Gladiator is a  novelty.  It is a super long vehicle.   Hopefully Ford makes the Bronco pickup a more practical smallish pickup.  There is a huge truck market out there and I’m not sure the Gladiator goes after the traditional truck market, but the Bronco could.  

You take that back. VANILLA IS THE FINEST OF THE FLAVORS.  

Learning about Chuck Norris Action Jeans is my greatest internet learning moment of 2020.  

You missed my entire point. Rusty was arguing that modern Wranglers drive just like car based SUV’s. Clearly not the case due to the suspension and 4wd system.

I rented one for a week and disagree completely. They are big on the outside, small on the inside, and ride extremely crudely compared to unibody SUV’s..... And with the old school 4x4 system don’t even think about making a tight turn with them in 4wd on dry pavement.

The interior brings a lot to the table that competitors don’t offer.  

I have a ZF8 in my AWD wagon and it is great, but it is designed for longitudinal rwd based platforms. Without going DCT, Mazda has limited options for the 3... and DCT compromises comfort cruising in stop and go traffic.   My last two cars had them.  

Turbo motor would have a bigger advantage at elevation. I rented a 2017 Wrangler on Turo several years back when visiting family in Leadville Co (10,200 ft) and would have loved the Turbo there. NA engines lose 3% of their power for every 1000 ft of elevation.  A lot of big off roster destinations are around a mile…

David Tracy did a big write up on the Gladiator towing capacity last year.  I believe cooling was the limitation due to the unique shape of the Jeep front end which limits radiator space, unlike full size pickups which look like Peterbuilts.   

Went out and checked my BMW... sure enough.  Never noticed.  Guess that explains why I have to yank the latch twice.  

Looks weird because it is totally blacked out except for the wheels.  

Yep, I was referring more to the general lack of utility in most pickups sold today.   Simple tasks like loading a small motorcycle or 10-12’ lumber is not easy due the the high/short beds.  

Fuel Shark would like to have a word. 

New Corolla.   

8’ bed? 90% of pickup trucks have the short bed.

Yes, the design of this generation was pure work truck with zero embellishments or frivolous design features.    When it came out it was the first “modern” truck design of the era.   My dad had one in the early 90’s when I was in high school.     Then the “new Dodge Ram” came out and the testosterone pickup races…

It isn’t about how fast cars can safely go, it is about human reaction time. Sure, my BMW can safely be driven 150 mph on most highways, but when a minivan swerves in front of me it doesn’t matter. We aren’t all professional drivers capable of utilizing our cars hardware.

They don’t drink that much gas. Three years ago when we had a 2014 Odyssey we took a road trip from Indiana to Florida. 5 people plus luggage and fishing gear for the week. Got 28.1 MPG for the 2000+ mile round trip. Last month we made the exact same trip with the same 5 people in my 2014 328i wagon with Yakima…

Offered on the Carrera S but not on the base 911

Wow.  That’s tiny compared to a modern Golf.