Unique Post // I've decided my Gladiator Rubicon is not the vehicle for me : /

[BLK74]

Seriously, of you can get past the looks, a Honda Ridgeline is what you seek.

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[ACLdestroyer]

Seriously, of you can get past the looks, a Honda Ridgeline is what you seek.

I’d rather drive the Subaru Brat. And I mean that.

 

[ACLdestroyer]

A few people pushing back on the heater issue. Does the temp control in your trucks actually work properly?!?
Is my shit just broken?

 

[foxman350]

A few people pushing back on the heater issue. Does the temp control in your trucks actually work properly?!?
Is my shit just broken?

Mine works perfect and I live in anchorage Alaska, so pretty sure I get a lot of use out of it

 

[aevgladitorrubi]

Not the thread I pictured myself posting when I picked up the car from the dealer in August 2020, but here I am.

I bought the wrong rig, thats it. My sting gray Rubi is an excellent vehicle. Decent driving on city streets, easy to commute in, handled road trips well. Reliable, fun, simple etc.

The catch, I travel up and down mountain passes 30 times a year. Shifting this thing in and out of 4H when the roads go from snow covered to clear and wet is silly. The truck handles poorly at highway speeds in 4H. The heater is atrocious to deal with. Fuel mileage is unbelievably bad for a V6, though I don't drive enough to really care about mpg.

Will be looking at selling this thing and grabbing a RAM 2500. Maybe test drive a TRX just for S&Gs.

Have only respect for this forum and Jeep folks altogether. Wish I could find a way to appreciate the Gladiator as much as it deserves.

I definitely wont miss waving at people 20-30 on my trip to the grocery store here in Issaquah. Too many jeep owners here. Yeesh!

You actually think that a RAM 2500 or TRX is the answer to bad gas mieage? lol. You my friend are in for a rude awakening-- just got out of a 2019 RAM Rebel 5.7 hemi e-torque that got 12 mpg period! A 2500 or TRX will be WAY worse!

 

[ACLdestroyer]

You actually think that a RAM 2500 or TRX is the answer to bad gas mieage? lol. You my friend are in for a rude awakening-- just got out of a 2019 RAM Rebel 5.7 hemi e-torque that got 12 mpg period! A 2500 or TRX will be WAY worse!

As I wrote in the post, I’m not terribly worried about mpg. My previous truck was a RAM Hemi and it got 18mpg and it also had TONS of power.

If I get a 2500 it would be the Cummins. Great mileage.
If I go with the TRX, I’d get the worst fuel mileage in the market along with 3 x’s the whp.

 

[ACLdestroyer]

Mine works perfect and I live in anchorage Alaska, so pretty sure I get a lot of use out of it

damn maybe I should just take it in for a repair.

 

[Outside Reality Check]

Great post, thanks for a different point of view. I can see how a unique driving situations can really bring out the short comings of any given vehicle. I can't say enough good things about my JTR, it's my daily driver on flat city streets, in brutal CA. weather, for me it works. The choice of potential modifications to build a vehicle that checks all the boxes on and off-road, (my first Jeep), has my wife worried for our bank account. I'm really enjoying it. At the end of the day - that's what matters most. You work hard, your vehicle should work how you need it to. Good luck in your search.

 

[ACLdestroyer]

Great post, thanks for a different point of view. I can see how a unique driving situations can really bring out the short comings of any given vehicle. I can't say enough good things about my JTR, it's my daily driver on flat city streets, in brutal CA. weather, for me it works. The choice of potential modifications to build a vehicle that checks all the boxes on and off-road, (my first Jeep), has my wife worried for our bank account. I'm really enjoying it. At the end of the day - that's what matters most. You work hard, your vehicle should work how you need it to. Good luck in your search.

Thanks for the reply. Certainly mean no disrespect to the JT.

 

[Kevin_D]

Trade the Rubicon in on a Sport S or Overland with the Selec-Trac transfer case, and some reasonable all-terrain tires. If you're not into serious wheeling, you don't need all the Rubicon features.
I had my Sport S (without Selec-Trac) over passes west & east of here several times this past winter, and didn't have any issues at all with handling (once I ditched the A/S tires,) and up into Saskatchewan with -20ºF temps, and no heater problems.

Whatever.
Good luck.

Kevin

 

[Terry]

Nuff said.....

 

[Terry]

I just drove my JT over the pass on Hwy 97. The pass was closed except to chains and FWD, the temp was a brisk 20 degrees, and there was a strong wind. No problem with the road, the snow, the iced over bridges, or the heavy rain on my way south to L.A. I personally like the climate control system in my Rubicon and found the functionality easy to understand and operate. In less than three days I drove from L.A. to Bend, and back with no problems.

 

[cb4017]

Not the thread I pictured myself posting when I picked up the car from the dealer in August 2020, but here I am.

I bought the wrong rig, thats it. My sting gray Rubi is an excellent vehicle. Decent driving on city streets, easy to commute in, handled road trips well. Reliable, fun, simple etc.

The catch, I travel up and down mountain passes 30 times a year. Shifting this thing in and out of 4H when the roads go from snow covered to clear and wet is silly. The truck handles poorly at highway speeds in 4H. The heater is atrocious to deal with. Fuel mileage is unbelievably bad for a V6, though I don't drive enough to really care about mpg.

Will be looking at selling this thing and grabbing a RAM 2500. Maybe test drive a TRX just for S&Gs.

Have only respect for this forum and Jeep folks altogether. Wish I could find a way to appreciate the Gladiator as much as it deserves.

I definitely wont miss waving at people 20-30 on my trip to the grocery store here in Issaquah. Too many jeep owners here. Yeesh!

Kinda similar to what I posted on the Ranger Forum recently when I told them I got rid of my 6 month old Ford Ranger XLT SX4 for a Gladiator. The Ranger was a sweet truck but it wasn't a Jeep.

Good luck, enjoy your next vehicle.

 

[BAT]

A few people pushing back on the heater issue. Does the temp control in your trucks actually work properly?!?
Is my shit just broken?

I've had a few issues with the heater but so far nothing to bad. I do find that if I put it on Automatic it works best. Its gets a bit whacky if my wife gets ahold of the control nob and tries to jack up the heat which seems to send it into blast furnace mode. I do find sometimes if you try to go from heat to A/C it will get stuck I suppose and just continue to blow hot air until I turn it on max A/C.

 

[2021Gladiator]

I have a 2018 Ram 2500 4x4 Cummins that gets 16.5-17.5 around town, I have a 2021 JTRD Gladiator that gets 22.8-23.8 mpg around town, Ram gets 21-24 on highway, JTRD gets 27-29 on the highway.

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