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Comments
1. The vehicle will be more expensive (Toyota's seem to be lately). Hello XTerra!
2. Back seat headrests seem minimal AT BEST.
3. R&D?? There's only a mule of this thing rolling around. To be sold in only a month or 2? There are MANY of the new Wrangler mules!
The new 4-door Jeep Wrangler is looking better and better. :shades:
Anothe reason is that Toyota has long been known for keeping new products under very tight wraps.
You can say a lot of things about Toyota, but they're not known for shipping poorly developed products the first year.
The slide in the SUV prices is going to continue as the gas prices stay up and the consumer prefernces towards SUVs moderate further. SUV have been a very high profit product for all automakers as they cost as much as sedans to produce but they actually sell at a hefty premium...
Let's hope they're wrong about the $29,500 part.
And I can't believe there are people putting deposits on a vehicle that they have never driven and whose MSRP is still a mystery!I hope those deposits are fully refundable.The best time to buy a vehicle like this is in the summer when the price of gas will soar to near $3 a gallon or more,unless you want to pay a premium to be the first kid on the block with one.
BTW, does anyone know if the production FJ going to have a folding front passenger seat, like Xterra?
As you can see it's intended for young guys who like to play in the dirt... nothing more.
Some comments:
First, I doubt the current LC has EITHER manual locking hubs or a console shifter for the transfer case. In fact, I don't think the LC has had manual locking hubs for a couple of generations.
Second, why would manual locking hubs be preferable to auto locking hubs?
1.rear cargo door that is ridiculously big something that landrover addressed in there new lr3
2.no solid axle you know like a jeeps dana 44,s
3.you cant put a plow on it, original fj40,s were a favorite as jeeps are now ,thats because it was designed in california were play comes first, work second.
4.top does not come off,like a jeeps.
5.windows look like they are chopped ,i wonder what the visibility is like?
6.huge blind spot,its obvious were that is.
7.i want a 4wd shift lever like the tacoma.
8. the jeep unlimited still does not have any real competition.
sound like i,m ragging on it,true i have waited 25 years for toyota to bring there cruiser back like the ones they send to the rest of the world this is not it!!!
paul
1990 fj62
93fj80
Sunroof? Um - right. More stuff to break.
Leather? You ever tried to deal with wet leather after trying to cross a stream? Or when it's all muddy? If it were me, I'd order mine with balistic nylon covered seats on springs - no foam to get wet.
Doesn't ride like a car? Gheez. Spoiled yuppies. Get a 4-Runner if you want all of that.
Then again, if you want to go off-road in something larger and more capable than a Wrangler, this is your toy(lol - bad pun I know) of choice.
(in response to the points above)
1:rear cargo door - al it needs is to get out of the way. It's a *door*, for goodness sake. At least it's not a lift-gate that you bash your head on.
1a: Full-size spare. Definite plus - being mounted on the door. The new Rav-4 also does this. Quite nicely, too.
2:Then again, it does allow you to lock the diff, which is pretty close other than for serious rock-crawling. Plus, solid axles ride like crap all the rest of the time - a tradesoff most off-roaders don't want. Worlds better in any case than a typical SUV.
3:A *plow*? Oh gheez - of all of the things to complain about. Name me one SUV that you can put s plow on other than maybe a Unimog.
4:The top didn't come off of Land Rovers or FJs in the past. It's also a major safety concern, since side airbags and so on, plus speakers, and other accessories can't go in a removeable top. Even if you did put them there, they'd require a complex electrical/sensor interlock that could fail. Better to make it a hard top. The 4-Runner isn't removeable as well.
You seem to have a major hard-on for a Wrangler. So go buy one. They drive horrible, get miserable gas mileage, and lack most modern safety features. A lot to trade for off-road use, IMO. Toyota realized this with the original Jeeps of the past, so they made their own more civilized and useable version of it(how it all got started).
5+6: Blind spots are fixable with proper mirror placement. Or get those little glue-on inserts if you really want(like you put on trucks for towing) Also, want to talk about blind spots? Wrangler with a hardtop.
7:Um... I want stickshift in a Lexus ES - but um - oh well...
8:So go buy a Jeep Unlimited. Oh wait - you don't own one most likely and just want to armchair vent. I've driven an Unlimited and it's hopelessly primitive and kludgy.
HAS TO OFFER.IT'S RAW TYPE VEHICLE THAT IS NEEDED IN THE MARKET TODAY.THE ONLY THING I MIGHT HAVE DONE IS MADE THIS THING THE SAME BODY STYLE,BUT THE SIZE OF A HUMMER H2,
AND PUT THE 4.7L TUNDRA ENGINE IN IT....MUCH BETTER FOR TOWING AND PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF ROAD......
What do you mean by this? The Tacoma is made in California & Mexico. The FJ Cruiser is made in Japan. How can a vehicle made in Japan fill the production of a truck plant in California? :confuse:
The gas milage is also a big disappointment. The four wheel drive is rated at 19 on the highway and sixteen in the city.
Still love the styling but will take a harder look at the Xterra and the upcoming Mazda CX7.
The styling is what is most important to me, than the off road ability.
Congradulations to Toyota on achieving great gas milage for the new RAV 4 with the four or six cylinder.
"TOYOTA MISREADS SOFT SUV MARKET"
............WHATS' NEXT ???????????........................
"TOYOTA LEADS AUTO INDUSTRY IN DISCOUNTS"
"TOYOTA LEADS AUTO INDUSTRY IN DISCOUNTS"
"TOYOTA LEADS AUTO INDUSTRY IN DISCOUNTS"
So it's going to be an amazing truck.
FJ figures to be better than standard Wrangler, and maybe close to Rubicon, which has way too much real off-road hardware
The definite advantage of all Wranglers is the ability to take the top off. Nothing beats that in warm weather. But, reliability and fuel consumption are major liabilities
Don't get me wrong, I like my 4Runner. But I wouldn't take a stock 4Runner on Moab.
"The FJ Cruiser 4x2 with a five-speed automatic
transmission will carry a base MSRP of $21,710. Pricing for the FJ Cruiser
4x4 with a six-speed manual will be priced at $22,890 while the 4x4 with a
five-speed automatic will start at $23,300."
But it is astonishing how many posters don't have a clue what it's all about. (For example - In what world is a Kia Sportage an off roader? It IS cheap though...)
The FJ is intended for those who want a 4x4 SUV that can actaully go offroad. It's only real competition is the Wrangler.
The FJ will not be competing with the Nitro, Edge, or CX7. Those are not intended as offroad vehicles. Neat cars though.
The announced pricing is exceptional - if it were any cheaper it would be competing the Suzuki - and it's far above that in quality.
It's substantially cheaper than a comparably equipped Wrangler, and its far above that in quality too.
For those complaining about the backseat room, access, electronic whizbangs and comfort accessories - this is clearly not a vehicle for you - you have nearly every SUV on the market today to choose from - Acura, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Infiniti, Isuzu, Land Rover, Lexus - you get the idea? do you KNOW how many "SUVs" are on the market? And how similar they all are? 4wd station wagons all. Comfy too... Probably all come with running boards for your convenience. Perhaps you should simply leave the FJ (and the Wrangler) off your list, some people actually don't want a roomy luxury station wagon but don't want a truck either. WE don't have much to choose from.
HUGE KUDOs to Toyota for remembering that there are folks out here who want to do more off road than drive on a dirt road, and who want a manual transmission without having to buy a stripped-down 4cylinder model to get it, and would actually enjoy owning a vehicle that does not look just like all the other vehicles in the neighborhood. The styling is irrelevant really, its the (re-)execution of the original SUV concept - of a "recreational" vehicle that has nearly gotten lost - in my opinion Jeep was pretty much the last remaining bastion for The Rest Of Us. Hopefully this will start a trend and more choices will appear.
Other items - manual locking hubs are preferable to auto locking hubs because they don't break. And the FJ doesn't have auto hubs, it has no hubs at all. Removable roof? Maybe. As I look out the window at the 7 Wranglers in the office parking lot, only one has taken his off in years, 4 of them have spent years trying to stop the leaks. So maybe that's not such a neat feature either.
My old 4Runner went about a million miles, the auto-locking hubs never broke. I wouldn't mind having auto-hubs as opposed to manual ones.
And I do think the XTerra can be considered a solid competitor here. Decent ground clearance and a short wheelbase with short overhangs make it pretty capable. I don't have a feel for the H3 yet, but the Toyota press release mentions it as a competitor too. Certainly H3's engine is weak in such a heavy truck - I would skip it for that reason alone.
AS for 16/19 mpg ratings, no big surprise there - the Tacoma makes 16/20 with the same powertrain and less weight. But the competition is all in the mpg cellar too, so the FJ is on target. I really hope Toyota sells every one of the 46K it wants to, because it has been neglecting the offroaders pretty badly for the last few years.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
But I'm sure some enterprising young person will figure out how to strap a plow to it. It does have two tow-hooks up front, so it can in theory handle the stress.
It'll find 46000 of these buyers. 1500 stores nationwide that's ~30 per year or 2-3 per month.
~alpha
I thought they were both getting the 3.5L V6, not so.
From Edmunds:
2006 RAV4
Base Number of Cylinders: 6 Base Engine Size: 3.5 liters
Base Engine Type: V6 Horsepower: 269 hp
Max Horsepower: 6200 rpm Torque: 246 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 4700 rpm Maximum Payload: 1043 lbs.
Maximum Towing Capacity: 3500 lbs. Drive Type: 4WD
Fuel Tank Capacity: 15.9 gal.
EPA Mileage Estimates: (City/Highway)
Automatic: : 20 mpg / 27 mpg
Range in Miles: (City/Highway)
Automatic: 318 mi. / 429.3 mi.
2007 FJ Cruiser
Transmission Type: Five-speed auto
Displacement (liters): 4.0
Engine Type: V6
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 239 @ 5,200
Torque (ft-lbs @ rpm): 278 @ 3,700
Curb Weight (lbs): 4295
Recommended Fuel: 91-octane unleaded
Fuel Tank Capacity (gal): 19
EPA Fuel Economy (mpg): 17 City 21 Highway
Edmunds Observed (mpg): 15.7
Compare it to a Wrangler, which is honestly, a very very dated vehicle that's being sold for thousands more than it's worth. Jeep better come up with something better for 2007-2008 or they are out of the off-road business at this rate.
I love all the old Toyota trucks I''ve owned and own now.
I am looking at the FJ as a every day vehicle.
As such, I really don't need or want a roof rack or a rear mounted spare. I would like More visibility our the rear quarters.
Does any know if the FJ can be had without the roof rack? I am planning on leaving the spare off in the garage or similar storage. Don't know about the vision part. Unless Toyota is planning on a later change in construction. Someone did mention mirror add ons.
Since I am thinking of removing the spare tire, does any one know if RUN FLAT tires are available in the FJ's size tires?
FYI, the Wife's car is a Hyundai XG 350L. :shades:
Yes, of course it comes without a roof rack. That's an option and that's why 90% of all the pictures don't have a roof rack.
Run flat tires (any brand) are causing quite a few problems and are being recalled in huge numbers. Might wanna rethink that one.
Re the engine; no, I believe the fwd engine families (F-ZE series?)and the rwd engine families (UZ-FE series?) are distinctly separate.
~alpha
The V6's on the lexus have different tunning and a different head design w/ direct injection..the toyota versions only have direct ignition I think.
The rear is still a live axle in the 4Runner and the upcoming FJ.
The Wrangler is a unique Jeep model, and there is little out there that matches it offroad in stock form. But it is also very unpleasant to use for any other duty besides offroading, which gives it a limited appeal. Most manufacturers try to straddle the line a little more between everyday and offroad use.
But I think if you price out a Wrangler Rubicon, and FJ and XTerra Offroads, they will come up similar in price and be roughly equal in ability in the mud or off the road. The thing is, the Nissan and Toyota will be much easier to use for everything else. And much faster up the freeway ramp and passing on the two-lane on the way to your favorite OHV spot.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Side by side - the Wrangler couldn't keep up. The combination of more power, traction control, ABS, hill assist, and so on - the Wrangler was barely holding its own while the 4-Runner was going 30-40% faster up the same grades/roads. Seen it myself. Not even a close contest no matter if it was himself or his wife with a fraction of the off-roading experience.
The new genration 4-Runner is roughly equal to a Range Rover in off-road capability, actually - just a shocking amount of improvement. If the FJ is supposedly *better*(!?!), then Chrysler needs to do some serious re-designing.
It's exactly like my 67 Mercedes I have. Sweet car, but time is a vicious and unforgiving mistress. It is a great car, but a modern Civic could run circles around it and then some.(yeah I know, but it's a sweet car that nobody else has ) The Wrangler is fighting a loosing battle against modern designs and technologies. When the FJ comes out, they will pit it against a Wrangler Rubicon I bet. And other than rocks and crawling over stumps and the like, the Wrangler's incredibly old design isn;t liekly to look so great anymore.
However, after the initial rush of excited buyers, I think others will be put off by 16MPG rating on premium fuel. Probably even lower MPG if you use regular.
Dealers will want to add markups due to very limited production of the FJ, but adding a big markup that pushes the price into the next level vehicle category just makes the competition (Xterra) look more attractive.
The FJ isn't just 4x4s. There are both 2 wheel and 4 weel drive models.