Why? (1 Viewer)

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Why did they design it with 3x windshield wipers?
Why did they put those little lights on the side mirrors?
Why didn't they give it a solid axle if they seem so commited to market it to offroaders, seeing as how this is the one thing we all really wanted? If they are going to do:

1. No mass marketing. Mostly on the trail promotion, Moab, the Rubicon, etc.
2. Over 60 companies showed up for the measuring session. Bumpers, suspension, etc. will be available.
3. They are shooting (not confirmed) for a factory trail package which will include 33" tires, special gearing and additional protection
4. The designed the truck to support aftermarket equipment installation, including looms to the GPS pocket, rack for light, channels in the frame, etc.

then why not go all the way and design it with SFA?

I sometimes think it woulda made a good replacement vehicle for me but there are too many negatives...
 
Three windshield wipers? It's obvious when you look at how narrow and wide the windshield is, having two windshield wipers that would be long enough to cover the width would be waaay too tall for the height.

Lights on the side mirrors? Why not? They're kinda cool.

When you say a solid axle is all "we" really wanted, I think you are way overestimating the size of the "we" demographic, especially compared to the general pool of consumers who would consider purchasing an FJ.

Like it or not, Toyota is in the business to sell vehicles. Doing anything a relatively small market niche wants at the possible expense of lots of sales from all other demographic doesn't make progress towards that goal.

If you look at the sales numbers for every vehicle ever targeted purely to offroaders, you'll see a litany of sales failures. Land Rover Defender, Mercedes G500, etc. etc. The only exception would be the Jeep Rubicon, which has solely relied on the HUGE Jeep following for any success.

Don't get me wrong, I would have prefered the FJ to have SFA myself, but Toyota is skyrocketing towards being the #1 auto manufacturer in the world for a reason, and it's not by selling limited amounts of specialty vehicles.
 
shocker said:
Three windshield wipers? It's obvious when you look at how narrow and wide the windshield is, having two windshield wipers that would be long enough to cover the width would be waaay too tall for the height.

Lights on the side mirrors? Why not? They're kinda cool.

When you say a solid axle is all "we" really wanted, I think you are way overestimating the size of the "we" demographic, especially compared to the general pool of consumers who would consider purchasing an FJ.

Like it or not, Toyota is in the business to sell vehicles. Doing anything a relatively small market niche wants at the possible expense of lots of sales from all other demographic doesn't make progress towards that goal.

If you look at the sales numbers for every vehicle ever targeted purely to offroaders, you'll see a litany of sales failures. Land Rover Defender, Mercedes G500, etc. etc. The only exception would be the Jeep Rubicon, which has solely relied on the HUGE Jeep following for any success.

Don't get me wrong, I would have prefered the FJ to have SFA myself, but Toyota is skyrocketing towards being the #1 auto manufacturer in the world for a reason, and it's not by selling limited amounts of specialty vehicles.


What he said.
 
Why design a special SFA for one vehicle when they already have a capable platform that requires little in the way of R & D to maintain the IFS. The Prado/4runner/GX/Taco, are all based on similar chassis, developing a whole new chassis might have led them to not bringing the FJ to production at all.
 
LX grade 40 series came with 3 wipers :)
 
Why?

Why not? Judging from the reaction of the people looking at them, they will sell them as fast as they can make them.
 
They could have based it on the 70 series. That would have given it a SFA.


I have a feeling that even with all the hype surrounding The FJ, Toyota knows that most people who buy this vehicle like the idea of having a competent rig, rather than actually taking it to the trail and finding out if it is a competent rig.
Look at The Heep Rubicon. I have 3 friends who own them. They all TALK about how great it is off road, but not one of them has ever taken me up on the offer of actually going wheelin' (and I bug the sh*t out of them about it). The same mind set will occur with The FJ; everyone will talk about it and never take it off road, with the exception of the people on this site.

Moral of the story: Why should Toyota give The FJ a SFA. Out of 40,000 produced next year, there are probably only about 100 of us who need it.
 
So I take it the mirror lights are purely aesthetic then? Thought maybe they had moved the fog lights up there or something.

So did they design the windshield and then go ooops we need three wipers or they designed it that way from the start? Just seems odd is all.

Mercedes G500 sales failure
seeing as how the gwagen has been in production from 1979 and continues to be built today (though no longer in civilian form) I can't see how it has been a sales failure. They must've paid for tooling long long ago.

And all I was getting at with SFA is that if they are going through all the trouble with the other stuff why not throw SFA in there with the rest of it? They seem to be pushing the off-road aspects pretty hard.
 
Ocelot said:
So I take it the mirror lights are purely aesthetic then? Thought maybe they had moved the fog lights up there or something.

So did they design the windshield and then go ooops we need three wipers or they designed it that way from the start? Just seems odd is all.

seeing as how the gwagen has been in production from 1979 and continues to be built today (though no longer in civilian form) I can't see how it has been a sales failure. They must've paid for tooling long long ago.

And all I was getting at with SFA is that if they are going through all the trouble with the other stuff why not throw SFA in there with the rest of it? They seem to be pushing the off-road aspects pretty hard.


They designed the windshield after a FJ40 or as close to it as possible. I'm sure they knew they had to have 3 windhield wipers long before they actually made the vehicle. I like it. And Toyota is in the market to produce a vehicle most people can afford. In the beginning the G was made for mass prodution but lack of sales made them have to rethink there marketing. Now they produce it as a luxery vehicle for 80k. Sales are low. It will eventually die because of it's limited appeal to the average person.

And on the SFA issue. They marketed this as an offroad vehicle to go for a different group. They already have the Scion and Rav4 people. The 4x4 people who want a rugged vehicle who will probably never take it off road like most 100's don't want a rav4 or scion. It will be interesting to see how they market the 4runner after the fj comes to the market.
 
Trollhole said:
They designed the windshield after a FJ40 or as close to it as possible. I'm sure they knew they had to have 3 windhield wipers long before they actually made the vehicle. I like it. And Toyota is in the market to produce a vehicle most people can afford. In the beginning the G was made for mass prodution but lack of sales made them have to rethink there marketing. Now they produce it as a luxery vehicle for 80k. Sales are low. It will eventually die because of it's limited appeal to the average person.

And on the SFA issue. They marketed this as an offroad vehicle to go for a different group. They already have the Scion and Rav4 people. The 4x4 people who want a rugged vehicle who will probably never take it off road like most 100's don't want a rav4 or scion. It will be interesting to see how they market the 4runner after the fj comes to the market.


the 4runner is a plush Booshie upper-middle-class "almost cruiser", I think the new fjc will be marketed as the "redneck cousin"
 
Last edited:
The G500 has sold around 3 - 4K units per year in the United States since it's introduction.

If you think that's a success, I'm sure Damiler-Chrysler or GM will be willing to hire you on as management.

A failure for Toyota is the T100, and they still sold 30,000 a year or so.
 
Landpimp said:
LX grade 40 series came with 3 wipers :)

Huh? Where? Pics?

When Andy used to work for us (now works for MarlinCrawler), he added a 3rd wiper to his FJ40 (top style wipers). I think it is a cool mod as I hate wheeling in the snow, mud, etc and my 2 little wipers struggle...

Who says IFS is a bad thing in all reality? I take my Tacoma out ALOT, and I can't count all the times I wished it was SFA on a single finger. The IFS works great, is easy to maintain (done NOTHING to it in 150k). The only need for an SFA IMHO on a FJ Cruiser (Tacoma) type rig is when you plan to lift it over 6", even then the IFS can be made to accomodate. Its not a rockcrawler...
 
here ya go
http://www.sor.com/SOR_82BJ42-LX.html
013.jpg


these are also the version with the forward facing rear seat, rear panels have covers(like a 60 series) as well as the groovy cloth seats


cruiseroutfit said:
Huh? Where? Pics?

When Andy used to work for us (now works for MarlinCrawler), he added a 3rd wiper to his FJ40 (top style wipers). I think it is a cool mod as I hate wheeling in the snow, mud, etc and my 2 little wipers struggle...

Who says IFS is a bad thing in all reality? I take my Tacoma out ALOT, and I can't count all the times I wished it was SFA on a single finger. The IFS works great, is easy to maintain (done NOTHING to it in 150k). The only need for an SFA IMHO on a FJ Cruiser (Tacoma) type rig is when you plan to lift it over 6", even then the IFS can be made to accomodate. Its not a rockcrawler...
 
sweet
(always think of serpent and the rainbow when I see three or more wipers though)

with the new photos Im liking it a lot more, two things turn me off a little - the small cramped looking engine compartment (love all the space in my cruisers)
and the ugly back. other than that its looking pretty good with aftermarket stuff.
 
It cracks me up how much people bicker over new stuff. It doesn't have this, it doesn't have that.

Hell, when the FJ40 was first introduced the heater was optional!!

If you don't like it DON"T BUY ONE!!!

Would you feel better if Toyota didn't try to hit this market?
I wish they didn't make the FJ Cruiser; would have been one less thing to hear you complain about not buying.
 
i think it is funny that this is tech....
 
I didn't think posts in this forum counted... do they?
 
I don't have any problems with IFS, I think in alot of ways it is alot better then a solid axle, articulation, suspention travel, ground clearence. The FJ cruiser is a discrase, they arn't going to offer a diesel, in it for one, body panels are going to be thin, 4 runner style garbage. The fact is it isn't going to be built like a 1 ton truck, and thats what landcruisers are all about, a small, tough, rugged looking tub, sitting on top of a 1 ton, frame, axles and drivetrain. Get an old FJ and a new FJ put them on a colision course for one another and lets see which one if either drives away from it! If you arn't going to get a real diesel LC imported, then buy a 4 runner and wish you lived in a better country! One where they actually care enough, to have heatlh care for people that arn't rich

I know I am going to start a s*** storm, just wanted to tell you what I thought and I won't be looking at this thread again

cheers

BTW if you guys don't think that diesel landcruiser would sell in north america, go take a trip to australia, or Japan, theres a rediculous number of LC's and some look like they have never been off the road!
 
Let's see...from this list of options pick 2:

Solid Front Axle
Factory rear locker
4.0L V6

I'd do just what Toyota did, which is ditch the SFA (although 'ditch' isn't really valid, the HIGHLY acclaimed Toyota truck stopped a SFA in '85, 20 years ago...and Toyota has sold countless trucks from '85 till now, a few of those people put on SFA's, most lived with what Toyota engineered and have been extremely happy with it)...like others have said, if you don't like it, don't buy one. I really like it, I think it is by FAR the best vehicle Toyota has ever made for a offroad audience...and yes I expect they will sell like hotcakes, which is super-cool I think... :cheers:
 

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