Jeep Gladiator Rubicon vs. Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro ― 2020 Off-Road Truck Comparison Test

Jeep Gladiator Rubicon vs. Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro ― 2020 Off-Road Truck Comparison Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pbx1cUjpSM

 

Of course I'm biased but I think the Tacoma did better (or the driving was better). And if you factor in reliability and resale value the Tacoma definitely takes the award.

 

Dual locked and still struggled vs. open diff, and no fancy traction aides... gee, which one did better? Was that due to wheel base or simply line selection?

Driver skill and maybe airing down a bit would make things a little easier, lol.

I don't know why they focused so much on the jeep having a sway bar disconnect - it's not like you can't disconnect the one on the Taco. Hell, I threw my swaybar in the trash years ago.

That said, I don't think I saw any terrain that my 16 year old Tacoma couldn't do, so I'm not really convinced I should spend 40-50k on either truck.

 

I've run those trails many times in Calico and they did the easiest 2wd capable trail there !!!! . I wanted them to run the Calico Gatekeeper that leads to Doran canyon

 

I always love it when a channel gets a couple of goobers with little to no off road experience to go test out some 4x4s.

 

I was pumping gas at Costco when a brand new red rubicon gladiator pulled up next to me. I complimented his truck, he looked over at my Tacoma and he told me he regretted selling his. We didn't really have time to chat since I didn't want to be that asshole who holds up the line

 

I hear the same thing from people who sell their 1st gens and buy a 3rd gen...

 

I had a 1st gen, I regret selling it but i don't think it was better than my 3rd gen. Both are great trucks and both have positives and negatives

 

Very true. There are some rabid fans of both, and I tend to (sarcastically) pour gas on that fire, just for fun.

Most notably my first gen has been paid off for more than a decade. Anybody worth their salt will just keep their best gen and buy their new truck (I kept mine when I bought my '17 4Runner).

Main detractor to 1st gens is the ball joint design and the frame rust issue. Though I'm not convinced Toyota actually "fixed" the issue on the 3rd gens (it's still an issue with the 2nd gens). They just haven't been on the salty roads for long enough yet. That's true of any manufacturer, though.

I think for a daily driver/commuter the newers trucks are hands down a better truck. I love my 4Runner, it's way quieter, more powerful, bigger (but that just allows my family to pack in more stuff, lol), etc... I honestly just don't like the way the trucks keep getting bigger and bigger. The new Tacos are about the same size and the older Tundras. The trails I drive are tight enough with my 1st gen.

For me though, the main weakness to the newer trucks is not really the truck itself, but the marketing for it. Toyota sells these trucks with all these cool buttons and TRD Pro badging telling the buyers that the buttons make wheeling easier, and that makes it worth $50k. So you have novices that buy brand new uber off-roader trucks and go out and find a trail and quickly get in WAY over their heads. No recovery gear, no safety gear, and little to no driving skills. It's certainly not unique to brand new trucks, I see plenty of old trucks getting into bone-headed situations, too. But these new trucks are being marketed as having all this advanced technology to make all that go away, and that's just not true. I saw pic of a 3rd gen a while back on a trail near Mammoth Lakes, CA - the truck had been abandoned with a flat tire. Guy goes offroading without even knowing how to change or repair a flat. Bet you the salesman didn't mention anything about that, lol...

I've played around with the buttons on my 4Runner, and they just don't live up to the hype, IMO. The downhill assist (DAC) is just flat dumb. It's just pulsing the ABS system, which if you've ever been in a panic stop, is very loud. It was unbearable after just a few seconds of use.

 

No "button" will make up for skill, however lets be honest.. those buttons are not for skilled drivers, they are for novice/beginners or very niche instances where it does help. In those cases they do actually work, at least from most of the video's I have seen that test those systems out.

If you are skilled, prepared, know the trail, and properly equipped vehicle for the road.. those buttons would do nothing for you. For those that are not, they do what they were designed for.

Also, to be honest.. marketing has not changed, much, with these trucks (or any trucks) whether it is direct marketing or "influencers" on youtube.. they have always been marketed to get drivers that should not be on trails onto trails, it sells them... that is whole idea behind marketing. Sell it, not teach how to use it.

 

They really are just marketed at beginners, for sure. But I think an experienced driver can make the most use of of all those buttons. He might not "need" them, but just like we don't "need" cruise control, it can help an experienced driver with multi tasking, or whatever.

A beginner will just mash buttons until something works, not really knowing why. In the end, all it does is teach them to mash buttons, rather than use fine throttle control, gear selection, and when to use a locker. None of those buttons will ever teach line choice, wheel placement, or safety. Which is really the most troubling thing to me. This technology has enabled people to get in way over their heads and end up with no way out because the salesman said their new $50k truck has "everything they need".

 

I was tempted to sell my Toyota for a Gladiator because I love the freedom of an open top, but I've seen a lot of horror stories regarding break downs and malfunctions :/