Toyota Tacoma vs Jeep Gladiator

The Jeep Gladiator is an anomaly among midsize pickup trucks. Based on the Wrangler, it’s meant to be an off-roader, and an off-roader alone. And while its rival Toyota Tacoma has off-road models as well, it does a better job with the mainstream duties its customers perform with their trucks every day.

Rivals for both include the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, and Honda Ridgeline. But if you’ve narrowed your choice down to the bestseller or the truck version of the Wrangler, which is the better choice?

Gladiator vs. Tacoma prices and features

• Base Tacoma costs about $33,000
• Base Gladiator costs about $40,000
• Best picks: Gladiator Rubicon or Gladiator Mojave, Tacoma SR5 or Tacoma TRD Pro

How much is a Jeep Gladiator?

The Gladiator comes in Sport, Willys, Rubicon, and Mojave models, plus a variety of style editions. Like the Wrangler upon which it’s based, the Gladiator carries premium prices. The Sport starts just below $41,000. It comes standard with four-wheel drive, cloth upholstery, manual windows and door locks, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, a soft top, two front tow hooks and one rear, skid plates for the fuel tank and transfer case, and 17-inch wheels with 32-inch all-season tires. 

The Rubicon and Mojave models top the line from nearly $55,000. They come with the off-road equipment outlined in the “Gladiator vs. Tacoma off-road and 4×4” section. It’s easy to spend more than $65,000 on either.

How much is a Toyota Tacoma?

The Tacoma is much more affordable than the Gladiator, though that starts to even out at the top of the lineup. The base Tacoma SR model starts at about $33,000, and it comes standard with cloth upholstery, power windows and locks, a sliding rear window, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Four-wheel drive is a $3,200 option and the crew cab body style with the short pickup bed adds $2,200. The Tacoma has the same warranty as the Gladiator.

We recommend the SR5 4×4 DoubleCab with the long bed, which costs roughly $39,000. For another $10,000, there’s the TRD Sport, which gets the hybrid powertrain, a 12.3-inch digital gauge display, and options for a tow package, cooled front seats with synthetic leather upholstery, and a sunroof. 

Off-road goodies on various Tacomas include an electronically controlled locking rear differential, an off-road camera system, and 18-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tires. The high-end Tacoma TRD Pro has specific heated and cooled seats with better off-road support, a head-up display, and a 14.0-inch touchscreen.

Advantage: Toyota Tacoma, for its much lower base prices. 

Gladiator vs. Tacoma performance, fuel economy, towing, and payload

• Tacoma now offers hybrid power
• Gladiator has a strong V-6
• Gladiator no longer offers a diesel option

The Tacoma now sports a strong-enough 228-hp inline-4 as its base engine. In higher-spec trucks, that rises to 270 or 278 hp, and that’s the sweet spot of the new Tacoma lineup. The 4-cylinder gets noisy at higher engine speeds, but the 8-speed automatic that comes with most Tacomas (a 6-speed manual is available) has whip-smart programming and executes quick, clean shifts.

Plenty of buyers will be driven toward the Tacoma’s new hybrid powertrain. To that 4-cylinder, Toyota grafts a battery and hybrid motor for a net of 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. Peak fuel economy of 23 mpg combined is better than before, but not the ultimate point: the hybrid Tacoma’s low-end power makes it a precise tool for towing and for off-roading.

The Gladiator’s 285-hp 3.6-liter V-6, meanwhile, offers good but not great power. It comes with either a 6-speed manual transmission that also has long throws or a well-tuned 8-speed automatic. Its former turbodiesel engine option has been dismissed, and a plug-in hybrid remains in the offing; it’s not here yet. It can’t arrive soon enough: the EPA pegs the gas engine at about 19 mpg combined.

After its complete renovation, the Tacoma has even more control over everyday driving situations than before. In extended-cab spec, its ride can be choppy due to a solid rear axle and leaf springs, but on all DoubleCab editions it swaps in coil springs and a multi-link rear end that endows it with much more muted trucklike handling. It’s a better commuter as a result. The Gladiator irons out most bumps with its long wheelbase, but a solid front axle and recirculating ball steering make the steering vague and lead to numerous corrections on the highway. 

Towing and hauling are wins for the Gladiator. It can tow up to 7,700 pounds, and carry up to 1,750 pounds of payload, depending on the gearing. The Tacoma maxes out at 6,500 pounds of towing capacity—less than in the last generation—and 1,710 pounds of payload capacity. 

Advantage: The Tacoma’s a better all-arounder, but the Gladiator has better towing and hauling ability.

Gladiator vs. Tacoma off-road and 4×4 systems

• Every Gladiator is meant for off-roading
• The Tacoma TRD Pro is the way to go
• Four-wheel drive is optional on the Tacoma, standard on the Gladiator

The Jeep Gladiator has part-time four-wheel drive standard. A system with low-range gearing is standard on the Rubicon and a full-time version is optional for the Rubicon. The Rubicon is built for low-speed off-roading and the Mojave for high-speed off-roading. Both come standard with Dana heavy-duty front and rear axles that widen the track, a front skid plate, rock rails, and 33-inch all-terrain tires on 17-inch wheels. The Rubicon adds an electronic locking front differential and a disconnecting front anti-roll bar for greater wheel articulation, while the Mojave gets electronic locking front and rear differentials and Fox internal bypass shock to soften the pounding at high speeds off-road. The Mojave also has an Off-Road+ mode that quickens throttle response, holds gears longer, and shuts off traction control to maintain momentum in the dirt. That’s some serious off-road equipment.

The Tacoma’s available four-wheel-drive system works part time, and Toyota offers three off-road-oriented models. Also offered are a locking rear diff, numerous traction control modes for various surfaces, and off-road cruise control that keeps the truck moving slowly and steadily in tough conditions, like going up or down a steep hill. At the top of the lineup, the TRD Pro has sturdier skid plates, more ground clearance, and Fox shocks of its own.

Both trucks are very capable off-road when properly equipped. The Tacoma TRD Pro has a better breakover angle and a slightly better departure angle, but the Gladiator has a much better approach angle and more ground clearance. It also comes with more off-road variants and more overall capability.

Advantage: Jeep Gladiator. It’s a Wrangler pickup, for criminy sakes.

Gladiator vs. Tacoma styling

• Tacoma has traditional styling
• Gladiator looks like a Wrangler pickup
• Plasticky interiors

Is the Gladiator a good-looking truck?

The Gladiator’s looks are unique among mid-size pickups, in part because it’s a convertible and in part because it looks like a lengthened Jeep Wrangler. It sports the signature Jeep seven-slot grille up front, round headlights, and a hood that widens to meet a slab-sided body accented by wide fender flares front and rear. In all, the Gladiator is 19 inches longer than a four-door Wrangler, but its rear doors still have an angled cutout at the rear that’s not necessary and impedes entry and exit. 

A cloth top is standard, and a three-piece hard top is available. Various models have unique parts and graphics to highlight their purpose. The fenders and bumpers can be black or body color, and wheel sizes range from 17 to 20 inches. The overall look isn’t elegant, but it’s purpose-built and appealing as an enthusiast vehicle.  

Inside, the Gladiator has a dash stylized with retro cues including round air vents. The center screen and available digital instrument cluster provide the tech among a plethora of knobs and switches. A pair of levers, one for the shifter, the other for the four-wheel-drive system, highlight how important off-roading is for this vehicle. The materials consist of lots of plastic, and even leather upholstery doesn’t provide an upscale ambience, but that’s because the Gladiator’s interior is made for easy clean after off-roading rather than serenity and luxury.

Is the Toyota Tacoma a good-looking truck?

The Toyota, on the other hand, looks like a more traditional mid-size pickup. It has a large six-pointed grille, wide-set headlights, and round fog lights up front, topped off with a hood scoop. The overall design is blocky but sculpted, with prominent wheel flares, and a strong character line that starts at the rear bumper, draws the body in at the waist, and extends to the front wheels. 

Inside, the Tacoma is also plasticky and features larger round vents. The center touchscreen is part of a large bezel that juts out from the middle of the dash. Chunky controls and dials are appropriate for work gloves.

Advantage: Jeep Gladiator for an iconic look.

Gladiator vs. Tacoma safety

• Tacoma’s an IIHS Top Safety Pick
• Automatic emergency braking not standard on Gladiator
• Tacoma has more standard safety equipment

How safe is the Jeep Gladiator?

The Gladiator is one of very few vehicles on the market that doesn’t come standard with automatic emergency braking, which is egregious given the price and competitive environment. All of its safety features are optional. They consist of automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control.

The Gladiator also didn’t perform well in the few crash tests it has undergone. The NHTSA gives it a four-star rating out of five for front crash performance and a three-star rating for rollover resistance, but doesn’t provide an overall rating. Similarly, it earns subpar ratings from the IIHS, with “Good” ratings for the moderate front overlap and roof strength tests, a “Marginal” for the small front overlap test, and “Marginal” at best for its headlights. 

How safe is the Toyota Tacoma?

Much safer than the Gladiator. In IIHS testing it earned a Top Safety Pick award. The NHTSA hasn’t rated it yet. 

To Toyota’s credit, the Tacoma comes standard with automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warnings, and automatic high beams. Buyers can also get blind-spot monitors, rear parking sensors, and a surround-view camera system.

Advantage: The Tacoma by a mile.

Which is better: Gladiator or Tacoma?

The Gladiator has great off-road capability, and it’s the lone convertible in the class. The Tacoma has been reinvented and it’s better in almost every regard—especially when it comes to off-road editions and technology. The Jeep earns a TCC Rating of 4.8 out of 10; the Tacoma, a 6.3 out of 10. 

Winner: The Tacoma, by a wide margin.