Can you talk me out of a Gladiator Please!

I love my 08 cm but I don’t use the truck to it’s potential. I’ve been really liking the Jeep Gladiators and would love the capability to remove the top and take a cruise with the fam on the weekends. Can anyone please talk me out of trading my tundra for one?

 

The owner of the dry cleaner I use has a tricked out Gladiator. Quite nice. Very nice indeed.

 

Talk you out of it hmmm. I think they look stupid unless they have a lift and some beefy mods done. So prepare to put some money into it immediately LOL. Also unsure of their reliability

 

Did @1UPPER ever get one?

 

If you like one, get it. Life is too short.

 

The only thing with a Jeep badge that is projected to have good reliability is the much maligned Jeep Renegade. Unless you have the time and income to cover repairs, I wouldn't trade off a reliable truck for anything Jeep.

I don't know for certain, but I don't think it would do any better in an accident than a Wrangler. Watch the video in the link. https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/jeep/wrangler-4-door-suv/2021

 

Well, I used to be a Jeep guy. I had everything from CJ, YJ, TJ, cherokee, commander. All except the commander I heavily modified. They are cool vehicles but they are no where near as reliable as Toyota. And the prices they are going for (as is most everything) is crazy for what they are.

Power is eh with the new ones, MPG is poor. They have some design issues like death wobble . None of them are good for towing. Axles, driveshafts are marginal, add lifts and big tires and ujoints, shafts, seals are even more stressed and will probably need attention every few years.

They are fun. But they don't drive or handle especially well, they are really suited for off road. And if you have a jeep and are not offroading with it, then you missed the main reason to own one.

 

Enjoy life man. Is it going to bring you more quality life?

 

Keep your CM and buy the Gladiator as a family toy…. One of the best feelings driving around with the doors and top off but I would never purchase one as a daily driver.

 

Removing the whole roof and rolling the windows down is quite different. And the pentastar v6 is a pretty proven power plant. Obviously not like the tundra but it’s been extensively used since like 2012 with great results.

 

I would agree, small lift, tires and wheels would be an immediate requirement…as it was with the tundra.

 

I’m a cop so just like the tundra this would be my evening/weekend ride. I have put 10,000 miles on my tundra since January 2018.

 

I’d love to have the disposable income to do this but alas I don’t. Plus as I said above I have a take home unit as my daily so just like the tundra it would be my evening/weekend ride.

 

Proven? Yes. Great results.... ish. So proven to be a gamble would be my assessment.

https://www.google.com/search?q=pen...y4xmAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdperABCg&sclient=gws-wiz

 

Dude you could find issues with any Power plant. They have built over 10 million pentastars since 2011 with overwhelmingly positive results. I get the stab at fca reliability trust me but with that engine it’s unwarranted.
https://www.google.com/search?q=how...uced&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

 

I'm not a fan of chrysler products, but if I was buying a jeep it would be a two door wrangler.

Though I suppose if wanted to take the roof and the doors off and have a truck bed the gladiator does all three in one vehicle. It's the only vehicle on the market that can do that.

 

https://youtu.be/w0mXb8Ke8VU

Gladiator with spacer lift and 37s.

 

That’s basically the conclusion I’ve come to. I need a bed occasionally and have 3 girls and the wife so it can’t be the 2 door however if it were just for me I’d have the 2 door with 6 speed as well.

 

I'm not anti FCA and I actually was supportive of the merger and the direction the new management tried to go with the Dodge brand. I do have a friend with a Pentastar equipped Journey that didn't see 80,000 miles (I might be remembering the mileage wrong) and he's a ridiculously good mechanic. Proper maintenance, no hot rodding, and the engine chewed itself up internally just outside of warranty. Anecdotal, maybe, but I am still wary when it comes to that motor.

You asked us to talk you out of it, so I am just providing info that might do that.

 

"Jeep has issued a recall for 42,887 of its vehicles, including the 2018 to 2021 Wrangler and 2020–2021 Gladiator with manual transmissions. The clutch pressure plate in these vehicles can overheat and fracture, leading to an increased risk of fire. Jeep said that the recall will be remedied through a software update."

 

I'd wait to see what the Bronco (not the sport) brings to the table.

 

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a34761896/2020-jeep-gladiator-mojave-reliability-maintenance/

 

I have a friend with Journey that also had to get the motor replaced. 150k ish miles.

 

EEEW. Their solution to the clutch heat is a software update that cuts your torque if it starts to get hot again. No thanks.

 

This is why Jeep is a

 

I got you and I appreciate any feedback. I do question a mechanic that would purchase the worst vehicle in dodges lineup that still came standard with a FOUR speed auto in 2020. With that said, the effort implemented into the worst rental car of all time and the icon wrangler can’t be compared.

 

Agree 100%. And the legroom is horrendous. In theory the gladiator was the answer to almost all my complaints about the wrangler. But I like my tundra better.