Wrangler vs Gladiator?

[Shibadog]

Is it just around here or is this happening a lot? Around here dealers will have many Gladiator’s for every Wrangler on the lot (new). I’m not talking “close”, I’m seeing 6, 8, 10 Gladiators for every single JLU, (not to mention multiple JLU’s per JL?). What’s the deal I wonder. Are Glad’s selling that well (or are they NOT selling)? Back BC (before Covid) dealers stocked what they thought they could sell. Now, who knows? Maybe they’re stocking Glad’s ‘cause they can’t get the JL’s? Anybody know?

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[rcadden]

I see the same thing, and have seen for a while.

IMO, it's because the Gladiator is under-equipped and over-priced.

It's not quite a Jeep, due to the longer wheelbase, different breakover points, etc.
It's not quite a pickup, due to the smaller engine options, teensy bed, etc.

It's this weird middle thing. Not saying it's a bad vehicle - lots of people have them and love them. They're really popular with the overlanding crowd. They're just niche.

 

[SFDemo]

Same here in Columbus, Ohio. Rarely do I see a JLU, especially a diesel or Willys, but always have several Gladiators of all various trims.

 

[Shibadog]

My son’s got one and loves it. I’m not knocking the Gladiator at all, just amazed that I see so many more of them than Wranglers.

 

[Dgr401]

My dealer usually has 6 or 7 Gladiators on the lot and maybe 2 Wranglers. Has been that way for a while, however, I see more and more Gladiators on the road here in Southern New England. They seem to be very popular here. Just this month 2 of my friends switched from Saharas to gladiators.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

I think Gladiators are selling better (not great) because no Wranglers are on the lots. You would think that Jeep would skew production more the the Wrangler side so Gladiators don't sit in inventory. They aren't a bad little truck, but those who need a truck don't buy them.

 

[John VonJeep]

The Gladiator has real competition from within the mid-size truck segment. Taco, Colorado ZR2, Ranger Tremor, and Frontier are no joke. Despite the fact that the JT distinguishes itself with its solid axle and removable top, those trucks are direct competitors in most shoppers’ minds.

The Wrangler doesn’t really have any competition other than the Bronco, which is hard as hell to find. (The 4Runner sort of counts, but isn’t really a direct alternative.)

My sense is that Jeep therefore overestimated how much SFA and removable top would matter to truck buyers. Many people who really care about those things just buy Wranglers. As good as the Gladiator is, the market for people who want an SFA truck with a removable roof might just be smaller than we think.

 

[aldo98229]

Wrangler outsells Gladiator two-to-one. Gladiator gets factory rebates regularly; Wrangler rarely ever does. In fact, Gladiator has a $2,000 rebate right now.

As mentioned above, Gladiator has more competition than Wrangler. While Gladiator competes against midsize pickups in size and capability, it competes against full-size pickups in price.

 

[BXFXJeep]

RAMs also have huge rebates at times, maybe it's a pickup thing.

 

[Slowregal]

from what i've seen around my area, dealer is ordering a close to even amount of JLs vs JTs and the gladiators are harder to sell.

 

[rcadden]

While Gladiator competes against midsize pickups in size and capability, it competes against full-size pickups in price.

IMO, this is the real problem. When I was shopping last year, I could get a fully loaded Chevy Silverado Z71 RST Texas Edition for about the same price of a lightly-optioned Gladiator Rubicon.

Yes, they're absolutely completely different vehicles with different capabilities, but within the truck market, the differences aren't that critical.

 

[aldo98229]

IMO, this is the real problem. When I was shopping last year, I could get a fully loaded Chevy Silverado Z71 RST Texas Edition for about the same price of a lightly-optioned Gladiator Rubicon.

Yes, they're absolutely completely different vehicles with different capabilities, but within the truck market, the differences aren't that critical.

Agreed.

But it seems to be working just fine for Jeep; 100,000 Gladiators per year is nothing to sneeze at. And at those prices, the profits on each unit has got to be obscene.

 

[aldo98229]

RAMs also have huge rebates at times, maybe it's a pickup thing.

Pickups are now the single largest segment on the market. And with body-on-frame construction and solid rear axles, pickups have traditionally been cheaper to build than unibody cars and crossovers. So that leaves a lot of room for discounts.

 

[swozey]

I feel like I see so many more JTs than JLs driving around but maybe I just notice them over the more often stock JLs

 

[LOBBS]

I've got mixed feelings on the Gladiator. In stock form, the proportions are all off. But raise them up a few inches and put them on 37s or bigger with a little wider stance and they look great to me. I guess the same could be said for base-ish trim Wranglers to a degree but it's more pronounced on the JT. The diesel being the only motor above the 3.6L is my other deterrent. If it had a Hemi (5.7L or 6.4L) or the new Hurricane inline 6 I'd be all over one. My main reason for owning a Jeep is I like to get away and do dispersed camping whenever I can. The Gladiator is arguably a better platform for that and it can tow and haul in the handful of situations I need a truck to do truck things.

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