field, rough terrain and carefully collimated optics don’t work well together. I also do some driving on the beaches here in North Carolina. My Pilot with tires aired down and it’s AWD has never gotten stuck but then again I don’t go crazy and I always keep my limited ground clearance in mind.
My camper weighs a tad over 2,700 fully loaded. My astronomy gear weighs in at 300lbs (telescope, mounts, counter weight, eyepieces, cameras, etc.). My current vehicle is a 2004 Honda Pilot. It handles everything just fine except for the squat in rear suspension, a well known problem for older Pilots. Also, the gear takes up all the room in the Pilot except for the front seat a 1 seat in the 2nd row (e.g. I only have room for the driver and 2 passengers. I also carry some camping related items in a roof basket.
I want to upgrade my vehicle so I can carry more passengers and/or my dogs as well as eventually upgrade to a large travel trailer.
I thought about a full size pickup but when I test drove them, they just felt so big in parking lots. This would be my daily driver and a full size truck would just be too big for daily stuff and even overkill for the next size camper under 25ft and max weight of 6,000lbs. Therefore a mid-sized pickup sounds like the logical step.
I did no like the seating position of the Tacoma, the Ranger felt cramped! I have not looked at the GM twins as it seems that they’re selling unfinished vehicles (can’t get heated seats or if you want GPS they’ll call you back when the parts are ready and your dealer will install them). I’ve never been much of Nissan fan and I’ve heard of horrible quality issues. I’ve owned many Hondas and they’ve always been great for me. The Ridgeline meets my payload and space requirements but does not meet my future towing requirements.
The Gladiator looks like a really appealing option. I know I need either a Sport S or an Altitude in order to get the Max-tow package. I’ve researched the options and build specs to death.
However, I keep hearing in the forums and other chatter that Gladiators and Wranglers by default just aren’t practical and there are so many compromises in terms or reliability and comfort that have to be made in order to get the off-road performance and topless abilities that Jeeps deliver. As I usually keep my cars for a long time (I took my last 2 to over 200k miles), I want to make sure I’m making the best decision.
I’ve test driven both a hard top and a soft top, definitely like the hard top better but would add an aftermarket liner/insulator. The stock 31s look small, I’d like to upgrade to 33s or 35s. A 2021 JTR I test drove definitely had some wandering but it may have been the aftermarket wheels and tires the dealership put.
I know I have to give op some of the tech I was looking forward to in my next car, like cooled seats, lane assist, power/memory seats, but the Gladiator was just so much fun to drive.
So the question out to you JT owners is, if you had to get a truck for just mostly on-road towing and payload, would you still buy a JT? I am better off getting a Ridgeline now knowing it may not meet my towing needs a few years (2 or 3 years) down the line?
Thanks!
-Mike
I’m in the market for a mid sized pickup truck. I’ve never owed a truck or a Jeep so the Gladiator would be a real first for me.
The use case for me is around towing and payload. I’m an amateur astronomer and my gear can get heavy and take up quite a bit of space. When I head out for more than one night of observing, I’ll tow my Aliner camper. I don’t go wheeling and the most off-road I see is towing my gear down a dirt path or on to a field, rough terrain and carefully collimated optics don’t work well together. I also do some driving on the beaches here in North Carolina. My Pilot with tires aired down and it’s AWD has never gotten stuck but then again I don’t go crazy and I always keep my limited ground clearance in mind.
My camper weighs a tad over 2,700 fully loaded. My astronomy gear weighs in at 300lbs (telescope, mounts, counter weight, eyepieces, cameras, etc.). My current vehicle is a 2004 Honda Pilot. It handles everything just fine except for the squat in rear suspension, a well known problem for older Pilots. Also, the gear takes up all the room in the Pilot except for the front seat a 1 seat in the 2nd row (e.g. I only have room for the driver and 2 passengers. I also carry some camping related items in a roof basket.
I want to upgrade my vehicle so I can carry more passengers and/or my dogs as well as eventually upgrade to a large travel trailer.
I thought about a full size pickup but when I test drove them, they just felt so big in parking lots. This would be my daily driver and a full size truck would just be too big for daily stuff and even overkill for the next size camper under 25ft and max weight of 6,000lbs. Therefore a mid-sized pickup sounds like the logical step.
I did no like the seating position of the Tacoma, the Ranger felt cramped! I have not looked at the GM twins as it seems that they’re selling unfinished vehicles (can’t get heated seats or if you want GPS they’ll call you back when the parts are ready and your dealer will install them). I’ve never been much of Nissan fan and I’ve heard of horrible quality issues. I’ve owned many Hondas and they’ve always been great for me. The Ridgeline meets my payload and space requirements but does not meet my future towing requirements.
The Gladiator looks like a really appealing option. I know I need either a Sport S or an Altitude in order to get the Max-tow package. I’ve researched the options and build specs to death.
However, I keep hearing in the forums and other chatter that Gladiators and Wranglers by default just aren’t practical and there are so many compromises in terms or reliability and comfort that have to be made in order to get the off-road performance and topless abilities that Jeeps deliver. As I usually keep my cars for a long time (I took my last 2 to over 200k miles), I want to make sure I’m making the best decision.
I’ve test driven both a hard top and a soft top, definitely like the hard top better but would add an aftermarket liner/insulator. The stock 31s look small, I’d like to upgrade to 33s or 35s. A 2021 JTR I test drove definitely had some wandering but it may have been the aftermarket wheels and tires the dealership put.
I know I have to give op some of the tech I was looking forward to in my next car, like cooled seats, lane assist, power/memory seats, but the Gladiator was just so much fun to drive.
So the question out to you JT owners is, if you had to get a truck for just mostly on-road towing and payload, would you still buy a JT? I am better off getting a Ridgeline now knowing it may not meet my towing needs a few years (2 or 3 years) down the line?
Thanks!
-Mike
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