I have a Jeep identical to yours. What you describe your reasoning for going with the Gladiator over the Wrangler is exactly the reasoning I had. A friend totaled his gladiator and replaced it with a Tacoma. The Gladiator is far and away a more versatile truck. I have owned Jeeps since the early eighties. I can't imagine not having the overlanding and towing capabilities as my Gladiator. Good luck to ya.
Thanks for commenting and glad we agree!! Yeah I love the Gladiator platform, to be able to overland and tow with something that looks so Iconic, has so much capability and customization, I just didn't really want to have to sacrifice one or the other by going with one of the alternatives. It's nice hearing from others who agree though, there's been a lot of bad press for the Gladiator in recent years, and why I get some of it, I still feel like it's an excellent mid size truck for what it is and is pretty unique in what it delivers. All the best to you as well! ✌️
Awesome! Yeah I'm having a great time so far with the Gladiator and really enjoying just daily driving it, but really can't wait to take it to more places and have some real fun. The thing about Jeeps for me is that they have so much character and of course capability, there really is something special about them. Glad your enjoying yours! ✌️
Hi from coastal Texas. I lived in HighLands Ranch, CO years ago. We picked up a new 2023 Mojave left over from last year. $42K out the door, MSRP was a little over $58K. This is my 5th Jeep, first modern one though. I sold my 1978 & 1983 J10/Honcho Jeep trucks a few years ago. I'm 6'1", our four & two year old's car seats fit the back perfectly. I got Seat Jackers from Desert Does It to help with leg comfort. I kept my Ram initially for heavier towing. I tow around 5K lbs(Yanmar tractor with implements) on a 20 foot dovetail trailer once a month. It is about pushing the limits for safe acceleration, and I have zero elevation change here. The wheelbase(only 1 inch shorter than my Ram) & suspension with Airlift 1000 handle towing great though. I'm using the same Tekonsha P3 brake controller I used in my Ram. We're going to downsize our travel trailer and probably sell the Ram. Part of the justification of a Gladiator is a new 4 seater UTV cost $20K+. We live on a small farm and with this I can drive down the highway to my in-laws ranch. Super fun trucks. We have several higher mileage Pentastar engines in my family. One had to have new cam and lifters at 180K, but she was bad at changing oil on time. I'm sticking to full syn oil changes every 5K(tire rotation time).
Hello from Colorado Springs haha, thanks for commenting! I love how it's your 5th Jeep and that you had a J10, those are so cool and if my wife and I had the space and well extra funds for it, I would love to have a classic Jeep to tinker/work on but also drive around for the experience. My wife would tell you I have a problem when it comes to my fascination with the brand. That's a great deal though that you got on the Mojave, they really do ride great and look good! I imagine it's quite a difference then from the classic Jeeps you used to own. My father is a huge Ram guy and has been trying to convince me on getting a 1500 and the like instead lol, and while I do really like Ram trucks, they ride great, are comfortable and obviously are better towing vehicles; I just can't get over my love of the smaller more offroad capable Gladiator midsize truck and honestly it should tow about as much as I'd ever need at least for the foreseeable future. Glad you had good experiences with yours though in that regard. My wife and are considering getting some sort of smaller travel trailer in the future here, but nothing that should require a full size truck.
@departureoutdoors I miss CO in the summers. I even miss NM because it's super humid here. 170K reliable miles in the Ram made me appreciate the ZF 8-speed. I sold the less practical toys when the family was growing and we wanted to buy a new house. My wife held onto her C4 Corvette, though. We are considering a higher clearance pop-up travel trailer for cost, fuel efficiency, and ease of towing. That should increase the distances we are willing to travel. We have a 21-foot Fleetwood Mallard. It weighs about 4600 lbs loaded. But it is a headache with crosswind. Even with a V8 powered half-ton equipped with a load leveling hitch with sway control. We camp on Matagorda island. I'd like something that can float over some soft sand. The dealership had a Rubicon, but it was black, and they wouldn't budge on 48K. We really like the Hydro blue on the Mojave. It rides nice, but I may have to add a front locker. Priority is moving my winch from my Ram. But I can't decide on a sexy(stubby) or protective(full width) bumper. Or something between.
I hear yeah on all of that! Yeah the weight, size and shape of the trailers seem to make a dramatic difference in terms of towing experience from all that I've seen out there in terms of others experiences. I can see how having to deal with heavy trailers that blows in the wind could be downer over long distances even if it's once in a while. Glad to hear you had great experiences in terms of reliability with the penastar and the zf 8 speed, also with the Ram, although the Hemi / Cummins engines are pretty legendary. Yeah getting a Rubicon in Colorado is always going to be expensive and it seems like dealers here aren't willing to negotiate at all, in fact most rubicons I've seen here even pretty basic ones are at least 48k if not most of the time higher doesn't matter if they have a decent chunk of miles. That's why my wife and I drove out to Kansas to get ours. Personally I really dig the stubby bumper look, we actually ran it on our wrangler like that for a while, I kind of go back and forth from protection vs having the stubby look and better clearance. Think I may go to the stubby shortly here though just because your comment haha.
Thanks! Are you looking for the Sarge Green or the Mojito (lime) green? Either way yeah they seem pretty uncommon, but both are really cool colors. Yeah that seems like It could be a interesting video. May do that once we get some of the mods that we really want done here in the short term and then maybe update that over time. Thanks for commenting!
I'll probably end up making a video just to kind of inform people about the potential challenges that may face, but I've also had a 50/50 experience with the 4xe powertrain. Is yours a Grand Cherokee as well or the Wrangler? In terms of my Wrangler it's actually been wonderful and I really haven't had any problems outside of one mostly minor recall. In terms of our Grand Cherokee which was a 2022, it was a mess of problems, had to have it towed away twice because of failed 12v batteries, defective wheel kuckles, faulty sensors, etc. Not to mention the never ending recall issues that all seemed to be somewhat serious. Then even if we wanted to get these issues fixed the delays to get them resolved were months out for most of them due to part shortages etc. We sold it with recalls that were unable to be resolved due to parts and we waited months. There is a list of issues I could go into, it wasn't a fun experience. When the vehicle was working well it was a fantastic drive, but we were scared to take it anywhere far because of how unreliable it ended up being for us. It could of just been our Cherokee but we have heard similar stories. It's sad be I love Jeep as a brand and always liked the Grand Cherokee line but our experience left a bad taste. Hopefully your experience is better though, I also know some people haven't had these issues and if that's the case, it really is an amazing vehicle in terms of driving experience and comfort.
I have a Jeep identical to yours. What you describe your reasoning for going with the Gladiator over the Wrangler is exactly the reasoning I had. A friend totaled his gladiator and replaced it with a Tacoma. The Gladiator is far and away a more versatile truck. I have owned Jeeps since the early eighties. I can't imagine not having the overlanding and towing capabilities as my Gladiator. Good luck to ya.
Thanks for commenting and glad we agree!! Yeah I love the Gladiator platform, to be able to overland and tow with something that looks so Iconic, has so much capability and customization, I just didn't really want to have to sacrifice one or the other by going with one of the alternatives. It's nice hearing from others who agree though, there's been a lot of bad press for the Gladiator in recent years, and why I get some of it, I still feel like it's an excellent mid size truck for what it is and is pretty unique in what it delivers. All the best to you as well! ✌️
I have a 2023 and i love it. No regrets. First jeep. I get it now.
Awesome! Yeah I'm having a great time so far with the Gladiator and really enjoying just daily driving it, but really can't wait to take it to more places and have some real fun. The thing about Jeeps for me is that they have so much character and of course capability, there really is something special about them. Glad your enjoying yours! ✌️
Hi from coastal Texas. I lived in HighLands Ranch, CO years ago. We picked up a new 2023 Mojave left over from last year. $42K out the door, MSRP was a little over $58K. This is my 5th Jeep, first modern one though. I sold my 1978 & 1983 J10/Honcho Jeep trucks a few years ago. I'm 6'1", our four & two year old's car seats fit the back perfectly. I got Seat Jackers from Desert Does It to help with leg comfort. I kept my Ram initially for heavier towing. I tow around 5K lbs(Yanmar tractor with implements) on a 20 foot dovetail trailer once a month. It is about pushing the limits for safe acceleration, and I have zero elevation change here. The wheelbase(only 1 inch shorter than my Ram) & suspension with Airlift 1000 handle towing great though. I'm using the same Tekonsha P3 brake controller I used in my Ram. We're going to downsize our travel trailer and probably sell the Ram. Part of the justification of a Gladiator is a new 4 seater UTV cost $20K+. We live on a small farm and with this I can drive down the highway to my in-laws ranch. Super fun trucks. We have several higher mileage Pentastar engines in my family. One had to have new cam and lifters at 180K, but she was bad at changing oil on time. I'm sticking to full syn oil changes every 5K(tire rotation time).
Hello from Colorado Springs haha, thanks for commenting! I love how it's your 5th Jeep and that you had a J10, those are so cool and if my wife and I had the space and well extra funds for it, I would love to have a classic Jeep to tinker/work on but also drive around for the experience. My wife would tell you I have a problem when it comes to my fascination with the brand. That's a great deal though that you got on the Mojave, they really do ride great and look good! I imagine it's quite a difference then from the classic Jeeps you used to own. My father is a huge Ram guy and has been trying to convince me on getting a 1500 and the like instead lol, and while I do really like Ram trucks, they ride great, are comfortable and obviously are better towing vehicles; I just can't get over my love of the smaller more offroad capable Gladiator midsize truck and honestly it should tow about as much as I'd ever need at least for the foreseeable future. Glad you had good experiences with yours though in that regard. My wife and are considering getting some sort of smaller travel trailer in the future here, but nothing that should require a full size truck.
@departureoutdoors I miss CO in the summers. I even miss NM because it's super humid here. 170K reliable miles in the Ram made me appreciate the ZF 8-speed. I sold the less practical toys when the family was growing and we wanted to buy a new house. My wife held onto her C4 Corvette, though. We are considering a higher clearance pop-up travel trailer for cost, fuel efficiency, and ease of towing. That should increase the distances we are willing to travel. We have a 21-foot Fleetwood Mallard. It weighs about 4600 lbs loaded. But it is a headache with crosswind. Even with a V8 powered half-ton equipped with a load leveling hitch with sway control. We camp on Matagorda island. I'd like something that can float over some soft sand. The dealership had a Rubicon, but it was black, and they wouldn't budge on 48K. We really like the Hydro blue on the Mojave. It rides nice, but I may have to add a front locker. Priority is moving my winch from my Ram. But I can't decide on a sexy(stubby) or protective(full width) bumper. Or something between.
I hear yeah on all of that! Yeah the weight, size and shape of the trailers seem to make a dramatic difference in terms of towing experience from all that I've seen out there in terms of others experiences. I can see how having to deal with heavy trailers that blows in the wind could be downer over long distances even if it's once in a while. Glad to hear you had great experiences in terms of reliability with the penastar and the zf 8 speed, also with the Ram, although the Hemi / Cummins engines are pretty legendary. Yeah getting a Rubicon in Colorado is always going to be expensive and it seems like dealers here aren't willing to negotiate at all, in fact most rubicons I've seen here even pretty basic ones are at least 48k if not most of the time higher doesn't matter if they have a decent chunk of miles. That's why my wife and I drove out to Kansas to get ours. Personally I really dig the stubby bumper look, we actually ran it on our wrangler like that for a while, I kind of go back and forth from protection vs having the stubby look and better clearance. Think I may go to the stubby shortly here though just because your comment haha.
LOVE the red!!!
Right, Red wasn't my first choice to be honest I kind of was hoping for the tan but after seeing the Red I was sold, it pops! Thanks!!
great purchase, ive been looking for one of these in green hard to come by! will you be making a price breakdown On it?
Thanks! Are you looking for the Sarge Green or the Mojito (lime) green? Either way yeah they seem pretty uncommon, but both are really cool colors. Yeah that seems like It could be a interesting video. May do that once we get some of the mods that we really want done here in the short term and then maybe update that over time. Thanks for commenting!
That's a awesome Jeep DJ congratulations like the videos
Thanks Danny, appreciate it, loving it so far!
Curious about your 4xe experience. Mine will be going back soon and had a 50/50 relationship with it.
I'll probably end up making a video just to kind of inform people about the potential challenges that may face, but I've also had a 50/50 experience with the 4xe powertrain. Is yours a Grand Cherokee as well or the Wrangler? In terms of my Wrangler it's actually been wonderful and I really haven't had any problems outside of one mostly minor recall. In terms of our Grand Cherokee which was a 2022, it was a mess of problems, had to have it towed away twice because of failed 12v batteries, defective wheel kuckles, faulty sensors, etc. Not to mention the never ending recall issues that all seemed to be somewhat serious. Then even if we wanted to get these issues fixed the delays to get them resolved were months out for most of them due to part shortages etc. We sold it with recalls that were unable to be resolved due to parts and we waited months. There is a list of issues I could go into, it wasn't a fun experience. When the vehicle was working well it was a fantastic drive, but we were scared to take it anywhere far because of how unreliable it ended up being for us. It could of just been our Cherokee but we have heard similar stories. It's sad be I love Jeep as a brand and always liked the Grand Cherokee line but our experience left a bad taste. Hopefully your experience is better though, I also know some people haven't had these issues and if that's the case, it really is an amazing vehicle in terms of driving experience and comfort.