Worst on Consumer Reports

[Fortus]

Our trucks are frankly not terribly practical. As an appliance, I purchased my Gladiator knowing that it was inferior to pretty much all of the Japanese trucks.

Also frankly, if Toyota made a 4 dr pickup with removable doors and roof, I'd have bought that. I have no delusions about Jeep quality. Sorry.

IMHO, the Gladiator is not inferior to at least one Toyota truck: The 3rd gen Tacoma. I went from a 2019 Tacoma (bought new) to the Gladiator. In quality control, the Tacoma may win in theory, but not really. My Tacoma had 2 recalls, an internment wheel rubbing noise, the truck bed was put on off-center, the transmission made a "clunk" noise when I put it in Drive, which shook the whole truck. Very cheap feeling.

In terms of quality of materials, most definitely the Gladiator wins, at least in the interior. In the Tacoma, I was surrounded by milk carton plastics. My Gladiator has more plush, soft-to-the-touch materials, plus even some fancy stitched stuff. Again, the Tacoma felt cheap.

Performance: That was really the worst part of the Tacoma. It felt very underpowered compared to the Gladiator. Sorry, I don't miss it at all.

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[Geoarch]

CR rates vehicles based on function. Not soul.

My dad once joked that they would ding a Ferrari because it had a high trunk lift over height.

Our trucks are frankly not terribly practical. As an appliance, I purchased my Gladiator knowing that it was inferior to pretty much all of the Japanese trucks.

Also frankly, if Toyota made a 4 dr pickup with removable doors and roof, I'd have bought that. I have no delusions about Jeep quality. Sorry.

The only reason I felt comfortable spending $60k on a Jeep was that the fantastic resale value protected me if my truck turned out to be a problem and I needed to bail.

Part of the problem seems to be inconsistent quality and a terrible dealer service network. If you get a good one, it seems like it will be as reliable as any modern car.

If you get a bad one, well you are screwed by a dealer network that doesn't seem to understand how to take care of people. I write this as someone who spent 10 years working at a very service oriented dealer in every position from parts driver to service writer to finance manager.

So in the end, I'm not really surprised. Fingers crossed I got a good one.

Yes, I ordered mine this week. I also hope I get a good one. I'm coming from a 2018 Tacoma TRD Pro because it just doesn't have the attributes I want and need in a 4X4, plus as a young guy I owned two jeeps, one I had for 15 years, and loved them every minute. The Tacoma has already had two recalls (fuel pump failure, and leaking cab light). Based on my research Gladiators are doing better than that. I've driven a Ridgeline - it's a car with a bed in back.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Our trucks are frankly not terribly practical.

Not practical? LOL - that's an interesting take. Not practical for what? Being a truck that can haul stuff where others don't and then minutes later haul someone out of the snow or much? Mine is totally practical. It's really a do-anything vehicle, sort of like a Swiss Army knife. Not always the best of the best for a specific purpose, but able to do more things better than trucks dedicated to a specific purpose. I don't tow all the time so didn't go with a BIG truck. I don't haul all the time so didn't need a 3/4 truck - I have trailers if I must haul more than this will handle. It fits my garage better than any truck I've ever had. It's good for travel across the country - for that, more practical than my Silverado was. More practical for anything I usually need a truck for. For me it's very practical. So I say practical is in the eyes of the buyer.

Sounds like maybe you have buyers remorse? I don't.

 

[Glad_he_ate]

Wiring harness on order for abs system. I’m driving a renegade for at least 5 days… god this cars gay …

 

[Geoarch]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/auto/consumer-reports-best-worst-car-brands.amp

Well they can take their consumer opinion and shove it! Ha! I love my Willy’s!

Attached is a section on the 2021 Gladiator from CR. It looks about right, but very missing is no off-road test. They don't do that. Also, Gladiator is now rated above Tacoma.

 

[Challenger85]

I bought a 6 year old Prelude in 1998. i was happy to drive it because that is what allowed me to own a 2 Seat aerobatic sport plane at age 30. I couldnt' have afforded it if I had a fun car.

I love fun cars. But I love fun airplanes more.

If you have a hobby like that, it’s a good trade off.

 

[TheOpa]

The only thing I think is important is that I bought what I want. I still grin all the time just looking at it and it gets even better when I drive it. Yeah, that’s pretty much what counts for me.

 

[Rocksalt]

facts have been "Trumped" by beliefs

 

[TheOpa]

Me personally? Yes, absolutely. I've always wanted to build a Baja bug. My bug is sentimental, so will stay stock, but Baja bugs are awesome. Simple, solid axles, light weight, minimal overhang, weight in the right places, Good visibility, high mounted intake, etc. Beetles have been climbing rocks since the 50s (the 40s counting the schwimmwagens and type 87s that jeeps beat in the war) . Also, ever heard of a VW thing? That's just a tall beetle.

Take a look at the one on the right. It's a beetle platform, rebodied. It was the German version of the jeep. VWs have always off-roaded, since ever.

+1 on that white Baja bug!! Always wanted to build one of these.

 

[Tuggernuts]

Geez, the Gladiator is a dream compared to my 53 Jeep M38-A1, and my 73 CJ-5. Loved them too. It's a truck with very low gearing (comparitively), a low range transfer case and solid axles. That's what I'm paying for. If I want comfort I'll drive my wife's Subaru Forester, which is great in snow and ice by the way.

That's hilarious, my wife has a Crosstrek. I wanted to hate that car but it does great in the snow.

 

[JKJ]

I’m gonna have to agree with CR. Shoddy build quality. Just yesterday we had some nice weather here and two of my roof panels became dislodged exposing me to sun, wind and enjoyment.

Gladiator is my 4th Jeep personally, 6th counting my wife‘s. I’ve had some bad a$$ cars over the years and my best memories are driving back from the shore in the rain try to unsuccessfully hold the soft doors shut at 70mph.

No great story ever started out “so I was driving my reliable Corolla”.

 

[Montytrmpt]

Our trucks are frankly not terribly practical.

I sometimes joke that it is practical because it’s so impractical. It’s a truck, a Jeep, and a convertible mashup. I don’t need a truck 100% of the time, I don’t need a convertible but I enjoy them, and Nebraska doesn’t really require a serious off roader except for a handful of days in the winter and some play in the summer. It would have been impractical for me to buy a truck, a convertible, or a Jeep separately (which I considered doing), but package them altogether and voila. It’s a very practical, impractical vehicle even before you consider resale value. Most importantly, it’s fun. If CR adds the “fun factor” to its calculus the Jeep will pop up to the top of the list.

 

[TwelveGaugeSage]

Welcome to the age of "No belief is wrong"! If you don't agree with an opinion, you are only a click away from finding one you agree with. Unfortunately, the same goes for facts. No matter what your bias is, it can be confirmed in a matter of seconds. In this world, the earth can be flat, horse wormer can cure covid, and whoever you want "won" the election.

 

[IamPro2A]

Welcome to the age of "No belief is wrong"! If you don't agree with an opinion, you are only a click away from finding one you agree with. Unfortunately, the same goes for facts. No matter what your bias is, it can be confirmed in a matter of seconds. In this world, the earth can be flat, horse wormer can cure covid, and whoever you want "won" the election.

And a medication that has been FDA approved for humans for decades, is on the World Health Organization's "List of Essential Medicines", and has consistently been one the 500 most prescribed medicines for humans in the world is now just a horse wormer.
See how that bias works?
No clue how or if that so-called horse wormer works for covid; but I do know the practice of prescribing meds for conditions they are not currently FDA approved for is common and legal and grounded in science and facts and not political beliefs.
When I had covid, my doctor did not prescribe that drug, but recommended various other OTC items to take, none of which specifically claimed to be for covid, but seem to have helped. That's really all I care about.

 

[Litfuse]

I sometimes joke that it is practical because it’s so impractical. It’s a truck, a Jeep, and a convertible mashup. I don’t need a truck 100% of the time, I don’t need a convertible but I enjoy them, and Nebraska doesn’t really require a serious off roader except for a handful of days in the winter and some play in the summer. It would have been impractical for me to buy a truck, a convertible, or a Jeep separately (which I considered doing), but package them altogether and voila. It’s a very practical, impractical vehicle even before you consider resale value. Most importantly, it’s fun. If CR adds the “fun factor” to its calculus the Jeep will pop up to the top of the list.

This is the exact reason why I got my Gladiator. I sold my Ram 1500 for my Mojave. I still needed a truck, but also wanted a wrangler again. I already have multiple vehicles, so it made no sense to add another one to my garage. A good compromise.

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