Ryan’s Jeep Gladiator JT

Finn

Adventurist
Background: I started really diving into off-road travel in 2010 when I purchased a FJ Cruiser. After a couple years I joined up with the guys at Expeditioneers and got a lot of wheeling under my belt. This was way back pre-American Adventurist Days. I built the FJ up and loved it. Eventually it got pretty high miles and I traded it in for a 2016 Tundra I had never owned a Full Size Truck before but always wanted one. The Tundra was great but the 12 mpg and massive size made it impractical for me. I long lusted for a more trail size vehicle with a option for factor lockers. I’ve had my eye on Jeeps for a while especially with the release of the JL. Then along cake the Gladiator and I instantly fell in love. After some calculations I figured I would save roughly $200 a month on gas alone. I would also be able to fit much easier down smaller trails but still have plenty of room. Room is especially important given my 6’6 250lb stature.

Purpose: Have the ultimate mobile base camp. My wife and I love to hike, kayak and do pretty much anything outside. We want something that can get us almost anywhere and provide the ultimate mobile base camp for our backcountry adventures. All while not breaking the bank or terrible fuel economy.

Pre Purchase: I test drove many of the newer midsize trucks and the Gladiator seemed like the best for us. I’m a long time Toyota guy and have always heard about Jeep reliability. However for everything the Gladiator offered I thought it’d be worth the risk. Ended up finding one at a local dealer that had almost all the features I would have ordered. The dealer was able to match the TreadLightly pricing and sold it to us 1% under invoice.

Here she is:
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Looks like it’s ready to go right off the lot - enjoy! :clang
 
Can you share what you actually paid? So many varying reports on pricing, it would be good to hear of your experience. Great truck.
 
Can you share what you actually paid? So many varying reports on pricing, it would be good to hear of your experience. Great truck.

I paid just over $50k OTD. Here’s the sticker to give you a idea of MSRP.

One dealer not to far from my house had no Rubicons under $60k. I’m assuming most there clientele must be big spenders. They told me I’d have to order something to get it anywhere near the $50k price point.

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Rolled over 1k miles today. Averaging 19.2 mpg in town so far. Huge improvement from the 11.5 mpg in my Tundra.

I’m going to try and preserve the fuel economy the best I can. That way long road trips are less of a financial burden.

I still have the Alucab Tent that was on my Tundra. Hoping once it’s on the Gladiator I won’t take too big of a hit
 
Are caps available now? I got a slight improvement in MPG when I added the cap.
 
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Rolled over 1k miles today. Averaging 19.2 mpg in town so far. Huge improvement from the 11.5 mpg in my Tundra.

I’m going to try and preserve the fuel economy the best I can. That way long road trips are less of a financial burden.

I still have the Alucab Tent that was on my Tundra. Hoping once it’s on the Gladiator I won’t take too big of a hit

My last big trip in the JL from FL to NC averaged 17.1 mpg, on 35's and loaded up. I think you can retain decent MPG in the JT as long as you don't get crazy with tires/lifts/armor/mods.

Less is more ;)
 
Are caps available now? I got a slight improvement in MPG when I added the cap.

RLD Designs has a shipment arriving soon but they’re near $4k once you add freight and even higher if you get options added to it. I will wait for more manufacturers to hit the cap market before I purchase. I love Alucab products, they are supposedly releasing a cap next year for the JT.
 
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Test fitting the ARB Fridge. I pulled the 40% portion of the rear seat and made a make shift platform. If I like where it’s located after this weekends trip I’ll plan a more “finished” platform. I’ll have to decide if I want to pull the whole back seat or not. A Goose Gear dear seat delete sure would be nice!
 
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Spent the weekend in Sedona with some friends. Ran all the iconic Jeep trails in the area. All of which I had done before in my FJ Cruiser. I wasn’t planning on a lift but did scrape bottom a few too many times. The break-over angle is the real killer. Other then that she performed great.
 
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