Some time in the near future I’m going to need a new vehicle and I wanted a 4 door Wrangler but have been looking at the Gladiators for their better tow capacity.

What kind of gas mileage are y’all getting in these? And do you have mods or have you kept it stock to save on fuel economy?

First, check the payload numbers of any Gladiators you are interested in. For example, the Mojave has a great suspension, great daily driver, and horrendous payload capacity. As for towing capacity, Gladiators are all over the place depending on the trim.

I had a Mojave, liked it and it got decent gas mileage as long as your drove it economically. As for towing, not bad mpg but not great either. The big thing is the closer I got to the 80% towing number, the more it seemed the trailer was pushing the Gladiator instead of the Gladiator towing the trailer.

I got rid of mine as I found that Jeeps make great second vehicles, but not your primary one and only vehicle. You go off road, things break...usually something that there is a lengthy wait for the part (even aftermarket parts).


Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by jsbcody:
I got rid of mine as I found that Jeeps make great second vehicles, but not your primary one and only vehicle. You go off road, things break...usually something that there is a lengthy wait for the part (even aftermarket parts).

I've thought about a Wrangler, but this point always gave me pause.
Looked at a 6MT JLU Sport S before my Legacy. If it hadn't been a crusty mess underneath, and didn't need new windows in the softtop, might've actually considered it. Clutch was pretty worn too.

Pretty much looking at the Rubicon or Mojave at this point but it’s all just research right now. Just been seeing some of the Average MPG pictures online and it’s a little concerning but all over the place from 11.1 to 14 of course I’m not sure when it was reset before the picture was taken.

quote:

Originally posted by drabfour:
Pretty much looking at the Rubicon or Mojave at this point but it’s all just research right now. Just been seeing some of the Average MPG pictures online and it’s a little concerning but all over the place from 11.1 to 14 of course I’m not sure when it was reset before the picture was taken.

Fuelly, user submitted data. Been using it for years, across 15 cars & 2 motorcycles.

https://www.fuelly.com/car/jeep/gladiator

Yeah I’ve checked there and their averages seem better than some of the pictures I’ve seen instrument panels on various used dealer sites.

I'm going on almost 5 years now and the gas mileage is about 16/18 on the highway and 12 in the city. I've disable the start/stop (annoying) so I'm not sure if that number would be better. Not too sure about towing, but I've winched some RAM diesels out of the sand so there's that.

Here's my little PUSHKE:

That doesn’t sound to horribly bad TexasScrub. What mods have you done to it? I see bumper and winch, side rails and bed cover. Did you put bigger tires on it? And is it your daily driver?

Just a few upgrades. Tereflex wheels and 35" KO2s, Tereflex lift, Fox sway dampener, steps, bumper/winch, Viair under the back seat and a rugliner for when I camp. Z auto programmer for the oversized tires and a Bullitpoint rack for the camera/phone/GMRS/radar. I have a skid plate in the garage to put on, but thats about it. Highly recommend the Bullitpoint rack system!

quote:

Originally posted by drabfour:
That doesn’t sound to horribly bad TexasScrub. What mods have you done to it? I see bumper and winch and bed cover. Did you put bigger tires on it? And is it your daily driver?

jsbcody I saw a thread you posted in back in 2023 that you got a Tacoma TRD Off Road, is that what you traded your Mojave in for? If so how does it compare?

Lots of cars and trucks since then: Tacoma Off Road to 4Runner (horrible seats that killed my bad hip when sitting in daily traffic), to Gladiator Mojave (ladies loved it in winter or when doing outdoor stuff, not so much when wearing skirts and heels), to Honda Passport Trailsport (the worst vehicle I have ever owned, not recommended for anywhere with snow or cold weather) and now Taco Limited. With the Tacoma, it is not an apples to apples comparison as I got a Limited trim. Much better gas mileage, more comfortable drive and better towing even though its capacity is less than the Gladiator with the tow package. As for the Tacoma, it has zero room in the backseat and would take adjustment of the front seats to fit a normal human being in the backseat. Toyota is having a lot of issues too, and I fear their legendary reliability is a thing of the past for any vehicle not built in Japan. I am probably only going to keep it for another year as I’m not quite happy with the Tacoma. It is a compromise in the several areas that I need a vehicle for: daily driving, off roading, and towing. I’ve been doing a little bit of research, lots of issues with almost every brand of truck out there, including recent recall for Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators due to fire hazard. One of the trucks I am looking at now is a Ram 1500 either in the Warlock or the Rebel trim. At this time I’m leaning towards the Warlock, as I can live without heated seats, heated steering wheel, and ventilated seats. It has four-wheel-drive, locking rear differential, Blindspot monitoring, but no front camera or 360° camera system. As I would add a topper for the bed, I would also have a Wolfbox tri-power rearview mirror camera system installed, which includes rear digital camera, front digital camera and a dash camera through the rearview mirror.

I’ve had my Gladiator since the color, Sting Grey, first came out in 2020 and have driven it all over the country. I bought it for an Overlanding vehicle so gas mileage was not on the list of my priorities. My Rubicon is an extremely capable vehicle right out of the box as a stock vehicle I was getting 17ish mpg. Currently I’m getting about 16 mpg in mixed driving with the modifications I’ve made.

The “problem”, if you can call it that, is that these trucks are sooo easy to modify and aftermarket support is the best in the industry. For example I have installed an AEV lift and am running 35” tires plus all the stuff in the back…
I believe my Rubicon, stock, can tow 6000#’s. The best towing model is the Sport S with the tow package which I believe can tow up to 7000#’s.

Let me know if you have any questions…

smlsig that MPG doesn’t sound to horrible with the mods you’ve done. I’m still way early in my research, I’m probably at least a year away, and yes it would be a daily driver. Just looking to go from a full size to a mid size truck and definitely something with four wheel drive. I want something very capable for off road though I may rarely if ever use it for that.

I’ve sat in the back seat at the dealership while having the oil changed in my wife’s car and surprised just how roomy it is when compared to the Tacoma, like jsbcody mentioned the Tacoma backseat room is pretty non existent. The Tacoma is another I’m looking at but it’s sounding like just pick something you will be happy with and expect a few issues long the way. I know about issues because I’ve driven a GM product truck for the last 18-20 years.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: drabfour,

quote:

Originally posted by drabfour:
Yeah I’ve checked there and their averages seem better than some of the pictures I’ve seen instrument panels on various used dealer sites.

Keep in mind cars on dealer lots make a ton of SHORT trips. Move this car over there, move it back. Send it on a 2 mile test drive etc.

Food for thought. I sat in a current Gen Toyota Prius on the lot. Avg MPG was 17.something. A PRIUS!!! . Realistically that Prius will end up averaging close to 50mpg in the real world.

Very true.

I’ve got a 2023 Rubicon with an automatic, 17mpg seems to be about average. Doesn’t seem to matter; highway, around town, running back and forth to work, 17mpg. It really does suck gas when we get cold snaps of several days in a row of below 0 temps to around 12mpg. Towing with a Gladiator can get relatively sketchy. They will do small utility trailers ok, but anything larger and you probably want to be looking at a 1/2 ton pickup.

That said I absolutely love mine. Coming from an F-150, I do miss the power, mileage and comfort, but the Gladiator is so much more fun. Popping the tops in summer is great. Being a midsize it’s a lot easier to flip around and fit in tight spaces and go places the F-150 wouldn’t fit. It just puts a smile on my face whenever drive it.

I have a 2021 Oscar Mike Edition with a out 68k miles on it. It's meticulously maintained. I have all terrain tires on it, but they aren't overly aggressive.

Average is 18.2 mpg.


I absolutely love the Gladiator, and wouldn't hesitate to get another one.

Those numbers look better than what I was seeing so that’s a little more comforting to know. If I do tow a trailer it would be a small lite weight travel trailer.