Tacoma TRD Off-Road vs Gladiator Mojave for overlanding + dirtbike hitch?
Posted by Low-Nectarine-2849@reddit | overlanding | View on Reddit | 40 comments
I’m deciding between two used trucks and would love some input:
2022 Tacoma TRD Off-Road 4x4 (\~50k miles, \~$30k)
2020 Jeep Gladiator Mojave (\~50k miles, \~$30k)
My main use will be overlanding, and I plan to carry a dirtbike on a hitch carrier (not trailer).
Priorities:
- Stability with hitch load
- Reliability (I don’t want headaches in remote areas)
- Off-road capability (desert + trails, not hardcore rock crawling)
- Comfort for longer drives
For those who’ve owned or used either (or both), which would you choose and why?
According-Tax-1433@reddit
For traveling/overlanding mojave is better than the other gladiators as for as comfort and highway stability. Cant really take Rubicons or other recommendations on comfort. Mojave speeds on washboards.
Having owned a taco, i wouldnt go back. Gladdy stronger. Impressed me offroad for being a truck.
Drove the mojave, moab, various deserts in socal to nm. harsh winter in alaska, ohio,idaho, montana. 160k miles on a 2020.
If you put a lot of weight, then you need to look at stiffer springs and/or airbags
if you get the weight right it keeps up w/ raptors (did it in the desert, and crawls in the rock). taco is garbage at towing. yes it has a v6 too. but i have 37s, re-geared and towed my g/f broken 4runner across the country w/ my camper on.
if you're just a weekender and not offroading, you should be fine w/ a pro taco. Upgrades are more expensive and wont give you the same capability w/o throwing money at it. I met a few fulltimers that had had nothing but issues w/ tacos and their frames. I would personally go 4runner first. They all run v6. so all are garbage. There are used diesel, but good luck finding one. gladdy can get a v8 swap using amw or DIY kit.
Dont buy any used gladiator if the start/stop hasn't been deleted. Engine killer
In short i love mine. Did great w/ 4 years full timing on the road. I'm keeping it. My taco lasted 90k w/ all the garbage that broke so i fixed it and traded it in. So not impressed considering I actually offroad my vehicles.
Mayday-J@reddit
Tacoma is going to ride better on trails. I have a Gladiator and I can never keep up with my friends on fire roads that get super rough, and I mean normal driving. the IFS on the tacoma is a lot smoother.
Not saying not to get a Gladiator, especially if you're going to upgrade the suspension , but even then SFA has its drawbacks.
According-Tax-1433@reddit
b/c you didnt buy the mojave. shocks are super smoth
graphitewolf@reddit
Respectfully this may be a skill issue, solid front axles are preferred for offroad for articulation and durability
Mayday-J@reddit
man, you really misread what I wrote.
DepartmentNatural@reddit
You want reliability? Out of these two the taco is it
coreyjdl@reddit
Tacoma... the truck whose frames rusted in half? Or who just had a massive recall because debris in the engines causing catatrophic failure?
The Jeep Wrangler familiy is fine on reliability and only chronically online internet idiots regurtiate this "jeeps are trash" shit over and over over back and forth from their asshole to each others mouths forever.
troutman76@reddit
The Jeeps are junk. I’ve had several Jeeps and several Toyotas, and the Toyotas have never let me down like the Jeeps have.
Mayday-J@reddit
I mean they certainly aren't junk. maybe you bought junk ones, but all vehicles of caple of being a POS. You're limited and clearly once sided view point doesn't speak for the majority nor is it an indicator of it.
troutman76@reddit
I have a one sided view point since I said I’ve owned several Jeeps and several Toyotas? Calling my view point “one sided” makes no sense at all.
Mayday-J@reddit
Not really, I mean maybe short sighted is better? As a rule of thumb anyone who talks shit about an entire brand as compared to another is way off base, period. Based on the logic in your post bumpside F100/F250 are total pieces of shit because I've owned a couple and have had nothing but trouble with them. But that's not true, is it. You just didn't get the experience you were looking for and formed an entire opinion around that. Despite there being worlds of other opinions that counter yours.
troutman76@reddit
You can say what you want. From my experience, every Jeep I’ve owned has been complete junk and has left me stranded in the side of the road at least once. Not a single Toyota I’ve owned has ever given me any issues at all and never left me stranded. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
overlanding-ModTeam@reddit
Be Kind, Be Respectful
ElPeroTonteria@reddit
I’ve owned 2 Jeeps and 1 Toyota… My Kia was was more reliable vehicle.
I love jeeps, but I just can’t buy one anymore. Plus this whole duckie thing is just… ugh.
PNWoutdoors@reddit
Damn you sound like a whiny Jeep owner.
PuzzleheadedHawk6424@reddit
I have a 22 trd long bed 4dr Tacoma. With go fast camper and homemade kitchen and fridge and crap. I put airbags on the back- they leaked and it was bouncy. So I did an adds a leaf in the back. You’re gonna want that. Cost me like 1000 but needed for carrying any kind of the weight in the back consistently.
211logos@reddit
I'd get the Tacoma, since Google tells me it could have a higher payload capacity than the Gladiator, and you'll probably need all of that capacity with even a relatively light dirtbike hanging off the back.
uthink-ah1002@reddit
Overlanding Tacoma, offroading jeep
ScrofessorLongHair@reddit
This. Jeeps are fucking awesome off-road. My cousin has a TJ, and it's a blast. It's an awesome toy but a shitty car. It's insane what they can get through. It's also insane how often they break down. You better either be loaded to afford the repairs or good with a wrench.
OrvilleTheCavalier@reddit
Those Gladiator Mojaves are really cool looking but I would buy the Toyota. They are incredibly reliable, which is not something you can say about Jeeps for the most part. If you’re deep into an overlanding trip, you definitely want the vehicle that’s more likely to get you home.
KiwiRoamingCanada@reddit
I have a 2023 Gladiator Mojave and a 2022 Diesel Gladiator Rubicon, haven't had any issues with them. All modern vehicles can have problems these days, manufacturers are cheaping out on build quality, materials etc. Gone are the days where Toyota was the reliability King.
troutman76@reddit
My 2022 Gladiator Rubicon Diesel stayed in the shop many times during the 3 years I owned it, and finally after it left me stranded on my last trip, I gave up on it right as it hit the 30k mark. Yes I maintained it religiously and did not go crazy on the modifications. It seems to be very hit and miss with Jeeps as far as reliability goes.
KiwiRoamingCanada@reddit
Did you delete the emissions from it?
Small_Sight@reddit
I have a 20 JLU diesel and a 22 JT diesel and they both have over 100k completely trouble free miles with tons of rock crawling high level trails included!
AmeriJar@reddit
The average service and maintenance cost of a 2023 Gladiator is about double that of a 2023 Tacoma in its first 5 years.
I have a 5th gen 4runner, but if something happened to it I'd love to get a 6 speed Gladiator, but they're far more expensive to maintain. I had a TJ back in 06 and it was by far one of my favorite vehicles
new_vr@reddit
Anecdotally, sure
But statistically who is better than Toyota?
Wang_Hang_Low@reddit
Jeeps are trash. Glad I got rid of mine for a 4Runner. Not like I was rock climbing or anything. The 4Runner handles fire roads and light to moderate trails just fine.
My 2022 Jeep Wrangler was a nightmare. Lots of electrical issues and the transmission got stuck in 3rd gear at 48K and needed a whole transmission replacement that Jeep tried to get me to pay for. Sold it a couple weeks later after a warranty repair.
Elwoodpdowd87@reddit
I own a '21 Tacoma trd off road and my mom has had several 4-door wranglers over the last few years I have driven. The jeeps are garbage on road compared to the taco. I'm sure they're great off road, but driving county roads in maine was a literally sickening experience for several of my passengers lol. On the flip side, I have taken the Tacoma to OnX trails rated 5-6, and aside from 1" larger tires it is fully stock. And while it drives like a truck, it's light years better than the wranglers I've driven. I can't speak for how the wrangler compares to the gladiator in that way but I can't imagine they're too dissimilar.
Small_Sight@reddit
The gladiator does drive WAY better than a 4 door JL, which is much better than a 4 door JK (not sure which one you’ve drove). The gladiator, and even the JLU, drive absolutely AMAZING for what they’re capable of offroad. However, if you aren’t going to want to do what they’re truly capable of or want a convertible vehicle, they’re not the better overall choice for easy trails and driving on pavement.
The beauty of the gladiator/JL is the ability to do what would cost $100k+ to do in a Toyota product in the rocks all while almost completely stock in the jeep. But if that’s not somebody’s goal then the jeep advantages become pointless
Greater_Goose@reddit
If you don't want headaches in a remote area, forget about the Jeep. Totally garbage vehicle.
troutman76@reddit
I traded my gladiator for a Tacoma. The gladiator was junk from the day I bought it. After it left me stranded for the third time, I got rid of it. My Tacoma may not be quite as capable off road as the gladiator, but every Toyota I’ve had has never given me any major issues at all. They’ve been the most reliable.
Substantial_Heat_550@reddit
That seems grossly overpriced for a Gladiator. Dealers were giving them away when I bought my last truck. No way a gladiator should be identically priced to a similar spec/milage Tacoma.
Buy the Tacoma. Solid front axles kind of suck if you’re not crawling. Getting to camp is smoother and faster without it especially if the road has hard desert washboard.
Substantial_Heat_550@reddit
lol… I love that reddit gives us post stats now. Interesting to see how many Jeep people are offended by a reasonable comment.
ImReflexess@reddit
Apples to oranges. Get the Toyota.
_red-beard_@reddit
3rd gen taco doesn't shift great. I traded for a 4tt gen because I hated it so much. Personally, I would choose a full size for your use case, probably a 2nd gen Tundra. Get to where your going in comfort, then use the bike to rip around.
MojaveMac@reddit
Consider the Chevy Colorado ZR2
The_World_Is_A_Slum@reddit
Between those two, I’d pick a full-size half ton.
Average-crisis@reddit
Speaking as a Gladiator owner- given the perimeters you listed I would choose the Tacoma. The Gladiator is immensely fun, but you have to put up with a lot of discomfort as a trade off. I go out specifically to find off-roading trials with the Jeep. Seeing that you have a dirt bike to handle trail riding the Tacoma will be a better fit for the easier trails and especially the highway driving to get you there.
CalifOregonia@reddit
If comfort is important on long drives I would not go Jeep, 2nd biggest reason why I wouldn’t own one after reliability.
One thing to consider with mid-size at all, and the 3rd gen TRD OR Tacos especially, is that payloads are not great. While your dirt bike and carrier alone won’t blow your payload you have to be careful not to add a bunch of other stuff. After that combo you’ve got like 700lbs to play with for you, passengers, and gear for a trip. If you decided to add a rack and RTT you’d be over capacity. Since you’re looking at deserts consider going full size. With the Taco tax you can often find a bigger more capable truck for the same price.
Subject-Spinach-5801@reddit
I believe they have a similar tongue weight that either would do fine carrying a dirt bike
As far as reliability, I would never buy a jeep again. I only trust Japanese vehicles lol
I never drove a Tacoma, but I did drive a 2022 4runner limited on a 4 hour road trip. Absolutely stellar ride, so I'd assume the Tacoma has a much better ride than the gladiator.