lotecredneck
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Tony
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2023
- Threads
- 10
- Messages
- 97
- Reaction score
- 121
- Location
- Texarkana, TX
- Vehicle(s)
- 2023 Jeep Gladiator
- Occupation
- Retired
- Thread starter
- #1
I recently purchased a Gladiator and have a few observations from my short ownership time...
To begin, I bought a new JKU Rubicon back in '07 and to be honest, it was quite the dog! I ran out of adjectives to describe the anemic 3.8 mini van motor that Chrysler put in that Jeep! After 3 years I couldn't stand it any longer and traded it for a '07 FJ Cruiser which was an awesome vehicle. I kept it until a few mon ths ago and decided it was time for a newer vehicle and the JT caught my eye. I was already familiar with the newer JL's so I knew they had fixed their issues with that evil engine by scrapping it and placing the 3.6 Pentastar motor in it's place.
I was looking at the incentives that Jeep was offering and decided on either the Willys or the Texas Trail since they are essentially the same just with a few different options in the mix and both had the 32" XT2 tires. I stayed with the Sport offerings as their were addition incentives on those, but not on the Rubicon or Mojave. The Texas Trail had leather interior where the Willys had cloth, but offered a rear locker and the 8.4" radio instead of the 7". Since this would be used as a daily driver for me to replace the FJ either would be fine.
I wound up opting for the Texas Trail as it had most of the items on my short list plus this one had the cold weather package that I really wanted. I just returned from a 2,000 mile trip from NE Texas to Colorado and these are some of my observations....
I have ridden dual sport bikes in Colorado for many years and the wife wanted me to take her on some of the roads we ofter ride. After driving across Texas and stopping In Raton, NM for the night we left out the 1st day and took two roads that cut through the Valle Vidal area of Northern New Mexico towards the Colorado state line. This road is about 60 miles long. The JT did great and was comfortable. but having a straight front axle on the miles and miles of washboard stutter bumps will really get to you! It's either 5 mph or 50mph! The second road was about 80 miles long and the same goes for it.
The next day we went to Lake City and I took it over Cinnamon Pass into Animas Forks on the Alpine Loop. This is where it really impressed me! I decided I would leave it in 2wd until the time came that I needed the front drive. The JT went the entire pass in 2wd without ever spinning a tire. I did air down to 20psi before starting on the section from American Basin that says high clearance and 4wd vehicles only past this point. I could stop on any of the slopes and rock outcroppings and start again with a hitch. That really impressed me since I don't have the rear locker. I never slammed into any of the rocks and never had an issue with the overhang past the rear axle.
The interior is reasonably quiet since I put Kilmat on the top and put a CoverKing topliner in. The main cabin noise comes now from the Destination MT2 tires. They would key up a sound that Pavorati would be jealous of, but much more enjoyable! The seats are really comfortable and the overall driving position is really good as well. I did install a dead pedal and that made a huge difference in comfort. The audio system did really well after the top install and I also installed a dongle for the Carplay to work wirelessly. That way I was able to run GAIA GPS and have it work offline and displayed on my screen.
Fuel economy was impressive as well at 20.7 mpg for the average on the 2100 mile trip. That's about 5 mpg better than the FJ ever produced. My biggest complaint was cruising on the highway with the A/C on auto, it would just suddenly fill the cabin with outside air like you had rolled the window down, but the vents were putting out cold air! Not sure what is going on with that, but it's quite annoying and I will have the dealer take a look at it. My only other real complaint thus far is the pitiful headlights. These things a just a step or two above a carbide lantern! I don't drive a great deal at night, but these were woefully inadequate and will need to be replaced.
~Tony
To begin, I bought a new JKU Rubicon back in '07 and to be honest, it was quite the dog! I ran out of adjectives to describe the anemic 3.8 mini van motor that Chrysler put in that Jeep! After 3 years I couldn't stand it any longer and traded it for a '07 FJ Cruiser which was an awesome vehicle. I kept it until a few mon ths ago and decided it was time for a newer vehicle and the JT caught my eye. I was already familiar with the newer JL's so I knew they had fixed their issues with that evil engine by scrapping it and placing the 3.6 Pentastar motor in it's place.
I was looking at the incentives that Jeep was offering and decided on either the Willys or the Texas Trail since they are essentially the same just with a few different options in the mix and both had the 32" XT2 tires. I stayed with the Sport offerings as their were addition incentives on those, but not on the Rubicon or Mojave. The Texas Trail had leather interior where the Willys had cloth, but offered a rear locker and the 8.4" radio instead of the 7". Since this would be used as a daily driver for me to replace the FJ either would be fine.
I wound up opting for the Texas Trail as it had most of the items on my short list plus this one had the cold weather package that I really wanted. I just returned from a 2,000 mile trip from NE Texas to Colorado and these are some of my observations....
I have ridden dual sport bikes in Colorado for many years and the wife wanted me to take her on some of the roads we ofter ride. After driving across Texas and stopping In Raton, NM for the night we left out the 1st day and took two roads that cut through the Valle Vidal area of Northern New Mexico towards the Colorado state line. This road is about 60 miles long. The JT did great and was comfortable. but having a straight front axle on the miles and miles of washboard stutter bumps will really get to you! It's either 5 mph or 50mph! The second road was about 80 miles long and the same goes for it.
The next day we went to Lake City and I took it over Cinnamon Pass into Animas Forks on the Alpine Loop. This is where it really impressed me! I decided I would leave it in 2wd until the time came that I needed the front drive. The JT went the entire pass in 2wd without ever spinning a tire. I did air down to 20psi before starting on the section from American Basin that says high clearance and 4wd vehicles only past this point. I could stop on any of the slopes and rock outcroppings and start again with a hitch. That really impressed me since I don't have the rear locker. I never slammed into any of the rocks and never had an issue with the overhang past the rear axle.
The interior is reasonably quiet since I put Kilmat on the top and put a CoverKing topliner in. The main cabin noise comes now from the Destination MT2 tires. They would key up a sound that Pavorati would be jealous of, but much more enjoyable! The seats are really comfortable and the overall driving position is really good as well. I did install a dead pedal and that made a huge difference in comfort. The audio system did really well after the top install and I also installed a dongle for the Carplay to work wirelessly. That way I was able to run GAIA GPS and have it work offline and displayed on my screen.
Fuel economy was impressive as well at 20.7 mpg for the average on the 2100 mile trip. That's about 5 mpg better than the FJ ever produced. My biggest complaint was cruising on the highway with the A/C on auto, it would just suddenly fill the cabin with outside air like you had rolled the window down, but the vents were putting out cold air! Not sure what is going on with that, but it's quite annoying and I will have the dealer take a look at it. My only other real complaint thus far is the pitiful headlights. These things a just a step or two above a carbide lantern! I don't drive a great deal at night, but these were woefully inadequate and will need to be replaced.
~Tony
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