The JL Wrangler does not always arrive fully assembled. Problem made worse with higher truck tow capacity.

I'm with you on 4Runner reliability, having owned an '88 that I put 305k miles on, and currently driving a 2001 with 265k miles on it. Also have a new one.

As for where JD Power or someone else ranks them, I think most of us on here don't care, including you I bet. Toyota has proven themselves to us in person, over and over again. My bragging rights (if I have any) are the miles I've driven and the repairs I didn't have to do. I'm sure you have good experiences of your own. I read an article months ago, in a Car and Driver I think, which said that somewhere around 6% of ALL VEHICLES IN THE WORLD with over 200k miles and still being driven are, specifically, 4Runners. That's insane.

So while I can appreciate the work that Consumer Reports, JD Power, and others do in evaluating reliability, I think ultimately that only matters to folks who don't own a Toyota - yet. We owners already know.

If Toyota brought the Landcruiser Troop carrier from AUS to North America, do you think anyone will buy it?

A 2019 vehicle with the amenities and an interior from 1999?
I wish they would, not like they have to redesign a new vehicle... just send a few to IIHS to crash test and it could be the Toyota answer to a Jeep.

I don't think it will make it past that. You honestly think these genius noob Jeepers will buy them once they see that it got a 2 star side impact rating? And they'll remove the doors on their JLU right after because "it's got side airbags though".

Haha EXACTLY what I was picturing.

Ugh... seeing builds and setups like this at SEMA look catchy on the convention floor to get people stopping/looking. But I agree... I don't think many people would actually take this seriously outdoors

I really think they should've kept the look of the Wrangler and that signature front end to the Wrangler alone. They just slapped a truck bed onto the Wrangler and called it good. Not appealing to me, but I'm sure they'll do just fine with their loyal customer base.

The old school Scrambler was cool. This new Gladiator? Bleh. But I really don't like the JKU either. IMO it loses some of what makes a Wrangler a Wrangler when the extra 2 doors are added.

I still wonder why Toyota quit making these;



Seems they missed out on a cash cow.

Reading the thread title keeps reminding me of Airplane.


Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?

Funny for me cuz I went to a 4runner to get a break from fixing my jeeps and now I am going back to jeeps cuz I am fixing this 4runner more than them.


As for the Gladiatoe, nope. I could never pay that much for any vehicle. It is ridiculous. I bought a brand new Dakota back when it first came out and it was $18k.

$30k+ is insane for something I would wheel. I rather buy a used TJ and a trailer.

i'm seriously considering one, it looks better than i expected

i'd get the rubicon, i think it's priced okay.

the only thing stopping me so far is build quality, the idea that i would need to do a prepurchase inspection and check weld quality on a $40K+ vehicle is a pill too big for me to swallow

Thought long and hard about it and several things bug me

-too long, would buy a 2-door in a heartbeat
-jeep has had frame weld issues with this generation of Wranglers
-FCA's future is uncertain at best
-I'm getting to the age where a drafty, leaky, SFA vehicle with scary highway manners is no longer fun
-price is nuts

Guess I have been in that age, mentally anyway, for a while.

I agree. Too much money for what it really is. On the face of it, the Gladiator is so much better than a Tacoma, but a closer look shows a TRD Tacoma to be a much better value.

I don't think the Gladiator's size will allow its Rubicon trim to really outdo a 4R or a Tacoma offroad, except in some very specific scenarios. Once they are old enough to have the bed chopped etc, that's another story. But will they last that long?

That said, the Gladiator is so overdone that it should sell exceptionally well, in its home market, anyway.

Chopping the bed would get you back to the JLU...

Although the DK look has been rocked by LCs and LRs across the world.