New Jeeps any thoughts?Good,bad?

Since we're not buying another Ram,but we're thinking jeep gladiator we need something with a bed we can take anywhere.Never owned a jeep don't know much about em .Any thoughts?Thanks guys!

They are very tight inside. My old boss had one. I road in it and it road nice for what it is. He really liked it and said he had no mechanical issues but there really isn't much room.

Thanks Cuda appreciate it!

They didn't look real big inside especially compared to a ram.We know the bed is smaller but it's better than no bed!lol!Thanks

There is more room than meets the eye. I am thinking about one also and I took a used one at the dealership for a ride. I am not a little guy and I was surprised how nice it felt.

Have a 2008 with 120,000 miles on it. Only maintenance has been oil changes, brakes and two steering stabilizers. Great vehicle that holds its value.

Someone mentioned gladiator.
I definitely don't like the looks of them.
At least the current models. Now the original gladiator? Those were cool

We like the gladiator as it has a truck bed in it.We didn't need something as big as a ram and the jeep also looks like it'll be fun.

Not a Gladiator but we gad a 2018 Grand Cherokee that got traded in for a new Ford Explorer. The Explorer far and away is better than the Jeep. It's faster, gets better fuel mileage, more comfortable inside, and our local Ford dealership has significantly better customer service than our local Jeep group. She liked the Jeep, but now that they are pricing themselves into the larger SUV market, it's no longer apples to oranges.

We only put 50k or so miles on it and the underside was worse than previous cars with triple that.

Another not Gladiator, but a Grand Cherokee. My daughter bought a low mileage 2019 about a year ago and it has been in the repair shop almost as she has been able to drive it, or that is as it seems. Each trip into the shop (suppose to be under warranty) costs her $500-$900. This one is her 3rd Jeep and I suspect it will probably be her last jeep. The first two (also grand Cherokees) were great vehicles.

She needs her Jeep to do her job and it sees a lot of mileage each week, but the list of repairs at this point has become pretty crazy. In less then a year, it has become untrustworthy to her already.

What engine is in the explorer ?

I had a 2019 Trailhawk and traded it with about 40k miles, it was just starting to have some issues and I didn't buy an extended warranty so I got out of it, it had a little too much technology for me. I had a 2015 and other than the joystick shifter I didn't really have any issues with it ... yet . I'm looking for another one but I'm thinking 2016-2018 with low miles.

Thanks for the info guys.Yeah when we can we'll get a new Jeep Gladiator Rubicon hopefully it'll work out good.And we agree we hate too much technology,especially when it's screwed up! We'll probably go for a cool bright color and big tires.And a 392 Hemi well error probably not she doesn't want me too have too much horsepower ,she wants to stay outta trouble lol!

I bought one, loaded Gladiator Rubicon, had it less than a year, put 25k miles on it & traded it off. The rear locker messed up & the entire axle assy needed replaced to fix it, There is an issue with the rear window in the hard top & about 1/2 of them have to be pulled out, reglued in & then paint touched up around it. On long trips in the summer, the AC does some recycle thing I guess to heat the evaporator so it doesn’t freeze up but it makes the cabin heat up pretty good for a few minutes, it’s odd. Also the cat under the drivers rear seat floor/footwell gets hot in the summer on long trips. I would only recommend a base model, max tow(Rubicon axles without lockers), soft top & not use it for a long trip vehicle.

I recently picked up 2022 Wrangler Sport that only had 1k miles on it. The auto start stop system is Rube Goldberg and has an auxiliary battery under the regular battery that will fail. The fuse box had half the fuses not seated and several wire connections were loose. All is easily corrected however.

That said mine is a 6MT and I was looking forward to having a manual as around here they are rare. After a couple weeks of driving it I can say without hesitation do not get a manual. This thing has the worst clutch feel of any MT I have ever driven. As in it has none. It is mush. You can’t feel the engagement point. Also the gear ratios are not optimal. First is fairly steep as you would expect in a vehicle designed for off road but in to 3rd and after the ratios just don’t seem to make sense. I rarely use 5th or 6th unless on the highway. And an added bonus is that all MT Jeeps have a clutch recall with no fix yet. My guess is people are burning them up for the above reason.

I sold my 2020 Power Wagon for what I paid for it new. Picked this thing up for 12k under its sticker effectively new. So I pocketed almost 17k in the downsizing. So I can’t complain. I will keep the thing and live with its faults.

That said you can probably buy a Ram 1500 5.7 for the price of a Gladiator. I would go with the Ram.

they have had clutch issues for years. when we got our 2016 Wrangler we never considered a manual for that reason.

first thing is a jeep is a jeep. they handle, drive and have quirks that aren't like a normal passenger cars.

second, don't waste the money in a rubicon. just aren't needed unless you are going serious off-roading.

jeeps seem to hold value though. jeep market is nuts.

Thanks guys!Great points we need to take into consideration.

If you like free coffee and the general comradery of hanging out at dealership get the eco diesel.

My bride picked up this well used 2011 to use for her "toy." It's identified as HERS by the bling wheels and bigger tires she bought for it... I can echo what's been said already here, Jeeps are on the crude and unrefined side, which to me is what makes them fun. I certainly don't hate it, but it has its quirks. Like NO heat for example! Haven't figured that one out yet. But this thing is not a primary driver for any of us, so a coarse and crude toy is alright to have around. It's definitely not a hot rod, with the V6 and manual transmission it's one of the slowest things on the road. All that said, there's also a reason I came up with this decal that illustrates our nickname for it, yes, it tends to wander around and follow the cracks on the road. You definitely have to pay attention to it while driving.

Great sticker and more info thanks!

The pickup model is cool looking , good luck with whatever you decide to get ! I love my 21 1500 Big Horn ,quad cab , Hemi .I have had 4 Dodge / Rams an 86, my 92 I still have , an 08 and my 21 and it is by far the nicest and best towing out of all of them . I hear ya on the technology I have had my 21 almost 3 years , its only got 10,000 miles on it as I really only use it for towing and I still haven't figured out some of the " tech ' stuff.

Yes I know it is a Mopar site . . .however, with the demise, long ago, of the Dakota. Mopar stepped away from very lucrative mid size truck market. While GM has had the Colorado/Canyon twins, Toyota has the Tacoma, Nissan has the Frontier, Ford has the Ranger, Honda has the Ridgeline (although I don't think of it as midsize truck myself), and Stellantis has Jeep Gladiator . . . I have had (3) Dodge Journey's for company rigs - RT AWD. When they killed that off - without any replacement, I went looking into mid size trucks . . . now on Canyon #2 (2022) . . . V6, 4door, automatic, etc . . . fills bill for me. Gets decent gas mileage on highway, 7,000# tow capacity (not that I worry about that, but nice to have). Now GM went to turbo 4cylinder for 2023 - not my cup of tea . . . but that's where market is going . . .why just limit yourself to Stellantis - they are killing Chrysler. Take European models to turn into North American models (phhttt - never seems to end well . . .), kill off good selling models, with NO immediate replacements. Milking Ram & Jeep for profits . . . anyhow, just my two cents . . .

Good luck with your hunt . . .

Cheers,

3.8 mini van motor. Had the torque curve of a pencil sharpener. Most “re-geared” Jeep out there. At least it’s easy to replace the left exhaust manifold when it cracks.

Guy that lived behind me had one. Saw it leave on a rollback one day. He moved shortly thereafter so I didn’t get to ask him about it.

I sat in one in a showroom one day and I’m too tall at 6’6”.

Oh yeah, it's a slug for sure! Although I've not tried to sharpen any pencils with it.

Don't need a slug just need to have enough hp to get otta it's own way,and be able to have fun with it.

When I was growing up we had one of these in the family—yeah, it's part of the modern Jeep's lineage, a Willys-Overland "Jeepster." With a flathead 4 cylinder and a three-speed trans with overdrive, it was the very definition of "SLUG." But we built a ton of wonderful family memories around this car, especially with a club called the "Midstates Jeepster Association." That club was VERY family oriented... And yeah, that's me with my 3 sisters in the backseat, back when I still had hair!

The Jeep my bride bought is the only remaining manual transmission in our collection of rides since selling my old Road Runner to Lt. Dan. So I still enjoy having a car to row the gears in even if it's incredibly SLOW!

If your driving over big boulders, fallen trees, and through creeks, going fast probably is not a very high priority. The Jeep being a slug on the road getting to those trails kind of falls in line.

When you want to take a vehicle originally oriented to trail driving and want to convert it into a highway machine, one should expect some things to be a bit out of line from the original design. Some vehicle designs don't cross over to other desires very well. The act of trying to please both factions creates a compromise, and then both ends loose. You end up with something that does not do justice for either end of the spectrum, it kills the original concept, and falls short of the new direction.

You don't buy a Hellcat Challenger with the idea that is going to be a fuel mileage king. If you bought it to get outstanding mpg, your going to be disappointed, but if you bought it to go fast, a somewhat lower mpg is acceptable.

Jeeps were originally built as general purpose inexpensive vehicles and earned a reputation as being great off road vehicles. The modern era has pretty much been built on those off road capabilities, until someone thought they would be great general purpose vehicles again. They did good with that until someone decided they needed to be refined and have more luxury. The cheap general purpose has been thrown out the window. Now they have become over refined and loaded up with nonessential things. That over refining and the nonessential things are killing the original concept and the very thing the brand was built upon.

Actually, I totally get your point and agree. FWIW, my wife actually bought her Jeep so she could travel the over 2-mile long ROUGH dirt road our grandson lives on. Yeah, I'll admit that's the very definition of a "luxury vehicle"—you know, something you buy for a single purpose! I couldn't argue with her TOO much since I'm the one who washes and details her Chrysler 300 for her and keeps it immaculate. So I much prefer her having a beat old Jeep to beat around in and to use as a rainy day driver. Other than picking up the grandson, we've never really been "off-roading" with it. Probably not unlike so many of the Jeeps you see out there getting ducked and such... At least she doesn't have a dash full of those!

Pretty sure Jeeps were originally designed to be military vehicles that performed very well off road at the expense of being good on road.

At a top speed of about 45 mph. That is a long way from 70+ mph. The military classified them as General Purpose vehicles. The guys that used them called them GPs. The vehicles were originally designed by Willis but were then produced by many other companies including Ford and GM for the war effort. After the war Willis retained the design rights and called it a Jeep. The guys that served had no trouble going from GP to Jeep. Willis eventually became part of AMC and Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand when they bought out AMC.
Willis added a top to the Jeep, and then added a station wagon and a 4x4 forward cab truck. AMC farther expanded the line, but still kept the inexpensive posture. Chrysler started expanding the line with more luxury and added to the cost, and they have not slowed down. Chrysler, through its multiple owners have distorted what the brand was built on.

Bantam designed the Jeep. Not Willys. Willys got the contract to build them because the USG didn't think Bantam had the capacity to, Bantam did get the contract to build trailers for them though.

The term Jeep was in use before the Bantam version was built. In fact the Dodge trucks were called jeeps for awhile. Escort carriers were called jeep carriers.

The term general purpose, in military speak, means no specific function not "good for everything".

But the point was how the Jeep was ORIGINALLY designed to be. Not today's show poodles. Capable of keep up with the troops in the field as a general purpose utility vehicle. Not going to the mall for a shopping spree.

That Jeepster I posted the photo of, its top speed was also about 45. You sure didn’t want to get on the interstate with it. You’d be a road hazard out there mixing it up with the 70+mph crowd!

you need to drive one. I had one overnight yesterday and I would not call it a slug by any means. It was a sport 8 speed auto with 3:73 gears. Like I said you need to drive one. I am planning on ordering a rubicon.

A friend that retired as a mechanic at a Ram-Jeep dealership said to stay away from the Jeeps since they were bought by Fiat and then Stellantis. He said the best Jeeps by far were during the Mercedes years.

Went to dinner with a buddy last night...he's a sales manager at a Jeep/Ram dealer. A nice clean 2020 Gladiator(35k mi) came in on trade....he grabbed it quick as a summer toy for him and the wife. She was driving it a couple days later and it went into death wobble. Service dept said they had a whole pile of hoops to jump through in "hopes" of fixing it(known issue with them). She said she would never drive it again so....He handed it back to them along with her Durango and put her in a brand new Durango R/T....she loved the last one so happy wife....... He said he'd never buy another Jeep(they've had a couple in the past)

Death wobble most likely is a bad steering damper. Factory put them on because they were needed.


Linky --> 2020 Jeep Gladiator steering damper / Rock Auto

All jeeps starting with the TJ Wrangler in I believe in 1995 is susceptible to the shake. Any lift will make it easier to wobble. It is easily fixed.

I laughed HARD at this...thank you.
Narrowly escaped buying an Eco diesel in 2017. Glad I did. Friend's was in the shop REPEATEDLY for the same/similar issues.

To the OP...get in and drive a Wrangler/Gladiator. I don't know about the JL version but the JK we have has a significant amount of wind/road noise above 60. Sahara with factory hard top. Acceptable on short trips but I don't know how I ever drove it home from AZ. Spoiled now with how quiet the Ram is.