Gladiator or Tacoma, Help Me Decide!

I am going to be getting a new vehicle soon and I am having a difficult time deciding. I have narrowed it down to a Gladiator Rubicon or a Tacoma TRD Off-Road. But I keep going back and forth on which one and can't decide.

It is going to be an overland rig and take it camping. My goal for both will have Alucab or GFC on the back, lift, Trail Grapplers, metal bumpers, winch, etc. But I also want to be able to explore the more challenging offroad trails like Holy Cross, Poughkeepsie, maybe Rubicon?

If I go with Gladiator I plan on 3.5" lift and 37" tires, if I go with Tacoma it will be a 3-3.5" lift and 35" tires. I know with the Tacoma I will need to do a body mount chop/relocation, and I plan on cutting fenders and going with high clearance bumpers and full skid plates.

I know the big draw to the Jeep is the ability to remove top and the doors, but I never did that back when I had my JK, and I don't really plan on it now. And I know the Jeep Rubicon is going to be a bit more capable of an off-road machine, but I've seen some built up Tacomas do really well.

It seems that the Gladiator would be a better buy because it's technically more capable off-road, but for the packages I'm looking at on the Gladiator and the Tacoma, the Gladiator comes out at $20k more than the Tacoma. And if I go with Tacoma, it is well within my budget and I will have that extra $20k right away to do upgrades with (lift, tires, camper, etc.). But if I go with the Gladiator, it is stretching my budget to the limit and will be at least a year before I can do any major modifications to it.

 

Factor in new gears for the Tacoma for sure...

Have you test drove both of them to get a feel for how they drive and comfort level etc. (Granted it will change a ton when you do new tires/lift and add 2,00lbs in mods lol)

 

Flip a coin?

 

I’m not sure on the Gladiator engine/gearing combo but you will need to budget in gears at a minimum for the Tacoma. It is gutless stock and with that much added weight and 35” tires you will hate life.

 

It will be the same for the Gladiators. Adding bigger tires (37”+) and all that weight in overlanding gear you would need to regear the Jeep too.

 

If you like wasting money buy a Jeep, if you like spending money buy a Tacoma.

 

IF I were to go the Gladiator route, I'd be looking seriously at the Mojave trim package. Check it out. It doesn't have the low range that the Rubicon does but it has a stiffer frame and better suspension. It does still have a low range in the transfer case, just not as low as the Rubicon. My son has a 2019 JL Rubicon and really likes it (6 speed manual). The Mojave also has heavier duty spindles (I believe) and hydraulic bump stops.
I love my Taco and Toyota reliability but I really like the Gladiator Mojave.
Tough decision!

 

I'm taller and cant stand getting in and out of jeeps. That alone puts me off of them.

They are awesome offroad, but I've heard many issues with the V6, and their sticker price always seems wildly inflated like the bronco.

Gladiators also look goofy in the lower trim levels.

 

Was there not a 200 page thread about this already. Lol honestly search it up first 10ish pages pretty solid then slowly turned into an all out war over people who love tacomas and hate Jeeps or love Jeeps and hate tacomas.

 

GMC Canyon AT4-X It's not a Jeep, and it's not a Tacoma. I mean, if you can't decide get something else. The GMC probably trucks better than a Jeep, and offroads better than a Tacoma. I'm sure it's expensive, covers all the bases.

 

@crashnburn80 likely has some input on the gladiator after his woes.

His truck was a shitshow

 

Didn't read any of your post just the title.
Tacoma

 

The tacoma can run those trails with a very weight conscious setup and expect to winch on places like Pritchett canyon.

The Jeep will just make it easier to run those trails.

Hard trials with overland weight you’re more likely to break things and it will make it that much harder.

Overland/hard trails Tacoma.
Hard trails/Overland Gladi.

Whats your priority?

 

Go test drive both. Go with your gut on what suits you better.


Or listen to a bunch of strangers' biased opinions that might or might not match the circumstances of your personal life.

Your choice.

 

One reason I crossed off the Wrangler and the Gladiator is they don’t offer rear seat side curtain airbags and the Tacoma does. While reliability is a huge factor for me, as a father, safety is the biggest factor.

 

Gladiator

 

Well, considering Jeep is on the bottom of the totem pole for reliability, you can rule that out lol. And I wouldn’t even consider a gmc canyon at4x. The 2023 model is supposed to go for around $60k which absolutely insane. Waste of money, AND it’s a brand new generation. AND it’s a GM product. Lol. I’d go with the trd off-road for sure!!!!

 

I didn’t consider anything not offered with a manual transmission. I was driving a Sierra SLT z71. It was a great truck but too big for me and GM and Ford don’t offer manual transmission pickups.

 

Tacoma. GM and Chrysler are literally racing each other to the bottom of the quality barrel nowadays.



.

 

they’re nice but something about the bed proportions seems off to me

And I’m not saying the Tacoma manual transmission is perfect (it’s good), but I really didn’t like the manual transmission in the Wrangler I drove paired with the Pentastar V6.

And Stellantis priced the Gladiator too high in my opinion for what it is.