Ask the Car People.SM


Toyota FJ Cruiser vs Jeep Wrangler

541 messages,  Last post on Apr 04, 2013 at 2:31 PM

You are in the Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota FJ Cruiser, Jeep Wrangler

Messages Page 46 of 55

#450 of 541 Sales by fourx4ever

Jul 10, 2007 (7:57 am)

Yeah I hear ya. I guess that pretty much sums it up. Upon the mountains of other evidence about the Wrangler vs. the FJC and how the Jeep is so much more capable. I'm with you on the diesel thing. Although I'm very impressed with the new Wrangler I can't bring myself to buy it with that V6. I have the 2005 Rubicon now and it has the 4.0L - the V6 would be a step down. However put a diesel in and I'll be there waiting to sign.
 
By the way, wanna see a really cool Jeep video? I found this on Youtube. Talk about punishing!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIS7VJz47kY

#451 of 541 I got em both by knollibe

Aug 13, 2007 (9:56 pm)

I have my 2000 TJ for rock crawling and going any damn place I point it. And I have my FJ cruiser for when I want to pack more than a lunch box to take with me. My Tj will go thru almost any canyon rock garden and suffer very little. the FJ and the like with the exposed sheet metal will cry with every scrape. My advice...Buy an FJ to tow your jeep out to the playground.

#452 of 541 Re: I got em both [knollibe] by fourx4ever

Aug 14, 2007 (6:25 am)

Replying to: knollibe (Aug 13, 2007 9:56 pm)
knollibe,
 
What would you say to the people who buy the 4-door 2007 Wrangler, with more space and off-road capability than the FJ, to tow their killer (not even street legal) off-road TJ to the 'play ground'?

#453 of 541 Re: Toyota FJ Cruiser vs. Jeep Wrangler [steve_] by mgnz47

Sep 03, 2007 (2:50 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Jan 18, 2006 5:53 pm)
My buddy has a 06 Rubicon, and even he admits after a few rides together that his Jeep can't hang with my FJ. The Jeep is seems only better in small tight spots off road. Plus on road its not even a contest in any area. His wife and kids want to ride in my truck, not theirs?

#454 of 541 Re: Toyota FJ Cruiser vs. Jeep Wrangler [mgnz47] by fourx4ever

Sep 04, 2007 (8:45 am)

Replying to: mgnz47 (Sep 03, 2007 2:50 pm)
Yeah mgnz,
 
I don't think its the jeep, it's the driver. You should let him know that the four wheel drive lever on his TJ is on the console by his right leg. Once he finds that we can talk about how to engage the axle lock.

#455 of 541 Re: Wrangler sales double the FJ Cruiser [gagrice] by makaser13

Sep 29, 2007 (9:03 pm)

Replying to: gagrice (Jul 09, 2007 6:12 pm)
geez, where do I start with this thread? I'll start with this comment from gagrice. uhm yeh, of course the Wrangler has sold more than the FJ! How long has the Wrangler been around and tested and trusted? The FJC, although is supposed to be in the same "line" as the family of FJ, it's still a brand new vehicle that has yet to really be tested to the extent as the Wrangler. The sale numbers are not a reflection of the quality of the FJC. I'd say that the fact that they sold almost 60,000 in it's first year even though they only planned on 40,000 certainly does say something though.
 
The fact that you can get on you tube and find tons of FJCs doing anything and everything any Rubi can do, and MORE, also says something. So why don't we get real here. The FJC and Wrangler are apples and oranges. Long vs. short wheel base. Solid fron vs. IFS. And the list goes on. They are both very good at what they are good for. Simple as that. I think there are a lot of things Toyota sacrificed in making the FJC. Of course. NO auto manufacturer is going to make something in production that ANY "hard core" wheeler is gonna want. Not even Jeep. But to compare the stock versions of both vehicles, the FJC simply kicks the pants right off the Wrangler. Even the Rubi. And for the "hard core" guys, folks are doing just as much crazy stuff to the FJC as they do to the Jeep. Even solid front conversions. For any "hard core" people, they are gonna have to do some major damage to their warranties to get the rig they want. This entire anguement is simply lame. I've never understood any of you people that would actually waste your time argueing weather the FJC or Jeep or Hummer or Land Cruiser or on and on and on are the best. The best "hard core" off road rig ever built was never made by any auto maker. It was made by some guy in his gagrage, built on a tube chassis.
 
Oh, and by the way, let's count how many you tube videos ther are of FJCs going backwards, end over end, the wrong way down Hell's Revenge. Because there are at least a dozen idiots in Rubis doing just that. But in the end, it IS the driver much more than the rig, right.
 
Yes, unlike most of you guys, I actually OWN an FJC. With a few mods and lots more to come, to get it where everyone thinks Toyota should have put it.I have yet to have any problems, on or off road. The dunes on the Oregon coast are a blast, even without airing down on stock tires! You can't do that in your stock Wrangler, can ya? No, you can't. I pulled out two Wranglers in one afternoon.
 
 I would be happier with a diesel powerplant though. I don't have any problems with the visability. It's called good spotters, which everyone should have. And the doors only suck in parking lots.

#456 of 541 Re: Wrangler sales double the FJ Cruiser [makaser13] by fourx4ever

Oct 01, 2007 (8:27 am)

Replying to: makaser13 (Sep 29, 2007 9:03 pm)
Yeah there’s a lot to cover here. Let’s start with what the FJC is not – It is not a Toyota FJ. Despite the similar looking grille and the white paint on the lid it is not even close. IFS, a non-removable top, doors that were not intended to be removed, are just a few of the glaring differences. By extension, you can also very easily argue that the FJC is not in the same class as a Wrangler.
 
The sales of the FJC have been spurred on not by those who know anything about what makes a good off-road vehicle, but by what I call Chrysler PT Cruiser syndrome. The PT Cruiser, for 2 years enjoyed record demand above and beyond all expectations at Chrysler Headquarters, not because it performed well or was of especially good quality – it was not – but because it was different, and it got the hype in the beginning. The FJC is no different, it’s visibly very different than anything else on the road and it was hyped in the beginning. Like the PT Cruiser was just a different body on a neon chassis, the FJC is just bulbous sheet metal on a 4Runner frame.
 
As far as where the rubber meats the dirt between the FJC and the Wrangler, you should make all comparisons on STOCK vehicles. Anybody knows that $15 000.00 of the right goodies on an FJC will probably result in a more capable off-roader than a stripped base model Wrangler. Just as a Ford Fiesta with enough goodies on it could out wheel a stock FJC if enough money was poured into the project.
 
 Second, you should decide which Wrangler you wish to compare it to, the 1997-2006 generation or the new 2007 generation Wrangler (Rubicon?). Either Wrangler Rubicon generation will waste a stock FJC on the trails in maneuverability, visibility, crawling toque, and especially in articulation. In the dunes, where the sand is soft and deep the old Wrangler (’97-’06) will not perform as well as the FJC because the Jeep’s 4.0L I6 makes its power at an RPM that is too low for the high revving that required to stay on top of the sand. However, the V6 in the new Wrangler does make power at a higher RPM, which happens to mean it is quite at home in the dunes as well as king of the trails. Not to mention, that all of the Wranglers ever made, even back into the 80’s will fit places that the wide and bulbous FJC will never go.
 
So if you want an out of the box 4x4 that will take you more places than any other OEM four wheel drive made, then order up the 2007/2008 Wrangler Rubicon in 2-door form.
 
If you want a (more) comfy 4x4 with bulbous looks, and ok off-road capability, then buy the FJC. It’s pretty simple.

#457 of 541 Re: Wrangler sales double the FJ Cruiser [fourx4ever] by murphydog

Oct 09, 2007 (7:20 pm)

Replying to: fourx4ever (Oct 01, 2007 8:27 am)
just to be clear - the stock FJ has made it over the Rubicon trail - so by your statements the Rubicon trail requires a vehicle that has "ok off-road capability", and by your standards is considered light off roading?
 
Did we miss anything in your long winded post?

#458 of 541 Re: Wrangler sales double the FJ Cruiser [fourx4ever] by makaser13

Oct 09, 2007 (11:55 pm)

Replying to: fourx4ever (Oct 01, 2007 8:27 am)
so let's compare the rubi vs. the FJ. STOCK models here. The Rubi does out turn the FJ at a turning circle of 35ft. vs. 42ft. Again, long vs. short wheel base. 95 vs. 105 inches wheelbase. But a longer wheel base will take the FJ places the Rubi won't, and vice verse. Again, Apples and Oranges. What about the "bulbouse" width? Well, according the Jeeps site, the '07 Rubi is 82.8" wide and the FJ, again, according to Toyota's site, is 74.6" wide, overall. Not sure if that's right, but that's what they say. Yet, the track on the FJ is more than 2" wider, putting it on a more stable base. The Rubi has better aproach and departure angles by a few degrees. Something most of us who wheel our FJs will remedie with aftermarket bumpers, which acheaved the same angles as the Rubi. But we're talking stock, right? So we get back to solid vs. IFS. Well, yeh, you get slightly more articulation out of a stock Rubi. But you will flip over well before I do because I'm on a better footing, I'm longer, and I have a lower center of gravity. So I just go up on three wheels and lean right over. If you went up on three wheels, you'd end up on your roof. And there's plenty of footage of that on the net to prove it. The FJ is heavier, has a wider and longer footing and a lower center of gravity, all which keep it planted better than the Rubi.
 
So again, we argue about apples and oranges. They are both exceptional at what they do. But just as poor for other reasons. I can go places you can't and you can go places I can't. So why the hell does this lame ass arguement exist? Because in the end, no matter what, my truck looks WAY better than yours and you can't stand it! hahaha

#459 of 541 Re: Wrangler sales double the FJ Cruiser [murphydog] by fourx4ever

Oct 10, 2007 (6:34 am)

Replying to: murphydog (Oct 09, 2007 7:20 pm)
The Rubicon trail??? Pfff. Like that's some measure. The crappy Jeep Liberty, makes it. The Hummer H3 makes it, I'm willing to bet that a Geo Tracker would probably make it. Just because the FJC makes it through the Rubicon trail does not hold it to a very high standard. However the Rubicon trail is probably the best known off-road trial in the world, so that's what everybody talks about.

Messages Page 46 of 55

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement