The Jeep Gladiator is Struggling

[KnG818]

Hi,

I agree, sales of the Gladiator are not as brisk as Toyota Tacoma for sure, but it is much more of a niche vehicle and working at the dealership level at Jeep for 28 years, Its more important to have the loyal fan base then volume sometimes.. Toyota makes a great truck (segment leader) but it doesn't have the flavor that a Jeep has.. Lets keep Jeep exclusive for us offroaders!

By the way I am still receiving orders for 5 percent under invoice on on JL's and Jt's here at my store.

No, its WAAAAY over priced. Cant compete

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[ads75]

This would definitely sway my current opinion of the Gladiator

Looks better than the 4 door JT, but I would feel claustrophobic in that tiny cab. I'll keep my 2 door Wrangler.

 

[lookitsadam]

This would definitely sway my current opinion of the Gladiator

I would absolutely buy this in a heartbeat, but I unfortunately don't see FCA ever making it a reality. Fingers crossed for a limited edition release maybe?

I'm holding out hope that some third party will make a 2 door conversion kit for the JT or JLU.

 

[TimnTexas]

i haven’t driven one, but I have a JKU with the V6. I would have ordered a Gladiator first edition if it had a compelling engine offering. Just needs more low end torque and I don’t want a diesel to solve this problem. V-6 with turbo would be awesome.

 

[sourdough]

I thought long and hard about going aftermarket, https://www.rubitrux.com or https://gr8tops.com/shop/jeepmodels/jk-wrangler/jeep-wrangler-jkute-truck-conversion-kit. Just to expensive to justify adding to a JK platform. I did and still do want a JT Rubicon extra cab, that’s my idea of a utility vehicle. I don’t see the need for a 4 door stubby bed JT. FCA only needed some minor changes to offer a very serviceable hauling option to the Wrangler line up.
Don't forget, Willys back in the day offered a 4x4 delivery door utility with windows or panels that hauled a lot of crap.
One of my old Willys rigs...

 

[DaltonGang]

I live in Kingwood, a suburb of the Houston area. Wranglers are thick as mosquitos around here. Rarely do you see a Gladiator. They are considered a novelty. To be honest, they look like they just stuck a cheap ATV bed on the back of a Wrangler.
Also, Not as good at 4 wheeling as the Wranglers, and very sub par as a truck. Kind of the Honda Ridgeline of the Jeeps.

 

[Tangokilo]

How about a JLU offered with the JT rear suspension to boost towing capacity. And a full flat floor pan in back (from tail gate to front seats) with a old school fully removable rear seat and drop tail gate. Hide a compact spare in the floor somewhere. Tom

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

They are UGLY.

 

[blnewt]

I would absolutely buy this in a heartbeat, but I unfortunately don't see FCA ever making it a reality. Fingers crossed for a limited edition release maybe?

I'm holding out hope that some third party will make a 2 door conversion kit for the JT or JLU.

That red 2 dr reminds me of the old bobtail broncos w/ the pickup bed, always wanted one of them

 

[lookitsadam]

JLU people lusting over a J6 has me scratching my head. The J6 looks like the same concept as the JK8. I happened to drive a JK8 I found on a dealer lot. I was driving my TJ at the time and I felt that the JK8 had too little interior room and very little practical use in the bed. I drove the thing around for several hours and it did get attention but it wasn't long before I wanted more room for groceries or things like that. I could put a bed cover on it, but to me that felt like having about as much usable room as a TJ while having all the extra length of a JKU. The J6 certainly looks nice but it's too impractical, even for this 2 door owner.

The JK8 definitely caught my attention when it first came out and I won’t lie that neither the JK8 or J6 are the most practical. However, not everyone needs a Jeep to be their practical daily driver. The J6 would be my weekend/nice weather around town/beach or camping trip/toy hauler. If it came down to a 2 door Wrangler or a J6 I'd pick the J6 every time. Same amount of passengers, a bed for more cargo room, and easier to clean out after sandy/dirty gear.

Even if Jeep made an official J6 conversion kit and included the standard 60in Gladiator bed, that’s no more production on their end that they have to do. All you’d really need are modified Gladiator rear quarter panels to close up the cab and a new hard top.

The J6 also has some key improves on the JK8.
72in bed vs 50in bed.
True fold down tailgate vs standard swing out tailgate.
Increased payload and towing (I'm assuming, although Jeep never officially listed stats)

Not to mention the styling of the J6 is WAY better than the JK8 simply because of the platform it's build on. Modern JL interior. Better body lines. Separation between the cab and bed. No awkward tiny side windows.

 

[Shooting or Jeeping]

It’s too new to call anything a failure. Fact is, the market has too many options and too much inventory. The days of a new model absolutely owning a segment are pretty close to over. It happens, but not at the frequency it used to.

That said, I just think they are kinda ugly. This is from a guy who’s had 4 wranglers. Anything other than a modified Rubi version looks weird. Where some of the competition comes out better is that their base versions look decent on their own. They have trim packages that highlight certain things, but they start as most end up. The JT needs to look less like a mail truck on the lot and I think you’ll get more takers on the $40k range that the mid/small trucks fall into.

 

[jespey]

I still can’t get used to the look. If I look at as a JL, it’s “meh”. If I look at it as a mid size truck, it’s a little better. If I look at it lifted, bigger and nicer wheels, aggressive tires, doors off, top down, buzzing around the desert full of beautiful young women with hair flowing in the wind, then hell yeah. But then reality sets back in.....

 

[Thinman]

Published payload doesn't mean a whole lot.

What are the 'typically optioned' JT payloads coming in at? A typically optioned PowerWagon usually comes with a door sticker in the 1150-1250 range.

 

[sourdough]

this has me curious... what truck feature of the gladiator is sub par compared to other mid-size pickups?
Seems to me that as a pickup the Gladiator is right there with its competition in every pickup truck category. What am I missing?

It is only offered with 4 doors and it's too long. Huge turning radius and the center break over angles of a limo.

 

[Drveovru]

You don't see a lot of Scramblers. About 30 thousand were sold during a few years. FYI, Jeep also sold 2 door trucks from before, during and after that time period and many 2dr. w/a bed variance's. I'm not a Jeep truck historian but will guess jeep sold well over 500,000 units. Ford,Chevy,Dodge, Toyota millions more 2dr. trucks.
Dumb idea

Exactly. A 2 door Jeep truck no matter when sold is a terrible idea. No one wants it. 30k units in the 70’s or 50k in the 2020.... I didn’t say all 2doors just Jeep 2 doors are a dumb idea, that’s why everyone else has much better sales.

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