I've seen 3-4 Rangers in my area but

[Truckee Bill]

I have a JL Rubicon on 37’s and looked at the Gladiator. It’s a bit too long and the engine is a turd at 7k ft. The Ranger was much cheaper and with lots of power. My Rubicon has the turbo 4 and runs terrific. At this point my Jeep seems a bit stronger than my Ranger. Even with 37s. The Ranger rides great but the Uconnect system in the Jeep is leaps and bounds better than the Sync.
I really like the Ranger but bought it as a second vehicle for us. It’s terrific and I will be installing a leveling kit in it, so when we are out and about we can still run a few trails. I think the Ranger will do the easy stuff better than the Gladiator. Much better ride and power. But for the harder stuff, I’ll leave it at home.

Uconnect is really nice. FCA hit a home run there. I had a 200c until trading it in for the Ranger and I was always impressed by its ease of use and function.

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[Floyd]

Gladiators are a dime a dozen in Suburban Atlanta too. I can count on one hand the number of Rangers I’ve seen in the past 6 months.

Consider that the Ranger style is virtually "stealth" compared to the Gladiator.
I saw a Gladiator today for the first time in the wild.

 

[Mick Carlson]

Consider that the Ranger style is virtually "stealth" compared to the Gladiator.
I saw a Gladiator today for the first time in the wild.

I think the Gladiator looks goofy, but I’m kind of old. It’s probably the coolest thing ever to the target market.

 

[Floyd]

I think the Gladiator looks goofy, but I’m kind of old. It’s probably the coolest thing ever to the target market.

Being old should make you like it, the Gladiator is styled after a WWII Jeep.

 

[ryyck]

I live in Charlotte....

 

[swampchomp07]

Have yet to see one that can outrun even a bone stock Ranger.

Spoiler alert: there isn't one.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

Blarg

I'm just so annoyed and disappointed that they basically didn't even change the rear door, among other things! It still has the slant in the lower corner to match the profile of the Wrangler wheel well! It looks stupid to still have it like that. Makes the whole rig seem like such an afterthought that was thrown together at the last minute. Just took a Wrangler and took a pickup bed, and smashed them together. Not cohesive at all.

 

[chasvs]

I see Rangers almost every day now! Becoming more common all the time!

 

[kieefer]

Local dealer has about 20 on the lot. I’ve seen 4 on the road around town.

A dealer in Lebanon (Bates) has a new Ranger with what looks like a 6” lift installed.

 

[John Lyman]

Living in North Metro Atlanta I have only seen 1 Ranger so far - See a ton of Gladiators. I can say the old UConnect from the JK was awful - I pulled that thing out of my 2016 Jeep Wrangler so quick. I always think the Gladiator looks funny its a bed on the back of a Jeep Unlimited. I have no remorse in handing the keys, title and a few bucks for a new 2019 Ranger. You pay for the Jeep name. I'm really enjoying my Ranger

 

[DavidR]

I'm just so annoyed and disappointed that they basically didn't even change the rear door, among other things! It still has the slant in the lower corner to match the profile of the Wrangler wheel well! It looks stupid to still have it like that. Makes the whole rig seem like such an afterthought that was thrown together at the last minute. Just took a Wrangler and took a pickup bed, and smashed them together. Not cohesive at all.

I think the whole point of it is that it's not changing Like @Floyd said, it's styled after a WWII Jeep and is probably going to stay that way forever. They are addressing the general market with their SUV models, and for mainstream trucks, they are finally getting around to refreshing the 20+ year old styling of the Dodge Rams (and they now look pretty nice!), and will be reintroducing the Dakota, but these won't change.

I like the Wrangler, but like many folks, I think just tacking on a truck bed doesn't work all that well. There's obviously a market for it though in some areas.

 

[Msfitoy]

I live in the Triad area of NC...that's 3 cities in proximity of each other and I've only seen one maybe every other month...mind you I get around (24k miles so far)...all the one's I've sighted are stock and they pretty much blend in with other mid size Chevy's...you'd think they'd be geeked to see my tatted out and lifted Ranger but they're all oblivious...

Full size truck drivers, however, really rubber neck and thumbs up my way

 

[DavidR]

one comment a friend made, which makes sense, because its a problem for some people, it the top of the bed height.
This thing will be attractive to that market of people who like to be able to easily reach over the bed and grab something from the box. (case of beer?)

I gotta step up on my rear wheel to reach in and grab something on the Ranger as well as when I had my F150.

The bed side height is definitely a bit annoying. Maybe it can be justified in a full-size truck, but in the Ranger I can only guess they were going for a more bold, taller styling. It does make the Tacoma look a little smaller when they're side-by-side, so I wonder if Toyota will follow suit.

When I moved our 4WC pop-up camper from the old '93 Ranger to the new one, I had to build a 4.5" tall platform under it so that the bottoms of the camper's side overhangs would clear the truck's super-tall bed walls. That resulted in a big gap between the roof of the cab and the bottom of the cab-over.

 

[Deleted member 1634]

one comment a friend made, which makes sense, because its a problem for some people, it the top of the bed height.
This thing will be attractive to that market of people who like to be able to easily reach over the bed and grab something from the box. (case of beer?)

I gotta step up on my rear wheel to reach in and grab something on the Ranger as well as when I had my F150.

The bed side height is definitely a bit annoying. Maybe it can be justified in a full-size truck, but in the Ranger I can only guess they were going for a more bold, taller styling. It does make the Tacoma look a little smaller when they're side-by-side, so I wonder if Toyota will follow suit.

I know for me at least, I can still reach over the bed rails and grab something from the bottom of the Ranger bed. And I can't do that with my dad's F-150. The rails are pretty tall, and it does make it look bigger. But on other hand, the bed rails on the Gladiator almost look too low and disproportional. The GM twins are in the same boat as the Ranger, bed rails are high. The Tacoma is really the only one that looks proportional to me.

 

[DavidR]

I know for me at least, I can still reach over the bed rails and grab something from the bottom of the Ranger bed. And I can't do that with my dad's F-150. The rails are pretty tall, and it does make it look bigger. But on other hand, the bed rails on the Gladiator almost look too low and disproportional. The GM twins are in the same boat as the Ranger, bed rails are high. The Tacoma is really the only one that looks proportional to me.

Agreed on the Colorado/Canyon. Maybe there was some competitive pressure coming from that direction. The Tacoma does look more proportional, but it might change as well if the industry as a whole starts thinking that lower bed sides are becoming dated.

The Gladiator is very different on almost all styling aspects. It will be interesting to see what they do with the new Dakota though.

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