The Gladiator has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Gladiator flat and controlled during cornering. The Tacoma base model’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.
The front and rear suspension of the Gladiator uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Tacoma, which uses leaf springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.
The Gladiator has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Tacoma doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.
For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Gladiator’s wheelbase is 5.4 inches longer than on the Tacoma 5-ft. bed Double Cab (137.3 inches vs. 131.9 inches).
The Gladiator’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52.8% to 47.2%) than the Tacoma’s (56% to 44%). This gives the Gladiator more stable handling and braking.
The Gladiator Rubicon handles at .73 G’s, while the Tacoma 5-ft. bed TRD Pro Double Cab pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.
For greater off-road capability the Gladiator Mojave has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tacoma 5-ft. bed TRD Pro Double Cab (11.6 vs. 11.5 inches), allowing the Gladiator to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.