Possible First Time Gladiator Owner - Opinions Needed

[aujeepgirl23]

Hi All - I currently have a 2020 Punk'n JLU Rubicon. Over the past couple of years, I've been considering switching from the Wrangler to a Gladiator. I like the higher towing capabilities and having some extra cargo room. It's always been a passing thought as I really love my Punk'n Wrangler.

I started looking at local dealers and I see several leftover 2024 Gladiators that are majorly discounted, so my interest is piqued again. The only major drawback is giving up Punk'n...can ya'll tell I really love that color?

I'm in FL, so I do mainly beach riding, light to moderate trails with a lot of mud. I'm torn as to what trims to go with. I think my must haves are LED lighting, Alpine stereo and remote start/heated seats.

I thought I had it down to the Willy's or Rubicon - but after looking through the forums...man those Mojave's look good too. There is a Willy's hydro blue (that's the only downside because all I see is Gator blue, and well...I'm an Auburn fan, so that's tough). MSRP on this thing is $59670.00 but after discounts, dealer has it for $48,141.00 - I'll have additional 10K to go towards it from my trade in. It has customer preferred package 24W, Convenience Group, Tech Group, Active Safety Group (not a fan) and then the 850RE Transmission.

There are also a couple of Rubicon X's and Mojaves in Mojito, white and hydro that have everything I want as well, but for about 5-7 thousand more. I plan on adding a 2-3 inch lift and 35s at some point for whatever I end up getting.

So as you can see - for someone that has a hard time making a decision on dinner plans...this is tough. I'm hoping I can get some real world opinions from ya'll on the Gladiator. Who has gone from Wrangler to Gladiator and regretted it? Which trim/year do you think has better resale value? In case I get in one and after a couple of years, decide the Wrangler is a better fit. Anyone have high miles on one of these? I'm hoping for something that lasts a long time.

If you have made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read the post and I hope to get some great feedback. Thanks everyone!

Sponsored

 

[TestMule]

I moved from a Willys JL in Snazzberry (aka Delmonico Red on Rams) to a JT Sport with the tow package. It doesn't have all the packages you described above (no heated seats, no leather, it has the standard head unit & audio system) and I am very happy with the change. I made it in consideration of needing more towing capability, taller gears for towing and it had the LED package.

I've added a few things to it, namely a half rack, throttle controller, dead pedal, front level kit, aftermarket wheels & tires plus the XR flare extensions. While I am sure some skeptics here will laugh at this, but I think I'm done with the mods.

It does well on the trail, it tows great and while it's simple compared to some of the up optioned JT models, it provides everything I need to get out there and enjoy.

Here is the JL:

and here is the JT:

Good luck with your purchase decision.

 

[RacerAV]

I've had a couple JKURs and loved them a lot. I really wanted to try the Jeep truck as soon as it came out. I waited a few years, but finally got my Mojave in Sarge Green. I love it, but I do miss having a trunk.

I love the truck capabilities though. It's tough, 50/50 most days, maybe 1% more to the Gladiator. I had a hitch hauler for the dirt bike on the JKUR, I still use it on the Gladiator from time to time. I do love having the bed, and with my Decked, it acts as a trunk for the gear I used to store in the back of my old Jeep. I tow a larger trailer now, maybe just cause I can lol... that's a great PRO. I think I love the LOOK of the Gladiator on 37s more than a JLUR on 37s too...

 

[aujeepgirl23]

Thanks guys. Hey Racer, what’s the Decked product?

 

[DanW]

So I have a Wrangler Unlimited Rubi and I had two trips to Moab and one to the Northeast that made me get a Gladiator. The first trip to Moab, my brother took his JT Rubicon with 2" Mopar lift and 35's. It had some disadvantages to the Wrangler, but those never stopped it. The main things were the wider turning radius (not a huge deal) and the rear overhang, which was no problem thanks to a hitch skid plate. What impressed me was its climbing ability. My Wrangler could climb anything the Gladiator could, but it took more effort and white knuckles. The Gladiator seemed to climb with less effort and a little more stability, all due to the long wheelbase.

The trip to the Northeast saw the Gladiator's big advantage in how much camping/overlanding gear it could carry. All in the bed, and with the cab empty. It was the pack mule and it did not faze its off-road ability one bit. My JL Rubi was loaded down to where it sagged a little in the rear. It didn't compromise its off-road ability, but it certainly was noticeable looking at it.

The second trip to Moab, there was no Gladiator, but just my JK Rubi and JL Rubi. But we took camping gear and it filled those Jeeps to the brim. Plus, all the sand from the camping gear made a mess of the interiors. That trip sealed the deal. I started searching and one month later found my blue Rubi. I threw 35's and a 2.5 AEV lift on it and it handles loads even better than my brother's did.

Fortunately, I did not have to sell the JL. I don't think I ever could. But if I had to have just one Jeep, emotions aside, I would have to go with the Gladiator.

As for Rubi/Mojave/whatever....that depends on what you are going to do with it. I looked for the best deal. Either would fit my needs, but I really wanted the 4:1 transfer case, sway bar disconnect (can add aftermarket disco to Mojave) and the front locker. The big advantage, to me, of the Mojave, were the shocks and the steel front steering knuckles. If I had a Mojave, I would probably have kept the suspension/tires stock or maybe just an AEV 2" spacer lift with 35's.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I certainly understand the difficulty with decisions.

Oh...seat heat and the Alpine/8.3" screen were deal breakers. Mine has adaptive cruise, which I like. I would have loved the outlet in the bed and passive entry. And they could keep the leather. I much prefer the cloth seats in my JL. But not a biggie.

 

[legacy_etu]

If you’re on more a budget the Willy’s sounds like it would work for you plus it already has mud terrains. If you could swing it check out the other trims though too. I will say the Mojave trim seats are the most comfortable of all the trims (IMO).
Your Punk’n color is fantastic so I get the hesitancy to lose it. The good news is the Gladiator now comes in Joose color which is basically orange. Only issue is it’s a new color and only available on a 25 so you might Not find the same great deal on it like you would on a leftover 24. Heated seats in FL Seems like that may be hard to find, no?

If you’re definitely adding a lift then the Rubicon or Willys probably makes the most sense for you. Dumping the suspension from a Mojave for a new lift doesn’t make a lot of sense.

good luck!

here’s a nice Mojito: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...By=derivedpriceASC&state=FL&clickType=listing

 

[Scott0700]

Had: CJ7, TJ, JK,JKU. No regrets on the Gladiator. I have a hard tonneau cover so cargo security and space are not an issue. Such a versatile vehicle. Really does do it all. I went with the Rubicon this time around. Costs more, but you get it back on resale. Liked the ability to lock front and rear vs just the rear on the Mojave.

 

[aujeepgirl23]

So I have a Wrangler Unlimited Rubi and I had two trips to Moab and one to the Northeast that made me get a Gladiator. The first trip to Moab, my brother took his JT Rubicon with 2" Mopar lift and 35's. It had some disadvantages to the Wrangler, but those never stopped it. The main things were the wider turning radius (not a huge deal) and the rear overhang, which was no problem thanks to a hitch skid plate. What impressed me was its climbing ability. My Wrangler could climb anything the Gladiator could, but it took more effort and white knuckles. The Gladiator seemed to climb with less effort and a little more stability, all due to the long wheelbase.

The trip to the Northeast saw the Gladiator's big advantage in how much camping/overlanding gear it could carry. All in the bed, and with the cab empty. It was the pack mule and it did not faze its off-road ability one bit. My JL Rubi was loaded down to where it sagged a little in the rear. It didn't compromise its off-road ability, but it certainly was noticeable looking at it.

The second trip to Moab, there was no Gladiator, but just my JK Rubi and JL Rubi. But we took camping gear and it filled those Jeeps to the brim. Plus, all the sand from the camping gear made a mess of the interiors. That trip sealed the deal. I started searching and one month later found my blue Rubi. I threw 35's and a 2.5 AEV lift on it and it handles loads even better than my brother's did.

Fortunately, I did not have to sell the JL. I don't think I ever could. But if I had to have just one Jeep, emotions aside, I would have to go with the Gladiator.

As for Rubi/Mojave/whatever....that depends on what you are going to do with it. I looked for the best deal. Either would fit my needs, but I really wanted the 4:1 transfer case, sway bar disconnect (can add aftermarket disco to Mojave) and the front locker. The big advantage, to me, of the Mojave, were the shocks and the steel front steering knuckles. If I had a Mojave, I would probably have kept the suspension/tires stock or maybe just an AEV 2" spacer lift with 35's.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I certainly understand the difficulty with decisions.

Oh...seat heat and the Alpine/8.3" screen were deal breakers. Mine has adaptive cruise, which I like. I would have loved the outlet in the bed and passive entry. And they could keep the leather. I much prefer the cloth seats in my JL. But not a biggie.

This is great feedback. Thank you so much. Yeah the leather in my rubicon is so miserable salon this FL heat lol. I end up sitting on towels lol.

 

[aujeepgirl23]

Had: CJ7, TJ, JK,JKU. No regrets on the Gladiator. I have a hard tonneau cover so cargo security and space are not an issue. Such a versatile vehicle. Really does do it all. I went with the Rubicon this time around. Costs more, but you get it back on resale. Liked the ability to lock front and rear vs just the rear on the Mojave.

Yeah if I was anywhere close to major rock crawling, I would definitely get the Rubicon, but my adventures are mainly trails, mud, and beaches.

 

[Florida Mojave]

Mojave for the win for me but I am a bit bias -
Willys is a good choice especially if you're going to immediately change the tires wheels and suspension. Willy stock wheels are only 255's so those definitely need to go....

 

[Okie Gladiator]

I love my Rubicon but I’m on rocks and crawling more than anything. For what you’ve got going on there I’d seriously consider paying for the Mojave and get a color you can live with. If you are not going larger than 35’s you may not want to lift a Mojave 2 or 3 inches - a Mojave will look amazing and perform amazing as is with a set of 35’s. So you’ll save $$ on the lift and just spend that $$ on the difference you’ll pay for the Mojave. If you run it on 35’s and decide you want a little more height you can easily do that later.

Good luck with the Gladiator decision and Jackson Arnold at QB. And in the final 4.

 

[Supazuk]

If you are looking mostly at the tow capacity, why not give a look at a Sport S with a max tow package? comes with a limited slip rear and most come with the packages you are looking at getting for a fraction of the cost of a Rubicon.
I would rethink the LED as a deal breaker, it is a easy/cheep upgrade, lots of people ditch the tail lights for aftermarket (I see more oracles than factory) and fender lights as they chop or replace fenders so you can get those almost free

 

[Gvsukids]

The only major drawback is giving up Punk'n...can ya'll tell I really love that color?

Buy a used Gladiator with the Punkn color.

 

[Supazuk]

The only major drawback is giving up Punk'n...can ya'll tell I really love that color?

You could always get it wrapped in "Punk'n" and if you did plan that then color doesn't matter which kinda makes finding one easier

 

[Dummy SALAPA]

Ive had many Jeeps over the years and the JT is by far the most fun Ive had in a Jeep ever. I dont think you will regret moving to the JT!

Sponsored