thinking abt getting a '22 diesel rubicon gladiator

[FutureOdin]

Before you leave the dealership with it, have them take the timing cover off and reseal it properly. Otherwise you'll be back to the dealership before the first oil change doing it.

Other than the shitty build quality and the terrible $10,000 Bosch CP4 grenade they try to pass off as a fuel injection system, these new Gen 3 engines are great and they make really good power. Fuel economy is also excellent in stock form...will go away quickly with mods but that's to be expected.

I think asking them to reseal the timing cover is a bit of a stretch, lol. Are there really that many folks out there experiencing leaks from the timing cover? I've got 27K and haven't seen a drop of oil on the ground.

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[WXman]

I think asking them to reseal the timing cover is a bit of a stretch, lol. Are there really that many folks out there experiencing leaks from the timing cover? I've got 27K and haven't seen a drop of oil on the ground.

Well it's been rampant on Ram, Wrangler, and Gladiator forums. And I've had two, both of which leaked. And when I asked my dealer about it last week they immediately said "we've already done several" and "we'll put you on the list and call you, there are four or five in front of you."

I'd say yeah it's an issue.

 

[TheSolarWizard]

Mine has been flawless 13k into ownership
i use 2oz Hot shots EDT a in every full tank and cheap walmart DEF
great mpg and power on 39s

 

[bl1ndman]

I have a 21 JTRD my only two complaints are the payload(909 lbs) and the front end bottoming out. Otherwise its been great. Way better than the underpowered lump of metal in my JK.

 

[DirkG]

Almost 20K on my '20 and it's been bulletproof. I have and like the 3.6L Pentastar. Of course my rig is used mostly for ball fields and mild camping/adventures, but myself, the wife, 2 active boys, and my fluffy-a$s husky are happy.

 

[staying_tuned]

7k amazing miles on my 21’ willys ecodiesel. It’s the most charismatic machine I’ve owned. 24mpg average on 35s lifted with a full rack and large RTT mounted. It blows the rears off from a dig and keeps pulling. Zero hesitation or lag when climbing, it’s a beast.

 

[Tacos]

I have almost 12k I'm my JTRD. Absolutely love it!!! My only complaint is I wish the seat was 2 inches lower to the ground...

 

[ilovebikes99]

The diesel engine has much more character and fun factor to drive. The noise is calming and fitting to the Gladiator character. I like it a lot. I drove both and diesel wins for me. Also, great MPG and power.

 

[wv_gladiator]

anything I should know before getting one?
Im familiar with that ? def system. Ive heard some complaints on the diesel, but there are complaints on everything.

background.. ive had lifted trucks, lots of high performance sports carts, never had a wrangler or gladiator. current daily is a 4x4 grand cherokee that ill prob trade in for this diesel gladiator rubicon. just moved to evergreen colorado so need something for the snow. i mostly work from home but will need to commute an hour prob a couple times a week. light trails, not going extreme rock crawling.

longterm mod plans arent extensive. prob a small 2-3" lift kit and 37s.. programmer, cai, exhaust.

love mine so far, 15k miles and no problems. i would do it again.

 

[msrebel]

LOVE my JTRD after almost 11k miles. Great power, and gas mileage is a bonus. Only negative is the bottoming out issue, but other than that, I'm 100% loving it. And that's mainly an annoyance that I feel certain they are going to fix.

 

[BEERviper]

Another happy diesel owner here! Also in Metro Denver where I routinely find diesel cheaper than gasoline!

Picked up my '21 Sport S Ecodiesel on January 18th 2021, put 500 miles on her and then the Mopar 2" lift finally came in along with the 37" BFG KO2's and Rockslide Engineering step sliders.

Being a Sport S I have higher payload than Rubicon, mine is listed at 1263 lb / 572 kg.

After 10 months I'm well on my way to 15k miles and closing in on my 3rd oil change (last "free" Jeep Wave oil change).

My only issue isn't as much with the diesel it's the way I use it, and that includes many short trips (like 3 miles round trip to drop a kid at school in the morning). I monitor soot level along with several other "gauges" through a bluetooth OBD reader and the OBD Fusion app.

Due to the short trips the engine doesn't get the DPF hot enough to passively burn soot so it builds rapidly and I see and Active regeneration every tank full and sometimes even twice in a tank.

This is one of the big reasons I am looking forward to the GDE tune!

Besides that, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the torque of a diesel, and the fuel economy is a nice bonus. I would spend the extra $4k for this engine every.single.time.

 

[kcZ]

Over 11k miles on mine. Love it! I get tons of compliments on it too. 2" lift with 37" Ridge Grapplers. I love to hear the rattling diesel under the hood, feels nostalgic. Only gripe is the small fuel tank.

 

[Jocww]

I wish it had a bigger fuel tank and that it wouldnt drink so much DEF.

 

[kcZ]

I wish it had a bigger fuel tank and that it wouldnt drink so much DEF.

yeah, it does seem like I'm filling DEF more than I was on the RAM but I assumed the DEF tank was also smaller. If this truck had a >25gal tank it would be the best truck ever

 

[wveddy]

Like others, I would not have bought the JT without the diesel or a hemi. The little diesel feels like the right motor for this truck. Gas mileage has been better than expected, but i am stock on 33 ATs. Probably only doing a 2in lift and 35 ATs so doesn’t kill the mileage or towing power. Have not been significant tow of my boat yet. That will give a good baseline against my hemi Grand Cherokee.

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