Top down in a Gladiator and the Miata. 

"Milky" (jordanmielke) 02/03/2019 at 20:40 • Filed to: None

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Feels good when it was -13 degrees 4 days ago.

*friend works at Jeep

Nick- Professional Car Destroyer > Milky 02/03/2019 at 20:50

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I really like the wheels on that Jeep, they almost look like the 5 spoke wheels you could get on the ZJ.

atfsgeoff > Milky 02/03/2019 at 20:50

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A Gladiator and a Miata could be an ideal 2-car fleet.

Milky > atfsgeoff 02/03/2019 at 20:55

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We had that exact conversation earlier.  

Milky > Nick- Professional Car Destroyer 02/03/2019 at 20:57

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They’re really simple, but it works.  

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Milky 02/03/2019 at 20:59

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I want a 2 door JL and my ST

Nick- Professional Car Destroyer > Milky 02/03/2019 at 21:00

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Jeeps and simple go hand in hand.

Especially on the wrangler.

SHARPSPEED > Milky 02/03/2019 at 21:57

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Is that one of those Wrangler conversion kits or did *the* Gladiator already hit the market? Either way it looks pretty good in that first pic. 

Milky > SHARPSPEED 02/03/2019 at 22:17

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Preproduction, b uddy wa s “evaluating” it for the weekend.  

SHARPSPEED > Milky 02/03/2019 at 22:19

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There is no humanly possible way I could know your buddy less and I still think I now hate him regardless. 

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Milky 02/03/2019 at 22:54

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Meh. Enjoy your topless minivan. Come back when they build a truck. 

Milky > SHARPSPEED 02/03/2019 at 22:58

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Haha, he doesn’ t get to bring home cars from work that often.  A perk of working for the big 3 though.  

Milky > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 02/03/2019 at 23:18

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I mean its got a frame, stick axles and a bed.  Being topless just makes it more fun.  

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Milky 02/04/2019 at 01:29

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So the Gladiator is longer than my LW B Jag ...?

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 02/04/2019 at 07:24

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That’s not a very nice thing to say about a Miata. 

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Milky 02/04/2019 at 07:42

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There’s almost nothing the “ truck” can accomplish better as a truck  than a minivan towing a utility trailer. You want a back seat, buy a damn minivan, and quit ruining the truck market for the rest of us.

Milky > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 02/04/2019 at 09:21

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A whole foot longer.  

Milky > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 02/04/2019 at 09:35

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I’ll argue you only buy a minivan when you need a 3rd row of seats. Hell the Gladiator has dirt bike tire imprints in the bed to help you line them up. No joke, I cant find a picture but they are there. This is how they launched the thing, Jeeps sell because they sell you on an “active” lifestyle.  

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Milky 02/04/2019 at 13:11

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OK, that thing ain’t fitting in my garage.  Guess I won’t be buying one :(

Milky > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 02/04/2019 at 14:00

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I googled some shit because I was curious. Its only 7 inches longer then a Tacoma, and the Unlimi ted Wrangler is 31 inches shorter.  Incase you actually want one that fits in your garage.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Milky 02/04/2019 at 14:01

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Yeah, I’ve toyed with the idea of a small pickup after living in ‘Murica for so long.  But today’s models are just way too large for me.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Milky 02/04/2019 at 14:23

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You know where else you can stick a pair of dirtbikes? A utility trailer, behind a minivan. It’ll be easier to load them with the lower deck, and you’ll even be able to get the tailgate closed because the load deck is an actual useful length. That gigantic back seat takes up way too much wheelbase, compromising the Gladiator’s usefulness as a truck my making it unwieldy off-road, with a bed that is too short to be practical. There’s a reason there was never a crewcab Jeep truck before today. Jeep trucks were always practical trucks that were functional off-road, and that unnecessary rear bench compromises both those qualities.

The minivan with the utility trailer will probably also get better mpg, too.   

Milky > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 02/04/2019 at 15:49

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Which is wild because we’re talking about a midsize truck and you have a long wheel base full size car.  

Milky > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 02/04/2019 at 15:54

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IMHO this is a “dont hate the player, hate the game” situation. Crew cab trucks sell, flat out. I m not gonna hate that there is another one on the market, that happens to have a solid front axle and available lockers front and rear and the top comes off.

It was fun, man.

I think your argument makes sense against the Ridgeline. It even shares a platform with a minivan, but is for people that want a “truck”.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Milky 02/05/2019 at 00:50

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Yep.  90s Ford Ranger was the size I would’ve liked to own.  We’ll see if I can warm up to the idea of an old pickup with old car problems.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Milky 02/05/2019 at 21:14

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So maybe calling it a minivan is a little harsh, but the truth is that people who “need” a back seat in their truck are people who would be better off in a minivan. Maybe an SUV... wait, there’s already a W rangler with four doors...

You point out that this is “only” seven inches longer than a Taco, except the Tacoma fits a 6' bed in that length . Still not optimal, but better than five. But let’s go back to the last Jeep truck. Sure, the Gladiator specs some impressive off-road gadgets that the Comancge didn’t, and if space behind the seats is something you want, the MJ really didn’t have much, and yes, the JT has a higher max tow rating. But the Comanche could be specced for 25% more payload, and with the 7' long bed is still a two feet shorter than the Gladiator. The shortbed Comanche is three feet shorter than the Gladiator, but has a foot of extra bed.

Literally every midsize truck on the market is available with less can and more bed than the G ladiator, for people who actually use their truck for truck things If the Gladiator had a regular cab long bed option – hell, same frame just trade the back seat for a 7' bed with the same overall length – I’d be trying to put down a deposit on a diesel already. An extended cab and 6' bed might at least get me in the door at the dealer. But a 5' bed is too short.

You can get a 4' x8' sheet of plywood into a minivan. Transporting normal truck loads in a 5' bed is incredibly f rustrating, because half of them don’t fit, or you can barely get any volume in there so you need to make extra trips . If you’re going through rough roads, the last thing you want is an open tailgate.

Milky > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 02/06/2019 at 10:04

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I think you should just get of the image of  a Gladiator on a work site out of your head. Theres not going to be a long bed, base model sold in white with plastic bumpers to fleets. Someone has done the numbers and crew cabs sell more and are more profitable. Ram hasn’t even shown a non crew cab 1500 yet, its been out for a year.

Doesnt mean its not a “real” truck. FCA wants those sweet, sweet profit margins and for now the consumer is giving it to them.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Milky 02/06/2019 at 19:48

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No one wants a white truck with plastic bumpers. The “you should just get the image of a gladiator on a work site out of your head” mentality is exactly why it’s a shitty truck. It’s tragic what minivan buyers have done to the truck market.

The Ram 1500 still comes with an extended cab (sorry, “ quad” cab) and a useful bed. As does every midsize truck on the market, and half-ton, apart from the G ladiator. You can even still get an F 150 with a regular cab and 8' bed , not that I’d want to have to live with owning a Ford, but sometimes beggars can’t be choosers.

It really is tragic that minivan owners are forcing people who need a truck to buy a bigger truck than they want , just to be able to feel like they own a truck. And yeah, I know how it happens. Buddy the carpenter goes down to the lot to get himself a useful half-ton, but he can’t because all the half-tons on the lot are minivan spec. But there’s a regular cab long-bed 3/4 ton sitting on the lot, that costs less than anything in the row of minivans, so he gets that instead. Pretty soon B uddy ’s not even going to be able to bump up to a 3/4 ton, because the minivan people found those,  too.

Milky > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 02/07/2019 at 10:30

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Dude come on, no one is “forcing” you to buy a certain truck. Truck buyers want bigger trucks, if not midsize would have taken over.

Also lol at “shitty truck”. Tows 7klbs, actually meant to go off road, diesel available, manual available, lockers front and rear available and a place to put tall/dirty things. If you dont like it, dont buy it, consumer dollars speak more then internet comments.

If you want to complain about what  minivan buyers are doing to the auto industry, start with the passport and blazer.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Milky 02/07/2019 at 22:23

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Yeah. Clearly the Passport and Blazer are problems, because they’re getting rid of what people who need a vehicle that can pull trailers and carry passengers.

But lol at 7k lbs towing. You can spec any other midsize truck that was developed this decade with 7k lbs towing, and still get them without a stupid crew cab . A half ton that isn’t substantially bigger than the Gladiator can be specced for 12.5k... and all of them come with a place to stick things that are tall/dirty/ long things, some of them even heavy things.

A truck doesn’t just exist to tow things. The bed matters. Being able to close the tailgate matters. If all you want to haul is a dirt bike, you don’t need your off-road truck to haul it along the trail before you get to the trail. In an off-road truck, you need room for your trail building tools, your construction supplies, the moose you’re hauling out, etc. And you’re not going to be able to do that in a “truck” that prioritizes passenger over cargo,  with a 5' bed and only 1600lbs payload . Jeep trucks used to be able to do that, but the G ladiator can’t. Because it’s a shitty truck.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 02/08/2019 at 00:26

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I want one so bad I really hope it fits in my garage. But I’m pretty sure it’s too long.  I’m so committed at this point I might just get a Wrangler Unlimited if not even though I’d really prefer a pickup. 

Milky > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 02/08/2019 at 11:58

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Except most trucks are crew cabs now and most (read 99.99%)  people aren’t hauling a moose out of the woods. Jeep’s image is off road, it does that well, the best in some situations actually and is a truck.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Milky 02/08/2019 at 13:37

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Name one other truck that forces you into a gigantic crew cab and a tiny bed , and then tell me that it’s justifiable not to have a better option. This is a toy, and that’s all it’ll be if they keep prioritizing passengers over cargo. I’m sure it’ll sell like crazy too because people are stupid enough to fall for it . It’s still  a shitty truck.

Milky > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 02/08/2019 at 13:50

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Ridgeline.

Yes it is a toy, thats why driving it is enjoyable.

Also for fun went to a local dealer site to see their inventory.

Lol @ regular cab sales.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Milky 02/08/2019 at 16:25

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Arguably that actually proves my point. If you look at the non-minivan specs, you’ll see there are more regular cab longbed combos in stock than there are crew-cab longbeds. Because people who actually use their trucks as trucks don’t need or want a huge back seat. Stupid people will blow their money on stupid shit, sure, hence the proliferation of crew cabs, SUVs handle passenger duties both on and off-road far better than trucks do, but trucks look cool... until you add that ridiculous back seat that ruins the proportions of the truck. Better weight distribution for better handling, better ride quality because it’s not set up for carrying heavy cargo, etc. It’s why my daily driver “minivan” is an SUV ( with two solid axles, 4x4, and a manual transmission). But I’ve got a truck for truck things, at its more competent at truck things than the Gladiator is , despite being almost 30 years old. Because it’s built for transporting cargo, not passengers. It also occupies a significantly smaller footprint and weighs over 1000lbs less, both of which make it better setup for doing truck things off-road. Incidentally, the gladiator weighs the same as those half-tons that are set up for towing 12,000+ lbs, meanwhile my Comanche weighs the same as a large FWD sedan . There’s a reason people still own Jeep trucks, and it’s not for ferrying people around, and there’s a reason Jeep has never even done an extended cab. To go to the opposite extreme and not offer anything less than a crew cab... sure it’s not what the market looks like, but there’s a ton of people out there who would want a Jeep truck but owning something 30 years old or more is too much of an obstacle for them . Which is understandable. The G ladiator isn’t the answer to the Jeep truck vacuum anyone was looking for, because it compromises itself HARD by being crew-cab only. A cool toy maybe to some , but that’s all a crew-cab shortbed will be. It’s a shitty truck.