Gladiator or Tacoma, Help Me Decide!

I drove in a gravel lot last week…almost had to put her in 4WD…does that qualify as overlanding?

 

My brother has a Pentastar Rubicon JL and likes it. I sold my JK last year right after it hit the dreaded 90k mark..............and sure as sh!t the lifter risers (or whatever they are called) started ticking around 85k and by 90k it was very evident they needed to be replaced; to the tune of $2700 +

I have not been able to get back to EJS, nor any really hard core wheeling with the Toyota yet, but that will change after I get enough cash for a lift and gears.
To me that is the only real disadvantage Ive seen to the Tacomas, is Toyota (unlike the JKs and JLs and Gladiators) makes it WAY more difficult to lift and put larger tires on a Tacoma, unlike the Jeeps.

If the Gladdy you want is a Pentastar, then I would H I G H L Y reconsider getting it and drop your cash on a Tacoma. If you are thinking other than a Pentastar Gladiator, I cant offer as much advice, but I can say I loved my Jeep, but it and the Petastar powered JLs and Gladiators are not as reliable as their price tags and re-sale would have you believe. Get the Toyota IMHO.

 

Yes. Yes it does. Well done sir!

 

That's more regular Jeep stuff than Tacoma or Gladiator. Shorter wheelbase and front+rear lockers.

 

Hey OP, I think the question you really need to ask yourself is: "Which of these vehicles would I still be happy with when it has 100,000 miles on it?"

 

Toyota does all the same shit.

 

My car ownership has gone from '99 Taco - '12 Jeep - '20 Taco and I can say this is the truest statement that I have read on this site.

 

100% agreed. Having been on it many times, including pre-2012, and even though its long since been filled in partially/crushed up since the days of the true boulders, areas like the Little Sluse box on the Rubicon are NOT for vehicles with longer departure angles, which pretty much includes all pickups (at least the ones that have bed boxes still on them).

 

It’s much cheaper to build the gladiator to do those things you mentioned than getting a tacoma. Tacomas have issues too so does the Jeep. I know I’ll be rubbing the egos of Tacoma fanboys but it is what it is .

 

Nobody here is really gonna give a shit what you buy. I like my Taco, it's stock and it jumps small curbs, that is as close as I will probably get to rock crawling. No tranny issues and responds as it should. The Gladiator may or may not be nice truck. It's UAF though. But who's to judge....

 

Gladiators look good if you spend a ton of money on them.

 

In the last 3 months at the shop we've seen 4 Jeep Rubicons with cylinder head problems - overheating/blown headgaskets and valve issues causing misfires.

The last 4 Tacomas got oil changes and brake pads

 

I don’t have any personal experience with Jeep ownership but OP, you may find this video helpful.

I thought it was a pretty well done, unbiased, comparison.

https://youtu.be/Jj__K12mwrM

 

Do you see this as being a forever vehicle? I'd go Tacoma.

 

Off roading like, water crossings, climbing, rock crawling, etc? If so, Gladiator.

If not, whichever is cheaper.

 

You'll have to do that stupid wave

 

Obviously I am biased towards the Tacoma.... My 2017 Sport has been a great truck for myself and my family needs. Since Dec. 2016 it has been very reliable, safe, utilitarian, and thoroughly enjoyable. I recommend these vehicles if you need a truck bed. My next vehicle will be full-sizes pickup, but thta is a years down the road, I only have ~77k on the odometer.

 

Toyota should build a 4Runner pickup 2dr 6' bed munual transfer case, optional manual transmission, IFS rear and front lockers 11" of ground clearance 33" tires.

 

I have a couple of really good friends in our off road group with Jeeps. No real grips or complaints once they get well built, it's all the same shit we all deal with. I will say that any build will get expensive Tacos or Glads. The one thing with the Gladiator that bothers me is the wheel base. Its a solid 10 inches larger than the SBTaco. That break over is a bitch and requires a solid build up for any serious off-roading. They will both end up costing a ton to mod but the Glad will be easier to mod, solid axles, larger wheel wells, a ton of aftermarket support. For reference here are 2 pics of the Glad and a JL maybe I can't remember and I don't know the jeep lingo anymore. The glad is on 40s or 38s fully built diffs, axles the works and JL is on 37s geared with stock axles. He's prepping for 60s.