I love the haters... :) (1 Viewer)

[Mace]

This is great.


No one truly knows what the truck is going to be like but LOTS of people seem to be annoyed by it.

Is it mostly a styling issue??

IFS?

Traction control??

Or just the fact that it is not a model that we cannot get here in the states???


This is an official bitch thread..

All opinions welcome.

 

[bad_religion_au]

IFS

the bastardisation of the FJ40/55 in a market that has few understanding people in it, just a fawking retro throwback no substance fling much like the new beetle.

i think the core goes to the fact that cruisers were never meant to be pretty, or stylish, they were meant to get a job done. and this new one isn't designed for a "job" more to cash in on people with high disposable income and a fear they are "boring".

it may not be as obvious in the US where landcruiser is a fairly prestigeous/ comfort oriented thing, but where they are still being put through their paces on the land, it's fairly plain to see.

the thing looked like sh!t untill someone two toned it, then it looked ok. no doubt IFs will be enough for 99.99 % people who buy it, but i guess we are like the lotus/ferrari/ porsche fanatics, which cannot understand the addition of stereo/ climate control/ ABS/ and the like to their "pure" sports cars. 99.9% of those owners wouldn't feel the performance loss due to these elements.

i don't hate it, i also wouldn't buy one off the showroom floor. i got a 76 fj40 to beat sensless, and if it isn't being offroaded, it had better be f@#$ing fast

 

[madams557]

I'm going to speak up...

My concern is more along the lines of 'What makes a Land Cruiser a Land Cruiser?'

I'm a Toyota guy, thick or thin.

I admire the Tundra, Tacoma, Forerunner, Camry, Scion brand, Lexus brand, etc, etc, etc. If I was going to by a minivan, it would be a Toyota. If Toyota made athletic supports, I'd be buying athletic supports...

So with that said, I like the FJ Cruiser. But will I consider it a Land Cruiser replacement - not likely. Not yet.

If Toyota continues to sell Land Cruisers side by side with FJ Cruisers, I'll always be in the market for a Land Cruiser.

So what makes a Land Cruiser a Land Cruiser.

Something being made in Japan? By Araco? Body on Frame? Does it have to climb to the first base camp on Mt Fuji? Labelling it a Land Cruiser?

Jury is still out...

 

[nuclearlemon]

for me it's styling...that thing is butt ugly

 

[Pskhaat]

The V6 gets me (so does the only option of a 2UZ-FE in a 100 series). I know they're a fine engine, but I love my straight 4/5/6 cyl tractor engines. LOVE the 2F/3F and 22R(E), even like the 1FZ-FE.

I don't want to start any flame war, just wish they'd stick to the 5RZ-FE or 1FZ-FE. In my dream world we'd have a 1HZ or like in there.

 

[Mace]

I'm going to speak up...

My concern is more along the lines of 'What makes a Land Cruiser a Land Cruiser?'

I'm a Toyota guy, thick or thin.

I admire the Tundra, Tacoma, Forerunner, Camry, Scion brand, Lexus brand, etc, etc, etc. If I was going to by a minivan, it would be a Toyota. If Toyota made athletic supports, I'd be buying athletic supports...

So with that said, I like the FJ Cruiser. But will I consider it a Land Cruiser replacement - not likely. Not yet.

If Toyota continues to sell Land Cruisers side by side with FJ Cruisers, I'll always be in the market for a Land Cruiser.

So what makes a Land Cruiser a Land Cruiser.

Something being made in Japan? By Araco? Body on Frame? Does it have to climb to the first base camp on Mt Fuji? Labelling it a Land Cruiser?

Jury is still out...

So is the Lexus a cruiser?

Toyota stopped selling anyhting under the LC name a couple of years ago as I recall.

Every one of the new "Land Cruisers" are badged as Lexus..

 

[frismanis]

So is the Lexus a cruiser?

Toyota stopped selling anyhting under the LC name a couple of years ago as I recall.

Every one of the new "Land Cruisers" are badged as Lexus..

Toyota still sells Toyota badged cruisers:

http://www.toyota.com/landcruiser/

 

[HZJ60 Guy]

IFS sucks!

Gas engines suck!

It's WAY to retro looking!

It's to fat and big looking!

DUMB and useless wheels and tires!

Dumb looking.

How's that?

TB

PS, Im glad Toyota is at least offering something. BUT it ISNT a real world 4x4.

 

[frismanis]

BUT it ISNT a real world 4x4.

Is it from the sqrt(-1) world?

 

[madams557]

Mace - piggybacking on Mantis's post, they are still selling Land Cruisers at the Toyota dearlership. But you do bring up a good point.

What if Toyota decided to bring in the UZJ100 replacement badged as a Lexus only? Does that count as a Land Cruiser? In my opinion, yes.

Under that thought process, the Lexus GX470, and Forerunner are based on the Prado or J120 platform. So are they Land Cruisers? Personally, I think the GX470 is closer, the Forerunner is more of a close cousin, that's just me though.

If Toyota decided to start importing 70-series into the U.S. and decided to rebadge them as Daihatsu (which they own major stock in), I would buy it and consider it a Land Cruiser.

So under this premise, then the FJ Cruiser is a cousin twice removed - why?

Jury still out.....

 

[HZJ60 Guy]

Is it from the sqrt(-1) world?

ok, what exactly does that mean? My point is that nobody is going to buy that thing and take it to the Rubicon, or Moab, or Fordyce Creek, or Johnson valley, or any other wheeling place. People DO buy wranglers and take them there. people would buy a HZJ/BJ-74 and take it there. People would buy a PX-10 and take it there.

TB

 

[rustycruiser]

My thoughts on the subjesct? I wrote this "Cruiser Musing", last September. It has the unique distinction of being the only one rejected in the three years I wrote for Toyota Trails. Enjoy





Cruiser Musings : God Bless Toyota

By Ross Lake

God Bless Toyota, but God Damn them for what is about to happen. Right now I feel like I am driving in a car, and I am the only one that can see the massive pileup ahead that is going to occur. There is nothing I can do to prevent the accident, but that doesn’t stop me from dreading it. It is going to be ugly, and everyone of us is going to either be involved, or is going to be one of the rubbernecking drivers who inexorably slows down to watch the carnage as they slowly creep by.

So what the hell am I rambling on about this time, you are probably wondering. Good question. I am talking about the imminent release of the new darling of Toyota design and marketing, the FJ Cruiser. Everyone has to have seen the pictures by now. It is the butt ugly RAV-4 sized abortion of a “cute-ute” with a few design cues from an FJ40 Land Cruiser. It might possibly be the most grotesque thing to be penned to paper, yet the marketing geniuses at Toyota see $$ signs every step of the way from production to delivery at the dealer. And they would be stupid not to. With the Land Cruiser name, they have 50 years of history to base their ads and marketing concepts from. The average Joe is going to lap the Cruiser story up like it’s mom’s best apple pie. And I am going to hate him for it.

The thing that bugs me the most is that Toyota is perfectly capable of redoing the FJ40 if they wanted to. They already did it. It was called the PX-10, and it was a limited run of HZJ73s that came out in the mid 1990’s that sported retro looks. Any of you that have made the trip out to Los Angeles recently would have most likely seen one parked in Chatsworth, in Marv Spector’s Land Cruiser Museum.

Now be for you go off, I realize that the FJ Cruiser is not meant to be the FJ40 reincarnate. It is what it is. A cheaply made box that Toyota can sell to Dads of teenage girls and Soccer Moms, whilst whoreing 50 years of Land Cruiser history to sell said cheaply made box. Ain’t the future looking bright?

I can already see the Sunday afternoon next Fall. You, Joe Cruiserhead have just finished installing an SM420 and 3 speed transfer case into your burgeoning rock crawler. You take it out for a spin, to check that everything is kosher in your new mis-mosh mix of Toyota and Chevrolet clutch parts. And up next to you pulls an FJ Cruiser full of four giggling 16 year olds talking about how cute your FJ Cruiser is, and why did you switch to those funny white wheels. I can’t freaking wait!

So maybe I am a grouch who doesn’t like change. But it is slowly creeping in every second. Do you think that it is random chance that a Land Cruiser was chosen for MTV’s “Pimp your Ride”? I might need a tinfoil hat, but I think it is a little too convenient. I think it was a great piece of marketing on Toyota’s behest. BTW, the cruiser in question looked better before it was “pimped” in my opinion.

What about the Land Cruiser that made it into an episode of “Monster House” on the Discovery Channel? Was that coincidence too? Call in the black helicopters, but I again think that there is marketing involved. Every time between now and the debut of the FJ Cruiser that you see a Cruiser in print or on TV, I think that Toyota will have played a role somehow. It is their best interests to reintroduce the Land Cruiser to the mainstream market, and to foster the image of it’s toughness and heritage. And all for the grand plan to sell lots of ugly little boxes.

God damn you Toyota for ruining yet again that which was once a grand thing.

 

[HZJ60 Guy]

My thoughts on the subjesct? I wrote this "Cruiser Musing", last September. It has the unique distinction of being the only one rejected in the three years I wrote for Toyota Trails. Enjoy





Cruiser Musings : God Bless Toyota

By Ross Lake

God Bless Toyota, but God Damn them for what is about to happen. Right now I feel like I am driving in a car, and I am the only one that can see the massive pileup ahead that is going to occur. There is nothing I can do to prevent the accident, but that doesn’t stop me from dreading it. It is going to be ugly, and everyone of us is going to either be involved, or is going to be one of the rubbernecking drivers who inexorably slows down to watch the carnage as they slowly creep by.

So what the hell am I rambling on about this time, you are probably wondering. Good question. I am talking about the imminent release of the new darling of Toyota design and marketing, the FJ Cruiser. Everyone has to have seen the pictures by now. It is the butt ugly RAV-4 sized abortion of a “cute-ute” with a few design cues from an FJ40 Land Cruiser. It might possibly be the most grotesque thing to be penned to paper, yet the marketing geniuses at Toyota see $$ signs every step of the way from production to delivery at the dealer. And they would be stupid not to. With the Land Cruiser name, they have 50 years of history to base their ads and marketing concepts from. The average Joe is going to lap the Cruiser story up like it’s mom’s best apple pie. And I am going to hate him for it.

The thing that bugs me the most is that Toyota is perfectly capable of redoing the FJ40 if they wanted to. They already did it. It was called the PX-10, and it was a limited run of HZJ73s that came out in the mid 1990’s that sported retro looks. Any of you that have made the trip out to Los Angeles recently would have most likely seen one parked in Chatsworth, in Marv Spector’s Land Cruiser Museum.

Now be for you go off, I realize that the FJ Cruiser is not meant to be the FJ40 reincarnate. It is what it is. A cheaply made box that Toyota can sell to Dads of teenage girls and Soccer Moms, whilst whoreing 50 years of Land Cruiser history to sell said cheaply made box. Ain’t the future looking bright?

I can already see the Sunday afternoon next Fall. You, Joe Cruiserhead have just finished installing an SM420 and 3 speed transfer case into your burgeoning rock crawler. You take it out for a spin, to check that everything is kosher in your new mis-mosh mix of Toyota and Chevrolet clutch parts. And up next to you pulls an FJ Cruiser full of four giggling 16 year olds talking about how cute your FJ Cruiser is, and why did you switch to those funny white wheels. I can’t freaking wait!

So maybe I am a grouch who doesn’t like change. But it is slowly creeping in every second. Do you think that it is random chance that a Land Cruiser was chosen for MTV’s “Pimp your Ride”? I might need a tinfoil hat, but I think it is a little too convenient. I think it was a great piece of marketing on Toyota’s behest. BTW, the cruiser in question looked better before it was “pimped” in my opinion.

What about the Land Cruiser that made it into an episode of “Monster House” on the Discovery Channel? Was that coincidence too? Call in the black helicopters, but I again think that there is marketing involved. Every time between now and the debut of the FJ Cruiser that you see a Cruiser in print or on TV, I think that Toyota will have played a role somehow. It is their best interests to reintroduce the Land Cruiser to the mainstream market, and to foster the image of it’s toughness and heritage. And all for the grand plan to sell lots of ugly little boxes.

God damn you Toyota for ruining yet again that which was once a grand thing.

Wow, good one. Can we send that to Toyota North America, and CC it to Japan?


TB

 

[haystax]

I think it is foolish to think Toyota would do anthing other than what they have done. They already build the Cruiser(s) everyone on here wants, have for years - they don't, won't, and can't import them to the USA and make money. Simple market demand - how many people do each of us know that would condiser a clunky, boxy 70 Series rather than a Cherokee or Exploder - market demographics, that's all.

I'm pretty dissapointed that it didn't try to match some of the Rubicons specs, e-lockers and 4:1 would have made me put up my deposit right now - but I'm certainly gonna take a test drive when they come out and vendors in the aftermarket are going to have a ton of products on the shelf or in the works to make this as capable as any other new USA Toyota model.

 

[firetruck41]

ok, what exactly does that mean? My point is that nobody is going to buy that thing and take it to the Rubicon, or Moab, or Fordyce Creek, or Johnson valley, or any other wheeling place

Riiighhht... just like no one takes a $60k 100 series wheeling, or 4runner, or a Taco, or even a H2 for goodness sake (not that it would do great). Give me a break, your speculations are entirely unbelieveable.

It's WAY to retro looking!

It looks too retro, but it would be great if it was a replica of a 40 or some other 20 year old cruiser, right???
I think this is the process when you are posting:
Rage building, can't make sense of it, anger, seeing red, arrrrgh *begin typing*

 

[landtank]

Well you think the bastards could at least offer the 105 series as a TOYOTA LANDCRUISER and the 100 series as the Lexus LX470.

How much work would that be?

 

[HZJ60 Guy]

Riiighhht... just like no one takes a $60k 100 series wheeling, or 4runner, or a Taco, or even a H2 for goodness sake (not that it would do great). Give me a break, your speculations are entirely unbelieveable.


It looks too retro, but it would be great if it was a replica of a 40 or some other 20 year old cruiser, right???
I think this is the process when you are posting:
Rage building, can't make sense of it, anger, seeing red, arrrrgh *begin typing*

Well that's fine Firetruck. You just keep thinking that. Everybody get's their opinion. I dont care one way or another what you happen to think, the same as you dont care what I happen to think. There, now we've established something havent we.

Ive been wheeling all the places Ive mentioned and more many times. Ive never seen an 80, 90 or 100 series on the trail!

Now thats not to say 80's dont wheel, Ive seen the pictures. But they sure dont wheel in any numbers. And they sure dont wheel like 40's, 55's and 60's wheel. And they sure dont wheel like a PX10 or HZJ/BJ74 would wheel. Because those vehicles were made for the trial, not the grocery store like the new cruiser.

 

[Mace]

ok, what exactly does that mean? My point is that nobody is going to buy that thing and take it to the Rubicon, or Moab, or Fordyce Creek, or Johnson valley, or any other wheeling place. People DO buy wranglers and take them there. people would buy a HZJ/BJ-74 and take it there. People would buy a PX-10 and take it there.

TB

Personaly I disagree.

I pretty much have decided to buy one the second they come out.
From the dealership I plan to drive it to the hammers and play a bit. Will I run sledge with it?? Nope, but there are other trails out there that it shoudl be perfectly capable on. Added to that is the fact that I would not take a stock anything LC on sledge...
I would absolutely take it to Moab, the con and with a winch, fordyce..

People run these trails with Tacomas/4 runners all the time. And if the FJ cruiser is related to them then away we go..



Not saying you are wrong at all. just another opinion

 

[cruise4070]

I think its kinda disappointing that it doesnt seem to be an evolution of the Cruiser.
From the 25,to the 40/45,55,60,70,80,100 it advanced in design,build quality, etc...
-
This is not really even related to the platform. The last 40 was sold in '84, and now 13 years later Toyota looks to cash in on the past so to speak.
===
I think it can be likened to alot of other situations.
The new Malibu is in NO WAY related to the 64-72 vintage, but Chevy revived a historic name.
-
Same thing with Pontiac. The new GTO (Holden) is certainly a nice newer vehicle, but not related in any way to its namesake.
-
At least the Ford Thunderbird retro TRIED to create a link to its past.
=
I am definitely interested in seeing the finished product, however.

 

[Mace]

REmember folks, nobody is wrong.. This is all about opinions..

And I specifically asked why people don't like the new FJ cruiser so much..


This is not a fight..

No name calling