Test drove the Gladiator in the San Diego Market

[sandbaja]

Your assessment is quite close to mine. The power and transmission were there but it is not going to knock your socks off. It's not a slouch either. Off road I expect it will be just a capable as my Rubicon is today (minus breakover) so kudo to the engineers for keeping the jeepiness. I didn't mind the side mirrors ( I've added small convex mirrors) and thought them the same as mine today. I'm certain I would go with the safety group though on a JT.

I agree that in order to appreciate the JT you need to see it in person and drive it.

My wife and I remarked about the red and black hardtops on the 2 red gladiators. Both were good but we leaned towards liking the red on red better.

Same with the entry. The wife struggles a bit climbing in (35's and 2" lift + ACE rock rails) and next time I will add power steps. There is a really nice aftermarket that looks like it would do well as a rock rail for $1800 noted on this forum.

I spent the morning reading the lease and buy threads after KayakMike rightfully admonished me for not doing that prior. He was correct and there is a large wealth of information already discussed. Adding Sorbs and Roverboys comments were helpful also.

Nice job JP1.

So, I stopped by San Diego Jeep this morning, was there when they opened at 1000. Another guy showed up and we looked like the Paparazzi pacing and taking pics.



The Good:
+ This dealership had multiple Gladiators. There were 3 out front, all Rubicon's, two black and a red.
+ Friendly staff, I talked to David KULLMAN, low pressure, seemed to have an idea on the Gladiators. no issue hopping right in the red one and going for a ride.
+ umm, look what was sitting right inside the door:

(@steffen707)
The Bad:
- MSRP + $2995 'Market Value Adjustment' ummm, no bueno…
The Sales Manager made it sound like he could overlook the $3k prison shower sodomy fee if I wanted to sign today.



The Gladiator Rubicon:
The pictures do not do justice to the red, it really popped. Beautiful color. The blacks were sharp also, I'm just not a fan of black as it is impossible to keep clean.

Here is the sticker on the Red one I drove:


Interior:
+ Very impressed with fit/finish, nice feel to almost everything, I fit inside perfectly (5'5", 180lbs), I would think a bigger dude would have issues as it'll probably be a tight fit. I really like all the tech toys. The Driver's seat was VERY comfortable, (well, for the 10 minutes I was in it).
- The mirrors are small, it has Blind-spot, but the mirrors look like they're an afterthought and pulled off a small Toyota. the 'insulation in the Freedom top was loose, couldn't they have spray adhesive the foam in?
Steering wheel felt really small.
Exterior:
+I'll say it again, very impressed with it in person. pics aren't fair to this truck. OEM Height was easy for me to climb in, but I am going to need to throw a grappling hook to pull myself in with a lift and 37s. I WILL NEED STEPS!!!

Driving Impression:
Very impressed with the road manners, seemed like a better ride than the JL Rubicons I test drove before. The tires on this one were set to 36 all around. Very impressed with the turning radius.
Steering: Ya, a little wandering on the highway, but nothing that I wasn't prepared for, fully manageable.
Power: So the best description I can come up with is OK. While merging with traffic, seems to accelerate fine. When watching the speedo, it accelerates fine. BUT there's just no 'seat of the pants' urgency to it. I'm sure I'll be looking into some type of solution down the road, especially after bigger tires.
Again, I am really overall impressed.

After driving, the other dude had them rolling out a Red Overland:


My Sales dude asked what color I liked, I said Gator, and got the puzzled look I was after. He googled it and went, 'ya, that's cool'
I said I knew it wouldn't be available right away and said I like the Billet. He replied one was pulled off the hauler last night, so we went looking for it in the rain:
(Queue the Angels singing):


now THAT'S HOTT!!!

one note, I was not impressed with the Tonneu cover. I'm really hoping it just needs an adjustment as it just wasn't sitting good on the bed. Sorry, I don't have a good pic to demonstrate what I saw, we were pretty wet by the time we found it.


LAST pic was a quick shot of the saddle interior on one of the Black Rubicons:

YO

So, I stopped by San Diego Jeep this morning, was there when they opened at 1000. Another guy showed up and we looked like the Paparazzi pacing and taking pics.

The Good:
+ This dealership had multiple Gladiators. There were 3 out front, all Rubicon's, two black and a red.
+ Friendly staff, I talked to David KULLMAN, low pressure, seemed to have an idea on the Gladiators. no issue hopping right in the red one and going for a ride.
+ umm, look what was sitting right inside the door:

(@steffen707)
The Bad:
- MSRP + $2995 'Market Value Adjustment' ummm, no bueno…
The Sales Manager made it sound like he could overlook the $3k prison shower sodomy fee if I wanted to sign today.



The Gladiator Rubicon:
The pictures do not do justice to the red, it really popped. Beautiful color. The blacks were sharp also, I'm just not a fan of black as it is impossible to keep clean.

Here is the sticker on the Red one I drove:

Interior:
+ Very impressed with fit/finish, nice feel to almost everything, I fit inside perfectly (5'5", 180lbs), I would think a bigger dude would have issues as it'll probably be a tight fit. I really like all the tech toys. The Driver's seat was VERY comfortable, (well, for the 10 minutes I was in it).
- The mirrors are small, it has Blind-spot, but the mirrors look like they're an afterthought and pulled off a small Toyota. the 'insulation in the Freedom top was loose, couldn't they have spray adhesive the foam in?
Steering wheel felt really small.
Exterior:
+I'll say it again, very impressed with it in person. pics aren't fair to this truck. OEM Height was easy for me to climb in, but I am going to need to throw a grappling hook to pull myself in with a lift and 37s. I WILL NEED STEPS!!!

Driving Impression:
Very impressed with the road manners, seemed like a better ride than the JL Rubicons I test drove before. The tires on this one were set to 36 all around. Very impressed with the turning radius.
Steering: Ya, a little wandering on the highway, but nothing that I wasn't prepared for, fully manageable.
Power: So the best description I can come up with is OK. While merging with traffic, seems to accelerate fine. When watching the speedo, it accelerates fine. BUT there's just no 'seat of the pants' urgency to it. I'm sure I'll be looking into some type of solution down the road, especially after bigger tires.
Again, I am really overall impressed.

After driving, the other dude had them rolling out a Red Overland:

My Sales dude asked what color I liked, I said Gator, and got the puzzled look I was after. He googled it and went, 'ya, that's cool'
I said I knew it wouldn't be available right away and said I like the Billet. He replied one was pulled off the hauler last night, so we went looking for it in the rain:
(Queue the Angels singing):

now THAT'S HOTT!!!

one note, I was not impressed with the Tonneu cover. I'm really hoping it just needs an adjustment as it just wasn't sitting good on the bed. Sorry, I don't have a good pic to demonstrate what I saw, we were pretty wet by the time we found it.


LAST pic was a quick shot of the saddle interior on one of the Black Rubicons:

Sponsored

 

[steffen707]

So, I stopped by San Diego Jeep this morning, was there when they opened at 1000. Another guy showed up and we looked like the Paparazzi pacing and taking pics.

The Good:
+ This dealership had multiple Gladiators. There were 3 out front, all Rubicon's, two black and a red.
+ Friendly staff, I talked to David KULLMAN, low pressure, seemed to have an idea on the Gladiators. no issue hopping right in the red one and going for a ride.
+ umm, look what was sitting right inside the door:

(@steffen707)

You know the Red is growing on me. This photo looks nice. Also its one of the only Rubicons i've seen with the black fenders and colored top. I like that look more than black fenders black top I think.

Nice Plywood shot!

 

[kayakmike]

So, I stopped by San Diego Jeep this morning, was there when they opened at 1000. Another guy showed up and we looked like the Paparazzi pacing and taking pics.

The Good:
+ This dealership had multiple Gladiators. There were 3 out front, all Rubicon's, two black and a red.
+ Friendly staff, I talked to David KULLMAN, low pressure, seemed to have an idea on the Gladiators. no issue hopping right in the red one and going for a ride.
+ umm, look what was sitting right inside the door:

(@steffen707)
The Bad:
- MSRP + $2995 'Market Value Adjustment' ummm, no bueno…
The Sales Manager made it sound like he could overlook the $3k prison shower sodomy fee if I wanted to sign today.



The Gladiator Rubicon:
The pictures do not do justice to the red, it really popped. Beautiful color. The blacks were sharp also, I'm just not a fan of black as it is impossible to keep clean.

Here is the sticker on the Red one I drove:

Interior:
+ Very impressed with fit/finish, nice feel to almost everything, I fit inside perfectly (5'5", 180lbs), I would think a bigger dude would have issues as it'll probably be a tight fit. I really like all the tech toys. The Driver's seat was VERY comfortable, (well, for the 10 minutes I was in it).
- The mirrors are small, it has Blind-spot, but the mirrors look like they're an afterthought and pulled off a small Toyota. the 'insulation in the Freedom top was loose, couldn't they have spray adhesive the foam in?
Steering wheel felt really small.
Exterior:
+I'll say it again, very impressed with it in person. pics aren't fair to this truck. OEM Height was easy for me to climb in, but I am going to need to throw a grappling hook to pull myself in with a lift and 37s. I WILL NEED STEPS!!!

Driving Impression:
Very impressed with the road manners, seemed like a better ride than the JL Rubicons I test drove before. The tires on this one were set to 36 all around. Very impressed with the turning radius.
Steering: Ya, a little wandering on the highway, but nothing that I wasn't prepared for, fully manageable.
Power: So the best description I can come up with is OK. While merging with traffic, seems to accelerate fine. When watching the speedo, it accelerates fine. BUT there's just no 'seat of the pants' urgency to it. I'm sure I'll be looking into some type of solution down the road, especially after bigger tires.
Again, I am really overall impressed.

After driving, the other dude had them rolling out a Red Overland:

My Sales dude asked what color I liked, I said Gator, and got the puzzled look I was after. He googled it and went, 'ya, that's cool'
I said I knew it wouldn't be available right away and said I like the Billet. He replied one was pulled off the hauler last night, so we went looking for it in the rain:
(Queue the Angels singing):

now THAT'S HOTT!!!

one note, I was not impressed with the Tonneu cover. I'm really hoping it just needs an adjustment as it just wasn't sitting good on the bed. Sorry, I don't have a good pic to demonstrate what I saw, we were pretty wet by the time we found it.


LAST pic was a quick shot of the saddle interior on one of the Black Rubicons:

Glad you got to drive one @JP1 ! May have to go back down there and check out the silver. Of course, if I do I may be tempted to give up on my Granite.

I was impressed how low pressure they were when I showed up Friday. Sales guy I talked to flat out said "we just got these in so I don't know anything about them." I said, "let's go for a drive and I'll teach you." Never asked for license, ID or contact info, so I know they won't be hassling me in the future.

 

[JP1]

Glad you got to drive one @JP1 ! May have to go back down there and check out the silver. Of course, if I do I may be tempted to give up on my Granite.

I was impressed how low pressure they were when I showed up Friday. Sales guy I talked to flat out said "we just got these in so I don't know anything about them." I said, "let's go for a drive and I'll teach you." Never asked for license, ID or contact info, so I know they won't be hassling me in the future.

Nope, me neither!
I was the first in the door, Dude said "Hi"
I said, "Grab some keys I NEED to be in a Gladiator"
He said, "OK"

 

[HoldMyBeer]

Has anyone received lease numbers on a gladiator here in San Diego? The RUBI seems to be very expensive but I haven't been able to get anything yet on the Overland. The good old days of a reasonable lease payment on a Jeep seem to be out the window (including Wranglers).

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Those are some of the questions I am pondering. I'm close to retirement and that is a factor.
1. Do I still want the ride of a Jeep vs the ride of a Ram truck, like the 1500, as I drive back and forth from Mx. The best roads in Mx are about as good as the worst roads in US.
2. Do I really want a 1500 with a hemi and the MPG's. Love Hemis, had one in a Commander.
3. I've enjoyed the compliments I've received in my Rubicon. I don't think the Ram carries the same persona and am worried I'll just be another guy in a pickup ( I know, I shouldn't care but it is one of those intangibles...)
4. If I get in the stuff after weather (roads wash out every year) which has a higher probability to get me home.
5. Dollar for dollar the Ram is better...today, because this is a sellers market. Smart money says to hold a bit.
6. Do I really need all the extras? I sure as heck like what I have now. Do I need it? No. Do I want it? Yes
7. Pentastar Vs Hemi Vs Diesel
8. Stick Vs Auto ( loved a stick but the Auto is highly recommended and some of the features like 4.10 gearing requires auto. I think 4.10 isn't enough for 35's (it's not in the Auto with 5 speed JKU). 33's with 4.10 seem about right in the Gladiator. Will 35's make it slushey?

I suspect some of you have similar thoughts and questions.

I am retired or at least I retired once in '94, then went back to work, sold my company, wash, repeat I am way into my 70's maybe sell this company in a few years and not start any more or so I have said in the past. JT Rubicon on order, MAX'd out with all the options.

Friends don't like friends drive Ram's when they can drive a Rubicon!

Retires either live in a world of need or want, if you retire right your wants become your needs...this MAY BE you last car, go big or go home.
4:10 are at the bottom edge of 35"s, but will work most of the time for 90% of your driving...Got trips to Moab planned and wanna play on the 4 + trails then it's 37's and 4:88's. Other option if you have not plans to go 4++ trails, then say with your 33's in a serious tread, like BFG KM2's, kick that up a notch and go with bead locks...you will have more Jeep that most if you are good driver you will leave most at the bottom of the trails...

NOW go have fun!

 

[Snatrog]

I bought my Mojave in Carlsbad at Bob Baker here in SD County about a month , month and a half ago. At the time they had about 16 on the lot four of which were Mojaves. I got a couple grand below MSRP on my Mojave and in that short amount of time they are no where to be found. Bob Baker usually has some ok discounts though. Might be worth a look if you are here in SD County

 

[Iamstubb]

I was looking for a Manual and had a hard time finding any stock, let alone any without some markup over MSRP. I looked in CA, OR, AZ, and NV. Found what I was looking for (white JTR manual) with discount off MSRP in Las Vegas (although there was a nice sarge green Willy's up near Reno). Booked a flight on free miles and drove it home. My advice is to look as wide as you can for what you want.

 

[KX L]

You pay the tax when you pick it up at delivery. Just like you would buying in Cali. They send the paperwork to the Cali DMV just like you bought it in Orange CO. vs. SD County. Save thousands, get it exactly how you want it, be happy. SWA to Idaho is cheap and the ride home is priceless.

NICE Ride! The Jeep looks pretty good too.

 

[NC_Overland]

The dealer in Mission Valley had 4 ( red and black-Overland and Rubicon) on the lot and I went to just look but was offered a test drive. They sold a white one yesterday. The Gladiators look better in person IMO. As far as driving characteristics I would call it very similar to my JKU Rubicon ( I drove the Rubicon Glad), just a bit smoother in the rear. I thought the view out the back was much better. It was fully loaded and quite handsome. The 8.4" display is very nice and sharp. For the units on the lot they are MSRP and up. If you want affiliate pricing you would need to order. It's a lot of money. It's a lot of vehicle. I'll need to chew on this for a while.

On the JKU Rubicon to JT Rubicon comparison. I disagree. Mine drives better, handles a lot better, and rides a hell of a lot better than my JKU rubicon did. That’s before even getting into the vast improvement the 8 speed gives it in power and drivability.

I’d never think to check tire pressure on a test drive, but I was given a JT Rubicon for a loaner once and and it rode a lot rougher than mine and it wandered. I checked the tire pressure and they were all at 45 psi. I lowered them to 35. (Door says 38) and it drove like mine. I’ve been running mine at 35 almost two years now and it drives better and the tires wear evenly.

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