JLU to Gladiator?

[WXman]

Good morning everyone.

Wanted to see what thoughts were from those who may have had a JLU that went into a Gladiator. Currently in a 2019 JLU with a 2" lift on 33" tires, absolutely love it. Ready to give to son and I'm looking at used Gladiators. Absolutely love the Gladiator Mojave. Any thoughts on the differences? Or is it essentially the same truck with a bed in the back? Also any concern with a 2021 that has 60,000 miles on it? Clean Carfax, see maintenance records, looks well taken care of.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

I've had Wranglers from YJ all the way to JL. I've also had two JTs, a Max Tow gas and an EcoDiesel.

I LOVE the Gladiator because it's the best of both worlds. It's all Jeep in the front half, and all truck in the rear half. I hauled, towed at maximum capacity, commuted, and did trails in offroad parks with my JTs. I've seen trails where the wheelbase on JT allowed climbing right up the rock ledges while JLs struggled, and vise versa. I just can't say enough great things about Gladiator. The one change they SHOULD have made is the JT should have gotten proper truck mirrors. Towing a camper with those little tiny JL mirrors sucks.

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[Bam073]

Thank you all for your responses!

 

[the11thday]

I had a 21 Mojave, loved it. Handled well on and off road, took it on a few road trips. Only place I worried about the tight fit was a parking garage downtown Chicago. I put a Reaper front bumber and Smittybuilt 10k winch, side step nerfs and a folding tonneau cover from Rugged Ridge (I think), bed stayed dry.

 

[NULL POINTER]

I went from a 2018 Ocean Blue Manual Trans JLUR to a Gladiator. I really liked the JLUR and an ACT clutch made it even better. I did the LCA mod on it and driving it was great on road and off. So I had a JLUR and a full size F-150 pickup truck which got used for truck stuff. It didn't make sense to pay over $1200/yr insurance on the F-150 and $1700/yr insurance on the JLUR, not to mention the costs of registration. The JTR fit both my desires, a jeep and a pickup truck. The JTR has a smoother ride on road than the JLUR, as mentioned due to the longer wheel base. The JTR is an automatic so it has a better tow rating. I have a Bak Flip F1 folding tonneau cover on the bed, stays dry so far. Yes I miss the indoor spaciousness of the JLUR. With the right configuration of cut two by fours, you can haul 4X8 sheets of plywood/drywall in the bed of the JTR. And it has better off road capabilities than the F-150 had. I am happy with my decision. YMMV.

 

[BuyHold]

I have both a JLR (2 door!) and a JTM.

Both excellent vehicles. As others have said, JTM has very good on-road performance and excellent "faster" off road performance; the suspension is so nice. I personally think that the JLR is more fun and off-road, the shorter wheelbase has so many advantages (turns on a dime and can drive over the top of a pyramid without bellying out). For interior, of all the Jeeps, even 392, I personally prefer JTM.

You are coming from a JLUR so the wheelbase difference will probably be less stark than between a 2 door and a Gladiator.

 

[Da Capt]

Good morning everyone.

Wanted to see what thoughts were from those who may have had a JLU that went into a Gladiator. Currently in a 2019 JLU with a 2" lift on 33" tires, absolutely love it. Ready to give to son and I'm looking at used Gladiators. Absolutely love the Gladiator Mojave. Any thoughts on the differences? Or is it essentially the same truck with a bed in the back? Also any concern with a 2021 that has 60,000 miles on it? Clean Carfax, see maintenance records, looks well taken care of.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

I went from a 17 JK and 24 2 door JL to a gladiator and I’m so glad I did. My opinion overall same ride but the JT ride better on highway. I wouldn’t go back to a JL unless they stop making JTs

 

[Dzljep]

We have both a 2020 JLURD and a 2023 JTRD. They’re both amazing handle slightly different debated about going with the Mojave or the JT. It’s very specific to a certain environment and we live in the mountains so we went with the Rubicon JT. That being said, we had a lot of discussions about how wonderful the features on the Mojave are. It has been off-road and done a wonderful job! We really like the diesel in the wrangler and wanted to grab a diesel JT before they were no longer available. No regrets here!

 

[cripton805]

Is the Mojave the only option?

Since you don't plan on going off-road, I would ditch the Mojave all together and grab a loaded Overland. It will have more luxury features, more paint, and will likely be much cheaper. (more likely to find great new / used deals)

I would add a leveling kit and call it a day. Maybe some wheels / 35" tires too if you wanted a more aggressive look.

 

[WXman]

I think I like the Mojave package better than Rubicon. More useful in more situations. And, the 4:1 low range in the Rubicon would be useless if you're not doing dedicated rock crawling.

 

[RudeJeepin]

I think I like the Mojave package better than Rubicon. More useful in more situations. And, the 4:1 low range in the Rubicon would be useless if you're not doing dedicated rock crawling.

I really like the Mojave, with one exception...the motor.
I love our diesels and don't think the 3.6 is enough motor for the Mojave. I could be wrong, I'd need to drive one. But I do know I'm not impressed with my Mom's JKU 3.6 auto.
Otherwise, the Mojave would probably be just about perfect with a set of 35s.

 

[Eyeball]

In my opinion the JT is the Jeep equivalent of the Chevy El Camino or a Ford Ranchero. All three make me shake my head and think “why”?

I had the great pleasure of following one up the Rubicon trail for two days as he backed up traffic for hours making 137 point turns, high centering, getting wedged, etc. It might be good at truck things but it certainly is not good for the Jeep things I like to da.

 

[UTME]

I went from a JLUR to a JTRD. Wanted the diesel while I could still get one, the bed and better towing capacity. The on-road and trail/overland experience is fantastic, tight trails are now difficult because of the extra length. I'm super happy, it was a perfect decision for me, but will get another "trail ride" at some point (most likely a two door). I'm thinking that you've missed the "large" JT discounts from the end of last year/beginning of this one, but you may still be able to find 2023 left over stock, otherwise the normal "due diligence" on buying used comes into place.

From the JL to the JT.

What lifts do you have on those?

 

[mmcbeat]

I Had a ‘19 JLU and was in the market for a new Jeep. I took a hard look at a ‘23 Gladiator back when they had huge incentives. I liked what I saw but went with a ‘24 JLU. The Gladiator was nice but a tad too long for my needs.

 

[SaintNick]

Problem with the JT is you have to have 37's to make it look right.

 

[TJDave]

I went the other direction. I went from a JK to a new 2020 Gladiator Rubicon when they first came out. I've been following the JT announcements and bought as soon as I could get my hands on one. Lifted it 2.5" with 37s. JTR rode great on road. I didn't like the length and rear overhang off road. I had to remove the 37" spare and toss it in the bed, when wheeling, to keep it from being destroyed, and I still dragged a$$. JT interior felt confined as the cab ends at the rear seats. A tonneau cover was great to keep all my gear dry in the bed. 2 years was enough and I traded it for a JLUR. My fourth and favorite Jeep of all of them. The JLUR is way more fun to drive, interior room is not confined, and it's faster with the same 3.6 as the JTR. My motorhome likes towing the JL better too. I don't miss the mini-truck bed. Just my experience.

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