I should probably preface this "review"—more like incoherent rambling about minor first-world problems—with a bit of an explanation. I've had my 2021 Mazda 3 Turbo for almost a year now. I'd like to call it my "daily driver," but the truth is, thanks to a work-supplied commuter car, I don't technically have a personally owned daily driver. In my ~10 months of Mazda 3 Turbo ownership, I've put about 2,000 miles on it. Considering I have to juggle three cars in the weekend rotation, that’s not bad.
To be clear, the Mazda 3 is a wonderful daily-ish vehicle. It's comfortable, easy to drive, relatively stress-free, and the interior is a nice place to be. On top of that, it has enough power (thanks to 300 ft-lbs of torque) to feel lively and just enough body control to be somewhat fun to throw around occasionally. No, it won't match the fun factor of my modded 128i or my NC Miata, but for a car this comfortable and easy to live with, I couldn’t care less. With a decent set of snow-rated tires, it's also been a winter tank, which is more or less its primary mission.
I have no real complaints about my Mazda 3. It’s a great car that I still enjoy driving. I don’t need another car. However, since selling my Xterra and my wife selling her Suburban, we find ourselves with plenty of vehicles but none of the utilitarian variety. My Mazda suits my needs 99% of the time, but that doesn't mean I don't occasionally go down the rabbit hole of searching for a vehicle to fulfill that remaining 1%. So, with some free time, I figured I’d take another look at utilitarian vehicles that could, hypothetically, replace the Mazda.
Quick Spin the in Ford Maverick:
First up, another Ford Maverick. Since I’ve already written about the Maverick, I won’t belabor the point. It’s an incredible bang-for-the-buck vehicle, but after owning my Mazda, hopping into the Maverick feels like a downgrade in almost every way. Admittedly, the one we drove was more spartan than the higher trims, but I preferred pretty much everything about the Mazda—the seats, seating position, interior design, steering feel, body control, etc. The only area where Ford did a better job? The 8-speed transmission, which is a more responsive unit than my Mazda’s somewhat laggy 6AT.
Don’t get me wrong, I still really like the Maverick. But for mostly driving around town, I preferred my Mazda by a pretty solid margin, even if I am sacrificing a good bit of usability in the process. Driving them back-to-back, I just couldn’t bring myself to sell the Mazda for the Ford.
Jeep Grand Cherokee: Almost, But No
Next up, a last-gen 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee at our local CarMax. I figured it might offer a good balance between the Mazda’s refinement and the utility I was looking for. It’s a nice rig—comfortable, just peppy enough with the 3.6L Pentastar V6 and always-impressive ZF 8-speed auto. The steering was lighter and vaguer than I’d prefer, but it was easy to drive at pedestrian speeds. The interior was a nice place to be, with plenty of space and no glaringly cheap materials.
And yet… I just didn’t want it. I really wanted to like the Grand Cherokee more, but it didn’t spark any joy. I know there’s a newer version, but I’m too much of a cheapskate to go down that road. If the price was dirt cheap, I might consider it. But it’s not. So I won’t.
Jeep Gladiator: The Unexpected Contender
Then, we stumbled upon a 2022 Jeep Gladiator Sport S V6 8AT at CarMax and thought, "What the hell, let’s take it for a spin."
Shockingly, we both loved it.
For some background, I’ve owned both a JL Wrangler 4-door and an old TJ with a 6MT. The TJ was an absolute blast off-road and in deep snow, but as a daily driver, it was downright terrible. The JL, on the other hand, was far more comfortable—especially on the freeway—but after about a year, I sold it. Not because I disliked it, but because Tesla was offering a smoking deal on the Model 3 Performance [Stealth] back when they still commanded a premium price.
The JL wasn’t hard to live with, but the M3P won me over with its excellent daily-driver manners (before I had a take-home work car), the ability to skip gas stations (which is irrelevant now), and its absolutely brutal acceleration. Too bad it made my wife carsick—but I digress.
It’s been a while since I’ve driven a JL Wrangler. I’ve ridden in a couple with my wife over the past year, but she was the one behind the wheel. She’s been talking about buying one for a while now.
Until last night, I wasn’t sure if I wanted another Wrangler-based vehicle. But after driving the Gladiator, I can’t deny—it’s piqued my interest and sent me down the inevitable “Oh my word, why am I considering spending money on this?” rabbit hole.
Interior Layout:
Stepping into the Gladiator, having previously owned a JL Wrangler, felt instantly familiar. I liked the JL’s layout when I had one, and not much has changed. Everything you interact with feels solid and well put together. It’s impressive to have an interior that looks refined yet can still be hosed out—there’s definitely an appeal to that.
The seats, however, are as flat as a board, with virtually no bolstering to speak of. Jeep did a great job reminding me of my time driving a Humvee in the Army, where the seats were basically a couple of cushions glued to flat metal plates. That said, I was surprised to find the Gladiator’s seats… actually somewhat comfortable.
Legroom—Where Is It?
It’s absolutely baffling that a vehicle stretching 218 inches in length offers driver legroom seemingly designed for a circus performer. I had the same issue in my JL. In fact, anticipating this problem when I bought it, the first thing I did after bringing it home was order a set of extended seat rails that added about five inches of legroom—an easy and relatively inexpensive fix. The downside? Once the seat is moved back, shorter drivers will struggle to reach the pedals.
Because of this cramped setup, my right leg and knee weren’t exactly thrilled with the seating position. I can’t say I felt outright knee pain (though it was probably on its way had I driven longer), but it certainly wasn’t comfortable for someone of my height. If memory serves, adding the extended seat rails in my JL completely resolved this, making it all the more frustrating that such a modification is necessary in the first place.
As a Wrangler-based Jeep, the Gladiator is relatively narrow, so lateral space is also on the tighter side—my left leg naturally rests against the door. Coming from a long history of Japanese roadsters, I’m used to this and don’t mind, but if you’re expecting a wide, cushy, spacious modern SUV experience, you’re in the wrong place.
Oh My Word, Actual Utility:
In contrast, the back seat is surprisingly spacious—full-sized adults can sit comfortably behind a driver over six feet tall. It offers considerably more passenger room than the Mazda 3 sedan, which currently serves as our occasional child hauler.
The truck bed, at just five feet in length, isn’t exactly suited for a dedicated work truck, but for someone like me—whose hauling needs are mostly limited to occasional Home Depot or Best Buy runs, or whatever large item my wife finds on Nextdoor—it’s a major upgrade. In other words, it means not having to rent a truck from Home Depot.
Not a Bad Powertrain- the ZF 8-speed Always Impresses:
Setting off, the combination of the Pentastar 3.6L V6 and ZF 8-speed automatic is a solid pairing. It won’t win any drag races, and sure, the engine is getting a bit long in the tooth, but the transmission is so intuitive and responsive that it always felt like it was delivering ample power when needed. Driving around town and at lower freeway speeds, the truck felt just peppy enough to keep up with traffic without needing to be pushed hard.
It’s been a while since I’ve driven a manual JL, and I wouldn’t bother trying a manual Gladiator—especially when I already have two sporty stick shifts sitting in my garage. To be clear, from my last experience with a manual JL, I remember it feeling mediocre at best (and that’s being generous), especially compared to the utterly brilliant ZF automatic.
The Gladiator is missing one of my all-time favorite Mazda features—Auto Hold—the ability to remain stopped without keeping your foot on the brake. It makes stop-and-go traffic much easier on my already stressed right knee. However, it does have one redeeming feature that might make up for it: an actual, honest-to-goodness hand brake lever! No electronic parking brake gimmicks or clunky truck-style foot brakes—just a proper, mechanical handbrake. Problem solved.
Can It Actually Drive in a Straight Line?
We spent a decent amount of time driving around town, and while there were some stretches with lower freeway speeds, I never took the Gladiator above 60-65 mph. This was where I had my biggest revelation compared to the Wrangler—turns out, that extra 19 inches of wheelbase over the 4-door JL makes a difference. It's not exactly a "relaxed" ride at higher speeds, but it’s noticeably more stable than the last Wrangler I drove at the same speeds. There weren’t any heavy crosswinds to throw the brick around, but even at slightly higher speeds, it was the best-driving solid front axle vehicle I’ve been behind the wheel of. It almost felt like what I’d consider a “normal truck.”
While the recirculating ball steering will never match the precision or road manners of a rack-and-pinion, Jeep nailed the weighting and the ratio. It’s still a Jeep—you’ll need to make some minor corrections to keep it straight. But compared to my old short-wheelbase TJ, the much longer Gladiator feels like the absolute pinnacle of stability and precision.
Despite (Because Of?) Its Stone Age Roots, This Thing is Big on Fun:
Let’s be honest: it's a ladder-frame chassis rolling on stick axles. Refinement and luxury are not part of the recipe. Yet, the Sport S version of the JT actually rides reasonably well. Sure, there’s body roll—did you see the lack of bolstering in the seats? High-speed cornering in this thing isn’t exactly a long-term survival strategy. It’s not a smooth, Cadillac-like experience, but it absorbs most impacts without jarring the occupants and offers just enough play/feedback in the suspension to create a sensation I like to call... fun.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the big Gladiator is surprisingly enjoyable to drive. When you’re driving from stoplight to stoplight, it gives you more of a “safari” vibe. It’s similar to the "driving a slow car fast" feeling, but in this case, you're just driving a slow car... well, slowly.
Being a narrower vehicle, it’s easier to keep it in its lane compared to something like a Suburban, Expedition, or even the Grand Cherokee I drove just before it. There’s just enough play in the steering that "guiding" it within its lane becomes a fun little game.
This isn’t a precision instrument, nor is it designed to be a driver’s car. But what it lacks in certain areas, it more than makes up for in character and presence. For reasons I can’t fully explain, I just had fun driving it.
The Wife Factor:
When I was done, I swapped seats with my wife. She usually declines my offers to switch during test drives, but not this time. This time, I practically had to pry the keys out of her hands. That little lady was grinning from ear to ear, driving like a bit of a hooligan, and immediately starting to plan how to bring this quirky truck home.
My wife loves the look of the Wrangler but always thought the Gladiator was hideous. And, to be honest, it kind of is. The proportions are off, giving it an overly long look that’s less than flattering. I should be clear—I like it, but in the way your neighbor has an ugly dog you can’t help but pet. It’s an ugly little thing, but somehow, it adds to the charm.
The previous owner of this particular Gladiator had installed a bolt-on rear roll bar over the truck bed, along with step-up rock rails. The result? Both of us actually thought these simple mods made the JT look pretty sweet! It was the first time my wife ever thought the Gladiator looked good. By the time she finished driving it, she was ready to sign on the dotted line and was seriously considering a Gladiator over a Wrangler.
Would I Actually Buy One?
So, where does that leave me? Well, I’m not entirely sure.
The big Gladiator is well-built, but it’s definitely not as nice or comfortable as my Mazda. However, because of its abundance of character, I’m not sure I really care.
Do I need this vehicle? Absolutely not. The bigger back seat is nice, but with our oldest daughter having her own car (technically, two of them), I rarely use the back seat in my Mazda these days. The truck bed would be a welcome addition, but let’s be honest—there are only a couple of times a year I actually need a truck bed. And when that happens, renting a truck from Home Depot is much cheaper than buying a new-to-me Chrysler product.
Speaking of price, this doesn’t make a lot of sense. My Mazda is paid off and has just under 11,000 miles on the clock. It’s a few years old, but due to a potential valve seal issue (which hasn’t occurred in my car), Mazda extended my warranty. As a result, my Mazda still has a couple of years left under a powertrain warranty. It needs nothing and has a nearly new set of snow-demolishing tires mounted on it. In contrast, if I were to buy a used Gladiator with lower miles, it would likely cost me an extra $7,000 to $9,000 more than I could sell my Mazda for. Financially, this doesn’t add up.
And yet, here I am, entertaining the idea of buying the big, goofy Gladiator. Beyond the extra usability, I really just enjoyed driving it.
A minor point in the Gladiator’s favor: my 128i and NC Miata (along with my wife’s Challenger 392 Scat Pack) are insured with Hagerty, meaning my “daily” sits outside year-round. The Gladiator, on the other hand, is the kind of vehicle I wouldn’t mind leaving outside in the elements—it’s kind of made for it.
Given its length, it’s certainly not a car I’d want to take downtown for a date night and try to parallel park. The good news is, I own a Miata and a 128i—both of which excel at fitting into tight spaces. Problem solved.
While the Gladiator is a much more stable freeway cruiser than the Wranglers of old, I’m not sure I’d want to take it on longer road trips. Maybe that’s not true—it honestly didn’t seem too bad—but again, I own a BMW 128i. That thing is an autobahn-cruising missile on the freeway. If I’m being honest, I probably put more miles on my BMW in the past year than I did my Mazda.
So, what am I going to do? Good question. I suppose I’ll just keep pondering and maybe make another poor financial decision for the sake of emotional enjoyment, with a side of potential practicality. If I’m smart, I’ll just keep my Mazda and continue living my best life. But, I never claimed to be a smart man.
In the meantime, while I mull this over, all I can say is that this goofy, awkward, moderately clumsy truck has a lot of character—and I had fun driving it.
