I see a new tow vehicle in my future....

[gbaglo]

So.
Jeep is built by Fiat Chrysler.
Does that mean you combine the lousy reliability of Fiat and Chrysler to get a rating?
I've owned both, BTW.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by M.W.Deters

Diesel or gas?

The Gladiator will have only one engine available initially: a gas V6. Later (perhaps a year later), a diesel engine will be available. The gas engine is the same one as currently used in the Wrangler; the diesel will be the same one as used in a Jeep Grand Cherokee or Ram 1500.

[cpaharley2008]

My Dodge Ram mechanic told me to stay away from the diesels as a city car because unless they are run long enough to get hot they will have carbon issues. The 6cyl is the pentastar motor which is a good motor.I may have to stick with my hemi which gives me 15 mpg towing, if I'm careful, otherwise a solid 14 constant towing. But i'm going to need a battery soon, it is approaching 5 years.

[Iowa Dave]

Don’t panic now Jim, a new battery, top of the line is only about $135. No reason to be cashing in the Ram. On my 02 Dakota I got 9 years and 9 months on the original battery. Thought about calling Guinness to check the record but traded her off before she failed. Then drank a Guinness instead.
Iowa Dave

[gbaglo]

But, Jim could trade it in on a propane-fueled Ram...

[EdColorado]

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/06/fiat...build-suv.html


Interesting. Fiat/Chrysler is on the roll.

[Mike Lewis]

I was afraid the diesel emissions test scandal would finish off Fiat-Chrysler. Glad I was wrong.

[cpaharley2008]

If you want to see where the Volkswagen diesels are
https://e.nationalgeographic.com/pub...agev1lpVIfJrzI

[buellfire]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

If you want to see where the Volkswagen diesels are
https://e.nationalgeographic.com/pub...agev1lpVIfJrzI

Not true any longer. My wife and I had a 2012 VW TDI, which VW brought back in 2016. I still have the Vin number, I looked it up and found it at an auction and then at a dealership in Akron Ohio. Seems that VW fixed them and sold them on. I have seen many vehicles like mine in autotrader priced cheap, then must have flooded the market with them.

[Tford]

Hold out for them to reintroduce the Forward Control....after all, Jeep is part of FCA now, that could stand for Foward Control Authority!

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Tford

Hold out for them to reintroduce the Forward Control....after all, Jeep is part of FCA now, that could stand for Foward Control Authority!

There are lots of FC fans, including a friend of mine. They will probably never get a new one, but someone at Jeep does have it in the back of their mind...
Jeep Mighty FC Concept

Although the real production FC was short (81" to 103" wheelbase), a modern vehicle would need to be longer. The 2012 concept was stretched to a 117-inch wheelbase, but the current Wrangler 4-door is already that long and the Gladiator would make a 137-inch wheelbase available... they could probably fit a crew cab and 8-foot box on that, although the chassis wouldn't have the load capacity to make all of that space useful.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

There are lots of FC fans, including a friend of mine. They will probably never get a new one, but someone at Jeep does have it in the back of their mind...
Jeep Mighty FC Concept

Although the real production FC was short (81" to 103" wheelbase), a modern vehicle would need to be longer.

The FC Concept looks pretty neat, but as the magazine article hinted it might not be very safe in a front-end collision. No crumple zones here. Also, I'd never seen the Willys version; that's very interesting.


I've often wondered why small motorhomes aren't built on the cab-over chassis that you see on box trucks from Isuzu, etc. I think they exist overseas, but not in N. America.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

The FC Concept looks pretty neat, but as the magazine article hinted it might not be very safe in a front-end collision. No crumple zones here. Also, I'd never seen the Willys version; that's very interesting.


I've often wondered why small motorhomes aren't built on the cab-over chassis that you see on box trucks from Isuzu, etc. I think they exist overseas, but not in N. America.

Mike, I think you answered your own question: people don't want to sit in the forward-control position in a smaller vehicle, especially at highway speeds (although that's normal for large Class A motorhomes).

Yes, what we would call Class C motorhomes on forward-control chassis-cabs are common on other continents, but not available here. Overall vehicle length is not such a big deal here, so conventional chassis-cabs are used instead... it also allows much easier engine access, and the ability to walk through from the front seats to the rest of motorhome. Ride comfort (for the driver and front row passenger) is also an issue in a short forward-control vehicles.

I think the Jeep FC is amusing in one way: the traditional Jeep layout (still used only by the Wrangler/Gladiator) is extreme in the other direction, with the driver unusually far back from the front axle. That's why the Gladiator is longer (in wheelbase and overall) than a conventional pickup with similar cab and box lengths.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Tford

Hold out for them to reintroduce the Forward Control....after all, Jeep is part of FCA now, that could stand for Foward Control Authority!

Some similarities to the Kia Truck we purchased on our last trip to Haiti. To say that they're rugged go anywhere vehicles would be an understatement. The Kia, even driven on the wild roads of Haiti, will likely be around long after my F150 bites the dust.

Wish that I could park one in Mexicali and use it on the roads in Baja.

Ron

[Joods]

My response would be "because its a JEEP!" :-)