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.
Both holding to classic body-on-frame construction, the Taco and Gladiator reflect different philosophies on what a truck ought to be — each for better in places, if worse in others.
Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma Powertrains
The Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road is the biggest all-ICE trim you can get, while beefier TRD Pro and Trailhunter models come with the Tacoma Hybrid model. Powered by a fresh 2.4-litre turbocharged four cylinder, the new gas Taco runs 228 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque through a modern eight-speed automatic transmission and two-speed 4×2 transfer case. Cool kids will spec the six-speed manual though. The Jeep Gladiator Mojave X, meanwhile, stands classically with the ol’ Chrysler 3.6-litre ‘Pentastar’ V6. It is absolutely an engine, distinguished by 14 years of adequacy. Running 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of naturally aspirated torque, this setup pairs with the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission that’s in seemingly everything these days, along with your choice of 4×2 or fixed 4×4 two-speed transfer cases. There’s also a six-speed manual trans, if you’re the babe-magnet forklift-certified type.
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 Tacoma and Gladiator bring different answers to different priorities, so it’s no surprise that the Toyota is far more pleasant to live with in the day-to-day.
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.
The Jeep Gladiator kicks it old-school with solid beams front and rear, and quite literally at that. Though now squared up with multilink geometry and (noisy) electric power steering, the unsprung heft of these axles leaves a certain hop-skip to the Gladiator’s footing at speed — and even a bit of a kick when curving around highway-ramp expansion joints. It’s fine & controllable of course, but it’s not the sort of steady comfort a commuter coming from a more conventionally modern vehicle might expect. You really have to want a rig that drives like this.
Fortunately the Jeep too has benefitted from updates. An interior refresh brings a handsome new 12.3-inch centre display, though the cluster interface remains the same old. The usual array of driver assistance is available, including a somewhat reactive lane-keep assist. Party bros will appreciate the Jeep’s leg up over the Taco with a thumper premium audio option, though you’ll also be fighting noticeably more wind noise. Less sexy but arguably the most exciting is Jeep’s introduction of standard side-curtain airbags in 2024 Wrangler and Gladiator models.
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.
As did the Gladiator Mohave X. While not as nimble or engaging as the smaller and lighter Toyota, the Jeep with its front and rear solid axles comes across as indestructible, just hitting its stride as we flew down the bumpy, potholed gravel track. And it really felt at home carving great donuts into the dunes. Sure, we could complain about the work-a-day 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft 3.6L Pentastar V6 not churning up rooster tails like a Jeep 392, Ford Ranger Raptor, or Ram TRX might, but it gets the job done. Paired with the excellent ZF eight-speed, the naturally-aspirated V6 delivers just-right grunt for tricky off-road maneuvers.
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?
Our pick goes to the Toyota Tacoma. The Jeep Gladiator may be gnarlier off-road and a truer ‘truck’ with its solid axles front and rear, but the 2024 Toyota Tacoma’s fundamental refinement and right-sized utility make it a winner for the everyday with ample room for the rugged. The new-generation Taco exhibits excellent road manners and equips the right suite of modern techs and comforts — all, crucially, without the notable compromises a driver must accept to sign on for the Jeep Gladiator or Wrangler lifestyle.
Still, the updated JT Gladiator (and JL Wrangler) demonstrate that Jeep has paid attention to those concerns. This generation’s suspension and aerodynamic enhancements, along with these refreshed models’ upgrades to tech and safety make for a more competitive product than the cynics likely realize.
Pricing & competitors for Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma
The new 2024 Toyota Tacoma brings a rare shakeup to the historically slow-evolving pickup segment, but at a cost. This 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road is the top of the all-gas Tacoma trims, stickering at $52,580 including $1,930 destination charge. Base 2024 Tacomas start from $48,880, while top-tier hybrid-powered Trail Hunter models run from $88,781. Toyota keeps any substantial option structures largely within option packages; in the case of this TRD Off-Road, the big step in comfort and tech comes with the $7,700 jump to TRD Off-Road Premium.
Desert-running don’t come cheap in the Jeep world, as our highly specialized 2024 Jeep Gladiator Mojave X rings in at $90,108 including a $2,195 destination charge. The base 2024 Jeep Gladiator Sport S enters from $59,140; well above even this mid-trim Tacoma. The Mojave trim starts at $68,945 but the $10,995 Sandrunner Package (that’s the X-factor) adds a slew of comfort, convenience, and connectivity features that you’ll be wanting, along with full-time 4WD, steel bumpers, rock-protection sill rails, and three-piece modular hard top. The eight-speed auto runs $2,995, and 17-inch dark gray wheels ($1,295), BSW mud-terrain tires ($495) and Sarge Green paint ($195) complete the picture.
Competition in this light pickup segment is broad: Ford Ranger Tremor, GMC Canyon AT4, Nissan Frontier Hardbody, and even Honda RidgelineHPD (if you squint). The Frontier and Ridgeline max out well short of the Jeep’s or bigger Tacoma TRD Pro’s thresholds, but the Ranger and Canyon are available in costlier, more extreme off-road trims for those who want to creep toward six figures: the Ranger Raptor and (Chevy) Colorado ZR2.
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