THINKING About Trading For A Gladiator

[bigfoot21075]

I have an awesome 2021 Wrangler Rubicon with 36k miles on it that I have had going ton 5 years now. It is GREAT! I also have a 2012 Ford F-350 Superduty Truck that I do not drive enough. I do want to have a truck but just for home owner stuff, nothing big anymore. I am toying with the idea of trading both for a new Gladiator. i think the only expensive mod I would have to make to make me happy with it is the MyTop power top.

Any of you former big truck owners trade to a Gladiator? Have you regretted the swap?

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[jmill012]

I've owned many trucks from 1500 to 2500 and Gladiators. The Gladiator is "different". If feels/drives just like a Jeep, less like a truck and does just fine hauling your weekend Home Depot trips. BUT if you are hoping it will replace your truck in terms of the truck "feel", you will be disappointed. Unless you were looking for a cooler Tacoma, then the Gladiator is going to make you happy.

 

[hoch]

Unless you have a space constraint, I’d much rather have a truck for truck duties and jeep for jeep stuff. I’ve not had a Gladiator but did have a Tacoma before I got the Jeep. It sucked for truck stuff and felt it was too long for “Jeep” trails.
Now I have a Jeep and a truck. Perfect.

 

[autotragic]

I have an awesome 2021 Wrangler Rubicon with 36k miles on it that I have had going ton 5 years now. It is GREAT! I also have a 2012 Ford F-350 Superduty Truck that I do not drive enough. I do want to have a truck but just for home owner stuff, nothing big anymore. I am toying with the idea of trading both for a new Gladiator. i think the only expensive mod I would have to make to make me happy with it is the MyTop power top.

Any of you former big truck owners trade to a Gladiator? Have you regretted the swap?

Now I don't know your situation but I actually thought (for about a day or so) of buying a Gladiator instead of a Wrangler.

I also have a 2010 Dodge 2500 gas 4x4.

First off the Gladiator is way longer...I was going to have to rearrange my entire garage to make it fit longer. The truck lives outside because of its size and the Gladiator wasn't much better. Only the width helped it.

In the end it made more sense to me to have a truck and a Jeep rather than trying to combine the two and just "hoping" it worked itself out. In reality it is two very different capability sets and one vehicle for both means both things are compromised. The truck has basic insurance and doesn't get many miles most of the time which is fine by me.

It's also a second vehicle in case I screw up my Jeep doing Jeep things...if you know what I mean.
It can easily haul the Jeep out of somewhere back home or to a shop.

 

[Punkn89]

Love my JT. I usually haul work equipment (science instruments) for the most part, so I didn't need a huge bed. If you're going to utilize the bed and do not need interior cargo space (besides the back seat), I say go for it - you can't beat the current discounts.

If you are going to use it less than 10 times a year, I'd say keep your current setup. There are always other options - rent a U-Haul, trailer, etc.

I have a Grand Cherokee so the JT is not my daily. It's nice having both options. I don't think I would be happy with ONLY a JT and no other form of transportation.

 

[bigfoot21075]

THANKS You all! I agree, it does seem smarter for me to keep what I have. The F350 I bought new and it has been paid for for a while and I like being make changes to the Jeep that I don't have to finish in a day. I just need to make sure I drive the truck every other week or so to keep the battery charged.

 

[AndySpill]

@bigfoot21075 Robert: the answer to this question may for you be a resounding "no." I simply don't know, and whatever your thoughts, it's all good, as it's your rig.

Clearly there is nuance to using a Gladiator as a pickup truck as discussed above, but to the extent that its convertible top is a deal breaker for you, might getting the hard top and an EZFlip top for the Gladiator be an acceptable compromise?

Do understand I have "no horse in this race." I'm just offering options.

 

[Old Dogger]

IMO...they are ugly, unless one lifts, along with 35's, which does help the appearance somewhat. Under powered, verses other pickup trucks.
If I was to purchase a pickup truck today, it would be a late model Toyota Tundra, with the V8 engine. But not their V6 engines, that were recalled in 2022 and 2023.

 

[Ron93YJ]

This is the second year in a row where these Gladiator discounts give me the itch to trade in my JL. My issue is it won’t fit in my garage and the gas mileage sucks.

 

[Camaroboi13]

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Just get both. My wife has the 24 JLU, I have the 22 JTOD. The long wheelbase actually helps when rock crawling, I have more torque than a v8 Toyota and get twice the mpg as one too. My truck does truck things just fine.

 

[DarthAWM]

I have an awesome 2021 Wrangler Rubicon with 36k miles on it that I have had going ton 5 years now. It is GREAT! I also have a 2012 Ford F-350 Superduty Truck that I do not drive enough. I do want to have a truck but just for home owner stuff, nothing big anymore. I am toying with the idea of trading both for a new Gladiator. i think the only expensive mod I would have to make to make me happy with it is the MyTop power top.

Any of you former big truck owners trade to a Gladiator? Have you regretted the swap?

To put my experience in perspective, the only Jeep I had previous was a 76 CJ5 soft top, and the vehicle I came out of was a 2019 Denali 3500. With my desire to start oilfield hot shotting dropping off as fast as the price of oil, I decided I needed to get something smaller and having had the Jeep bug coming back (Trust me an ill fitting soft top on a vehicle with poor heating an no A/C in Texas squashes that bug good) I started shopping for a used Gladiator in a bright color. After several months of window shopping the local car lots, and seeing mostly the Drab 4 come through (White, Black, Grey, Tan) A red Rubicon finally slip into the local Chevy dealer. One drive and I was in love, optioned almost exactly as I wanted (just missing the cold weather group for remote start). Compared to the 76 and even the dually it rode like a Cadillac, the SFA and wide tries still hunt on the highway and will take the unsuspecting for ride when you hit a bump, but not near like the old one. Now the departure angle is terrible and a hitch mounted skid is a early necessity if you wheel. The bed and suspension are sorely lacking compared to a 1 ton but, it really has done any chore I've asked of it with out trouble.

 

[Scotty Scout]

I do want to have a truck but just for home owner stuff, nothing big anymore.

I think you should keep your awesome Rubicon Wrangler, sell the truck, and get a utility trailer.

 

[Jaym]

I’ve had both. And I want to be clear I absolutely adore the gladiator.

The gladiator is very hard to beat for off-roading and having a truck bed. It’s a small bed but works for most homeowners. I also have an HD 2500 that I use for bigger stuff like towing over 4k lbs.

Off-roading, the gladiator has benefits and even more so for overlanding and camping—but, you do lose a decent amount of agility and clearance.

In my previous wranglers, I always felt pretty agile and able to do tough obstacles and trails on 35s and 2-2.5” lift.
On my gladiator, I was constantly doing what I could to get more clearance, and you still drag your belly and bumper. Easy to turtle yourself even on 37s and 3.5”.

I am back in a wrangler now and am doing a mild build—I’m excited to have a wrangler and a full size truck. Coming from the gladiator back to the wrangler I feel like I’m in a very nimble tractor.


Both have their pros and their cons. I have a ton of respect for the Gladiator , and I took mine on some really fun, challenging trails and obstacles. I never let me down, and the size never stopped me. But the Wrangler just has a special feel to it, and makes things a little bit easier on trails.

 

[m3reno]

I have a similar problem. I have a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 with 327,000 miles that just had a new factory motor installed under warranty and I have my Jeep. I was considering selling both and getting a Gladiator but I'm in construction and need the bigger truck for a few more years. So my options were sell the Jeep and Ram and get a Gladiator or sell the Jeep and Ram and get a New Ram as I still need it for work.

 

[3TV]

We have a Gladiator Mojave, a JL 392, and a Ram 3500 dually. The JL 392 is the most fun to drive, no comparison in fact. The Gladiator came with a Mopar lift and 35s from the dealer, and it is my wife's Jeep. The Ram 3500 either tows a 19,000 lb toy hauler or carries a 5,000 lb slide in camper, depending on where we are going. The 392 is 3 years old and has 19,000 miles on it, the Gladiator is 1 year old and has 18,000 miles on it, and the Ram is 1 year old and just turned over 3,000 miles. So, it is pretty obvious which one gets used the most.

When we bought the Gladiator, my wife wanted a vehicle more capable of the winter weather we get in the Rocky Mountains. It does that job well, and on pavement it is pretty much unstoppable, the snow just doesn't get that deep in town. It feels and drives like a Jeep, not like a full-size truck, and she loves it, she drives it everywhere she goes. And with the Gladiator being able to haul things home from Home Depot and Costco, we rarely even need the Ram, except for heavy towing or hauling.

The Gladiator isn't a perfect truck, and it isn't a perfect Jeep, but if I were forced to have only one vehicle, the Gladiator would be a good choice.

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