Trying to decide which model to get for my first. Wrangler or Gladiator.

[LBL Chief]

For those of you that have owned both (Wrangler & Gladiator), which do you like better and why? Looking at a diesel version. Mostly daily driver. Off-road on weekends.

Sponsored

 

[Skull]

This should be quite the thread! I love my gladiator Mojave, and the wife has a daily driven wrangler Sahara with 3.6 e torque and is a great vehicle that gets excellent fuel mileage for what it is. I don’t think you could go wrong with either but what it’s used for makes a world of difference.

 

[Y-Guy]

I could have been happy replacing my 2011 Wrangler with another, but the Gladiator gives me more options. Take the time to learn about the various levels (Sport/Sahara/Rub/Mohave/etc) and things like gearing and you can find the right balance for MPG and fun.

 

[HorneyBadger]

We have both. Really depends on what you actually need. JLU's have quite a bit of room. The breakover and turn radius is better on the Wranglers. Just a little more cognizant of breakover and may have to back up and reposition the JT on tight turn trails. The wife loves her 2 door JL but I need a truck bed and we 4 wheel in the JT. I sold my JKU because I needed a truck and then when Jeep finally released the JT I was all over it! Good luck in your decision.

 

[JRobes]

Wrangler pros:
better turning/maneuverability in city setting, easier to park
Takes up less space in a garage
Better off-road (shorter wheelbase, better break over angle)
Classic wrangler look, hugely popular

Gladiator pros:
Way more storage (better for families)
Longer wheelbase means more stable at highway speeds
Payload/towing far exceeds the Wrangler
The bed (if needed)

They're each good in their own rights, just depends on your use case. I currently have a JT, but would trade it as soon as Jeep comes out with the longer JLU (hello Overlook concept: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a38094067/jeep-wrangler-overlook-three-row-concept/).

Good luck!

 

[staying_tuned]

I've previously owned 3 wranglers, loved them all. Currently have a WIllys EcoD.

I miss the wranglers on occasion when we are on tight brushy trails. We aren't so extreme where things get beat up bad but the anxiety level can be a tad greater with my Glady.

That said, its the only thing we miss. The ability to use the small bed as a canvas for whatever is fantastic. Way too many times I'd have to opt for something else instead of the wrangler for simple stuff like 8' trim or heck even a bail of straw. Forget carting your own tires for mount & balance yada yada, so many everyday things were a pain for us (family of 4, super active). The glady also rides calmer at speed. Not sure what sciences or engineering are at play but it doesn't feel as jittery like wrangler do especially on the highway.

If I were building a purpose built trail rig the Wrangler would be the choice without hesitation. You mention it being your DD. If your commute is quick and you don't intend on burdening the EcoD (in a good way, it needs to work) the gas model would likely be a better fit. Love the EcoD but its just too many times it seems that folks that use it like they would a regular gas vehicle end up having issues with it.

 

[ecidiego]

For those of you that have owned both (Wrangler & Gladiator), which do you like better and why? Looking at a diesel version. Mostly daily driver. Off-road on weekends.

It comes down to the bed. If you need it, Gladiator. If you don't, Wrangler.

 

[Bonanza]

I've had a 6 speed 2 door JK, a 4 door JKUR, and now this JT.

I went bigger and bigger as I had more kids. If you daily drive long distances, the diesel makes sense, but I personally wasn't floored by the diesel when I drove one. The extra weight in the front is not insubstantial, and I didn't enjoy crashing down onto the bump stops. However I'm sure that's fixable. The 3rd gen pentastars that are in these are not powerful, but they are reliable in my opinion, as they are nearly 10 years old and have the issues mostly ironed out.

I'm glad I have the JT, as I "grew" into it, so to speak. I never towed before I had it, and now I tow often. I've wheeled the JT fairly hard, but it needs a bigger lift and bigger tires to be as capable as a JL. 37s are the minimum in my opinion, for rock crawling in these. That comes with significant cost if you want to do it right-- regear, wheels, tires, lift, etc. etc. etc.

If I didn't tow, and I didn't have a ton of kid stuff to lug around, I'd likely do a JL with the recon package. 35s up front, with 4.56 gears, lockers. It's fairly ready to run and you can tackle some serious trails right out of the box.

Ultimately it depends on your need. They are both identical inside, and identical from the bed forward in large respects. I felt my JKUR was the most trail-capable, but I've also loved wheeling my gladiator on 37s, especially on climbs. 2 doors on a climb... eek!

I'll also add, anecdotally, that I turtled a LOT more on my JKUR. While it is true that the JT has a longer wheelbase, and is indeed more likely to hit obstacles at the high center point, the length of the vehicle almost see-saws it on obstacles, and the truck teeters on obstacles whereas the JKUR straight up turtles. If something grabs a JL at the high center, there isn't much leverage to struggle off of it.

Everything is give and take.

Good luck!

 

[Jab1719]

It comes down to the bed. If you need it, Gladiator. If you don't, Wrangler.

I agree. I have a 22 Mojave and love it. I also have a 2015 JKU and love it. For me it would just come down to needing a truck bed.

 

[guarnibl]

For those of you that have owned both (Wrangler & Gladiator), which do you like better and why? Looking at a diesel version. Mostly daily driver. Off-road on weekends.

Love my truck. I own a 4-door Wrangler Rubicon (392), 2-door Wrangler Rubicon, and Gladiator Rubicon (ecodiesel). I find the Gladiator to be the most well-rounded vehicle of them all. It's also more comfortable because of the wheel base. Assuming you're not a hardcore wheeler and will use the truck bed, it's pretty ideal.

I love all my Jeeps, but I drive my Gladiator the most out of all of them. Also, another poster said there is more anxiety in the Gladiator off-road. This is true on tighter trails. I'd recommend getting white (color) if you're going to be in brush a lot, as that will show the least amount of pin striping.

 

[Rahkmalla]

Not the most popular answer here, but it's mine: i bought a gladiator because I thought they looked cooler than wranglers and the price difference was negligible. Having driven both, the longer wheelbase being more stable on the highway was certainly a wonderful bonus, but it didn't really influence my decision. I enjoy offroading and try to get out at least once a month, but my preferred difficulty of offroading isn't negatively impacted by breakover angle.

Now that I have the bed i sure do use it a lot, but if it wasn't there i'd have just found another way to transport the large items i've moved, or not have to have helped as many friends. Also towing was never high on my list so I bought a manual JT, which barely has more towing cap than a wrangler. If i never put anything in my hitch receiver other than a bike rack, i wont be surprised. If i do ever put anything back there it will probably be a jetski trailer that a wrangler could have handled just fine.

If you have specific needs, buy into them. If you don't, get what you'll enjoy the most.

 

[DickensCPA]

I had 4 or 5 Wranglers before the Gladiator came out. However, I always had a Wrangler and a full size truck at the same time. For a while Wranglers only had 2 doors and we had two kids in car seats.

I've never been a big "hauler" but I pulled a big bass boat. For hunting I used to put my ATV in the bed. Had a ramp taco on me and scared the crap outta me. I bought a heavy duty steel ramp that went into the hitch, etc but the angle was so steep on a high back end 4WD it scared me as well.

Even with a truck bed I pulled my ATV on a trailer. I fell in love with tournament kayak bass fishing in 2019 and after a few years of a boat not getting wet I sold it. So pulling a fully rigged Hobie PA on a trailer is like 400#. Pulling my quad is like 8-900# so the need for big towing wasn't needed anymore.

Kids outta car seats and since I bought my '04 Rubicon Wranglers had a 4-dr option. Then the Gladiator came out and I thought - give Rubicon to my son and I get a Gladiator and no more need for two vehicles. I bought a Gladiator in March-ish of 2022 and pulling loads I could pull behind my bicycle I didn't really need it's towing capacity. Plus I'd spent so many years driving around a big truck I was tired of it.

My last two big trucks were a Ram and a Chevy - both had every electronic doo dad offered. I spent so much time at the dealership chasing electric gremlins. From Mar-Sep with the Gladiator I had some gremlins as well. I wanted flickability and to maneuver around a parking lot willy nilly worry free so I looked for a latest model, low mileage JK I could find.

I wanted manual windows and a stick. Wife can't drive a stick and she veto'd manual windows. I wanted no more leather except a wrapped steering wheel. So I found one with power windows and wrapped steering wheel and auto. I bought it and feel, for me, and what I do a Wrangler suits me better.

Driving the Gladiator was still better than a 1/2 ton Ram and a 3/4 Chevy and (to me) they are a work of art and I love the look. I could've kept it and been happy and would've kept it if they made it more simple like a JK.

TBH, if you like Jeeps you really can't go wrong with either. I had problems on my Gladiator with the dash. But it's getting to the point where an analog dash is a dinosaur. If my choices were limited to a Wrangler JL or a JT, I'd go JT.

 

[Gvsukids]

It comes down to the bed. If you need it, Gladiator. If you don't, Wrangler.

Or towing. Also more rear seat room.

For those of you that have owned both (Wrangler & Gladiator), which do you like better and why? Looking at a diesel version. Mostly daily driver. Off-road on weekends.

You're not the first.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/ordering-wrangler-vs-gladiator.58475/

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/why-a-gladiator-jt-and-not-a-wrangler-jl.25139/


https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/gladiator-or-wrangler.9021/

 

[HooliganActual]

I agree with a common theme so far; do you NEED a truck bed or not? Do you NEED to tow or not? Generally, the Wrangler is a better off road machine because it is lighter, shorter wheelbase (which means better break over angle) and, not mentioned yet, an infinitely better departure angle. A lift and tires on the Gladiator could get it on par with the Wrangler, but that same lift and tires on the Wrangler would make it even better...

Off-road on weekends.

Now, my "opinion":
I have a JTR and 2 JKUR's. My JTR is set up for overlanding and the JKUR's are for wheeling. How much and what kind of off-roading do you plan on doing? Diesels aren't great in the sand; they are heavy and have a narrow power band which makes it challenging to get the wheel speed needed in the sand. And because they are very heavy in the front (the diesel engine weighs ~400 lbs more) they aren't the best for rock crawling either. The Pentastar 3.6L engine will outperform the diesel off-road.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

I didn't need the bed.

I wanted a Gladiator over a Wrangler because I think they look better.

Sponsored