TRD Pro vs Gladiator Overland

Mine now is the 4.o but only 2wd. I have gotten it stuck many times and need 4wd. I choose pro because it comes with all the things I like without having to make concessions with the OR. Not wanting to spend 40k and have to make concessions.

 

Get a Tacoma Limited? I’ve had a couple Jeeps as have my parents and they’ve all been headaches. It’s not like the old days where you can’t get to work in the morning just a constant hassle of little things and arguing with the dealership. If you really love your truck and modding it’s the kind of stuff you can hand wave away as cost of fun. If you just want it work so you can travel places and do stuff it’s unnecessary burden IMO.

 

Jeeps are cool but I think most people tire of them pretty quickly. Back in my 20s I had a new 97 Wrangler and was happy to be done with it after 2 years. If you want something for fun for a few years, consider the Jeep. But if you want something you'll appreciate a bit more every day and want to keep it forever, get a Tacoma.

 

I mean jeeps are capable. You'll never get a tacoma where a gladiator with 37's will go... But 96% of the time youre on highways and side streets. I'd take a quieter, more comfortable, better on road performance tacoma.

 

Recently went through this dilemma myself. It'll be my only set of 4 wheels for awhile so I went with the Taco for the reliability and better on-road experience. That and the year's worth of 401k contributions in $$$ was a big factor.

FWIW, a friend regretfully let go of his Tacoma for an F-150 once he had kids. The Tacoma's cab is less than ideal for a full family.

 

You guys have me looking at Jeeps now especially the Unlimited Wrangler.

 

Sounds like you need a 4Runner.

 

Believe me - If you have an issue, FCA does NOT have your back. I traded a 2 month old 21 loaded wrangler on my 21 Tacoma. Got a great trade in on it, but as far as reliability, less headaches, and generally better owning experience - I wouldn't own another Jeep. I would imagine AWD OWNZ U would tell you something similar. I'm just relaying my own experience. Mine was 2 months old and some electronic component would stop working then magically fix itself. They're fun and all but its just not worth the headache.

 

OP, good luck with your search. I hope you get the best vehicle for your family. What jumped out at me in your post was this: "I just want what will be best in the long run."

The long run being the key phrase here. If you need more space, maybe the Tundra is something to consider. I sat in one and loved it. But as others have pointed out best to bring the kids, sit in the new Tacoma, crawl all over the place and see if there is enough room. We have one giant kid (he won't stop eating and is outgrowing everything!) and two dogs in the back seat and it is fine for the kinds of driving that you want to do.

But in the long run ... brand reliability is important ... and all of the data points to Toyota in that regard. Look at this recent Brand Reliability study from Consumer Reports. There are a lot of people who make fun of Consumer Reports and some of their criticisms are even fair. But they have a lot more data than two people on a message board who had something wrong with their truck. You also hear lots of complaints about Toyota and some of that criticism is fair. But, in a pinch, I would trust Toyota over Jeep when the you know what hits the fan any day of the week. People can quibble with Consumer Reports but you never see Toyota at the bottom or near bottom on any reliability survey, for the most part. But Jeep, well, they seem to have rented a spot there.

Worth considering as you make your decision ...

 

If you’re looking at the Pro, then just get the off-road. It has all the same things except a scoop and Fox shocks. With the money you save from the Proband markup, you can make a much more beefier taco than a pro. But the Gladiator is kind of a single purpose vehicle meant strictly for off-road use. Sure people use it as a daily but it won’t be nearly as comfortable.

 

im curious to what scored 13 on the lexus lineup haha

 

If you need a truck I think a fullsize would be the best option. If you don't need a truck, a minivan or unibody SUV would probably be the best kind os vehicle for hauling a family.

 

I know you said you were looking at 2020's, but didnt I see that a new 2020 Gladiator fully loaded was somewhere around 60 grand? I bet they depreciate a lot, so maybe not even close to that now, but sheesh, 60 grand?

 

You can bet there is a working group at Lexus already assembled trying to figure out what the heck happened!

 

sheesh, Ford down to 22nd out of 26, good thing I got the extended warranty on my Mustang. Its already paid for itself for the doubters, and the damn car only has 18K miles!

 

Worth tossing in there - the new Tundra and Tacoma designs are right on the horizon, Tundra first within the next few years. If I was able to wait a few years I would wait for the next gen tundra. Will probably be similar in reliability, but way more modern and way more fuel efficient. If I wanted a full size today I would be in an F150.

Leather seats, sunroof, etc there's a lot on the pro that isn't standard on the TRD OR. I have a base model TRD OR and I have no sunroof, no leather seats, no special stereo, no LED lights, etc. To be fair, I didn't want them, so that's not a knock on the OR. I got mine for 36.5k new in 2019 (it's a 2020) where a pro would have been 10k or so more probably. This truck ticks all my boxes, and honestly if I had to do it again I'd probably be in an SR instead of a TRD OR. But that power rear window is pretty cool

 

Jeep might not be known to be reliable but I doubt you will ever see anything catastrophic as long as you keep up with maintenance. 2 of my friends are riding their 3.8 and 3.6 JKs well over 100k. Nothing other than a leaking radiator at 130k - which was fixed in the driveway on a Sunday afternoon.

the way I see it, get the gladiator if it’s more useable for you. Reliability can change, ergonomics of a vehicle won’t. And as far as value wise the Wrangler platform holds just as well as Tacomas, if not better.

I wouldn’t lose sleep over Jeep reliability. Go out and enjoy life with the roof and doors off.

 

I think you can thank the DCT and when they jacked up the gaskets on the .... fiesta? they used the mustang gaskets on the fiesta config and jacked up a ton of engines. And the DCT is trash. Truck-wise though, there's been a few complaints about the 10R80 in the F150 but it sounds like mostly 5.0 owners beating the piss out of it way above and beyond what it's meant to do and yelling at Ford about it.

 

I think the Ford Ranger XL extended cab with the STX appearance pkg includes a power rear window. Ford's version of the Tacoma SR SX.

 

The 2dr Wranglers look nice.