Tacoma vs. Gladiator

Yeah, there’s some info missing here. It’s also an outlier as the 3.6L is generally a reliable engine and why Stellantis hasn’t been fast to move on from it, much like Toyota and the 4.0L.

 

I know Jeep owners complain about the 3 6 but I think its a great motor. Super easy to work on, at least the maintenance of it is. The Jeep in general is a very easy vehicle to maintain. It's just a little less comfortable than horseback.

 

Not sure what kind of wheeling you do, but even a short box Tacoma is way too long for some of the washouts we got here.

 

So what you are saying is the current Tundra is junk for the most part too, like the Fords and Dodge, correct?

 

Last time I did it I got just under 20k difference between a Tacoma with tech package and a similarly equipped Glad. To be fair and honest, I did my jeep build as close in features to the Tacoma as possible, and then I picked a couple out of local inventories that were closest to that build. If I was building for myself (6mt with max tow, soft top and some dashboard gadgets) I'm consistently seeing 65k in price to get a local match. For that sticker, I'll keep my boring old 3rd gen. That extra money pays for the week long camper tow that I take it on annually.

I do think it's cool that Jeep options are much more a-la-carte, but at the same time I'm sure it makes off-the-lot-shopping somewhat more complicated.

 

As mentioned abouve, apples and oranges. If I wanted another wheeler I would buy another Jeep. My 98 TJ has served me well with minor downtime, but it is not a daily driver, ProRock 60's, coilovers, Atlas, yadda yadda. I need a reliable daily driver that can handle fire roads, two tracks, a little snow, a little mud, haul hunting and fishing gear and not drive like a tank, Ie my TJ.

Very few people are going to spend or have the money to hack up a new Tacoma to make it Hammers ready. A stockish Gladiator or Tacoma on the Rubicon, not a problem, Fordyce....got dents?

 

I've always been a Taco fan and have thought about buying a jeep, having said that I am willing to buy what seems more practical for me and has a good track record. I do not daily drive my Taco and I suppose if money wasn't a big deal I'd probably own both vehicles and set them up for somewhat different purposes.

Video seemed fair from an objective point of view but I do not view the comparison in an apples vs apples manner.

 

What the you-tuber in the video and failing to tell and inform everyone is that, anytime you take a vehicle and modify it to perform outside of the envelope for which it was originally designed for and tested for, you are headed for issues headaches and some failures or short comings.

The Jeep’s are mainly made from the factory to perform on back roads or more rugged terrain, and thus require less modification, whereas the Tacoma is designed to be a work truck.

To bring you to a farther off job site, or places and back, not to live in the back roads. And yet, it is able to handle both tasks more reliably and comfortably than the Jeep, day in day out, even when it has been beefed up and modified.

He (you-tuber) needs to put that under his hat, before making unqualified claims.

 

He seems fairly honest about it all except the most important part...reliability.

No one, not one person ever has claimed Jeep is equal in reliability to Toyota. Not once, anywhere, ever. Reason being they're obviously not.

But he claims "reliability is kinda even". No sir. Not even close.

 

Lists like this are always fun for me when I see audi ranked high and vw ranked low. Literally the same company and share many of the same engines and parts.

 

While I kinda see your point, VW also owns everything from Skoda and Seat to Lamborghini and Bentley.

 

Yeah, but Audi and VW share the same platform and parts. One isn’t reliable while the other isn’t.

Subaru being high on that list makes it even more comical. They consume oil, have world class miserable CVTs, and their performance engines are time bombs knocking at your door.

That’s a whole other thread tho.

 

For every obstacle a short wheel base doesn't have an issue with and a long wheel does the next obstacle will be just the opposite.

 

WTF happened?

 

Yes, for rock crawling a bit longer wheelbase is preferred.

For the wheeling that I do around here, short wheelbase will win almost every time.

 

Again, I agree but the point is he's being dishonest about the Jeep reliability numbers.

No one puts Jeep in the top 20 for reliability. Ever.

He doesn't need to ramble on about wanting a better determination of reliability, it's not like half the ratings put Jeep in the top and half don't.

No one puts Jeep at the top for reliability because they're not reliable vehicles. It's simple and he's being purposely obtuse to avoid telling the truth.

 

Exactly!

 

In my defense, I didn’t watch it. YouTube opinions are consistently useless, I’m just here for the fodder

Most reliable car I’ve had was a 2012 GTI. Cars are reliably unreliable.

 

I disagree, the gladiator is a literal boat at 218”.

If they made a 2 door version with a bed, I’d seriously consider buying one, but pick up trucks are just family passenger vehicles and Jeep doesn’t see the money in making one.

 

They made them before and couldn’t sell them. My buddy is restoring a Comanche right now.