Just rented a Jeep for a week... I don't get it?

Somebody told me Years ago not to put my tongue on a frozen window sill. I didn’t listen. It’s been in sketchier places since that but Never on a frozen window sill.
Kinda like a TW parable

 

I haven't read the rest of this thread, but I'll comment on the very first post. I own both a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and a 3rd Gen Tacoma. This is my response.

"Ride comfort is non-existent in the Jeep, if you aren't hard core off roading every weekend, why would you want that? Why not just build a dedicated rig out of a CJ7?"
You clearly have never ridden in a classic jeep. The modern Jeep is significantly more luxurious than a CJ7. It's not the smoothest ride, but it's not significantly worse than your Tacoma. For a vehicle thats designed for wheeling straight off the show-room floor, Jeep has done a fantastic job making them "Mall-Crawlable".

"What is the point of the keyless ignition when it doesn't open the doors by touch?"
I grew up in a day and age where we didn't have keyless entry at all. Clearly you didn't. The keyholder having the ability to unlock all doors with a touch of a button, from a distance is a huge advantage over the old school method of inserting the key, unlocking one door, then unlocking the other doors manually once inside the vehicle. In addition, Jeeps are built for a purpose. The less electronics on the doors, the better.

"I don't get the interior styling either, its just cartoonish on the inside. I am not a super fan of the yota, but I really don't like the jeep."
Personal preference, but I disagree.

"Why anyone would want a 4 door extra long jeep truck over a taco makes very little sense to me, but I don't really off-road unless you count the beach"
Again, personal preference, but the Jeep is designed and built for off-road. It's superior in most situations. As you said, for a person who doesn't off-road, naturally, you wouldn't value the appeal.


Be careful, OP. Your bias is showing.

 

I think there's some bias in the other direction in terms of offroading. I agree a stock Jeep is a more capable offroad vehicle, however I believe it's some amount of hype and only really matters in certain situations. I took my TRD OR with only a spacer lift and tires out with an offroad club and literally every other person was in a Jeep. The topic of conversation before the run was "Where can we go that the guy in the Tacoma can make it?"

At the end of the run, I had three different people come up to me and tell me that if they hadn't seen it themselves, they never would have believed a Taco could make through that run and I didn't even think it was that rough, I locked my diff once and never needed to engage crawl control. I think most of the hype is due to people not knowing what either vehicle can or can't do.

 

Oh, absolutely. When going down Black Bear Pass, I had several Jeeps in front of me. They didn't think I could make it down (idiots) in the Tacoma. I did "the hard switchback" as a 3-point turn when most of them took it in 5.

Bias works from all angles, you just have to be the smart one.

 

Sidewalls are overrated.

 

Yeah, but the jeep is shit on the highway, lets be honest. There is a big trade off there.

I have cars with and without, my point was that it makes no sense to get out the key to open the door only to not have an ignition to put it in once you are in the drivers seat. Why do I have to get out the fob? Jeep cheaped out on the keyless for whatever reason. In the taco, either you have a fob and an ignition to put the key into, or keyless everything. I kept forgetting the key in the center console because it makes no sense to have half of a keyless option.

Yeah, just seems cartoonish and not in a good way.

You think the super long wheel base on the gladiator is better offroading than a custom old school cj7?

Oh, I'm clearly biased, I tried out both tacos and jeeps and went with the taco lease because I was so completely on the fence about trucks in general. 35k for a base jeep with manual windows just seems like a big FU to buyers. Granted a year in I have changed my tune significantly and couldn't be happier with the taco.

 

Ok, old Jeeper here. Frankly, it’s a Jeep. Expecting a car or even newer pickup ride is unreasonable, even though Jeep has improved the ride over my forty year old lifted Jeep it really isn’t supposed to feel like a 70’s Caddie rolling down a newly paved boulevard.

Sad thing is mist folks driving pickups these days expect that bumpless ride. And to get it manufacturers have gutted the capabilities from trucks.

 

Yeah, but have you driven a dodge pickup with the coil springs in the back? That's crazy smooth.

Rumor is the next Tundra will have coil springs too.

Could the taco be next?

 

+1 to both statements.

Just recently sold my XJ. Had a YJ years ago, that thing was a friggin blast. I wouldn't mind picking up a TJ Rubicon, but would I take any of them over my Taco to be a daily driver? Nope. With my Taco how it is, I don't need the Jeep anyway.


Would I own or drive a JK/JL? Not if you paid me.

 

I rented a 2018 for a week in Florida. It had a procomp lift and 35's. I didnt hate it. But I didnt love it. I much prefer either of my Tacomas. Alot of my friends are diehard Jeep guys though and scoffed at the idea of buying a Tacoma.



In the end, we all wheel the same trails and enjoy bbq and beer.

 

Depends on the obstacle. Short wheel base is good where tight maneuvering is required. Longer wheel base is better for steep inclines/declines.

 

Isn’t it only 6 inches longer than the dc 5 foot box Tacoma?

 

If that, I was parked next to one the other day and it seemed pretty damned close.

 

Nope. Own both. Different critters.

 

A long bed Tacoma actually has a longer wheelbase than a Gladiator.

 

Right now I’m driving a 2015 DCLB Taco for a job I’m doing. Takes a little getting used to coming from my DCSB. Trail limo life!

 

DCLB always look a bit odd to me unless they have a small lift, probably would take a little getting used to driving.

 

Honestly, I don’t like the look of this truck. The front end looks good, but the proportions are weird from the side for sure. The DCLB 3Gs looks a little less weird to me. It’s a completely stock 2015 DCLB Sport in white with a white fibreglass canopy and grey leather interior, on the stock street tires. I can honestly say I’m missing my ‘17 a little.

Nonetheless I am enjoying the time in the truck to compare the 4.0L 5 spd auto to my personal truck. So much is made of the difference between the two, it’s surprising how similar they are.

 

Is it a company truck or a rental? I had a couple 2nd Gens before this one and you are correct in that they are very similar.

 

It’s a loaner truck from a company I’m sub-contracted to at a remote site. Having said that, I believe it’s the personal truck of one of their workers, so it is in very nice shape.