How classic do you want your classic body-on-frame pickup?
Need a short bed that’ll run a long way from the road? We’ve tested two hard-wearing favourites on our go-to trail: the new-generation 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road, and the freshly updated 2024 Jeep Gladiator Mojave X.
Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma Powertrains
The Jeep may tout slightly longer numbers, but it’s also carrying slightly more heft. Of the two, the Tacoma’s new powertrain feels better proportioned to its application than the sluggish Jeep’s 3.6 in everyday driving.
Both rigs tow more than the statistical average driver will need, but the Jeep offers a greater surplus. The 2024 Toyota Tacoma is rated to tow 6,500 lbs (2,950 kg); the 2024 Jeep Gladiator is rated to pull 7,700 lbs (3,500 kg). Either rig will happily pull a boat or car on a trailer.
Fuel economy goes to the turbo here: 2024 Toyota Tacoma NRCan fuel economy figures register 12.4 L/100 km (20 mpg) city, 10.2 L/100 km (23 mpg) highway, and 11.4 L/100 km (21 mpg) combined.
2024 Jeep Gladiator fuel economy is rated at 13.7 L/100 km (17 mpg) city, 10.7 L/100 km (22 mpg) highway, and 12.3 L/100 km (19 mpg) combined.
Tacoma vs Gladiator on-road livability
The Toyota Tacoma employs modern double-wishbone independent front suspension and a coil-sprung traditional solid axle out back. This makes for an easy everyday drive, free of the haphazard wandering characteristic of the trucks of yore. The old gen’s traditional hydraulic power steering, meanwhile, has gone electric to cooperate with the long-overdue catch-up to Toyota’s advanced driver assistance system. This includes improved adaptive cruise control as well as the introduction of proper lane-keeping assistance to keep pace with peers and ease driver fatigue on long highway hauls. Though not the absolute cleverest of these systems, it’s steadier and more confident than the Jeep’s setup.
Both models now support wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for 2024. If native interfaces are your preference, the Jeep’s infotainment looks better while the Toyota’s is simpler and more intuitive. Note, however, that buyers who decline to subscribe to Toyota’s navigation service after the initial period will be thumbed at every startup with an unchangeable default screen prompting them to resubscribe.
Really then, these both (finally) offer the interior comforts and conveniences you’d expect of a modern vehicle.
It’s the architectural differences that stand most profound: even taken in its most extreme off-road trims, the Tacoma is more navigable on the road than even mildest street-spec Gladiator. Of course, this translates into a whole different realm once you turn to the trails.
Off-road performance of the Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road vs Jeep Gladiator Mojave X
This is where the rubber meets the ruts; and just to be clear from the get-go, both the Taco and Gladiator are exemplary off-road mavens that will handle anything a sane or even moderately insane boonie-basher can throw at them. The Jeep Gladiator Mojave X wins on appearance alone though, looking like it could shake off Armageddon like a mild case of fleas and happily coexist with the cockroaches and (possibly) Keith Richards.
The Mojave runs 33-inch tires on 17-inch alloy wheels and gets a one-inch front-end lift, Dana 44 axles (the rear featuring thicker tubing), 4.10:1 rear gear, and a part-time transfer case with a 2.72:1 four-wheel-drive low ratio. The 2.5-inch Fox shocks feature internal bypass tech with remote reservoirs, and we also get front hydraulic jounce bump stops. As the Mojave is tuned for desert running, it doesn’t have the disconnectable front anti-roll bar and front differential lock found on the Gladiator Rubicon.
As noted earlier, the Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road uses a more civilized independent front suspension and a coil-sprung solid rear axle. New with this latest generation is a boxed frame and about an extra 7.5 cm of track width. Chewing the terra firma are 32-inch BF Goodrich Trail-Terrain T/A tires supported by substantially upgraded Bilstein monotube dampers. There’s also an electronically lockable rear differential, and multi-terrain and crawl-control systems.
The Taco feels totally dialled-in here in our favourite off-road playground. It’s responsive, the steering gives plenty of feedback, and the 2.4L turbo four delivers its 228 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque in a predictable, linear fashion. The Taco’s suspension is surprisingly compliant and refined, easily soaking up the rough stuff on our gravel road run with nary a bang or crash coming from below decks. With the rear diff locked, the TRD crawled up our rocky crevasse with ease.
After a day of our off-road shenanigans, the filthy ‘Glad just looked at us like, “Is that all you city slickers got?” This Jeep is badass to the core.
Which is the better truck?
Pricing & competitors for Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma
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