23 Gladiator

[OFC Ranger]

When I watch videos online of people breaking stuff off-road my first step is always to be skeptical. The unknowns are just too much to take it for face value like modifications proper installation of said modifications quality of parts used overall activity for the lifetime of the vehicle etc etc.

The internet unfortunately is the perfect place to either outright lie or shape the truth. Also unfortunately monetization has just drowned out the system at this point.

I could go out to my garage right now and take a sledge hammer to the suspension on my ZR2 and then film a video right there in my garage showing the damage and talk about how I was driving in the Walmart parking lot and it just fell apart. Stick a clickbait title and thumbnail on the video uploaded to YouTube and make money.

It doesn't matter if the damage doesn't match the story I'm giving, a huge swath of our population will believe me.

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[MarioCart]

It failed because he was doing something the vehicle couldn't handle. That or driver error.


This is the moment it happened.

regardless of cause, reliability is questioned

 

[Figarou]

regardless of cause, reliability is questioned

Or knowing how it's done properly.

 

[MarioCart]

that rig probably doesnt have one stock item left on its steering and suspension.

 

[Figarou]

When I watch videos online of people breaking stuff off-road my first step is always to be skeptical. The unknowns are just too much to take it for face value like modifications proper installation of said modifications quality of parts used overall activity for the lifetime of the vehicle etc etc.

The internet unfortunately is the perfect place to either outright lie or shape the truth. Also unfortunately monetization has just drowned out the system at this point.

I could go out to my garage right now and take a sledge hammer to the suspension on my ZR2 and then film a video right there in my garage showing the damage and talk about how I was driving in the Walmart parking lot and it just fell apart. Stick a clickbait title and thumbnail on the video uploaded to YouTube and make money.

It doesn't matter if the damage doesn't match the story I'm giving a huge swath of our population will believe me.

 

[Clank]

I drove one today. It was pretty nice. The steering was definitely a little indirect, and it does wander some at highway speeds. I was actually surprised that I didn't feel it was too loud inside at highway speed (the one
I drove had the hardtop headliner). The seats were very comfy and I really liked the view out of the driver seat. All that being said, 13K off of MSRP, and it's still overpriced in my mind.

The one I drove was stickered at 69800 (mindblowingly overpriced). It came with LEDs, blind spot, rear parking sensors, front camera, heated seats and wheel, and leather. The backseat was pretty comfy but there were 2 cupholders on the floor and no fold down armrest. So there's a total of 4 cupholders and then those mesh pockets on the doors. Tough to imagine driving a family around with that. The underseat storage and folding rear seat were far more usable than the Rangers. I knew the bed was shallower, but seeing it in person, I could imagine myself getting frustrated trying to put stuff in there under a cover. It was pretty dang shallow. The engine had just enough power to be adequate, but it did seem to rev a little high before upshifting at parking lot speeds. The ride was pretty soft and compliant. The steering was OK at around town speeds, but got more ponderous at highway speeds. Not a bad amount of wandering but it was there.

All in all, dealership said there was no movement on the price of the gladiator from where it was marked, and trade value was not high enough to make any of this deal make sense. The gladiator is certainly capable of great things off road, but the value to me of that rubicon is about 45-50K. Seeing as a lot of the "options" that add 20K to the MSRP are standard on 20-40K cars. The only real value the gladiator provides is lockers and ground clearance/ approach angle. Not to mention you get no increased performance for the extra cost, ZR2/ Canyon AT4x get the high output engine, the new Ranger Raptor gets the 3.0, and the new Tacoma gets the hybrid. The value for money is simply not there. I can see why people like it because I liked it too, but I cannot personally justify the price currently.

 

[SDXLT]

I couldn’t take the noise at highway speeds. Maybe my buddy didn’t put his hardtop on right but I could feel the wind coming through when I last rode in it.

 

[Clank]

I drove one today. It was pretty nice. The steering was definitely a little indirect, and it does wander some at highway speeds. I was actually surprised that I didn't feel it was too loud inside at highway speed (the one
I drove had the hardtop headliner). The seats were very comfy and I really liked the view out of the driver seat. All that being said, 13K off of MSRP, and it's still overpriced in my mind.

The one I drove was stickered at 69800 (mindblowingly overpriced). It came with LEDs, blind spot, rear parking sensors, front camera, heated seats and wheel, and leather. The backseat was pretty comfy but there were 2 cupholders on the floor and no fold down armrest. So there's a total of 4 cupholders and then those mesh pockets on the doors. Tough to imagine driving a family around with that. I knew the bed was shallower, but until I looked at it in a person I figured it would be fine. It was pretty dang shallow, and I could definitely see my self getting frustrated trying to fit stuff in there with a cover on. The engine had just enough power to be adequate, but it did seem to rev a little high before upshifting at parking lot speeds. The ride was pretty soft and compliant. The steering was OK at around town speeds, but got more ponderous at highway speeds. Not a bad amount of wandering but it was there.

All in all, dealership said there was no movement on the price of the gladiator from where it was marked, and trade value was not high enough to make any of this deal make sense. The gladiator is certainly capable of great things off road, but the value to me of that rubicon is about 45-50K. Seeing as a lot of the "options" that add 20K to the MSRP are standard on 20-40K cars. The only real value the gladiator provides is lockers and ground clearance/ approach angle. Not to mention you get no increased performance for the extra cost, ZR2/ Canyon AT4x get the high output engine, the new Ranger Raptor gets the 3.0, and the new Tacoma gets the hybrid. The value for money is simply not there. I can see why people like it because I liked it too, but I cannot personally justify the price currently.

I couldn’t take the noise at highway speeds. Maybe my buddy didn’t put his hardtop on right but I could feel the wind coming through when I last rode in it.

It should be mentioned that highway speeds on this particular stretch was 55. Not sure what 70-80 would be like.

 

[SDXLT]

It was anywhere from 50-80 that the noise was loud enough that made conversation difficult. I’d been in jeeps before so this surprised me.

 

[DubVeeRanger]

I like them. They didn't have as much driver room and the seat wasn't as comfy (translated i hit my head and my belly). Hands down probably the best 4x4 of any vehicle I ever used in the snow. Very utilitarian vehicle.

I chose 5g because I wanted 6 foot bed and comfy seat for travel. Was hesitant of 4 Cylinder but it ran good.

If you think jeep is right for you and what you want go for it. Friend of mine has one and has had no issues after 3 years.

 

[saintpauljeff]

I drove one today. It was pretty nice. The steering was definitely a little indirect, and it does wander some at highway speeds. I was actually surprised that I didn't feel it was too loud inside at highway speed (the one
I drove had the hardtop headliner). The seats were very comfy and I really liked the view out of the driver seat. All that being said, 13K off of MSRP, and it's still overpriced in my mind.

The one I drove was stickered at 69800 (mindblowingly overpriced). It came with LEDs, blind spot, rear parking sensors, front camera, heated seats and wheel, and leather. The backseat was pretty comfy but there were 2 cupholders on the floor and no fold down armrest. So there's a total of 4 cupholders and then those mesh pockets on the doors. Tough to imagine driving a family around with that. The underseat storage and folding rear seat were far more usable than the Rangers. I knew the bed was shallower, but seeing it in person, I could imagine myself getting frustrated trying to put stuff in there under a cover. It was pretty dang shallow. The engine had just enough power to be adequate, but it did seem to rev a little high before upshifting at parking lot speeds. The ride was pretty soft and compliant. The steering was OK at around town speeds, but got more ponderous at highway speeds. Not a bad amount of wandering but it was there.

All in all, dealership said there was no movement on the price of the gladiator from where it was marked, and trade value was not high enough to make any of this deal make sense. The gladiator is certainly capable of great things off road, but the value to me of that rubicon is about 45-50K. Seeing as a lot of the "options" that add 20K to the MSRP are standard on 20-40K cars. The only real value the gladiator provides is lockers and ground clearance/ approach angle. Not to mention you get no increased performance for the extra cost, ZR2/ Canyon AT4x get the high output engine, the new Ranger Raptor gets the 3.0, and the new Tacoma gets the hybrid. The value for money is simply not there. I can see why people like it because I liked it too, but I cannot personally justify the price currently.

Sucks about pricing constraints in your area. My dealer has many heavily discounted, and because of that, they've been selling. Agree about not paying MSRP, I wouldn't either. I used equity built from a 2020 model that the dealer bought back from me during Covid with no depreciation. That was part of the reason I did the Rubicon deal: full value (what I paid) on the trade-in and a nicely discounted Rubicon on the lot with the options I wanted.

Regarding the bed depth, see I'm one of those folks that hates the deep bed. I don't store things in my bed underneath a tonneau cover (I live in the city and everything would get stolen) so when I do use the bed, I like it shallow since I can set/remove stuff into the bed on all sides while standing on the ground without bashing the side of the truck bed.

My 2021 Rubicon has a fold-down armrest in the back, appears that only comes with the leather trim.

 

[Clank]

Sucks about pricing constraints in your area. My dealer has many heavily discounted, and because of that, they've been selling. Agree about not paying MSRP, I wouldn't either. I used equity built from a 2020 model that the dealer bought back from me during Covid with no depreciation. That was part of the reason I did the Rubicon deal: full value (what I paid) on the trade-in and a nicely discounted Rubicon on the lot with the options I wanted.

Regarding the bed depth, see I'm one of those folks that hates the deep bed. I don't store things in my bed underneath a tonneau cover (I live in the city and everything would get stolen) so when I do use the bed, I like it shallow since I can set/remove stuff into the bed on all sides while standing on the ground without bashing the side of the truck bed.

My 2021 Rubicon has a fold-down armrest in the back, appears that only comes with the leather trim.

If I wasn't coming from a perfectly fine vehicle and just looking for a few upgrades, then the price would be easier to swallow. They currently are good deals relative to the MSRP, just not relative to my situation.

 

[Iowa Guy]

doesnt it just make you wonder how much profit they pull off a regular sale when they can offer these deep discounts?

Ford, GM and Dodge, average $20 to $25K profit on every truck they sell

 

[ranger 2020]

I just can't believe that Jeep dirtied up the Name Gladiator with the thing they build now. I owned a real one years ago. Now that was a real Gladiator. J20, 4speed with locking hubs & a manual transfer case. With stock suspension I hauled a load of scrap to the yard to recycle. After unloading and reweighing I went to the office to get paid. guy behind the desk said Don't believe in working your truck, do you? Then he gave me the weight slip. It read 3280 lbs. No it didn't bottom out either. At that time I was running 33-12.50- 16.5 tires. They stuck outside the steel factory flares some and didn't rub.

 

[Dr_Strangelove]

It looks like you've reached a conclusion already at that price point and I agree with you. At near $70,000 before discount it seems like they marked it up before they marked it down... Who knows.

I was going to say - to remain as objective as possible the only thing that would give me pause today is the ever increasing finance rates. That could make the discount less sweet.

If we were talking $50,000 vehicle with a $15,000 markdown - it's hard to snag a nice, brand new vehicle for $35,000 nowadays...

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