Yeah, the Gladiator needs a better engine. See my earlier post. But you are missing the point of the Gladiator entirely. The Gladiator is not meant to be a working pick-up truck. If you want a working truck in America, there are many great options to choose from. On the top end of capacity, they have more than 6,000 pounds of payload, and can tow over 35,000 pounds. No one buys a Gladiator for "work".
The Gladiator is designed for moderate overlanding, and to be an off-roader that can do a little light truck work here and there. The wheelbase is not a problem, because anyone who off-roads seriously in a Gladiator puts 37-inch tires on it at a minimum. Go to Moab, or any other off-road area out here in the Western U.S. and all the Gladiators are running 37s or 40s. That's the beauty of Jeep: they make it very easy to put on big tires. A Gladiator Rubicon with a 2.5 inch lift and 37-inch tires is a beast off-road: solid axles, locking diffs front & rear, a 4:1 low range (way better in the rocks, and in steep terrain than the Grenadier), and a disconnecting front anti-sway bar (again, not found in the Grenadier). Even after the lift, and larger tires, you are $20,000 cheaper than a Trialmaster (with current pricing). Lastly, if you want a little more practical payload (as opposed to legal payload) you can get that with your suspension lift.
Same tired criticism of the Jeep Wrangler JLU. People who don't know better say - "Well, the 118-inch wheelbase is longer than ----, therefore the JLU is worse off-road". That is just nonsense, because the JLU is designed - from the factory - to accommodate large tires. You can spec it - from the factory - with 35s (with proper gearing, and a full-size spare), and it is super-easy to lift it and slap on 37s, or even 40s. Then you can kiss the complaints about wheelbase goodbye. In addition, it will destroy all other vehicles in terms of approach and departure angle. Anyone with a wrench-set and minimal mechanical capability can install a decent lift on a Wrangler in their driveway on a Sunday (though it helps to have a buddy, and a six-pack of brew). Sure, the payload of a Wrangler sucks - but if you are buying it for payload - well that's as dumb as buying a Grenadier for track-day, or to go canyon carving. The Wrangler beats every other 4x4 in technical rock-crawling - in part, because of its low payload - because that buys it the best articulation of any off-road vehicle you can buy today. This is what we want here in the Western United States. People who buy Wranglers and Gladiators are not looking for big payload. These vehicles are great for their intended use. Just as the Grenadier is great for its intended use, and just as the Ford F-450 is great for its intended use, and just as a Porsche 911 is great for its intended use. Hmmm, why don't I ever hear about people complaining about payload in a 911?
