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As far as building a cheaper rubicon yes you are right... infact i built one myself
We need to compare apples to apples though. Neither one of us can directly compare the two, but I would venture to say that the wrangler rubicon would make it much farther on the trail than the new "fj" just from my expereince with other vehicles with IFS. If you go down to Coal Creek (Windrock) or any of the other ohv parks in my neck of the woods you almost never see any IFS vehicles
Not always. The debates go on and on -- but the future is independent setups.
While the "future" might be independant suspension, it will be much more complicated setup to have similar articulation as a 4x4 with solid axles front and rear. Simple is also good when you are out on the trail and something breaks and you have to fix it yourself. If you are really wheeling, stuff is going to break and frequently. I'm at the point now that i'm seriously contemplating swapping to dana 60 axles front and rear (the ultimate in beef). I've yet to see any IFS that could take the bashing a dana 60 axle housing or let alone a set of volvo portals could take on the trail
I would agree that independant suspension is great on something that is running through the desert at high speeds or for more on road comfort but when you get on the rocks there is nothing like a solid front axle for durability and simplicity. In fact in my area there are even guys crazy enough to drop the money to switch their IFS to solid front axle.
One of the guys i wheel with up here in fact has a military hummer with what you might say is one of the most advanced fully independant suspensions of any off road vechilce. When we go wheeling though... his full size bronco is what he brings (and not becuase he is afraid to mess up the rattle can paint job he has on the hummer)
Originally Posted by Saint_Spinner,Jan 5 2006, 09:48 AM
I find the FJ to be a very, very sweet deal. I like it alot. A true affordable 4x4...not a pussy soccer mom suv. This is the first SUV (apart from the OG FJ40) that I've considered picking up.
6-speed manual and all....not to mention a very good affordable price, historical lineage, ugly in a cool utilitarian way, and from what I've read so far, does exactly what its supposed to do.
Apart from looks (I'm sure alot of folks will dislike its appearance) what's there not to like? Toyota reliabilty and all. me likey alot.
Originally Posted by Saint_Spinner,Jan 5 2006, 03:37 PM
Actually the prices I've seen seem closer to what Douglas mentioned.
Question: Does the 4runner have a 6-speed option? (I've never been interested in the 4runner, so I never bothered looking)
I also read about being able to start the car without the use of the clutch (so you don't have to release the brake peddle and play footsie in mid climb)...do the other toyota trucks have this feature too?
I can't remember the details...there quite a few "small differences"...
Yup, my Tacoma has the clutch cancel feature, this allows you to turn start the engine without the clutch while still in gear. So if you are rock climbing and stall it, simply turn the key to start the engine and continue the forward motion.
To activate this, there is a button which is pressed and the clutch cancel will stay on until the key is taken out, allows for multiple restrarts without having to press the button again.
I like the FJ, but probably would not buy it. Not my style
Originally Posted by slicksilver,Jan 5 2006, 03:20 PM
It's ugly and I hate sucide doors.
I agree onthe ugly part, but for the record, I'm finding my suicide doors to be the greatest thing. All my other vehicles are 2-door, 2-seaters, so when I go off to work I justy pop my bag in the trunk (S2000) or behind the driver's seat (CRX-SiR). I find a 4-door to be a complete pain because I have to open that back door, then take a few steps to get to the front door and do it all over again to get in. Now with the suicide door I just walk up to the truck, open my door, swing the back open a bit, toss my bag on the floor. close the back door, jump in and close my door. All of this is done while standing in one position and actually seems to be an extremely fast and easy way to get going. I love the suicide door design.
Yeah because the damn hummers are too wide for most trails.
The hummer is apporximately 86.5 inches wide and a stock full size bronco is 79.3 inches wide. With the 18.5 inch wide tires he runs the bronco is wider than the hummer. Most of the time width is not a huge issue on the trails we go on because most of the guys I wheel with aren't afraid of trading paint with the side of the trail
The few times i've seen him run the hummer it lifts a tire waaaayy to easily and 4 tires on the ground is much better than 3. His bronco scores much better on the RTI ramp than the hummer
Originally Posted by Triple-H,Jan 6 2006, 02:59 PM
This thing is F'ugly
I would so much rather have something that looks good
I guess it's all subjective. The Xterra is just as ugly as the FJ imo with the interior looking just as crappy.
Having been in both vehicles, the FJ is not all that cramped in back. Though it is a bit awkward climbing into the back. And contrary to what the pictures show, it has a good amount of cargo space behind the rear seats.
01-05-2006, 10:25 PM
should be worth checking out.
