Why a Gladiator (JT) and not a Wrangler (JL)?

[LANGeek]

One answer in picture form.

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[sad85XD]

Exactly the same reason for me. We got a dog that takes up the back seat, and a wire crate and all of our stuff to go with it.

Also with running disc golf stuff, it super easy to throw a bunch of baskets in the bed with out having to play tetris.

 

[Br4hm4]

Nailed it! With an expanding family, I needed function, fit, and fun.

 

[PyrPatriot]

I disagree. From what I have seen of the JLU (and correct me if I am mistaken, I have not driven one or been inside of one, the cargo space of the JLU is pretty good given you can stack items. I saw a video of all the stuff LiteBrite got into the back of theirs, it was impressive. With the truck bed, given it is fairly low siding, you can't really stack items. Heck, a set of 32" tires felt like they were about to topple out of my bed with every curve in the road.

My previous vehicle was a Honda Element. With the seats folded up you could fit ALOT of stuff in it. What it (and other comparable SUVs) didn't have is the payload of a JT (only 675lbs!) which is why I got the JT over anything else. Nothing had the payload, off-road capability, and looks, but mostly payload.

How do the actual numbers play out? The JLU has a listed 72.4 cubic feet of cargo area. The JT only has 25.8.

Now, I'm sure you can increase the JT's cargo space with a TrailRail system and add cross rails like this

But what the JLU will NEVER be able to compete with is towing capacity. It can actually compete with payload, as the JLU sport has a 1300lb payload rating and the others are in the 1200lb range. When loading up though, that 200-300lbs difference between JLU and JT can make or break your trip. Towing is where the JT shines, and is why I went with it. 7000/7650, or even 6000 for the overland, is double or more the parsley 3500 towing of the JLU.

 

[ZTMAN]

It's nice to have choices, isn't it.

 

[tbaker]

Try and put a motorcycle in a JL I had one and sold it now I have a rubicon gladiator truck

 

[PyrPatriot]

Try and put a motorcycle in a JL I had one and sold it now I have a rubicon gladiator truck

Fair point. Most people don't frequently transport a motorcycle or any one item that is too big to fit in 70 cubic feet area. But people DO in more frequency need something that can be accommodated by a 5ft bed. Most of the things I transported in my Element were long/bulky and would not have fit without being able to bring the seats to the sides or quickly detach them.

 

[kcrr2w]

I had a JKU Rubicon. Nice but storage was not exactly comparable to JT if you have a family of 3 or 4 seats. Yes you can stack the back of Unlimited to ceiling but I would rather stack a truck bed any day. And the JKU with back seats down did not fold down flat (hope the improved the JLU).

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Most of the time I haul or carry stuff you can't stack neatly like 100 medium size USPS flat rate boxes 5 and 6 high, all exactly the same. I carry stuff most often that doesn't stack so that "inside space" is worthless to me.
Same for my wife - the thing that kept her in the Grand Cherokee last time over say, a Wrangler, was the cargo space - the GC isn't tall inside but try to stack her sewing machines, chair, tables, and all the other stuff she hauls. She needs FLOOR SPACE. So she went Grand Cherokee - again - for like the 6th time. The Wrangler price made her gasp, too.......
You try stacking her sewing and embroidery machines and her kits with fragile and very expensive rulers and you sleep with the cats - and use their litter box, too.
The JT was a no-brainer. all that inside space to put clothes, a cooler, whatever, and the bed to haul FENDERS, engines, transmissions, axles, sets of wheels and tires, quarter panels, whatever other car parts I want to haul. If I end up going high I simply strap stuff in, but try to stack a couple of transmissions and several boxes of starters, alternators and wiper motors in the back of other vehicles. They don't stack and they are heavy so you have to single-layer then and put your bumpers or grills or fenders or whatever else you bought on top,.
My family - just my wife and I and 5 cats (who hate car rides) My kids are grown up and moved away and the only one I can see these days (the youngest is rumored to be in Asia some place......wouldn't the feds love to know) has a kid and he and his wife globe-trot a lot so I don't need a vehicle that carries a family of 5 - although these JTs have fantastic kid seat provisions.
And with the JT I can stick some 2x4s in the back and let them hang out over the tailgate - try that in a non-pickup - you have to tie them to the top or make other arrangements. Carry a sheet of plywood in a Wrangler, etc - not so simple.
The JT is a Swiss Army knife - not the best at one thing but very danged good at several things.
So for those who only need to stack stuff of similar size and weight and don't worry about gee, now I need something out of that FRONT BOTTOM box/cooler, go for it. For me - it's the JT. Rare is the time I can stack things neatly but I often haul things that would bust up the inside of your Wranglers (and I love them too - just not PRACTICAL for me personally.)

 

[PyrPatriot]

You try stacking her sewing and embroidery machines and her kits with fragile and very expensive rulers and you sleep with the cats - and use their litter box, too.

Yah, learned that too. My wife's yarn and crochet stuff is like that. I can't say I am opposed to sleeping with the cats, though I'll fall asleep in my chair and the fuzzy bastards are trying to kill me by sleeping on my face.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Yah, learned that too. My wife's yarn and crochet stuff is like that. I can't say I am opposed to sleeping with the cats, though I'll fall asleep in my chair and the fuzzy bastards are trying to kill me by sleeping on my face.

The vets all say Yawnie is emotionally attached to me...... he can't be without me and has to lay up close to my face. Tuvok, one of the Tonks, when I am sitting in my chair climbs up my chest, kisses me and then lays up in my arm like a baby. In bed he has to lay on my neck and chin. So I'm used to sleeping with the cats, I guess. Tonkinese can be dangerous - NEVER EVER try to ignore them, You will regret it.

Anyway, my wife has to have a vehicle she can haul her stuff over to her friends' houses, or to a retreat an hour or so away where they spend the weekend "quilting" but I think it's more like they talk about us........ wish I could check the miles on her machine when she gets back.
She did honestly ask me if a Wrangler could hold all of her stuff - frankly, I would need one of them and a GC side-by-side to compare. She's got the seats folded down, the back filled and some stuff on the passenger side floor when she heads to retreats. I was lucky - I told her she really didn't want those expensive machines and her rulers and supplies in "the back of a truck" so she hasn't taken the JT - yet.............

 

[MarineHawk]

With the truck bed, given it is fairly low siding, you can't really stack items.

I have one of these (https://www.softopper.com/softopper) coming next week. I can stack up to about the height of the top of the cab in a weatherproof compartment.

 

[PyrPatriot]

I have one of these (https://www.softopper.com/softopper) coming next week. I can stack up to about the height of the top of the cab in a weatherproof compartment.

Are the sides strong enough to keep stacked boxes secured? Even if you put a tie-down net over your stacks it could still shift against the soft wall. But, I like the idea and look

 

[PyrPatriot]

The vets all say Yawnie is emotionally attached to me......

I was lucky - I told her she really didn't want those expensive machines and her rulers and supplies in "the back of a truck" so she hasn't taken the JT - yet.............

My Maine Coon was the same way and it was tearful putting her down.

Dont let yourr wife learn of the trail rail system and this accessory

I have one of these (https://www.softopper.com/softopper) coming next week. I can stack up to about the height of the top of the cab in a weatherproof compartment.

 

[MarineHawk]

Are the sides strong enough to keep stacked boxes secured? Even if you put a tie-down net over your stacks it could still shift against the soft wall. But, I like the idea and look

I don't have it yet. However, my large hauling events generally involve hunting and/or camping. So, I have a bunch of sleeping bags; tent(s); mattress pads; bags of clothing; etc. … I have a bunch of 18"-tall tubs I can mostly fill the up the bottom of the bed with; fill in the nooks and crannies with smaller heavy stuff (air compressor; tool box; etc. …); and then put the softish stuff on top. I could secure it all with a cargo net, but, even if not, I assume I would be good to go in that scenario. I definitely wouldn't stack a bunch of cinder blocks up to the roof, which would never be a good idea if a head-on collision was even the remotest of a possibility.

BTW, being a hunter, I love the cargo spaces behind and below the back seats. Taking my two boys hunting twice last month, I put one rifle in a thin soft case behind the back seat, and put two rifles wrapped in zig-zag fashion with a synthetic wool blanket, together with a couple of handguns (there are bears and mountain lions there) in the perfect, rifle-sized cargo space below the seats.

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