what makes a Cruiser a Cruiser!

[fzj]

My opinion of the fjCruiser is that Toyota dropped the ball, which is a shock for me to say due to the fact that my brand loyalty is so high that my Toyota biased usualy overrides most vehicle shortcomings. I not only think it is strange looking, but the things (IMO) that have always made the Landcruiser what it has been are absent, the Landcruiser has always (in the U.S.) Had the largest most powerful truck engine toyota offered, which is no longer true, the fjcruiser will share it's powerplant with the Tacoma, and 4Runner! It has always had the strongest largest axles and third members Toyota had to offer, I'm guessing the fjcruiser will share it's axles, third members etc with the Tacoma and 4Runner! It will also share it's frame along with other stuff with the 4Runner and Tacoma, this imo just does not seem right, not to take anything away from the Tacoma and 4Runner but picture an fj40 of the late 70's or early 80's with a 22r and mini truck axles with a shared plateform with the pick-up truck, I think people would have steered away from it right away. The word Landcruiser with most people I talk to means, "over built", "last forever", "go anywhere" these are things that you just can not say about the fjcruiser, I think Toyota needs to get back to the basics on the Landcruiser and give it the best of what it has to offer, not just grab some chassy and throw some new sheet metal on it, that's not how Cruisers are made!

 

[V-DAWG]

Agreed, but I bet they will still sell

 

[tonkota]

But it's NOT a LAND CRUISER. It's a FJ Cruiser. Kind of like PT Cruiser.

I like it though. Some thing different, and no vanilla styling.

 

[Gumby]

Toyota never claimed it was a LC.

The Prado is and shares none of the traits of your above post.

 

[ridgerunner]

Toyota never claimed it was a LC.

The Prado is and shares none of the traits of your above post.

Toyota may call it a Cruiser, but it's really just a 4Runner.

Even the LJ70s were really just a hilux with a different body and suspension.

 

[fzj]

as I mentioned in my original post I'm talking about U.S. Landcruisers, and wether or not Toyota has officialy called it a LandCruiser or not, it's pretty obvious they want people to believe it is one, just look at the press release and other info, what picture appears right next to the fjcruiser, I picture of a fj25. Wether or not they will eventually call it a Landcruiser or not who knows, but it would not surprise me if they did!

 

[firetruck41]

Toyota is not saying that the FJ is a cruiser (they wouldn't dare), but they want everybody to think it. It is quite obvious they are out to fool people, and it is smart on there end. That thing will sell also, there are a lot of teenagers who want a funny looking, trendy people mover. Because the new Rovers have so much style compared to the cruisers, you can see why Toyota is desperatly trying to come out with something they think is trendy/stylish. Too bad they missed the boat. Its kinda like POP music, popular but has no substance. OH, well.

Actually most people have no clue what a FJ40/55/60 etc. was, so it's not like calling it an FJ Cruiser means people will automatically buy it. They have mentioned in all their PR that the FJ Cruiser draws on the heritage of the FJ40, early 4runner, and 4wd mini truck for it's inspiration, it is very true to this heritage, ie. SWB, capable utilitarian 4x4, body on frame, practical interior, etc. Their not trying to fool people, they are simply marketing the FJ Cruiser.

FZJ- interesting thoughts as most purists are bitching because it doesn't have a 150HP inline 6, or leaf springs all the way around. The Landcruiser wagon will still be in the lineup if that's what your looking for, ie. V8, true 4 door, 3 row seating, all the bells and whistles, etc.

 

[vdubster]

What about the Landcruiser Prado. It's not really a Landcruiser, but a 4runner or gx470. We had a 2004 Prado diesel in our shop from a guy who brought it over from Finland for business, and it's exactly like a 4runner underneath. I really love that 3 liter turbo diesel. It's as quite as a Volkswagen TDI! Plus the roof line is probably 8 inches taller than a 4runner, which really helps out on headroom.


Mike.

 

[fzj]

yah I'm not really a "purist" in the def. I have seen on this board, I'm more just a guy who really believes in a product line (Toyota) and I really like technology and what it can do for new vehicles. I'm not a huge fan of leaf springs, I prefer coils everyday of the week, and although I love the ease of lifting a truck with a solid front axle I don't hate IFS, if it's done properly. When I say I don't mind IFS and long as it's done properly I mean beefy axles, locker, etc. I remember 10 or so years ago when I would get in an argument with a Jeep guy I could point out that the Landcruiser (FZJ80) is the only true four wheel drive on the market, that it's axles are the size of a Dana 60, that it's got a full floater in the rear etc. The Jeep guy really had no reply to that, Jeeps came with Dana 35's, no lockers etc. Toyota had a true out of the box fourwheel drive rig, and know one else could really touch that, now I feel like Toyota has gone backwards to an extent. I'm not saying that the fjCruiser is not going to be a great vehicle, I'm just saying IMO it will not set the bar for other fourwheel drives, which is what Toyota has always done.

 

[Mace]

So is my cruiser a "cruiser" anymore???

It has had a bunch of mods done to it.

 

[Aseif007]

Why wouldn't it be a cruiser??? It came from the factory a Land Cruiser didn;t it? Not sure what you mean. My FJ-62 is a cruiser, my FJ-55 is a cruiser, the UZJ-100 is a cruiser, the FZJ-80 is a cruiser, the FJ cruiser is not a cruiser. But they are not making that claim though, just using the similar name. Its cool, the FJ will be a good seller. Hopefully the FJ's success will lead the way to some more Toyota models coming here.

 

[drohweder]

They have to start somewhere. Perhaps they will eventually offer a "Rubicon" version of the FJ cruiser. Only took Heep 15 years to do that

 

[MaddBaggins]

It's not really a bad looking truck and just think of the aftermarket mods that will be available in 10 years. Look at the 80 series when it came out, serious grocery getter with that 40-50k price tag. Now 10-12 years later you can get one for under 10k and find all the mods you want.
Take that FJ and lift it, swap in some real axles and lockers and you've got a trail worthy beast.
I wouldn't buy one new but 10 years from now...who knows!

 

[firetruck41]

Grocery getter with solid axles and lockers. You cannot even compair the FJ with the FZJ. Toyota didn't have to market the FZJs at all, they had no problem selling.

I don't think they were ever a high volume seller, probably the lowest volume Toyota vehicle at the time (USA).

To sell their FJ they need to make the front look a little like an FJ-40, a Toyota everybody wants but will never get new, so they could call its heritage "Landcruiser"

"Everybody" wants a FJ40? And will buy it because of the grill? Walk down the street and ask some random person, "Do you like the Toyota FJ40 from the 70's?" They will answer "huh?, is that a motorcycle?" then say "No, it's the jeep looking thing Toyota made! Don't you remember the distinctive front grill?" then they will say "You can grill with it? Cool, can I get a burger?"

...shamelessly sell a lot of them becasue people think they are buying a LandCRUISER.

Is Toyota supposed to be ashamed because they sell alot of cars? I thought that was what an auto manufacturer was supposed to do

 

[firetruck41]

firetruck41,

Go buy one, it soots you. I hope you are one of the first teenagers to get one. Now you can have a Cruiser again, but now you can say you have the new FJ-40!!!! Lucky you.

OK, but it is not for sale yet, and I try not to by new vehicles, so I'll just wait to buy a used one... but I'm a 31 year old Firefighter/Paramedic and a former Navy SEAL, my teenage days are long behind me. So, though it would be nice, I probably won't be mistaken for a teenager, except by some internet personality.

 

[Aseif007]

<<I hope you are one of the first teenagers to get one>>
That was my weak attempt at sarcasm!!