Talk me out of it?

[Sazabi19]

I have my JT and I love it The bed is useful for someone like me who doesn't carry a lot of large items, or often. I know all the Wrangler snobs will throw shade at it but it is really capable offroad. It does drive a lot nicer than the Wranglers due to its extra length but that also doesn't help it on tight trails or shorter jagged/hilly obstacles.

Even I will admit that the back of the cab looks a bit rushed/unfinished at best. But it's always great going out in the only convertible pickup with no doors People don't bat an eye at Wranglers when they do it but I get people in traffic all the time during summer asking me about it, saying they love it, or getting thumbs up.

The first 60% of the JT is pure JL and almost every part is interchangeable. It's only once you get to the back of the cab that things get different. Some drive components, fuel tank, rear roof, and a few more mechanics aren't changeable between the 2 but that's about it outside the obvious.

I saw fuel economy mentioned but I think that was in jest. A 3.6 JLU and JT have 1MPG difference city (17JT, 18JLU). In my JT I'm averaging ~20MPG, around 18ish in colder months and 22ish in warmer. Can't wait to see what I can get in my JLR 2.0T :D

Also, you really don't get a JT because you want the capabilities of a full size pickup. You get it because it's a Wrangler with a bed. You get it to do Jeep things like have doors/roof off but also you want a bit more utility than a Wrangler. It tows great and has a bed and that's the experience some people want.

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[Renegade]

You'd be an idiot to trade the JL on a JT. A JT is clunky, ugly, lighter in the rear, has too short of a bed for any useful purpose, gets poor mileage, doesn't have enough power, rides rough, handles poorly, has poor steering feel. The JT is kind of an abomination. You'll look like a fool trying to use one as a truck.

So, it’s Wrangler with a bed the size of a mid-sized quad cab truck….
I’ve owned 19 Jeeps. The Gladiator is great for people who want a Wrangler but need a truck bed occasionally. I’m actually going to be selling mine to move back to a Wrangler, but not because a Wrangler is “better” than a Gladiator. I’m doing it because that’s what I want to drive again.
OP- Good luck with your decision. Stop worrying about what a bunch of knuckleheads on the internet think, and enjoy whichever one you decide on.

 

[HungryHound]

Also, trailers do wonders . ..

I was the guy that always insisted on the 8ft truck bed, to put all my stuff in.. Then one day, I saw the light ... a Trailer that you pull with your truck / wagoneer / JL / etc ..

Agree. Trailer is also lower to the ground and easier to load and unload. Only take it when you need to haul something instead of hauling a load of sailboat fuel around all the time like most trucks do.

 

[AcesandEights]

So, it’s Wrangler with a bed the size of a mid-sized quad cab truck….
I’ve owned 19 Jeeps. The Gladiator is great for people who want a Wrangler but need a truck bed occasionally. I’m actually going to be selling mine to move back to a Wrangler, but not because a Wrangler is “better” than a Gladiator. I’m doing it because that’s what I want to drive again.
OP- Good luck with your decision. Stop worrying about what a bunch of knuckleheads on the internet think, and enjoy whichever one you decide on.

Nothing in your post would talk me out of a JT. In fact, most of what you said was positive. Did you even read the title of the thread?

 

[JT1]

I had owned trucks (2) for 20 years before deciding that I wanted to try a Jeep again (after my fiasco with a 1995 YJ).

I knew what I'd be missing if I traded a truck for a Wrangler. As to why I chose a JLU and not a JT? Cost, largely. I've a modestly configured Sport. Building the Gladiator the exact same way created an unignorable $6K price variance (increase). Nein, danke.

I wasn't using my trucks as trucks so frequently that I couldn't live without their utility, so I chose a four door Jeep to hedge my bet if or when cargo capacity was needed. I also installed a Curt receiver hitch and a 4-flat harness. I do miss the 500 lb. tongue weight rating of my truck hitch, though, and will be compelled to sell my Versahaul as a consequence of the Jeep's 350 lb. tongue weight rating.

The ungainly aesthetic of the Gladiator didn't bother me, but it is there and I'd be fibbing if it wasn't at the back of my mind during the decision process, also.

Thats a strange experience. Before I ordered my JT I built both and the wrangler was always at least $2000 more expensive and was saddled with the little front axle and worse gearing. Plus the aux switches are WAY cheaper in the gladiator..

 

[BigGreen]

If you get a Gladiator, you have to lift it and run at least 35s on it. Any less and they look dumb.

 

[nyglt56]

I owned my JT for two years. It was a solid truck and wheeled well. I even towed my TJ around with it. But ultimately I traded it for a JLUR.

The JT was a good truck. Just be prepared for people to be mad at it for no reason.

Edit: completely forgot to put why I traded it in: (apart from me getting a hilarious offer on the truck) Interior space kind of sucked, a JLU provides so much more storage and ease of access for dogs/kids/stuff. So if interior space is what you need, JLU is the way to go. Otherwise both Jeeps are the same, one has a bed, one doesn't.

 

[TX_Ovrlnd]

If you get a Gladiator, you have to lift it and run at least 35s on it. Any less and they look dumb.

They remind me of the old Nissan hardbody pickup or base Tacoma without premium wheels, you do kind of feel sorry for them in that configuration.

 

[Renegade]

Nothing in your post would talk me out of a JT. In fact, most of what you said was positive. Did you even read the title of the thread?

I wasn't trying to talk you out of a JT, I was countering your post. It was name-calling, mostly-derogatory opinion, and not based on fact. Have you even driven one, or compared it to the other midsized trucks available?
Everyone who says they don't look right with stock suspension and tires is right though...unless it's a Mojave. I'll give the stock Mojave a pass on aesthetics.
Wranglers and Gladiators are both awesome vehicles, with little comparison. If they receive the new I-6t motor, they will be even better.

 

[AcesandEights]

I wasn't trying to talk you out of a JT, I was countering your post. It was name-calling, mostly-derogatory opinion, and not based on fact. Have you even driven one, or compared it to the other midsized trucks available?
Everyone who says they don't look right with stock suspension and tires is right though...unless it's a Mojave. I'll give the stock Mojave a pass on aesthetics.
Wranglers and Gladiators are both awesome vehicles, with little comparison. If they receive the new I-6t motor, they will be even better.

No, I haven't driven one, but that's not the point. The TITLE of the thread is "Talk me out of it". The point of my post was to talk the OP out of it.

What you're posting in no way tries to talk someone out of JT. The title of the thread isn't to talk someone into a JT, it isn't to provide all of the positives for making a decision to buy one.

What someone else happened to notice was that I posted all of the negatives of any vehicle, but especially those that are similar between JL/JT, handling, power, etc. Almost everything I said about the JT also applies to the JL.

I don't care if you like the JT, because that's exactly the opposite of the thread title.

 

[Renegade]

No, I haven't driven one, but that's not the point. The TITLE of the thread is "Talk me out of it". The point of my post was to talk the OP out of it.

What you're posting in no way tries to talk someone out of JT. The title of the thread isn't to talk someone into a JT, it isn't to provide all of the positives for making a decision to buy one.

What someone else happened to notice was that I posted all of the negatives of any vehicle, but especially those that are similar between JL/JT, handling, power, etc. Almost everything I said about the JT also applies to the JL.

I don't care if you like the JT, because that's exactly the opposite of the thread title.

I think you took the title too literally and specifically, but then again, maybe I erred and didn't. I assumed the OP would want to hear from informed people with valid experience with either position, and just figured I would provide a counter-perspective to your unqualified post. Carry on.

 

[nyglt56]

No, I haven't driven one, but that's not the point. The TITLE of the thread is "Talk me out of it". The point of my post was to talk the OP out of it.

What you're posting in no way tries to talk someone out of JT. The title of the thread isn't to talk someone into a JT, it isn't to provide all of the positives for making a decision to buy one.

What someone else happened to notice was that I posted all of the negatives of any vehicle, but especially those that are similar between JL/JT, handling, power, etc. Almost everything I said about the JT also applies to the JL.

I don't care if you like the JT, because that's exactly the opposite of the thread title.

Oof. It's not that serious lol.

 

[AcesandEights]

@nyglt56 my initial post wasn't that serious, but holy hell did some folks take it that way, including @Renegade who took my post way too literally. I thought it was clearly a list of the things people complain about the JL, being used as talking (out of) points for the JT. At least some folks got it.

 

[Renegade]

@nyglt56 my initial post wasn't that serious, but holy hell did some folks take it that way, including @Renegade who took my post way too literally. I thought it was clearly a list of the things people complain about the JL, being used as talking (out of) points for the JT. At least some folks got it.

My bad.
Context and inflection are lost in type.

 

[SlowPoke21]

I completely regret trading in my 2020 ram bighorn for the 21 JLUR. I would talk you into getting a full size truck.

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