Who has a Gladiator?

[jayson44]

our lease on our 17 JKU is up at the end of November and we are pretty set on getting a Gladiator. We're going Monday to test drive a few and see what our options are with the lease. we have not had more than a hiccup with our JKU and I've been hearing less than favorable things about the new Jeeps.

does anyone here have a Gladiator? what are the issues that people are having?

J.

[Aaron]

I have a JL 2 door. And I’ve owned a couple of JKUs. The JL is hands down a better vehicle. Ride quality is a 7 on a scale from CJ to WK2 for the JL where I would call the JK a 5.5. I’d say power is better but it’s apples and shoes comparison since I now have a 2 door (lighter) and it’s a turbo 4 and both of my JKUs were the 3.8 liter dogs.

The only issue I had was the well documented steering box which Jeep replaced and if you’re getting a new one, won’t be an issue.

So, obviously that is t a direct answer to your Gladiator question, however, my car is the same from the B pillar forward so maybe it holds some weight.

[jayson44]

thanks for the reply, Aaron. and yes, that is helpful. Gladiator or JL/JLU are gonna have the same main issues, really. seems like I'm seeing stuff for steering, leaky hardtops and rear glass (not my concern), electronics issues with the remote start, and a few other things.

J.

[DaveO]

My friend has one and it has not had any problems (9ish months old). He put 35"s on it right away and we have been wheeling a couple weekends a month all season - so it isn't a complete mall crawler that gets no use.

[DaveO]

We ended up getting one a month ago. We got a Hydro Blue Rubicon that is loaded, I drove it to North Dakota and back last week and although I didn't necessarily want the full time transfer case - after driving 8 hours on very icy roads I like it! Freezing drizzle/fog sucked - the defroster couldn't keep up with the ice build up on the top and side of the windshield, and the led headlights and foglights iced over too - I was stopping every 20-30 miles and scraping.

My friend that has a JT Rubicon still has no issues - he likes it enough that he leased a JT Mojave at his house in AZ (spends money like water...).

[Max]

I’d say power is better but it’s apples and shoes comparison since I now have a 2 door (lighter) and it’s a turbo 4 and both of my JKUs were the 3.8 liter dogs.

Don't forget the new transmission, which makes a big difference.

[RockyMtRebel]

I like the look of the Gladiators only when they have 37" or bigger tires..... beastly! If it's a pickup your after, you can't go wrong with a Ram 2500 Powerwagon ;)