With turbo pressures Ford must be using to get those figures out of such small displacement engines, I have to question long term reliability. That's my primary point on that front. And the 10-speed may be overkill for the platform, I assume you're referring to its use in larger trucks), it's the number of gears that seems like it would get annoying for a similar reason to the 4Runner crowd's complaints.
I had a 99 4Runner once upon a time. It was OK. Actually, no it's was pretty good. I wasn't upset when it died. My wife rolled it in an ice storm up in the canyon we lived in at the time, and she was unscathed. It was good for what it was. I thought the 4th gen-on sorta killed it though. It didn't get too much bigger physically, but they went to great pains to make it look bigger visually in a way that was neither warranted nor wanted. My use case requires the bed be separate from the cab though, and the Tacoma has fallen well below the 4Runner in a number of aspects. As far as vehicles coming from Toyota with character any more, 4Runner is probably it. Sounds like even that is waning. They will almost assuredly be getting a pretty serious wakeup call in the next few years.
As for Jeep reliability, I agree. We had to have my wife's JKUR transmission significantly worked on (replaced the 3/4 shaft, IIRC), and just replaced the radiator for a leak at the tank/core seam. The thing Jeeps have going for them though is the aftermarket. It may start causing some serious pains around 200K, but you'll always be able to keep it on the road if you're reasonably savvy with a wrench and want it. That is not nothing, especially these days. For that reason, a Jeep tech I talked to a few weeks back said to stick with the 3.6. The I4 is nice, and sounds like it's good in the platform, but it's a DIY maintenance nightmare. I asked him what he thought would be easier to keep on the road in ten years, and he didn't hesitate to say the 3.6 was the answer. Too much unnecessary complication in the I4, most notably in the fuel system. A Gladiator with a 3.6L will likely go the distance as long as you like it enough to help it along.
The Colorado bed load capacity is a notable limitation, and looking through the manual I saw where it even states not to put a slide in camper in the bed. Not something I'm all that interested in, so not a concern. When I said 'camper', I meant 'shell' or topper? Whatever they're called. If I needed the extra capacity, there are other options I'd be entertaining. I live up in the mountains above Denver, and the traction aids definitely come in handy. 4X4 is required to leave the house several times a year, and lockers have been known to come in handy. I typically haul lighter stuff: slash, home improvement stuff, and cardboard on the one side, and fishing/camping gear on the other. If I need anything more than the payload figures allow, there's always a trailer.
I like calicamper's characterization of the Bison as "a jeep truck". That's pretty much exactly what I'm after. My wife's JKUR is about perfect for what we need save for the lack of a bed. I made a liner for it that essentially turns the back into a bed, but she still hates it when I use it 'as a truck'. "Nothing exciting, but durable" re: the automatic transmission is another thing I'm after. Part of the reason I like the expedition portal over Pirate4x4, for example, is that there is generally (though certainly not always) a much more realistic approach to building the trucks with a focus on getting home rather than getting in trouble. 33" tires are the biggest I have any interest in (largest size my preferred studded snows are available in anyway), and I'm short so a 2" lift is about all I need (any more, and I just tear up the seat bolsters trying to get in). What the Bison lacks in heroic lift and tires, it makes up for in armor. Add to that the heavy focus on daily driving, and it's a nice overall package.
I also like: "The bigger and bolder than anyone has bigger and bolded before fad can't die fast enough." Part of the attraction to the Colorado for me is that it's a world market truck where that aesthetic philosophy has not caught on. They tried a bit, and definitely had some effect, but nowhere near as much as with the Canyon... That is grille hideous in the exact way described.
