How many people have already bought and traded in their Gladiators?

[lordcon]

I had a 2019 Tacoma TRD instead of a Gladiator. But got rid of it after six months for the same reasons you mention: missed Wrangler’s convenient enclosed cargo space, and its greater maneuverability.

Tacoma suffered from a bunch of other issues not worth getting into. Suffice to say, after owning a midsize pickup, I appreciate my JLU a lot more.

Oh they are worth getting into. I had a '17 taco TRD-OR double cab and HATED that limp dick transmission with a passion. Didn't even own it a full year.

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[Dash68]

the area between the rear door and the bed is probably bigger than other trucks due to the convertible top. the C pillar is probably the strongest part.

id love to have the bed to be able to put stuff in it, but the truck is too long for the offroading i like to do. the 2 door would be great except i have my kids in the jeep all the time (4 people). that being said, we have seen some Gladiators scraping over rocks at the local trail. they manage to get over them. and they werent crazy lifted or on huge tires.

they may not be optimal for tight trails or more serious trails but there are soooo many other uses theyre great for. out hunting in the woods or swamps, camping/overlanding, desert fun/dirt bikes, runs to HD, towing a trailer, etc... i see a lot of Gladiators where i live.

if the gladiator is just 6" shorter than a suburban thats nuts lol. when i take the kids to school in the morning or any other errands the wrangler is so much easier to get around in and park. the sub is like taking a school bus lol.

if Jeep would produce a 2 door version i could see them selling very few. maybe a little more if its an extended cab. standard cab trucks just dont sell any more. except work trucks and the custom truck scene. how many people do you know drive around in a newer standard cab truck anymore (that isnt lowered)? even extended cab trucks are rare. my friend had an extra cab Raptor. the extra cab was big enough to seat friends in, let alone children. all i see on the streets are crew cab Raptors, and i see a TON of them. same with every other truck out there from full size to tacomas.

believe me, id love to see them happen. i just dont think its financially savvy of jeep to do so.

the gladiators are kinda goofy looking stock. but so are commanches. just saw one the other day. its an awkward looking truck. but they both look great with a lift and big tires

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/10/how-cafe-killed-compact-trucks-and-station-wagons/

 

[wbee]

In 2018 I bought a JLUR and loved it for the one week I got to drive it. Long short my wife loved it as well and I was back driving the family SUV. When the gladiator came out my wife really liked the Gladiator, she grew up driving pickups. We got her a rubicon gladiator. I got my Jeep back!

Having said that we use the gladiator to travel because we can haul so much more in the bed. I can haul bikes and motorcycles. I don’t tow much. It’s almost as fun to drive as my JL. If I could only keep one it would be the JLUR. The gladiator is not a full-size pickup and I think some people buy them thinking it will work like an F150 or Chevy Silverado and it’s just a mid size pickup, albeit better off road.

 

[CodyDog]

I seriously looked at the Gladiator and made couple test rides. I think it's a great truck for a midsize venue. I ended up getting a 21 F250 King Ranch FX4 due to better towing capacity otherwise I would have purchased the Gladiator.

I was very impressed by the improvements Jeep has made over the past couple years (owned a 2014 Sahara in the past) while visiting the dealers so we ended up buying my wife the new Rubicon 4XE. Now we have the best of both worlds.

 

[AnnDee4444]

Like a Jeep version of this:

The problem is that Jeep made a Gladiator, but we all wanted a Scrambler.

 

[aldo98229]

Oh they are worth getting into. I had a '17 taco TRD-OR double cab and HATED that limp dick transmission with a passion. Didn't even own it a full year.

When Tacoma owners bring up the issue with the automatic transmission, they say “it keeps hunting for gears.”

I wish it was that simple. Yes, the Toyota automatic transmission constantly hunts for gears, but it also refuses to downshift when you need it to. And when it does, it shifts so far down it sends the engine screaming.

All of which amount to one very shitty driving truck.

Transmissions weren’t that bad even in the ‘80s!

 

[old mike]

What? Are you folks saying that the 4dr Gladiators are too long to fit in normal sized garages, too long to be maneuverable in parking lots much less on the trail, and, unless you put tires too large to be reliably street legal on them, their long wheelbase makes them prone to high centering on even the most gentle trails? Then, when you park at a trailhead and want to hike, fish, or hunt a bit, you have to transfer all the muddy gear that you have in the truck bed into the backseat first to keep it from being stolen? Oh, come on! If any of that were really the case, FCA would have made sure to tell us before we bought them. Right?

 

[SlowPoke21]

Oh they are worth getting into. I had a '17 taco TRD-OR double cab and HATED that limp dick transmission with a passion. Didn't even own it a full year.

I bought a brand new 18. Got rid of it less than a year as well. Same reason you said. Tranny.

 

[danm]

I bought a 2020 Gladiator Rubicon in July of last year and traded it in on a 2020 2-Door Rubicon in December. Best move I ever made.
The Gladiator wasn’t good at being a pickup truck and wasn’t good at being a Jeep.
The 2-door is awesome. Great at being a Jeep (off-road, top down etc) and hauls stuff really well with the back seat out.

 

[JandS]

IMO, Jeep crapped the bed with the 4dr JT. It always has been and always will be, wrong.

4 door pickups sell.

2 door pickups don't.

 

[lordcon]

When Tacoma owners bring up the issue with the automatic transmission, they say “it keeps hunting for gears.”

I wish it was that simple. Yes, the Toyota automatic transmission constantly hunts for gears, but it also refuses to downshift when you need it to. And when it does, it shifts so far down it sends the engine screaming.

All of which amount to one very shitty driving truck.

Transmissions weren’t that bad even in the ‘80s!

Yeah it was frustrating driving that thing on a daily basis. Exactly as you said. Give it gas and nothing, then put the pedal to the floor and it downshifts into first and you are bouncing the redline. Its just infuriating because Toyota literally didnt have to change a single thing with the engine/trans in the 3rd gen Taco and they flubbed it.

 

[Digger70]

I had a Gladiator and really liked it but I used it a lot at where I used to work which was a landscaping job. After I got a new job, I didn't really have a use for a truck and really missed having a Wrangler (I had 3 before, 2 2-door and 1 Unlimited) I was also unemployed and made an extreme move and traded down to a used Grand Cherokee to get money back to pay off debts. Now I have a new job and I'm trading in the GC for a Wrangler. And I could not be happier

 

[R3TRO]

standard cab trucks just dont sell any more. except work trucks and the custom truck scene. how many people do you know drive around in a newer standard cab truck anymore (that isnt lowered)?

Me! :P
You know how long it took me to find a reg cab, Hemi, 3.92 gears, tow package, and hand crank windows? Almost 2-years! Now Carvana wants to buy it back from me for more than I paid for it brand new 3yrs ago?! Crazy times.

 

[chcg12]

Ive had 8, maybe 9 jeeps now if you include my Gladiator rubicon. Kept it almost a year, sold it because it just didnt grow on me and was a little long. 4runner Lunar rock Pro was the replacement. Solid, but dated. Will likely add a 2dr Jl again soonish.

 

[AnnDee4444]

The Gladiator is too long, gets high centered too easily. Solution? This:

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