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$600 remote starters, $500 glass breakage sensors, $200 floor mats etc..
So they will sell that FJ I saw at the whopping bargain of $33,8. Who will buy it at that price I just don't know, but I suppose someone will. There are always people prepared to pay a premium to be the first one on the block with the latest new thing.
jaxs1: OK, port-installed, maybe. I am sure it had floor mats, for instance. But nothing in that price was dealer-installed accessories.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
If I bought one of these trucks, the first thing I would do as I left the lot would be to brush close to the exit posts in the driveway. Those silly-[non-permissible content removed] plastic extensions would rip off at the first bump into anything solid, and the front end would be a little more durable for the removal too.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Or stand there with a 5lb. sledge in your hand in the parking lot, while customers looked on, saying to yourself "Yep, that's gotta go...."...WHAM!...."whoops, gotta get that too..."...WHAM!...."dammit, why didn't I bring my Sawzall?"
Nevertheless, the interior was the deal breaker. It is close in proper dimension only, and seriously in need of some quality bits. An FJ owner who was there wished for his old one back...he felt it was superior. Plain is okay, but bland would be a huge understatement. The seat fabric & quality was some of the worst I've ever seen. Call Okole now and get ready to buy some covers. It's unfortunate the front was an average experience, because accessing the rears was even worse. Can you say extended cab truck 1990's flashback? The vehicle is clearly long enough for 4 real doors, but they chose long front and miniature suicide rears for some unknown reason. :confuse: Styling?
The rear cargo are was plenty deep though. The blind spots sortof help it feel private back there. Still, doing time in the back seat of a new FJ is not for the non adventurous.
Strongly recommend you compare it to others back to back before you write an emotional check. It's seriously lacking in the functional and utility aspect. Will you be satisfied with the styling? I'm definitely waiting for the 4-door New Wrangler debut in New York.
The floors are ripply Rubbermaid plastic, but you can get carpeted floormats which hook into the correct locations. There is little floor space for your feet in the back, because the floor isn't flat - why not? I don't get it.
With the huge C-pillars, it is dark in back. This model would do well with the rear moonroof the Element has.
And the rear glass opens separate from the door, but whoa! Between its height and the huge spare wheel hanging on the door, I could not reach over the sill to grab anything inside with just the glass open, and I am 5'9".
Kinda cool: not only does it have all the gadgetry the 4Runner has (DAC, 115V outlet, etc) but one of those little buttons at the bottom of the center stack is for turning the subwoofer on and off. And the one I was looking at had package #2 (a very expensive package, BTW), which includes the retro dashtop gauge pack including inclinometer.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Plastic grille, plastic lenses over the lights, which were originally CIBE sealed-beams(!). It's all asking to get hit and crumble.
The bumper "wings" - they literally *do* wobble with a few pounds of pressure. They are tacked on like most bumpers are, with little metal clips. hit a branch while off-roading... boom your front end looks hideous.
A Wrangler LWB, otoh, has a very small and close-in bumper. Nothing protrudes. I'd honestly take a LWB Wranger over this anyday - it's nice inside. The 4 door Wrangler, though - saw it at the auto show as well. Much to drool over.
Compare this to a 4-Runner for only a couple of thousand dollars more, and it's a laughable comparison. Toyota has made it's "PT-Cruiser" mistake of the decade. All glitz and too little substance. Wait till the off-road reports come in. Good off-road, but you better not hit anything hard. ie - gravel road Yuppie toy more than an in-your-face ground-pounder.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
No - for real. The original FJ was their military vehicle in Japan, and they still make them - it's called the MegaCruiser. If it's not born from a military transport, it's a toy.
http://www.toyotaoffroad.com/Articles/Toyota/MegaCruiser/mega_cruiser.htm
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z2035/default.aspx
Now THAT'S a 4*4. But it's a $75,000 One. We needed a scaled-down civilian version of this. We got something like everyone else makes.
No - for real. The original FJ was their military vehicle in Japan, and they still make them - it's called the MegaCruiser. If it's not born from a military transport, it's a toy.
http://www.toyotaoffroad.com/Articles/Toyota/MegaCruiser/mega_cruiser.htm
http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z2035/default.aspx
Now THAT'S a 4*4. But it's a $75,000 One. We needed a scaled-down civilian version of this. We got something like everyone else makes.
Did they use a truck with a manual tranny? It has a permanent 4x4, which explains the mileage. Motor Trend did a comparo of FJ, Xterra, H3 and Jeep GC, and said Xterra had the best on-road behavior. But Xterra comes with a part-time 4WD, while FJ they tested was a manual with a permanent 4x4. Kind of strange Motor Trend did not even mention that
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The back seat is definitely cave-like. The half-door windows don't open, and the back tailgate window is very small. Visibility...forget it. Quite a bit of form over function on this thing. Really the opposite of what you might expect.
The plastic silver inserts on the corners of the front bumper are just begging to be crushed.
The fabric on the seat however didn't bother me, and the dash was interesting.
Overall, I am not itching to have one. Maybe if a decked out 4x4 model was $25k I'd reconsider. Neither of the ones I saw were completely optioned out 4x2s either. I actually left the dealersip with the same feeling (i.e. that I'm being a bit manipulated with faux nostalgia) I had the first time I took a look at another Cruiser.......the PT.
Its not only faux nostalgia, its faux practicality, as much as an H2.
I'm looking at the Dodge Nitro SRT as an alternative.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
According to C&D, "A rear seat designed for prisoners, meager visibility, calibrated for trails instead of tarmac."
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=10778
Now as to the rear seat and visibility comments, yeah, you can't much argue with those.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I also just had a chat with the sales guy at a different dealer near me, and he said theirs was a blue one and was never even available - it went straight from the truck into its new owner's hands. Also with a sticker above $30K. We can say what we want about the FJ, but it seems like it won't stop this model from being HOT.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Because only 4% of SUV owners go off-road, and if you are going offroad, the FJ is like a Wrangler without the convertible option.
I would say in a few years you will see many pre-owned FJ's for sale after the owners get tired of not seeing out of the back, horrible turning radius, ugliest interior, inability to open the back door unless you open the front door first, missing silver bumber caps, the fading style, the list goes on and on.
One comment: as I was standing nearby. A father and two children got out of their Acura. He looked at the $33K sticker and said...'Ok, I'll take a Titanium one'... no test drive, nothing.
The economy must be good for some folks. You must love it.
In this little backwater section on the EC it has been pretty stable and even consistently upbeat...
The problem, of course, is that the new Wrangler is 70 cm (about 30 inches) shorter than FJ. So, for those of us who want to camp in a truck, FJ seems to be a more viable alternative. To camp in a new Wrangler, it appears the front passenger seat would have to be removed.
I'd get a long wheelbase Wrangler over the plastic and crap I saw at the Toyota dealer yesterday.
- Front grille - exactly unchanged. My desire to rip out the headlights and fit some CIBEs in there was palpable.
- Spare should be under the rear floor. Rear visibility on a test-drive was worse than an Intrepid. Just mind-bogglingly poor. Induced a few seconds of geunine paranioa when I was backing up - exactly like driving an old van.
- Grossly, no - horribly cramped back seat. Think Yaris cramped. No reason, either - they could have moved the seats 6 inches back and made it easier to get into as well.
- slathered interior not unlike the Yaris. Toyota is GM dreadful in fact in this. Their cars lately are all some injected plastic panel with nothing to break it up - no wood, no leather, no velour, no vinyl. And these things are pretty cheap to add.
- Subwoofer looks like an aftermarket toy.
- Feels very top-heavy in turns. Worse than a Wrangler in this aspect. Wrangler loud on the road. Yet it's like the Liberty - just bigger. Does off-road fine, I bet, but the upper half of the car is built like the biggest Yaris you ever saw.
- $34K price. Only had loaded models, said they were never EVER going to order a non-loaded model, since there was no demand. IT'S A 24K TRUCK. It drives, feels, and looks like a $24K SUV. 10K in options and markup is GM's trick. Bad Toyota.
No, wait BAD Toyota was the Highlander Hybrid at $38K. Grossly overpriced piece of crap. That's excessive for adding a hybrid to a vehicle.
Also looked at the Yaris. J.A.C. Just a Car. Other than the fine engine, it might as well be - no it's actually not as good as a Suzuki or Hyundai. 34/39mpg(automatic)wasn't so bad, though. NO ABS. Did a computer search - found about ten in California - all loaded with all the options on it. A base model - it's GM/Ford/Chrysler all over again - ABS doesn't exist, effectively, unless you special-order it.
Cudos to Honda for making ABS standard on every model, btw. Toyota could learn something. Honda also plans to keep the price for its upcoming Hybrids to 2-3K added cost. An $18K Honda Fit Hybrid(next year) with Insight economy is going to gash a big bloody hole in Prius sales, and Toyota has nobody to blame but themselves.
Edit....voodoofx, I had no intent to include you in those remarks. And don't you just want to rip off those ridiculous plastic front bumper ends? Why don't you just do it, then you will never have to think about them again. :-P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
New wranglers are considerably more quit than the old ones. Tons more padding and soundproofing. Engine needs a major overhaul, I'll be the first to concede.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Of course, the FJ stomps all over the 4Runner in the looks department, DOESN'T scream "soccer mom mobile", and comes available with a stick. Three powerful reasons to choose it over the Runner.
Plus, if you consider opening a door "added effort", you may be too old for the FJ anyway!! :-P
Just kidding on that last one there, sub.
You know, IIRC the FJ also doesn't have those awful weird HVAC controls the Runner does, you might call that a plus too.
Ten years from now, it is the FJ, not the '03-07 4Runner, that you are going to see out there in the dirt with the Jeeps and the pick-ups. I wonder where Toyota will go next with the Runner.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
LOL, your only justification for the FJ is that it looks quirky and trendy, the 4Runner looks boring, the Xterra "styling" is dated.....can you get any MORE girlishly superficial than that?
By your own logic, the FJ is made for girls and soccer-moms who like its "cutesy" styling and "quirky" colors, and everyone knows that will last about 12 months.
He tried hills, he tried the assist modes. He tried to get it to slide, he did doughnuts at 30mph in a freshly plowed field(lol - THAT was a blast, btw).
The 4-Runner with the Sport package(active suspension) matched the Land-Rover point for point. It may look ugly, the the 4-Runner Sport is as capable as the Discovery off-road, but with Toyota resale value, reliability, and a much lower cost.
He then took it out a few months later against his Wrangler with the 6cyl engine, stickshift, DANA rear end, and so on. The 4-Runner whomped on the Wrangler so badly that the sold it and stuck with the Toyota. I've seen the videos - it's clear that the Wrangler isn't keeping up in any way other than extreme slow going over rocks, where it's marginally better, if only due to its lighter weight.
But on-road - the X-Reas suspension is astounding - nearly zero body lean on mountain roads. Soft and almost Buick-like on the highway. Worlds better not only off-road, but on, compared to even the base model.
FJ? It's not even close. At $24K for a base model, it's not too bad. For $32K? That's plainly in 4-Runner land.
2. What is the distance between the back of the passenger seat (when you slide it all the way forward) and the tailgate?
3. What fuel economy have you got so far?
4. Any squeaks or rattles?
Many thank yous!
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The way Toyota has gone with the Land Cruiser, in 20-30 years FJ will evolve into an H2-sized behemoth, and everyone will be fondly remembering the original 2007 FJ
What does that tell you about the vehicle and the market its going after, and what does that say about who will be driving the FJ?
Then, after a much improved quality-wise Jeep Wrangler will come out this Summer, FJ will really be tested as far as dealers being able to charge MSRP and above
As for its looks, im tired of it already, back to the 4runner for a real Toyota SUV
You like Jeeps, I like Jeeps, I've owned a Jeep, but this time I wanted a bit more comfort and reliability.