Jeep Gladiator

So I'm late to the party, but the things that quickly caught my eye, that I'd love to see some variation of on the 4th gen taco or more likely the 3.5gen update:

1. Front locker
2. MANUAL trans option
3. swaybar disconnect. I love the perks of not having mine anymore, but there are some tricky corners in town that I have to watch out for now.
4. factory front camera
5. I think this one is oft overlooked: 4 factory accessory switches. I'd be curious to know how they function as opposed to my switchpro, but still...
-1. They have a trim package called "overland". I associate with that word, but hate the marketing hype these days. Has brought about some cool stuff though.

Seems like this dash panel is like 80% of the tacoma's wish list for me in one go.

 

I’m glad they did this. I’ve had three jeeps a 69, a 94 and a 04 and have never loved the ride but they sure are fun to be in. Only ever wheeled the 94 and that thing could take a beating. Where I am most Jeeps are modded as status symbols, mostly 20-30 somethings - this thing will no doubt fit that niche nicely.

My preferred Jeep, still have the 69:

 

FUGLY BEYOND WORDS!
And I know keeps!


My other build

 

I was just watching another video from the Gladiator unveil when it occurred to me that this design addresses some issues/wants that we see discussed on TW every day. One example is the spare time - a 33" spare on the Rubicon rolled-out at the car show, but designed to fit a 35" spare. Christ, how many times have we seen that question asked on here? Fox shocks come standard, so one less necessary mod there. Also, there's a built-in bed light - another oft-discussed mod on TW. I get the impression Jeep might be targeting Tacoma owners much more specifically than I originally thought. As others have suggested, if nothing else, maybe this will get Toyota off their asses to make some changes.

Edit - really went after the "lockable storage" under and behind the rear seats, too, and there's even LED lighting back there.

Edit2: front bed rail option

 

I dont think the 4wd thing matters.....and if it does then jeep will just roll out a 2wd JT like they did with the 4 door JK

 

The gas motor will probably be reliable enough but they can keep their diesel. If it came in an Access/Extended cab with a 6-7 foot bed I would have some interest in looking at this truck.

 

The Gladiator seems to address just that point.

 

The biggest questions for me (after pricing) are 1) how irritated would I be with that damn "engine start/stop" feature and 2) is the cited towing capacity accurate or BS?

 

Their stage unveil literally had 2 dirtbikes in the bed.

 

It actually has specific places on the bed to position dirtbike front wheels

 

Yeah, with the little textured indicators. I thought that was kind of a nifty touch.

 

You can disable the ESS....at least there are like a half-dozen ways to do so on the JL.


The downside that I wonder about is it seems to be about 10-11" longer than a Tacoma DCSB....

 

Looks badass to me. I wish it had a 6' bed. Always wanted a LR D130. I've given up on LR making anything I want any more.

 

My only point in asking the 4WD sales numbers for Tacomas was in reference to comments predicting the Gladiator would "kill" Tacoma sales. If 25% of Tacomas are 4WD, and the Gladiator was to capture" 50% of that, then Tacoma sales would only go down 12.5%. Not exactly "killing" Tacoma sales.

I doubt it would affect overall Tacoma sales 10% over a three year period. The Gladiator will get an initial "novelty" sales bump, but I don't think it will be sustainable. It's more of a niche vehicle in my opinion.

Again, just my opinion, and it ain't worth much!

 

I owned a 2009 JKU Sahara for a few years before trading-in for a 2012 Grand Cherokee. It just wasn't practical for my day-to-day lifestyle at the time.
But one thing I learned - you think the third-party/aftermarket accessories and parts world for the Tacoma is exciting? It doesn't scratch the surface of how much cool shit is out there for the Wranglers, and I suspect it will be the same for this new truck.
I'm drooling just thinking about a Diamondback cover for the Gladiator.

 

Question for anyone really examining all these unveil videos up close - WTF is up with the design of the backside of the front seats? My first thought was "more leg room for rearseat passengers", but I don't know. Any theories? Is that weird design just for looks, or is there a method to the madness?

Edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0H6bvbSCi8

If you can stop drooling at the blonde eye-candy, pay close attention at the 15:30 mark, where there's a good look at the rear of the front seats. Could that be a built-in MOLLE panel, or something approximate?

 

Yeah, exactly. It’s been repurposed from the eco diesel Ram, which is a Fiat engine at heart. I really wish they stuck with Cummins. Fiat diesels are shit, as evidenced by all the problems with the eco diesels and the stop sale that was put out on them for a few months. Fiat made some good management decisions for Chrysler, but I really wish they wouldn’t try to inject their subpar tech into the lineups.

 

I was really hoping when they announced the comback of the defender, they would include a 90-130 series in a utility grade, and not the "Chelsea Footballer" category as usual. I'm with you though. I'd love to see Mercedes do the same thing with the G wagen like they do in Europe though.

 

Just wait a few months...I'm sure theres after market companies already designing 6' bolt on beds

 

My first car was a 1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ. I know plenty about them.

My point being, when you take the doors off and the top off, you rarely bring them with you (even the half doors and a soft top, like I had). I dont care if I get dirty, but cleaning out the interior of a modern jeep would be a bitch.

To each there own. Clearly ya'll are the true experts on the matter and I know fuck all about it, because I have a hood scoop... not sure how that became relevant to the conversation .

This thread should have stayed in the 3rd gen section, because it fits the mold of the typical 12 year old keyboard warriors, squabblig over their opinion, that's uber common over there.