Jeep Gladiator pickup

[steve dunham]

I still think Floyd’s New Ranger is more practical , better looking and more appropriately priced.

[David B.]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I still think Floyd’s New Ranger is more practical , better looking and more appropriately priced.

Like the bumper sticker says: “It’s a Jeep Thing, You Wouldn’t Understand”
Dave & Paula

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I still think Floyd’s New Ranger is more practical , better looking and more appropriately priced.

Yeah, I don't quite get the Gladiator, and certainly am not interested in one. It seems like it wants to be all things at once, but not very good at any of them.

[Steve Carlson]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Yeah, I don't quite get the Gladiator, and certainly am not interested in one. It seems like it wants to be all things at once, but not very good at any of them.

That's my general impression of all the in-betweeners like the Ridgeline, Avalanche, etc.

[Justus C]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Yeah, I don't quite get the Gladiator, and certainly am not interested in one. It seems like it wants to be all things at once, but not very good at any of them.

Best available towing and payload capacity among mid-size trucks. Best (on paper) off roading. Most spacious cabin.

Seems like it's pretty good at several things.

I wouldn't buy one, but that doesn't mean it's poorly designed.

[Casita Ed]

The Jeep certainly looks rugged, but we don't need an offroad tow vehicle because we hardly ever drive off pavement except for entering and exiting campgrounds or picnic areas. Our needs were for more luxury, comfort, ease of entry and exit and space along with all the new safety features.

We recently went from a 2010 Tacoma Prerunner to the 2018 Honda Ridgeline and absolutely love the Ridgeline. Did I like my Tacoma...you bet, but the new Ridgeline is the most comfortable, quiet and zippy pickup I could ever want. I test drove the new Tacoma and was nonplussed with it's sluggish acceleration off the line.

In comparison to the 3rd Generation Tacoma, the Ridgeline is almost as fast as our 2010 Tacoma and tows our 2010 Casita 17SD better than the Tacoma did and with a smaller displacement engine. The Ridgeline weighs about 500 more pounds and is three inches wider, so it feels much more spacious and comfortable. More room in the cab by far. Only sacrifice was the 8 inch shorter bed. Oh and the trunk in the Ridgeline which I used to make fun of is great for storing my gym bag, which with the Tacoma had to be brought in at night out of concerns for break ins. I now have that hidden storage area.

I had to change to a slightly lower truck with leather seats to make it easier to enter and exit because of my bad back. The rear springs of the Ridgeline are far better than that of our Tacoma. It has more rake back to front, so what used to make the Tacoma sag makes the Ridgeline ride level with no bottoming out of the axle on the frame like with our Tacoma.

I looked at and sat in all the full size trucks and the Chevy Colorado, but found them to be even higher off the ground than our old Tacoma. Heck, even the 3rd Gen Tacoma is one inch higher than our 2010. Honda, with the Ridgeline has resisted the urge to compete with all the others in reaching for the stars. Otherwise, I might have been tempted to put in leather seats in our old Tacoma, which would have been expensive and a loss at resale.

[Steve Carlson]

Pickups have definitely gotten a lot taller in recent years.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Raspy

Yeah, I don't quite get the Gladiator, and certainly am not interested in one. It seems like it wants to be all things at once, but not very good at any of them.

Originally Posted by Steve Carlson

That's my general impression of all the in-betweeners like the Ridgeline, Avalanche, etc.

An in-betweener is about compromises, yes. “Not very good” only has to be good enough for a particular set of requirements. If it hits the right compromise for enough people, it will be modestly successful. Many have missed the mark entirely, and none have ever made it to the top 10 in sales, but the Avalanche and the Ridgeline are (or were) successful designs.

The Ridgeline is the one I know best. Modest sales, but many who bought one, for whom it hit the right compromise, say it’s among the best vehicles they’ve ever owned.

[Raspy]

It would be a fun truck to go exploring in after getting camp set up and leaving the trailer behind.

It's prefect for a family of 4 or 5 that wants to bring their bicycles along and tow a trailer over 3,500 lbs. (the Wrangler Unlimited limit).

But, the Wrangler Unlimited will definitely four wheel better because of the very long Gladiator wheelbase, and still carry the five people. The Wrangler can only tow 3500 lbs, but towing 7500 lbs with the Gladiator means the trailer is 50% heavier than the truck and seems like a job much better suited for a full size pickup. The horsepower seems fine on paper, but the Pentastar V6 is not very powerful, so a fully loaded truck and trailer will be underpowered unless you don't mind going slow with the engine screaming. A full sized truck can have more power and be more stable when towing 7500 lbs. and that seems like the correct truck for trailers that heavy.

Just because Jeep was able to hit all of their numbers and be "best in class" at everything, doesn't mean it is really best at everything. By saving money and using the Wrangler front end, they had cooling issues. The diesel will have a lower tow rating because of the cooling issue and the gas engine barely got there. When towing, you are stressing the cooling system to it's limit.

If wheeling is your thing, and you have a heavy trailer, you'll have to order the lower trim level to get the maximum tow rating, which eliminates the Rubicon . This reduces the off-road capabilities.

It's all about compromises, possible safety issues, tow rating, stability under heavy loads, room in the bed, horsepower, etc. For some, a Ram Rebel might be better with it's wider stance, higher tow rating and more powerful V8, in a truck that is almost the same wheelbase. Or an F150.

For others, a Wrangler Unlimited will do the trick with a lighter trailer and have more ability off road. For someone who wants an off-road pickup truck, it's not offered in a short wheelbase and limits itself by being so long.

I was hoping the Gladiator would be more of a truck, instead of a very long Wrangler with a short bed.

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by Casita Ed

The Jeep certainly looks rugged, but we don't need an offroad tow vehicle because we hardly ever drive off pavement except for entering and exiting campgrounds or picnic areas. Our needs were for more luxury, comfort, ease of entry and exit and space along with all the new safety features.

We recently went from a 2010 Tacoma Prerunner to the 2018 Honda Ridgeline and absolutely love the Ridgeline. Did I like my Tacoma...you bet, but the new Ridgeline is the most comfortable, quiet and zippy pickup I could ever want. I test drove the new Tacoma and was nonplussed with it's sluggish acceleration off the line.

In comparison to the 3rd Generation Tacoma, the Ridgeline is almost as fast as our 2010 Tacoma and tows our 2010 Casita 17SD better than the Tacoma did and with a smaller displacement engine. The Ridgeline weighs about 500 more pounds and is three inches wider, so it feels much more spacious and comfortable. More room in the cab by far. Only sacrifice was the 8 inch shorter bed. Oh and the trunk in the Ridgeline which I used to make fun of is great for storing my gym bag, which with the Tacoma had to be brought in at night out of concerns for break ins. I now have that hidden storage area.

I had to change to a slightly lower truck with leather seats to make it easier to enter and exit because of my bad back. The rear springs of the Ridgeline are far better than that of our Tacoma. It has more rake back to front, so what used to make the Tacoma sag makes the Ridgeline ride level with no bottoming out of the axle on the frame like with our Tacoma.

I looked at and sat in all the full size trucks and the Chevy Colorado, but found them to be even higher off the ground than our old Tacoma. Heck, even the 3rd Gen Tacoma is one inch higher than our 2010. Honda, with the Ridgeline has resisted the urge to compete with all the others in reaching for the stars. Otherwise, I might have been tempted to put in leather seats in our old Tacoma, which would have been expensive and a loss at resale.

The Ridgeline uses the Honda Van frame. That is why is makes suck a good truck for riding in. Good review.

[Fred762]

WE tow our Casita 17' with our 2017 Frontier dbl cab, long bed, V-6 AT 2wd truck...we don't go off road, so settled for the long bed and the extra carrying space..and do not regret it. Was sad to see the new Ranger came castr@ted w that fed-mandated wheezy 4cyl motor. We had a Ranger from
'05 w the small v6..kept it 12 yrs and sold it to our kids..

Speaking of whuich.I am sick to deth of every car on the road looking like every other dang car.
federal mandates be danged