Reno and surrounding areas: Official spotted, BS, and meets thread

I’ve liked these since they came out. If Toyota doesn’t deliver on the next Tacoma it’s going to be hard not to go to a Gladiator, especially with the diesel coming. I’m tired of fighting with the dealer on small warranty shit they should fix no questions asked. I’m tired of shit gas mileage on 31’s. And honestly the Tacoma doesn’t drive that great especially considering I barely have a lift on it. Like you said, the Jeep is ready to roll off the lot. Throw a small lift and 37’s and it’s dialed. Gotta throw a lot of money at a Tacoma to get to that and you’re still not gonna get the off road performance.

 

Good review, thanks. That's a nice looking Jeep for sure!

 

Dolan gave me a loaner while they fixed something on mine. One of the previous drivers left me a message.

 

At least you have Car Play

 

At least I got that going for me

 

@WuTang lookin good man!

 

I like the new truck @kceastsparks

 

@RelentlessFab
I don't think I've read a better explanation for why the gladiator is an option. You're in a unique space where you have significant time with a few of these trucks, and the diesel option in the future. Seems too good to be true almost.

 

@RelentlessFab Thanks for the feedback. Have you done any sort of comprehensive review on the Chevy? They seem pretty solid too. I am getting tired of the no bed, shit mileage, and having to constantly work on the 80. I really do like it, and it pains me to even think about it, but my vehicle ADD is getting the best of me. I drove a new taco a few weeks ago, the interior seems quite a bit better over the 2nd gen I think, but still pretty lack luster overall. It wont be for about a year or so, so I have some time to do some research.

 

Actually, yes I do... We bought our own Colorado ZR2 Bison edition with the Duramax as a shop build about 6 months ago.
Here's a peek at what it looks like currently.



So if we start comparing all the rigs it's going to get a bit confusing, I'd probably have to start ranking each area/feature on a scale of 1-10.
But I'll highlight some of my perceptions of the Colordo vs the others....

Things I like
*LOVE the little diesel. Its not the most powerful or fastest by any means, however it's like a little tractor. Consistent torque pulling it everywhere, very little gear hunting, just chugs along wherever you want to go. Loaded down with gear and setup like seen in the picture lifted a little and on 33" MTs I was getting 15-16mpg off-road at 18psi in DV, and 18-20mpg on the highway aired back up, depending on headwind. This is bone stock performance-wise(and stock 3.42 gears). Banks is supposed to be coming out with a tune for these this year which should help it even further. Stock it would get 23-25mpg on the highway with cruise locked at 72-75mph.
*The ZR2 has fantastic factory suspension, really. We added a coilover upgrade(threaded sleeve over stock front shock) and 700lb springs and an AAL in the rear, nothing more so far. In DV it impressed me a LOT. Would walk away from a mid-travel Tacoma no doubt. I was bombing backroads at 65-75mph where I could, and some places I shouldn't have. Took it like a champ. Stock its firm, but ready to take a hit. With our added weight it was much more plush(a tad soft in the rear with all the weight) but still very very well controlled at all speeds.
*truck handles the best/tightest of the 3, and is certainly my choice for a long highway trip.
*fully boxed frame
*The OEM lockers are nice. Only tried them once, but activated without fuss.
*comes with actual usable stock tires!... Factory Duratrac's. And a matching(wheel included) full size spare.
*deeper bed than the Tacoma or Gladiator, a plus for hauling bulky cargo, but a con if you want to reach over the bed rail to grab something off the bed floor.
*decent factory skid plate coverage, plus factory sliders- of sorts(more on them later).
*Interior.....power seats, comfortable and adjustable seating position. Heated leather, plus heated steering wheel. Pretty good infotainment with Apple carplay. Very nice factory floor liners. Pretty good visibility from drivers seat, has a small blind spot mirror on the side mirror even.

Things I don't care for about the ZR2:
*spare tire hangs down too low, as well as the rear shock mounts at the axle.
*sliders are merely mounted to the bottom of the cab like steps. could probably guard from some minor bumps, but I wouldn't set the weight of the truck on them.
*interior feels too cheap for what the truck costs. If this interior was in a $35k truck, sure. Not in one north of $50k though.
*Interior storage spaces are not well thought out. Doors have multiple small/semi-useless pockets, no storage behind the rear seats. Dash looks rather bulky/plastic-y. Front console cup holders are a bit snug, my Yeti coffee mug really wedges in there. Has wireless Qi phone charging pad.... for phones the size of about a 2012 smartphone, my newer phones are FAR too large to fit on the charge pad. Bummer. Wasted feature/console space.
* only 4 bed-corner tie downs, no sliding tie down rail/cleats. GM does have optional cleats that can be installed into the capped oval holes scattered around the bed interior, had them on my 2015 Duramax HD and the optional tie downs worked well. Just wish there were more than 4 standard tie down locations.

My take on the ZR2...
If you want a week day commuter that gets good mileage, but want to go fast down our NV backroads and do a little crawling on the weekend and can overlook the flaws of the interior, the ZR2 is a great little truck. Probably the best platform of the 3 for an 'Overland' build IMO.

 

Thanks Eric! I wonder about long term reliability with these... I don't know why, I don't keep anything longer than 3 or 4 years. Now you should buy a Ranger and let us know how those are. jk

 

The newer (I believe 2018-current) gas Colorado's have an 8 speed auto that has been plagued with issues. The earlier Gen2 colorados and all the ones with diesels get a 6 speed auto that has proven reliable thus far from what I can tell. Outside of that, the fit and finish on the interior definitely isn't up to par, gets some creaks and pops from time to time, will probably get worse with age. (can you tell yet the interior is really my most disliked aspect of the colorado? haha). Looking at the truck and spending some time with it, I think it'll be fairly reliable, at least on par for a domestic.


I do have a little bit of experience with a Customers Ranger. My takeaway from that time with that truck is the factory suspension is terrible. Lots of head toss when one tire hits something the other side doesn't, or when hitting a dip in/out of a parking lot at an angle with a little bit of speed. Also the rear end is strangely 1 large, thick leaf spring. Frame seems decently strong. IIRC it was fully boxed as well.
It's by far the most compact dimensionally, maybe the more compact size will appeal to those looking for a compact truck vs mid-size. Probably tough to clear larger tires, but no personal experience on what it does take to fit larger than stock tires.
Bed dimensions similar to the colorado.... has quite a deep/tall bed side.
Interior is decent, somewhere in the middle of the pack but definitely a bit cramped(minus head room. Tacoma still has the least headroom by far). Back seat folding needs work- its not very functional, and also a bit cramped as a rear seat passenger.
I really liked the power and response of the little ecoboost 4 cylinder in it, and the trans seems well-tuned and matched to the engine. The steering wheel and the trim and controls on it feels cheap. Center console has some layout issues, personally.

Again this was only after spending a little time with a customers truck designing some bumpers and taking it out for a 30-40 mile test drive to get some photos in the dirt after we were done. My take is Ford brought the foreign Ranger that they didn't want us to have initially, made minor changes, called it all-new even though it's 5+ years old, and really it's just a place holder in the line up to 'compete' with all the other MFG's getting in the mid-size game. Hopefully a true all-new US spec Ranger comes in the next couple years that is more thought out and more competitive in the American market.

 

Nice. What’s your Doug score?

 

My truck is 10 years old in a couple months. Longest I've ever owned a vehicle.

 

I'm the worst, it drives my wife crazy.

 

I'm pretty fickle as well.

 

I think the wife and I are probably worse. Rare for us to own a vehicle longer than 4 years, often times only around 2 years.

 

I generally own vehicles for a long time. I'm 8 years into the Tacoma and I owned my previous vehicle for 11 years...I'd still have it but it was a maintenance whore.

I have been looking casually for about 6 months now and plan to buy something in the next 2 years but it'll be an additional vehicle in the fleet and not a replacement. I miss having a car that handles well and has some grunt.

I do appreciate all you guys that flip vehicles after a year or two because that's generally when I buy them (other than a motorcycle I've never bought new).

 

Wow I cant emagen fliping evey few years. I love not having a payment (more money to put into mods and other hobbies). I'v had my 1st gen 23.5 years and my 2nd gen for 6.5 years.

 

Many moons ago I was known to change vehicles before the wipers needed replaced. I'm ten years on the Tacoma and five on the TRD Racing Priusite.