A little competition coming for the FJ...

[saskdiesel]

One of the reasons I got rid of my Hilux and went to a solid axle Superduty was the IFS. Specifically the rubber boots. I was shredding a boot or two every trip hunting mulies and to tell you the truth I just got fed up with the greasy mess I had to deal with. The low scrub would polish the underbelly clean and rip holes in the boots.
Now those prickly bushes and scrub just wipe my front axle clean!
My 40 loved that trip 10 years ago but a couple of big mulies takes up all the space in the back.
Nothing wrong with an IFS truck for a D/D.
I hammered the ball joints out of my Hilux every 30-40k on the rough gravel roads I drive while the 40 still has the kingpin bearings I installed 13 years ago.

 

[TexasBadlands]

blah blah blah...... I am sick of this thread. I never had a problem wheeling with IFS, and have seen plenty of yotas on sledgehammer and other hard trails with IFS doing fine. In my opinion it boils down to underside armor, and driving ability.

 

[yep]

... But, in the end, both the FJC and the Wrangler are compromises. They can't be everything to everyone. The purchaser is going to have to decide which is best for them, and what they're willing to trade off in order to get the vehicle that is closest to what they need.

Yep, and it is nice that we live in a place were we are afforded the opportunity to have such a decision and discuss it openly

 

[mapleton cruiser]

as for me and my house we will drive the fj!

 

[TexasBadlands]

Yep, and it is nice that we live in a place were we are afforded the opportunity to have such a decision and discuss it openly

Thank God we live in America. No apologies either if you're offended move to a communist country!

 

[Guisepi]

I have had several Toyotas and Jeeps in the past. I now own a Wrangler and a FJC. The Wrangler is pretty sweet off road but I would put my money on a Toyota any day. I have had some kind of problem with every one of my Jeeps and not one problem with any of the Toyotas. I still love my Jeep and it is so much fun to drive but I don't see competition. Everywhere I go in the FJC people have to talk to me about it and stare at it. On several occasions after returning to the FJ from inside a store I'll have to wipe forehead prints off the window where someone was looking inside. Seriously people love this thing.

 

[Fman]

Call me old school.......

A friend at work just picked up a new FJ cruiser, and I have to admit I was disappointed that it looks nothing like an FJ40. I almost wanted to drive home and pick up my 1970 FJ40 and bring it back to say, "How is this considered an FJ????"

If you look at an old Jeep CJ5 and look at a new YJ/TJ/Rubicon, they still have similiar looks. When I look at the FJ, I see only the grill of the FJ40, lots of plastic and nothing else. I personally was hoping Toyota was going to use the same body style and add more updated features (ie: A/C, fuel injection, 4 wheel disc brakes, quieter interior noise, etc..) but they chose to create a totally different FJ cruiser. And not being able to remove the top??? I still cant figure that one out.

Maybe over time they will grow on me, but for now call me old school... you just cant beat the older FJ40 body style and straight axles for serious offroading. Although, the older 40's are definitely designed for "off-road" use... they would make a challenging daily driver. For a grocery getter, family town hauler, and updated features to make it a more acceptable daily driver, the FJ would be the way to go.

Fman

 

[jjbodean1970]

Does anyone ever wonder what it does to an Auto company to basically be an unwanted orphan??? Jeep has changed hands how many times now?

jeep changed hands once, from amc to chrysler

 

[jfonz]

jeep changed hands once, from amc to chrysler

thats a good point. I would think if any company could have been concidered an un wonted orphan It would have Been Land Rover, but even still they only changed hands 2 times I think first to BMW then to Ford.. It does kinda trip me out that there owned by Ford now, but even stranger so is Volvo, Jaguar, and Astin Martin...

 

[FJBen]

2WD model still features a solid front live axle interesting although I fear the Solid front axle will be dead in a few years for Jeep as well...which is sad even tho I'm not a fan of Jeep, I'm glad they are building rigs like this and keeping the competition up. It benefits ALL of us! I tappears that the front REALLY looks like it's leaning towards IFS with the way that shield is covering things.



116" Wheelbase YOWSERS!!!! 4" more than my 80 series!!!! And I feel big/long on the trail...holy crap!


THe other thing is...how much will a Unlimited Wrangler Rubicon 4 door be?? 36K? +???? Thanks A LOT of coin to still have to add 5K more to it to go off-roading.

 

[jfonz]

they haven't released any pricing yet. I think a full loaded unlimited goes for about 32-34K, but that includes a soft top and a hard top. My guess is they will be prices similerly to the H3. You can get an H3 with the locker and low gears for about 32k-ish. It will be interesting to see how they are priced. I think with the FJC Toyota changed there price structureing as soon as they saw how excited people were about them. I wen't to the dealer ship the other day and to get the one I wonted ordered it would have cost me about 28K, and fully loaded,the price can jump up to 36K.

 

[firetruck41]

jeep changed hands once, from amc to chrysler

Well, except when it was Willys-Overland, then Willys, then Kaiser... and then there's the Ford jeep...

 

[FJBen]

Well, except when it was Willys-Overland, then Willys, then Kaiser... and then there's the Ford jeep...

According to a number of Army sources, the nickname most GIs chose for the little Willys fourby was "Peep" (the 1/2ton Dodges remained "Jeeps"). When the first units left overseas, these terms of endearment stayed with them for some time, but it wasn't long before a tide of change overwhelmed everything. By this time there was a huge influx of GIs going into service, many of whom had been subjected to a veritable media blitz about the new 1/4ton 4x4, which the press insisted on calling a "Jeep".

Over the years, much ado has been made over the name Jeep having been derived from its military nomenclature, GP, for General Purpose. This can be disproved easily by noting that until mid1942, the Army designation for the truck was command reconnaissance, not general purpose (that would come later). No doubt the demise of the 1/2ton Dodge Jeep as standard equipment contributed to the use also. When Willys began using the term "Jeep" in advertising, MinneapolisMoline balked. In June 1942, the House Committee on Military Affairs substantiated MM's claim to the name, citing numerous references in newspapers and magazines dating back to before 1940.

In 1943, Bantam joined MM in taking exception to Willys' use of the term. Bantam, having developed the platform from which the other 1/4ton vehicles were based, felt seriouslycompromised by having been left out of the Jeep building business and relegated to making trailers and aircraft landing gear.

In 1944, the Federal Trade Commission chastised Willys over the use of "Jeep"; the turmoil lasted well into the 1950s. But was to no availthe public had spoken. A Jeep was a Jeep and would forever remain a Jeep. While there is no doubt that Willys-Overland was cheeky, perhaps even unethical, in its use of the name, the 640,000 vehicles produced during the war and the many thousands built later certainly earned the right to carry it.


All this interesting stuff... history lesson hijack over

 

[TEPUI]

Here's a little competition for the 2007 J**p

 

[jazzkenpo]

apples and pictures of oranges

I used to own a Jeep, several of them actually. One got rolled by a Sunbeam Alpine, and the other went the way of the testosteroneless wussy jeep (yes it was a liberty). I just got my FJC and I could'nt be more pleased with it. This new jeep isn't even tested yet and you are worried about competition... lets see what happens when the rubber hits the trail ! By the way the interior looks like that sissy Jeep Liberty my fiancee and I had.

 

[calamaridog]

I have some issues with the Jeep.

Stronger axles? About time! I'll believe it when I see one.

Modular roof? I suspect it will leak like heck. There is no way they pull this off.

Quality control? I suspect it will have quality issues.

My wife's Liberty has a ton of problems. I had to buy the damn repair manual because I can't afford to fix all the problems at the dealer. Multiple power window issues. Ball joints 2 times in less than 30,000 miles. Brakes are gone. Trim pieces falling off and coming loose. Power steering squeeling all the time. This is a vehicle with only 30,000 miles on it that has been serviced at the dealer, including 3,000 mi. oil changes.

My favorite problem is the "Liberty Pull". What is that? It's the pull to the right which is always there and is considered "normal" by Jeep. All Liberty's pull to the right.

The only really good thing about the Liberty is the 3.7L V6, which is related to the 4.7L V8. That family of engines is actually pretty good. Too bad it is NOT the engine being put in the Wrangler, which gets a V6 from the car line.

So yes, it is SFA and has a lower crawl ratio. That is appealing to me as well. I hope these turn out to be fine vehicles, but I don't have high hopes.

If I was in the market for a new vehicle, I'd be looking seriously at the FJ Cruiser.

 

[Tapage]

Time ago I saw a Liberty video in a little ( trust me little ) hill and in the mid crashhh !!!! I thought was the tranfer case .. not sure .. but loose traction in all wheels and the cameraman said ..

Well that's all folks !

 

[TEPUI]

Time ago I saw a Liberty video in a little ( trust me little ) hill and in the mid crashhh !!!! I thought was the tranfer case .. not sure .. but loose traction in all wheels and the cameraman said ..

Well that's all folks !

Click here to see Video

 

[Tapage]

Click here to see Video

HA ! yes it is !

 

[sos10]

That Jeep looks nice (from the outside) and being able to take off the top has its good and bad sides.. I seriously thought about it, but only for a day or so.. then I realised... A Jeep is not a Toyota!