Toyota FJ

[ChasH3]

Was coming back from the beach this morning and saw the New FJ sitting out front of the Toyota Dealership. So I pulled over and took a look. The sticker price was $38,900. There was no winch, and not alot of protection underneath. I didn't like the inside at all. There was no room to have anyone sit in the back seat... There was only enough room for a very small child or a baby in a car seat... Otherwise you'd have to have the front seats up against the dashboard to have an adult back there.

[DDWH]

Did you test drive it?

[ChasH3]

Originally posted by DDWH:
Did you test drive it?

Nope, I didn't test drive..

[Mike E]

38K?!

I just stopped and looked at one today with a friend of mine who is considering one. We saw a blue one fully loaded with all the options and the roof rack and towing package and the sticker was a touch over 30K. Your must have had some extra dealer add ons or something. It was ok, the 3 wipers is kinda wierd looking.

[Steve - SanJose]

Originally posted by Mike E:
38K?!

I just stopped and looked at one today with a friend of mine who is considering one. We saw a blue one fully loaded with all the options and the roof rack and towing package and the sticker was a touch over 30K. Your must have had some extra dealer add ons or something. It was ok, the 3 wipers is kinda wierd looking.

Mke - At least the 3 trick wipers are functional. How did you like the look of the FJ overall? Is it better than the pics in person?

S.

[lamric]

I test drove one. The power is better than the H3 but its interior is nowhere near as nice or comfortable. Visibility out the back is terrible.

My personal opinion is that the Hummer is the better vehicle.

[Dani]

I went to the Toyota dealership on Friday to check out the FJ cruiser and for as much as I really liked the way it looked- I could never consider buying it. There was a significant lack of room in the back seats, and there were a lot of blind spots- couldn't see well out the mirrors, etc...
I took it for a test drive- I love the way it drives but again- the lack of room in the interior totally kills the entire vehicle. On that note- I'm off on Wednesday to finally go pick out my H3. Came really close almost 9 months ago but had an injury that put me out of work so financially I couldn't afford it. Now I'm back to work and ready to go!

[Mike E]

They're pretty cool in person. I haven't driven one yet. I have heard a lot about the poor visibility and many have backed out of purchasing one due to that fact. The three wipers is cool and functional which I would like to see in action. The interior looks fair and I don't think i would want to be a rear seat passenger. Looks a little too small for me. It has an interesting dash, rubber floors, and a typical Toyota seating. It certainly is a unique looking vehicle and will turn heads on the road just like the H3 does. Overall, I'm sticking with the H3. it rocks!

[Dani]

I kid you not- there may be about 2 inches total of leg room between the front and back seats. The visibility was extremely poor. I'm sure if I wanted it bad enough that I could get used to it but I have a family and it's way too small to cart everyone around in.

[DarthKarl]

Originally posted by Dani:
there may be about 2 inches total of leg room between the front and back seats.

That's 100% true. I think if you where hauling a couple of amputees in the back you're fine, otherwise there just isn't anywhere to put your legs.

[Ipedog]

Message on hauling passengers from an FJ Driver:

Passenger Message (http://www.careerbuilder.com/monk-e-mail/?mid=6392592)


Warning: Perfectly work safe but entirely in poor taste - perfect for this place! http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif


.

[Steve - SanJose]

Ok, what a proper monkey.

S.

[Aphextwinop]

I really got to check out the FJ at the auto show here in Kansas City last month, and I gotta tell ya.......it's not what I expected. I HATED it. I've owned a toyota (back in 88......lol), but what were they thinking. I'm guessing that their sales projections fall short big time.

Aphex

[Ipedog]

I was driving out of the city yesterday and saw one in fron of me. Traffic was too heavy to get beside or in front but from the rear it looked like a jelly bean. I liked the look of the roof rack. That was sweet, but I'm very happy I have my H3. I am a former Toyota 4Runner driver so I know Toyota quality and I'm still very happy that I got the H3.

[Mike E]

A good friend of mine has fallen in love with the new FJ and is planning on buying a yellow one sometime this year. It will be fun to see how it compares to my H3.

[Dani]

Originally posted by Mike E:
A good friend of mine has fallen in love with the new FJ and is planning on buying a yellow one sometime this year. It will be fun to see how it compares to my H3.

There's nothing to compare. Hopefully your friend will enjoy it. I fell in love with the way it looked and drove however.....I have legs and need room to move. Something that's very very difficult to do with the FJ cruiser.

[startin\' young]

why do u need 3 wiper blades. the 2 on mine work just fine

[Steve - SanJose]

3 wipers is trick so its cool. And I hear it sweeps more of the glass area so its functional.

[Dani]

it wasn't raining when I took a test drive so I never paid attention to there being 3 wipers. Guess I should've paid more attention

[Steve - SanJose]

Dani,

At lease you drove the FJ. Did you get your H3 yet?

S.

[Ipedog]

Drove by the dealer yesterday. They had one. It was 33K and unless the front seats were ALL the way back then the only person that could sit in back would be an amputee. Even kids need not apply. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[Dani]

Originally posted by Steve - SanJose:
Dani,

At lease you drove the FJ. Did you get your H3 yet?

S.

picking it up this week! I'm so excited!!!

[Muckfly]

Being that I haven't bought an H3 yet, I thought I'd stop by Toyota to see if the FJ was a competitive enough buy against the H3.

I went to check out the FJ this weekend with a buddy of mine. My first impression was that it was smaller than I thought it would be. There are some cool features, but I thought the bad outweighed the good. The white tops on all of them are a copy from the Mini. It was parked next to a Highlander, and I thought it wasn't far off from being a Highlander. Lastly, it does cost way too much. The dealer said that although they are listed for $22k online, you'll only find them for $30-36k+. I thought about comparing it to a Jeep Wrangler because of its size, but the cost difference is so big. I would never compare it to a Hummer.

My buddy liked it a lot; I didn't so much. We both came to the same conclusion after leaving though... the H3 is SO MUCH BETTER!

[Muckfly]

Oh yeah, the one we were looking at was a 2 wheel drive. The salesman called it a 4 by 2. "nice try, buddy."

[Dani]

the one that I looked at to purchase was pretty loaded and it was only $28k....

[Aubs]

My brother-in-law sells a whole bunch of stuff, and has Toyota. He's got the FJ there, and I looked at it, but I don't like the interior at all, and the outside is ugly in my opinion. So I'm not sure there's even much sense in driving it, because the driving is fun for like 500 miles, but you have to live with the interior appointments, comfort, space, and functionality as long as you drive the vehicle. The looks wear off too. Give me an H3 anyday.

PS I think the one I saw was ~$32,000.

[Steve - SanJose]

Saw 2 yellow FJ's on a truck with a 4 Runner being transported to local dealer. The 4 Runner looked better. Guess I'll have to take a closer look later.

S.

[DarthKarl]

I don't like the interior at all

x2

It looks like a big plastic boom-box inside

[kodiakz]

It's a glorified 4 wheel drive Scion. Have worked on a couple now and they are not built like the regular Toyota line.

[Sewie]

Finally saw one on the road over the weekend. I do think they look a little bloated/bubbly, but overall it didn't look too bad. It looked like it had the 4wd package too.

Obviously I prefer the H3. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif Especially after seeing them side by side.

[Scouts Out]

went to the local Toy dealer yesterday to show an FJ to a co worker. She really liked them but when we got there the deal was pretty full of himself, told her he has one silver one coming in, the rest were all sold and if she wanted one this year , she would have to take silver one because they people were buying them faster than they could make them. He "imagined it would be like that all year", pretty ballsy I thought. I told him I woudl bring her back in the middle of summer when the lot was full of them.

[CrawlH3]

The toyota dealer around here wants 48,000 for the one they have on the lot. the invoice sticker on the window was 30,000 and with the added options 48,000 there crazy. Plus I think its UGLY.

[hispeed6]

Originally posted by Muckfly:
The white tops on all of them are a copy from the Mini.

Not to pick nits but many original FJ40 cruisers in the 70s had the white tops. More likely, it's another homage to the original FJs. But still, not in the same league as a H3...

[Steve - SanJose]

I stopped by the Toyota dealer after lunch today. They had a silver FJ parked (unlocked) in the service department staging area so I inspected it. Looks okay, but not as good as an H3. A little to plasticky inside and out and cartoonish. Rear seat room and access through those rear mini doors is not good.

One mechanic spotted me looking it over carefully and came up to talk. He knew that I had driven up in the H3. He said all of the first 15 FJ's sold immediatly so that's why there were none in the showroom.

I know Toyota makes good cars and trucks (I've owned 2 recently). But no thanks, I'm sticking with the H3.

S.

[Sewie]

Originally posted by CrawlH3:
The toyota dealer around here wants 48,000 for the one they have on the lot. the invoice sticker on the window was 30,000 and with the added options 48,000 there crazy. Plus I think its UGLY.

WTF? Does it transform into a helicopter or something? What options on it run the price up almost $20K.

[Steve - SanJose]

I'd pay $20K for the transformer/helicopter option. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

That $20K gouge factor padded onto the MSRP is there to be ignored. Anybody that acknowledges it is considered a viable victim by car salesmen.

S.

[Viet Nam Vette]

$38,900 for a Toyota...??? As posted the back looks like a Jelly Bean..I'm still sticken with buying an H3x..

I don't own any Forgien made vehicals...Only GM. Ok maybe I have small mind...and yes I know that there are some parts from other forgien mfg's in the mix ..but.. I say..

Don't give up the ship..The General will listen to the troops and get it right. Many good things around the corner.

I think the People who made the Godzilla movies are watching The general and other American Mfg' very closely. I except to see an H3X clone from the land of the rising sun in the next year or so when they see how well the H3's sell as well as other GM Vehicals.

Don't forget... we started this whole ball of wax. We are the inovators.. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[Steve - SanJose]

I cruised by a shiny brand new silver FJ this morning. The passenger in the FJ was a 10ish year old boy and he was craning his neck to look at my dirty white H3. He was probably telling his father he should have bought the H3 instead. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

S.

[Bully13]

It's probably going to be like the PT cruiser when it came out. A bunch of people will go buy it for a lot of money and then it will be crap in 2 years not worth harldly anything. Especially the "4 x 2". I guess "two wheel drive" sounded to gutless.

[Bully13]

Originally posted by Sewie:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by CrawlH3:
The toyota dealer around here wants 48,000 for the one they have on the lot. the invoice sticker on the window was 30,000 and with the added options 48,000 there crazy. Plus I think its UGLY.

WTF? Does it transform into a helicopter or something? What options on it run the price up almost $20K. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What do you think that third wiper is for... http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[The Green Lantern]

I feel like a celebrity (http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=82436)

[Aubs]

That was painful to read...

I just threw up. Thanks a lot Green Lantern.

http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[Steve - SanJose]

Green Lantern,

Good pics of the hardware underneath. FJ is as ugly as ever. Saw 3 on the road this weekend.

S.

[The Green Lantern]

Originally posted by Steve - SanJose:
Green Lantern,

Good pics of the hardware underneath. FJ is as ugly as ever. Saw 3 on the road this weekend.

S.


well at least he posted non-driveway or garage pics...lol http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[Bully13]

Maybe we should have a section for "empty parking lot" pictures.

[dochummer]

I'll probably head out to the toyota dealer tomorrow to check out hte FJ...not interested in buying...just looking....

[Dani]

Originally posted by dochummer:
I'll probably head out to the toyota dealer tomorrow to check out hte FJ...not interested in buying...just looking....

don't forget to remove your legs if you intend to be in the back seat http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Agriv8r]

Got the chance to drive one, had 989 miles, owner was already tired of it and wanted to trade. Toyota had the strongest offer and they were not really interested. Was a little louder inside than the H3, bigger turning diameter (only a few feet) and definately not an H3 competitor. Overall....slightly less than impressed. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

[DTHVLY]

The All-Pro build up is starting to look good.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/fjlifted.jpg
Lifted

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/fjramped_front.jpg
Ramped

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/fj_reservoir_mount.jpg
Coilovers

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/fj39s.jpg
39's

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/fj_front_bumper.jpg
Winch Bumper
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/fj_front_bumper_side_view.jpg

http://www.allprooffroad.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=109

[Alan06SUT]

Im sorry but those things are just plain ugly. those 39's will snap the crap out of stock half shafts!!! We'll soon see how good they really are on the trails.

[DTHVLY]

As far as looks go you either like it or you don't but what I really like is the aftermarket support. The FJ has been out for only a month and there are already 9 diffrent companies offering lifts and 3 offering winch bumpers and or rock sliders.

Lifts:
-All Pro Off Road
-Donahoe Racing
-Revtek
-Old Man Emu
-Tuff Country
-Super Lift
-Camburg
-Total Chaos

Bumpers/Sliders:
-All Pro Off Road
-ARB USA
-Bent Up Fab

As an off-roader you gotts like that.

The 39's arn't part of the AP build up they were just put on to see if they would fit, they are using BFG MT's.

[The Green Lantern]

the first pic what size are those tires?

[Steve - SanJose]

Still an ugly FJ even with the 39" tires. And who knows how slow it would accelerate with those tires.

S.

[DTHVLY]

Originally posted by The Green Lantern:
the first pic what size are those tires?

All-Pro is using 33" BFG MT's for their build up. You could fit bigger with that lift but the 33"s look good on the FJ and I don't think it would be worth it even with the FJ's good power and Torque to go any bigger. The 33's will fit on a stock FJ but the lift helps for flexing off-road. I think 33"s on 16x8 wheels would be the perfect setup. That's tire's one size over stock and rims one 1" wider.

[DDWH]

http://i9.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/e7/a6/30_1_b.JPG

[DRTYFN]

That's a lot of modifying just to keep up with the H2/3s. Can't wait to see the broken parts those over-sized tires cause.

[Aubs]

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/fj_front_bumper.jpg

Winch Bumper
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/fj_front_bumper_side_view.jpg



That thing only makes the car look more like a POS. The H3 integrated winch that's floating around looks a 1000x cleaner.

[DTHVLY]

Originally posted by DRTYFN:
That's a lot of modifying just to keep up with the H2/3s. Can't wait to see the broken parts those over-sized tires cause.

Not really, those are all simple bolt on mods that you could do in your own garage. The H3/2 are great out of the box off-roaders but to be honest I think the Allpro FJ with a 105” wheel base, 13” of ground clearance and a front winch bumper it would probably be the H3/2 playing catch up on the trail.

There will be no breaking of parts running the 33” BFG MT’s they are using in the AP build up. I would worry more about the guys putting 35” on the already underpowered H3 without re-gearing.

[DTHVLY]

Originally posted by Aubs:

That thing only makes the car look more like a POS. The H3 integrated winch that's floating around looks a 1000x cleaner.

I can see how you wouldn't like the looks of the FJ but how can you not like that bumper. That is probably the best looking tightest fitting most functional winch bumper I have seen in over 10 years of wheeling.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/FJallpro1.jpg

[DTHVLY]

That's something to consider but you would have to hit a rock extremely hard to make either the bumper and or frame flex enough to damage the body, harder than would occur during slow rock crawling. I could see it getting into the body during a street speed impact with another vehicle but another ¼ inch isn’t going to make a big difference in that case. I don’t know exactly how it mounts but there could be room for adjustment for a bigger gap but given the much improved approach angle I would take it just the way it is. As far as recovery loops go I like that it allows use of the stock tow loops which are welded directly to the ends of the fully boxed Prado frame. Those stock tow loops are stronger than anything that could be mounted on the bumper it self and those loops easily accept a winch hook or a D-ring shackle and strap.

[RIC-H0]

I agree with Phil, on the fact that you don't have to be traveling very fast in order to bend a bumper. It does sit quite close to the body, but there is info saying it is a photoshop image.
It could be placed that close in the image for photo asthetics, but in reality, have a nice 1"-2" space all the way around for flex.
I'm likin' the FJ more and more, as mods come out!

Ric-H0

[DTHVLY]

The other aftermarket bumpers for the FJ fit as close or closer to the body including the ARB so they must not be worried about flex. The FJ does have an extremely rigid fully boxed Prado frame and these are heavy steel bumpers so that might account for it.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/FJARB.jpg
ARB

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/FJbentup.jpg
Bent-up Fab

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/FJallpro1.jpg
That is a real picture of the All-pro bumper the photoshop was just to show it in black, here is the original.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/FJallpro2.jpg

Bent-up Fab sliders
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/FJsliders1.jpg

[PARAGON]

Actually, if you look at the truck, there is no choice but to fab the bumpers that way unless they create some plastic filler panel.

The plastic orig bumper might would still flex into the body, but it's plastic. The underpinnings might be from the Prado but the frame is about 10 inches longer and it's still just metal body panels on a ladder frame.

[Aubs]

Originally posted by DTHVLY:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Aubs:

That thing only makes the car look more like a POS. The H3 integrated winch that's floating around looks a 1000x cleaner.

I can see how you wouldn't like the looks of the FJ but how can you not like that bumper. That is probably the best looking tightest fitting most functional winch bumper I have seen in over 10 years of wheeling.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/FJallpro1.jpg </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I like my car to look stock. I think that having it look like some frankenmobile with aftermarket body parts slapped all over is tacky. Just buy the thing from the factory all ready to go and have it look clean.

Besides, hit someone with that thing, and buh-bye winch. At least the H3 mount was further from an impact where it might survive. Just a simple bump and there goes everything.

[DDWH]

I like the looks of the stealth better:D ;)

[NEOCON1]

we still talkin about the element:D

[DDWH]

we still talkin about the element:D

Damn NEO, how many times do I have to tell ya....AMC Pacer!:D;)

[PARAGON]

I took the liberty to add protection to the rear warts...... or tail lights, however you look at it.

[NEOCON1]

Damn NEO, how many times do I have to tell ya....AMC Pacer!:D;)


we still talkin bout the pacer :D FIXED ;)

[DRTYFN]

I can see how you wouldn't like the looks of the FJ but how can you not like that bumper. That is probably the best looking tightest fitting most functional winch bumper I have seen in over 10 years of wheeling.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/FJallpro1.jpg </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I like my car to look stock. I think that having it look like some frankenmobile with aftermarket body parts slapped all over is tacky. Just buy the thing from the factory all ready to go and have it look clean.

Besides, hit someone with that thing, and buh-bye winch. At least the H3 mount was further from an impact where it might survive. Just a simple bump and there goes everything.

No access to the winch.

[DDWH]

we still talkin bout the pacer :D FIXED ;)

Si':D ;)

[The Green Lantern]

"A GLORIFIED HONDA ELEMENT"

[NEOCON1]

thats what i kept sayin :D LOL

[DDWH]

BASTIDS!!!!!!!:D ;)

[DTHVLY]

I like my car to look stock. I think that having it look like some frankenmobile with aftermarket body parts slapped all over is tacky. Just buy the thing from the factory all ready to go and have it look clean.
That?s great that you like the stock look it?s going to save you a lot of money but most off-roaders like to modify their trucks to not only be stronger and more capable but also to have a unique look. I don?t want my rig to look like every other suv in the parking lot, yeah the H3 and FJ have a unique look but no different than some soccer moms H3 or FJ.
Just buy the thing from the factory all ready to go and have it look clean.I don?t know about you but there?s nothing from the factory that is ready to go the places I want to go.
Besides, hit someone with that thing, and buh-bye winch. At least the H3 mount was further from an impact where it might survive. Just a simple bump and there goes everything.It?s going to take a little more than a ?simple bump? to hurt that bumper.

What looks better this,
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/4680471f.jpg
or this?
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/FJrevtek8.jpg

[DTHVLY]

No access to the winch.


It's got as much as you can expect from an internally mounted winch. The two holes on each side allow access to the switches and plugs and the slot on top allows you to see if the cable is spooling correctly.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/fjallpro7.jpg

The NWLC bumper allows more access to the winch but sticks out a little more so it's a trade off, but its nice to have options.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y74/yotataco/96dcd559.jpg