What do real land cruiser owners think of the FJC? (3 Viewers)

[Corey]

A year back at work there was a guy who drove an FJ 40 in, and parked not to far from me.
One day I was walking past my rig when he got out of his, and he did not know the FJ was mine, but said they sure are ugly, and not any good off road, my 40 will wipe up that FJ Cruiser off road anytime.

I said really, does yours have a factory rear locker, or an aftermarket one?
He said, uh nope.

I said does yours have the A-trac system up front that helps for off road traction?
He said, uh nope.

I said where is your winch, this FJ Cruiser has one.
He did not say anything, and I proceeded to say that my FJ Cruiser you are talking about will spank yours 24/7 off road and on road any day of the week.
He jaw about his the pavement, he had nothing to say and walked away.
Put him in his place I did.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

@Corey

Not looking do dis the FJC at all, and no need to invoke the "mine is better than yours" stuff. In my post, I was just answering the OPs question which is what "real Land Cruiser" owners thought of FJ Cruisers. I like them and one of my good 80 series friends has an Ultimate TT one for his commute vehicle- for which it is a FAR BETTER choice than his Land Cruiser. I'm sure there's some haters out there but so what. I don't even dislike Jeeps and go out of my way to rent one when I rent cars on Vacation!

I do think it's fair criticism to say that the FJC is a bit over-styled, but part of that I like, for instance the white roof and the faux bezel. Anyway, count your blessings an FJC is not an FJ40. Because then it wouldn't have great power and great brakes and air conditioning, and modern suspension etc. If it takes you to where you want to go and back, it's all good.

 

[BionicCruiser]

I own a FJ45 SWB, FJ40, building a frankenstein LC out of a 40, 60, and 80. and we have a FJC. I had my reservations at first, but we do love our FJC. wife drives it daily, we take it off road and on expedition style outings. I think it's a fine addition to the LC family.

 

[BMThiker]

Stop bringing up that metrosexual assault on the senses.

 

[ttFJC]

Drove one once. Excellent brakes. Very good power. Not a Land Cruiser. You'd have to have crappy brakes and terrible power to weight ratio for that.

Not a fan of the view out the back.

It's a decent SUV, but to me a 4Runner is a more practical choice. Even a Tacoma is a more practical choice.

Could be had with a manual trans though, so that's a huge plus.

And the white roof is great.

To me as an outsider, it's a styling exercise on a 4Runner. That's fine as far as it goes. But a 4Runner has more room, same drive train, and good vis out the back. Why would anyone buy an FJCruiser over an equivalent 4Runner? There might be a reason, but I don't see it.

One other thing. I have seen a bunch of former FJC guys graduate to 80 series Land Cruisers, so maybe it's a gateway drug into the collective. That's cool with me too.

Anyway, not a hater at all. FJCs have their place. Just too cute for me. If you like yours, that's awesome. We're all in this game for the same reasons.

To me 4r's are soccer mom cars- soccer moms who's sugar daddy can afford to get them a real LC ... lol

4Rs dont get the AWD and 6MT- thats one reason to love the FJC

A year back at work there was a guy who drove an FJ 40 in, and parked not to far from me.
One day I was walking past my rig when he got out of his, and he did not know the FJ was mine, but said they sure are ugly, and not any good off road, my 40 will wipe up that FJ Cruiser off road anytime.

I said really, does yours have a factory rear locker, or an aftermarket one?
He said, uh nope.

I said does yours have the A-trac system up front that helps for off road traction?
He said, uh nope.

I said where is your winch, this FJ Cruiser has one.
He did not say anything, and I proceeded to say that my FJ Cruiser you are talking about will spank yours 24/7 off road and on road any day of the week.
He jaw about his the pavement, he had nothing to say and walked away.
Put him in his place I did.

I love this about my FJC. i wheel with a bunch of modified rigs and im bone stock...drug myself through the rocks but the FJC does it with little hesitation

@Corey
In my post, I was just answering the OPs question which is what "real Land Cruiser" owners thought of FJ Cruisers.
I do think it's fair criticism to say that the FJC is a bit over-styled, but part of that I like

Whats over styled? 3 windshield wipers ? lol thats what makes it great! the fact that Toyota actually made something exciting and not another beige Corrola or Camry!


I was mostly curious what non FJC owners thought, because some times i thought i felt the "well thats not a REAL LC" but it seems to be an 80 series thing...which we all know the 80 series is the greatest thing ever built

 

[1911]

... some times i thought i felt the "well thats not a REAL LC" but it seems to be an 80 series thing...which we all know the 80 series is the greatest thing ever built

I had a '91 FJ80 and got the exact same ration of s*** back then; couldn't possibly be a Land Cruiser because it had coil spring suspension, no locking front hubs, third-row seats, factory sun roof, rear air, cruise control, etc. The certain death of Toyota and the venerable Land Cruiser line. Some things never change, and everyone likes to have something they can look down their nose at. Especially 80 owners.

 

[BMThiker]

I was mostly curious what non FJC owners thought...

Something tells me you won't find a large number of non-FJC owners perusing this corner of MUD

 

[ttFJC]

Something tells me you won't find a large number of non-FJC owners perusing this corner of MUD

This is true.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

. Some things never change, and everyone likes to have something they can look down their nose at. Especially 80 owners.

Maybe because there are so many of them. It's by far the most common LC on the road, yes?

 

[1911]

Maybe because there are so many of them. It's by far the most common LC on the road, yes?

Probably. Reminds me of the old joke that 90% of all the Land Rovers ever made are still on the road - the rest of them actually made it home.

I was thinking more of human nature than absolute numbers though - we all like something that makes us feel superior to others, even if we ourselves have been belittled by others in the past. Hence the reference to 80 owners.

 

[LockedCollector]

First 40 - I wish! Nevermind, I drove one today and felt like Fred Flintstone!
First 60 - don't care for them
First 80 - time of ownership 1.5 years - miss it no
Second 80 - time of ownership 1.5 years - miss it no
Third 80 - time of ownership 2.0 years (overlapped with #2) - miss it...NO especially when I hear that something else has broken on it from new owner
First 100 - time of ownership 8 months - miss it hell no
First 200 - never owned one and would rather buy a Ram Power Wagon

First and only FJC - time of ownership 6 years w/ zero plans of selling.

I'll tell you as a previous owner of real land cruisers thinks of the FJC. Ive liked LCs but I have loved the FJC. It's been real good to me and way more fun for me than all LCs above combined and she's paid for. I've realized that I do not like the whole full size 4wd station wagon concept.

 

[TheHardWay]

Guys, I've owned my first 40 3 1/2 years now, just bought my second last weekend and towed it from Nevada to New Mexico in a day and a half. Go over to the 40 forum and check out my thread 1 FJ Cruiser, 1 FJ40, and 1 AWESOME TOW BAR

It'll let you know what I think of my FJ Cruiser.

 

[yotahunter]

I appreciate the insight of someone who owns both, but you haven't really given any objective reasons as to why it is appealing. To me the "no true Scotsman" fallacy doesn't contribute to the thread.

I would, however, take an FJC over this any day:

 

[yotahunter]

Objective reasoning was not my intent, I was simply answering the original question.

 

[Estancio]

I own both a BJ70 and an FJC. I specifically bought the FJC to tow a camping trailer. The Land Cruiser was way too underpowered just to carry itself across mountains. So now, I drive the LC for the farm and daily use as it has more open windows, far better maneuverability, and I do not worry about anything breaking when I decide to pull up a tree stump. The FJC is far more comfortable for long trips as it has better highway suspension and has an AC system that the LC does not have. The LC has about 90HP and the FJC has about 250HP, but both get the same miles per gallon fuel consumption.

 

[TheHardWay]

The drive from Las Cruces to Henderson, average speed 75, got 20 mpg. Towing the FJ40 back the same way, average speed 60, got 16 mpg. A pleasant surprise!

 

[NyNomad]

I appreciate the insight of someone who owns both, but you haven't really given any objective reasons as to why it is appealing. To me the "no true Scotsman" fallacy doesn't contribute to the thread.

I would, however, take an FJC over this any day:

let's be fair, that thing is a bag of dirt.

 

[Haggis]

I put a deposit down with my local dealer just before they were to come out. When the first one came in I did a test drive. No go for me due to the poor visibility. I would not want to be a passenger riding in the back of that cave. Was a bit disappointed with the styling, was hoping for more of a modern looking 40 series. The lack of a SFA made no difference to me. I used my deposit to buy a 4Runner LTD that was one of the best vehicles I have ever owned. I hope Toyota gives the FJC another shot, this time with better styling, I'm not holding my breath with some of the concepts I've seen lately.

 

[Julian Stead]

The land Cruiser is built to be a work horse for most of the world, driven over poor terrain day in day out and towing stuff. It takes this assault and just keeps on going. I have a UK spec land Cruiser 100 that Toyota has decided that I need to be pampered with leather seats, Auto Box and AHC, this isn't what you will find in most land Cruisers built as most are for the Australian Mining industry or the UN and others.

My point is, I have a Land Cruiser that I certainly don't use for its intended purpose, A FJ Cruiser would be perfect for me but they do not sell them over here, they sold the 120 in much larger numbers over here due to there intended use. My point is a FJC would be ideal for me but I don't think the mining industries would have that opinion.

So would the FJC take the abuse that a Land Cruiser is built to take day in day out, Probably not. Does that matter to most in the civilised world with smooth roads and the occasional day trip off the beacon track, probably not.

I am the proud owner of a under used Land Cruiser, and I love it.

 

[firensteel]

///I have seen a bunch of former FJC guys graduate to 80 series Land Cruisers,///
Me too, they are fathers with 2 or 3 kids. My son has loved my FJC the whole time but I can see the appeal of four doors. That happened to Detroit in the nineties. I owned a Dodge Ramcharger, and a Chevy K-5 Blazer both were 2 door full size 4x4's. The market changed, no-one wanted 2 doors anymore when they had a family. All those vehicles changed to 4 plus doors i.e. Tahoe and Suburban and LandCruiser, etc.
So, is there still a market for a 2 door 4x4 suv? That is the question that appears to suggest the answer is NO.
But long live my 2012TTSE!!!