VIDEO : JEEP GLADIATOR Truck Highlights & Close Up Look at the 2018 LA Auto Show

Byte said:
Very cool! I like that they went with Gladiator...just wish they had maybe tried to give the front end more of the Gladiator's profile than just keeping the JL front end. Not saying it's horrible but really, that classic Gladiator grill!

Shouldn't be too long before someone bob's that bed down to 4' or less giving it a better departure angle than even a 2 door JK. For the rest, it's just a matter of getting used to it. Have wheeled the Tacoma for 20 years and it's not too bad even stock. The newer trucks definitely sit higher but the JT bed looks like it's actually exaggerated over what the newer Tacomas and Canyons have for departure angles. Guess that's the price to stuff a 35" tire up under the bed. It'll be a truck so it's not going to out perform any of the stock JK's or JL's in its stock form. Different use philosophy. I'm sure Eddie's build will be sweet as can be but it'll still be a truck. Looking forward to watching that progress. It'll have to satisfy me until I can put a down payment on a diesel for 2020. Or maybe 2021... Disappointing that the diesel won't be matched up with the 6 speed manual though. 4.71 1st gear in the auto vs 5.13 in the manual I believe. Not an insane difference for daily driving but quite a jump when you shift a Ruby into 4lo. Reverse has an even worse gap. Meh...maybe things will change in the future.

Now do I trade off the '98 Taco TRD or say screw it and have all three... Tough question. :thinking:
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4.71 1st gear is a big improvement over the 3.59 1st gear of the W5A580 auto for the JK...it's part of the reason why the JL has such a good crawl ratio...
 
This is exciting!
Glad you were there to see it first hand!


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Brute said:
4.71 1st gear is a big improvement over the 3.59 1st gear of the W5A580 auto for the JK...it's part of the reason why the JL has such a good crawl ratio...
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Ouch. Didn't realize the JK auto was that bad. My 2015 JKUR is a manual and I wish reverse was better in it. Shifting into 4lo to have great reverse just isn't an option most of the time! :naw:
 
Byte said:
Ouch. Didn't realize the JK auto was that bad. My 2015 JKUR is a manual and I wish reverse was better in it. Shifting into 4lo to have great reverse just isn't an option most of the time! :naw:
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This will sound crazy but I personally think the 4.71 1st in the auto with the Rubicon tcase is too low for many things. Used to get wheel speed. It's one of the reasons I got the sport. Anyone who has wheeled a JL Rubicon in normal drive and thought it was great you were probably actually in 2nd. In most cases you have to manually shift it to first in 4lo. 1st in the manual is crazy low

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13_gecko_rubi said:
This will sound crazy but I personally think the 4.71 1st in the auto with the Rubicon tcase is too low for many things. Used to get wheel speed. It's one of the reasons I got the sport. Anyone who has wheeled a JL Rubicon in normal drive and thought it was great you were probably actually in 2nd. In most cases you have to manually shift it to first in 4lo. 1st in the manual is crazy low

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Actually, I didn't really mean that the lower gearing was an "improvement"...what I should have said was that is was much lower...
 
13_gecko_rubi said:
This will sound crazy but I personally think the 4.71 1st in the auto with the Rubicon tcase is too low for many things. Used to get wheel speed. It's one of the reasons I got the sport. Anyone who has wheeled a JL Rubicon in normal drive and thought it was great you were probably actually in 2nd. In most cases you have to manually shift it to first in 4lo. 1st in the manual is crazy low

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Agreed. This is why I want a RubiCrawler... For the 2.71 to go between obstacles.

--
Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
 
13_gecko_rubi said:
This will sound crazy but I personally think the 4.71 1st in the auto with the Rubicon tcase is too low for many things. Used to get wheel speed. It's one of the reasons I got the sport. Anyone who has wheeled a JL Rubicon in normal drive and thought it was great you were probably actually in 2nd. In most cases you have to manually shift it to first in 4lo. 1st in the manual is crazy low

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Lol I'm a child of the 70's...manual trucks had 3 speeds, granny, 2nd, and go. Only started in granny if you were going up a hill or needed minimal wheel speed. Pretty much started in second and shifted into 3rd around 15mph. That's where you stayed. At 55 it sounded like the motor was about to explode at 3500 rpms. In fact, my friend blew up his dad's old 72 chevy tooling along at about 75. Low and slow is my moto. I'm in no hurry to get anywhere these days. Sounds like I need to find someone near me with a manual JL to try out. Can't see trading my JK in though. And my garage only holds 3. Yes, it's funny you should ask....I am a bit jealous of Eddie and Cindy's setup. :rock: I need to find a property out in the boonies with shop space measured in acres...
 
I’m definitely impressed with the Gladiator. The engineers did an amazing job on this.

I wonder if some of these features like the front facing camera, the Bluetooth speaker, and the Offroad Plus button will be added to the JL?

Great video as always and thanks for sharing with us.
 
13_gecko_rubi said:
Will have an available... :)
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An important distinction and something that needs to be noted for sure.

13_gecko_rubi said:
The two things I found most interesting in the video are Tony is growing some weird type of beard and BRANDON OWNS A SUIT JACKET!!!!!!! Who knew??

Excellent coverage as usual Eddie.... There are many more little things to find that people are gonna love. It really is a nice truck.
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:cheesy: Missed you at the show.

Trail Bud said:
Very nice!!
By the time it’s here I might be ready.
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Really?? :shock: :thumb:

TOPLESS said:
Great video! It’s going to be nice to see what people do to them!
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Thanks! Hope to be one of these people sooner than later :yup:
 
StormTrooper_JK said:
So, I think I like this rig, god knows I’ve been looking forward to it. But, I’m concerned about break-over and departure angles with its length. Will this be trail capable? Are these valid concerns? It’s significantly longer than my JK and I know that can be tight on some trails. I don’t know that it would have been able to do the Arizona trail that Eddie just posted that awesome video of. Just my 2 cents. I could be wrong.
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Brute said:
As far as the Arizona JLX trip, they had a full size pick up support truck running the entire trail...
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To be fair, the Z71 is running coilovers and 40" tires. Also, have you seen what it looks like up close. It kicks ass for sure but it's beat to all hell.

Ddays said:
Man, I'm really liking this truck! Awesome coverage & video Eddie - thanks! :cool:
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Thank you, we're so glad that we could share our experiences at the show with people like you :yup:

Strainger said:
Something that struck me was the spare tire mount. It can hold a 35 with no modifications. Does that mean we will not be able to run 37s or does it mean that modifications can be made to accommodate larger tires? In any case, I really really like this truck and the towing capacity. My co-driver has been looking at trailers lately with an eye on road trips.
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Not 100% sure about the ability to carry a 37 under the truck. Of course, you could always carry one in the bed.
 
rumblebee3 said:
Awesome video as always! Thank you for the coverage and that thing is kick ass! They definitely put the thought into it on almost every single aspect!
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So glad you enjoyed our coverage of the Gladiator at the LA Auto Show :)

fiend said:
Nice job on the content and editing, as always.

That Gladiator is going to look so badass on 37s! 🤤
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Thank you. 37's will look great on this truck for sure. 40's even better.

benatc1 said:
Great video, definitely some cool features, will like to see the diesel and maybe then itll be time for a new "work truck"
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LOL!! Badass "work truck" at that too :D

Coop said:
This is exciting!
Glad you were there to see it first hand!
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Us too and if only because we got to be there with all our old friends.

Zstairlessone said:
Awesome video, The end of next year may seem like forever but it’s a lot shorter than 27 years. [emoji322][emoji322][emoji322]

Thanks!!!
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That's a damn good way of putting perspective on things. :thumb:

AZ Explorer said:
Fun video! Like the Gladiator a bunch. Wonder if they'll have a "Rescue 2" version? LOL
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Well, if they do, I'll bet you see it at EJS :yup:

Stick said:
I’m definitely impressed with the Gladiator. The engineers did an amazing job on this.

I wonder if some of these features like the front facing camera, the Bluetooth speaker, and the Offroad Plus button will be added to the JL?

Great video as always and thanks for sharing with us.
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I'd be surprised if they didn't.
 
WOW!! Jeep you guys hit it out of the Park! So many features on the new JT that I was not expecting. That forward facing camera is amazing and I’m sure with help a lot with picking a good line. Although I can see some issues in the future with getting hung up on some of the harder obstacles. But man what a great looking truck. [emoji1360]


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Wow great video! I can’t wait to drive one. I might even trade in the JK.
Unfortunately we still haven’t even got the JL down here yet so it might be a while [emoji17]


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