Thinking hard about buying a gladiator, some advice please

[Jobofly]

Hey everyone,

a little back story, I just found out recently that I am a Jeep person. I surprised my wife for her 40th birthday with a new 2019 Wrangler sport S unlimited. She has always wanted one but wanted to wait until our kids were a little order to get one. After driving it and riding in it For the past few months I have fallen in love with it. I currently have a 2019 F150 that is very nice. It’s been a great truck but now seems very boring to me. I went and test drove a gladiator today and it has more get up and go than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised with the power and the ride quality. I am concerned about going to a smaller truck. I do haul my atv in the bed of my truck and I’m not sure if it will fit in the gladiator. It’s a Polaris 570. I also tow our camper which weighs about 5000 pounds. I know what the Towing capabilities are of the Gladiator. I guess I am just hesitant and need some advice/reassurance/opinions. Thanks

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[TYJ]

Dear God man... buy it already!

 

[Jeepnoob34]

Hey everyone,

a little back story, I just found out recently that I am a Jeep person. I surprised my wife for her 40th birthday with a new 2019 Wrangler sport S unlimited. She has always wanted one but wanted to wait until our kids were a little order to get one. After driving it and riding in it For the past few months I have fallen in love with it. I currently have a 2019 F150 that is very nice. It’s been a great truck but now seems very boring to me. I went and test drove a gladiator today and it has more get up and go than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised with the power and the ride quality. I am concerned about going to a smaller truck. I do haul my atv in the bed of my truck and I’m not sure if it will fit in the gladiator. It’s a Polaris 570. I also tow our camper which weighs about 5000 pounds. I know what the Towing capabilities are of the Gladiator. I guess I am just hesitant and need some advice/reassurance/opinions. Thanks

My Honda rancher won’t fit in my bed. Not enough width. I got a trailer for that though. As far as towing goes, you may want to hold off and look at the v8’s coming out. There are much more knowledgeable people on here that can give you solid advice on towing though.

 

[mx5red]

Two words (kinda).. Diamondback HD.
Can load Polaris on the bed cover, put stuff underneath, and tow. I think the gladiator could do it just fine.

 

[Oilburner]

Buying 2 new vehicles a year ago then buying another new one would be hemorrhaging a Lot of depreciation. I would have to wait a while before I bought something else. But I’m sure people do it all the time-

 

[thetruth1983]

Hey everyone,

a little back story, I just found out recently that I am a Jeep person. I surprised my wife for her 40th birthday with a new 2019 Wrangler sport S unlimited. She has always wanted one but wanted to wait until our kids were a little order to get one. After driving it and riding in it For the past few months I have fallen in love with it. I currently have a 2019 F150 that is very nice. It’s been a great truck but now seems very boring to me. I went and test drove a gladiator today and it has more get up and go than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised with the power and the ride quality. I am concerned about going to a smaller truck. I do haul my atv in the bed of my truck and I’m not sure if it will fit in the gladiator. It’s a Polaris 570. I also tow our camper which weighs about 5000 pounds. I know what the Towing capabilities are of the Gladiator. I guess I am just hesitant and need some advice/reassurance/opinions. Thanks

I don't know which F150 you have because IMO, it's definitely a better ride than the JT. I went the same route though. Traded in a 2019 F150 XLT for the Gladiator. I had the V8 5.0 and it was smooth as a whistle. I also loved the acceleration. I thought I wouldn't like the Gladiator because it doesn't accelerate as well and doesn't have a ton of cabin room. The back seat feels cramped compared to the F150. On the flip side, The gladiator is much more fun to drive and is easier to maneuver than a full size truck. The Uconnect system is also 10x better than the Ford Sync system.

I also had the Diamondback on my F150 and I'll eventually get one for the JT. You'll have to measure the dimensions of your ATV to be sure that it will fit. I think the payload of the JT is only around 1600 so you will have to keep in mind the weight of the ATV and anything else you decide to throw in the bed.

At the end of the day, The JT is more of a fun vehicle. It's a head turner and there are not millions on the road like the F-150. I think I've only seen 3 other JTs on the road since I got mine a month ago. It's not the fastest and not the most comfortable IMO. Only Jeepers would understand lol. It's like somebody asking why would anyone buy a Corvette when they can just get an Accord.

 

[kelkolb]

Your camper weighs 5000 empty or loaded? If that’s empty, I’d definitely not plan on being able to tow with a Gladiator unless you really only tow on flat ground for short distances. By the time you’re loaded, best case you’re right at the max rating. Worst case, you’re over. Either way, towing won’t be fun.
Now if that’s loaded, you’re probably fine. Remember that each extra person beyond the driver, and all of the stuff added to the trailer as well as to the truck, counts towards that tow rating.

 

[Phljeeper]

I tow a 4,700 lb travel trailer and I am on 37s on my Rubicon. I do plan to upgrade to 4.88 gearing soon but it tows just fine. I wouldn’t want to be in big mountains until I regear but prior with the stock tires I towed all through the mountains of VA, WV, PA and NC with my Gladiator. Sure it will work a little harder on hills than a full size truck but it has done fine. I assume I have about 1,000+ lb in added gear and have a family of 4 in the Jeep plus the dog. If you are ok being a little more patient on hills and your total weight is 7,000 or less you are fine. The picture is while I was still on 35s.

 

[Jobofly]

Thanks for the replies everyone, i appreciate your input. I am looking at a Gladiator Altitude. The msrp is $48,265 It has all the options i want, so far i got the dealer down to $44,340 do you think that is a good deal?

 

[Phljeeper]

I tow a 4,700 lb travel trailer and I am on 37s on my Rubicon. I do plan to upgrade to 4.88 gearing soon but it tows just fine. I wouldn’t want to be in big mountains until I regear but prior with the stock tires I towed all through the mountains of VA, WV, PA and NC with my Gladiator. Sure it will work a little harder on hills than a full size truck but it has done fine. I assume I have about 1,000+ lb in added gear and have a family of 4 in the Jeep plus the dog. If you are ok being a little more patient on hills and your total weight is 7,000 or less you are fine. The picture is while I was still on 35s.

Updated picture from this weekend towing on 37s and 4.10 gears. I am upgrading to 4.88 in two weeks but it did better than I expected on relatively flat towing from Philly to Lake Anna, VA.

 

[Gvsukids]

Thanks for the replies everyone, i appreciate your input. I am looking at a Gladiator Altitude. The msrp is $48,265 It has all the options i want, so far i got the dealer down to $44,340 do you think that is a good deal?

For towing and the hauling you'll want the sport Max tow with the 4.10 gears and stiffer suspension and wider axles.

 

[TrailHiker]

Yes, definitely the Sport S Max Tow, if towing heavy trailers like that.
cheers

 

[futzin']

Updated picture from this weekend towing on 37s and 4.10 gears. I am upgrading to 4.88 in two weeks but it did better than I expected on relatively flat towing from Philly to Lake Anna, VA.

Which model TT is that? We have a 25KS, which we absolutely love.

 

[Phljeeper]

Which model TT is that? We have a 25KS, which we absolutely love.

Its a 25BH. We love it as well. Seems to be a perfect size to support my family, have all the needs covered and still be towable with the Gladiator. My only wish was that we had an outdoor kitchen like some of the newer ones.

 

[Jeepjams]

Two words (kinda).. Diamondback HD.
Can load Polaris on the bed cover, put stuff underneath, and tow. I think the gladiator could do it just fine.

I would very much like to see this.

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