4x4Wire's TrailTalk Forums: Count down to the unveiling of the new 2006 FJ Cruiser.

Hold on here people. Little bit of a rush there to gloat...

First of all, whoever made that video needs to fired immediately. I had watch through that crap, just to see the new FJ and that royally pissed me off.

OK, so the FJ isn't going to be a 10 foot tall rock crawler, but why fret just yet?

I've only briefly looked at the spec sheet, but what I see so far is very encouraging. Actually, pretty darn close to what I had hoped it would be.

Number one: It's built on the 4Runner platform, which is the best part of all. Waaaaay better than the Tacoma. Fully boxed frame, very tough. 8" diffs front and rear and probably stronger axles. You can change and add other parts, but you can't get around things like a weak frame very easily or cheaply, which is why we don't see as many super built Tacomas, either old or new. I don't know if you all realize just how "stout" the new 4Runner frame is.

Speaking of the old 4Runner, it was fairly stout, but used the original Tacoma front suspension and steering system which is a bit of a joke. And used the smaller Tacoma front diff. The new 4Runner and presumably the FJ, makes major strides over the old 4Runner in these areas.

It has at least a rear locker. That's good news too.

Tires aren't 33s, but at least they're slightly taller than 31s. That's not bad. Taller than the Rubicons, and only slightly shorter than the Powerwagons. You can always add a 4Runner lift and taller tires later.

A 6 speed manual! Just like the Tacoma, along with a 5 speed auto optional. That's good.

Do I like the interior and exterior? No, not really. I was disspointed that it followed the concept so closely. I was hoping they'd come to their senses and tone it down a bit.

Basicly, it sounds like what they did was combine the best of two platforms and combined it into a pretty good vehicle. The Engine, transmissions and locker of the Tacoma, combined with the fully boxed frame of the 4Runner, make it shorter and lighter and here you go.

When it come down to it in the end, the price will likely be far less than 30 grand. For equal the price of a Rubicon, you could buy one of these and add the stuff you'd want like a front locker and 33" tires and a lift.

But for me, I like it for it's designed for. A rig that is capable for moderate off roading, while at the same time will likely be comfortable to drive on long trips.

And the bottom line is, you don't have to worry about breaking down on the trail for a couple hundred thousand miles and I'm sure it would be far more comfortable to ride in and get better gas mileage than the two before mentioned German rigs.

Is it worthy of the FJ name? Well, I think the FJ name is stupid and makes no sense anyway. FJ is an engine designation and has nothing to do with this rig. They didn't call it a Land Cruiser, and that's probably more significant.

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Edited by Brian894X4 (02/09/05 04:01 PM)

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