Call me Crazy.... Gladiator Rubicon

[jdmartin]

Well, here's my opinion.

1. So much more capable in what way? Maybe a little better crawling over a rock, and maybe a little easier to park. That's about it.

2. The prices on them are stupid. I think the stripper models start around $32k.

3. It's a huge downgrade in space, interior and exterior. If that is a non-issue, then why would you buy the Ram in the first place?

I like Jeeps. I've had 3 of them, all Wranglers. But there is a reason you see them all day long on used car lots. They wear you down fast as a daily vehicle. They are fun but loud and rough. That includes newer ones, which are better than they used to be in ride quality but still dismal compared to virtually everything else out there. In short order you will be sick of taking the transformer parts off and putting them back on all the time, and then you'll be primarily left with a loud, cramped, rough riding daily driver that you will be asking us 2 years from now if you're going to get killed trading it for another Ram or something else.

People who buy these things grossly overestimate how often they are going to be crossing rivers and crawling across rocks. Reality is that those who do that on a regular basis do it in beater Jeeps and Samurais that they don't feel bad about the door creases and branch scratches. Not too many people are going to be stoked about demolishing the finish on their $45k Jeep pickup wannabe.

My advice: buy a used Jeep first and go rock crawling and river fording with it for two years. If you love it so much you are willing to destroy your daily driver doing it, then trade with a clear conscience.

 

[gf2020]

More capable of fitting in a parking spot probably. when i looked at the gladiators when buying my ram there payload and towing capacities are terrible.

On the contrary, the Gladiator has the best payload and tow rating of any of the compact trucks. 1200-1600 for payload and 6000-7650 for tow rating, depending on model.

 

[DeDax]

All very valid points and appreciated insight. Thanks for talking me off the proverbial cliff. Maybe keep the ram for a bit and if the right rebel comes along do something along those lines to have the best of both worlds.

 

[Justbry]

I waited 4 months last year for the Gladiator to come out, it finally did. Went in to the dealer hell bent on trading my 01 Wrangler for it, left with a Rebel. Looovvvveee my Rebel.

 

[Timeless]

A smidge smaller on the inside

Smidge? Really? My word would have been 'considerably'

 

[DeDax]

I like the Rebel, I really do and its proven its worth off-road prowess on this forum and well documented on youtube. The only real gripe I have is the Grille. I really love the front end of my Laramie Sport. Maybe it will grow on me, IDK. Good thing is if I go the Rebel route, it appears to be significantly cheaper with rebates/incentives than the Gladiator Rubicon I was looking at.

 

[Nibis]

Not gonna give anyone advice on what truck to buy. It's something you need to decide for yourself. I will say that I test drove a Gladiator when I was shopping for my truck. It wasn't a Rubicon though. They didn't have any of those on the lot at the time. It felt too small inside for my taste. I like the idea of them, but since I rarely go off-road I'm sticking with my Laramie. I might change my mind if I lived in the sticks though.

Yes, good thing you don't live in the sticks, you would need a bigger gas tank

 

[Le_Slacker]

Smidge? Really? My word would have been 'considerably'

That word is too big to fit in the Gladiator. Smidge fits... just...

 

[upwindstorm]

On the contrary, the Gladiator has the best payload and tow rating of any of the compact trucks. 1200-1600 for payload and 6000-7650 for tow eating, depending on model.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

we are comparing it to a half ton ram not the mini truck lineup.

 

[WXman]

After 2 years with the Ram, and a few trips to the dealership trying to figure out if I wanted to go ahead and lift the ram, mopar, orp, wheels/tires a white Gladiator Rubicon caught my eye. It's fully loaded, Saddle leather, 8.4 uconnect, Led's, alpine, etc. Man is that thing nice. A smidge smaller on the inside but so much more capable. Am I crazy to consider trading my Laramie? Anyone have any specific insight on the Gladiators?

I came from a Gladiator with the Max Tow package, leveling kit, 35s, and a few other minor mods. First of all let me say that 9 out of 10 people have no idea what the Gladiator really is, or how it's built, or what it's capable of. That truck towed every bit as good as any full size gas truck I've ever driven. It would haul and tow just as well as any F-150 or Ram 1500. And the size made it easy to get into tight spaces. I loved it. Plus, they're EASY to modify, tinker with, work on, play with. Just a very FUN and useful truck to own.

Only reason I went back to full size for now is that we have a family of 5 and long trips are nicer in the full size cab.

When the Gladiator EcoDiesel is out next year, it's going to be SO TEMPTING. Ugh...

 

[mikeru82]

Yes, good thing you don't live in the sticks, you would need a bigger gas tank

Amen brother!

 

[DeDax]

WXman, I guess there in lies my point. I know it's not a 1/2 ton, but I think in most regards in could be a fair comparison. The Gladiators size or lack thereof yields nimbleness, on road & off. From Parking, to camping trails I think its honestly a perfect size, I just wish it was a "smidge" wider, but I guess that would defeat the point. All that said, I think the Rebel would be nearly as capable while still providing my family the space that it sometimes requires.

 

[5thGenRebel_AMK]

i test drove a new 6 speed manual wrangler unlimited for fun while my truck was getting inspected and i could not believe how much that jeep drove like a freakin boat. my ram on 35's drives so straight down the road. the wrangler made me feel like i was constantly putting wheel in it just to go down a straight road. after that, ill never understand why people daily them lol to each their own though

 

[mikeru82]

I like the Rebel, I really do and its proven its worth off-road prowess on this forum and well documented on youtube. The only real gripe I have is the Grille. I really love the front end of my Laramie Sport. Maybe it will grow on me, IDK. Good thing is if I go the Rebel route, it appears to be significantly cheaper with rebates/incentives than the Gladiator Rubicon I was looking at.

Interesting. People either love or hate the Rebel grille. I dig the Rebel front end, and would rather have that than my Laramie Sport grille. I'd trade front ends with someone with a Rebel in a heartbeat.

 

[DeDax]

I think for me in regards to the Grille, the whole truck looks so refined, so well put together, and then the plastic nostril on the rebel, IDK. Just looks very different then the rest of the truck. Like they were trying too hard to make it look the part of being their off-road variant.

 

[Biga]

I'm not the biggest fan of the Rebel front end but it has grown on me, I don't like that it is all black plastic. I hate black plastic and try to avoid vehicles that have a lot of it. Next time I will likely get a sport with the offroad package on it.

 

[Fatherof3]

If you wait a year maybe you can look at a Rebel TRX ?

 

[DeDax]

Very True, but I figure the TRX will be in Raptor territory in regards to costs, with base trims starting in the mid $60's and ranging out probably mid to high $70's and that's without dealer MSRP + markups.

 

[silver billet]

The payload of some gladiators is larger than the payload of higher trim 1500's. Sad but true. Heck my Jeep GC (which is not even a truck frame) had more payload than my brother has in his 2018 ED 1500.

But if I went Gladiator, I would go with the mojave instead of rubicon. The rubicon is more for slow rock crawling, the mojave is for faster speed dune running. You may not use either model to their full capability, but the mojave will feel much better onroad due to the soft supple suspension.

 

[WXman]

WXman, I guess there in lies my point. I know it's not a 1/2 ton, but I think in most regards in could be a fair comparison. The Gladiators size or lack thereof yields nimbleness, on road & off. From Parking, to camping trails I think its honestly a perfect size, I just wish it was a "smidge" wider, but I guess that would defeat the point. All that said, I think the Rebel would be nearly as capable while still providing my family the space that it sometimes requires.

That's another interesting point that I've gotten into debates with people about. What makes a "1/2 ton" truck a 1/2 ton? Is it the physical size, or is it the capability? My Gladiator had a payload of 1,511 lbs. and that was with quite a few options. I had a towing capacity of 7,650 lbs. My brother has a F-150 FX4 that has 7,700 lbs. of towing and 1,149 lbs. of payload. There are guys on here that have posted their 5th Gen Ram numbers and they're lower than the Gladiator. So like you said, in terms of capability you lose nothing with the Gladiator. It's still very much a 1/2 ton truck, but it's smaller scale lets it go places that you just don't want to take a Ram.

The cab width is the big deal. I'm 6'3" and I was tight inside. It was fine. But on long trips it would get tight. With the wife and 3 boys inside it was just a little too small for the long camping/offroad trips we go on. To be fair, two of the boys are in college so they'll be gone soon on their own life adventures so that won't be a problem for me much longer.

As far as the cargo box, it's 5' long so yes that's seven inches shorter than the Ram but I found that I was still able to put anything in there I wanted. A pallet of sand bags from Lowe's, ATVs, fire wood, 6 patio chairs and a double-burner grille, an entire outdoor festival booth setup and display, everything worked fine in the back of the Jeep.

I got tired of explaining to random strangers at gas pumps that it was NOT a Wrangler with a bed on the back. The entire rear half of the vehicle shares zero parts with the Wrangler. Frame, control arms, coils, shocks, body panels, lights, bumpers, receiver hitch design, wiring, differential, it's all totally unique to the Gladiator. The reason the Gladiator weighs as much as a Ram is because it's over-built to handle everything.