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FJ Cruiser comin' to town!

Oooooooooooo!!

You're really gonna like it, especially if all the offroad factory mods will be available.

I wheel with 4 of them here, 3 are stock besides better tires. Quite impressive!
 
The price will probably be over the top! Basically it's a Prado with new clothing.
 
How dare they compare the FJ Cruiser to a Hummer????:confused: FJ will crawl all over a Hummer and NOT break in the process.:iconwink:

For what was supposed to be a limited production vehicle, they sure are keeping the ball rolling.

Glad y'all get to have them down there!!!
 
That might be true. But the Hummer will out tow the FJ. Plus it has a higher top speed and has higher handling marks despite being a billion pounds heavier. It might be a GM vehicle. But that doesn't mean that EVERYTHING GM makes is crap. They have some really nice high quality cars. Stop watching Top Gear and you might realize that
 
Bunch of FJ Cruisers here in West Africa. Although the Prado and higher-end Land Cruiser models are much more numerous.

The new US 4-Runner is also Prado-based. Essentially a 5-door FJ Cruiser with less flashy design.

Only thing I would NOT want to do in an FJ Cruiser is back up. That thing has terrible rear visibility. Unlike our beloved Subaru Forester! :cool:
 
Thanks, Barry!

I think I still owe Carl some pictures of my Land Cruiser. And now I'll have to add some of the X-trail as well. :)
 
That might be true. But the Hummer will out tow the FJ. Plus it has a higher top speed and has higher handling marks despite being a billion pounds heavier. It might be a GM vehicle. But that doesn't mean that EVERYTHING GM makes is crap. They have some really nice high quality cars. Stop watching Top Gear and you might realize that

The FJ has a different target market than the Hummer H3. The base prices' difference of almost 10,000$ reflects that and makes comparisons based on top speed and towing capacity pretty much moot points.

My stepdad's 2000 Toyota 4runner has 330,000 miles on it. It has had brakes, tires, oil every 15,000 miles (yes, really, and it comes out nice amber at the end of 15k), and some very minor mechanical things. It's used year round for commuting and towing a 19ft. center console boat and never garaged. The rear bumper is rusting out pretty bad and the rear suspension is shot, but it still runs well. Maybe I just don't know the right people, but I don't know anyone with the same experience in a recent year GM vehicle. Two other members of my family own a 2006 Chevy Trailblazer and a 2002 Chevy Silverado 5.3v8 (GREAT engine and excellent ride for a pickup, that much can be said). A lot of problems to speak of...mostly electrical. My stepbrother had a 2008 GMC Canyon, but the throttle stuck wide open on the highway twice, and the dealer could not definitively say they fixed it, so he got rid of it.

So that's why I am pretty wary of GMs.

That's my cents.
 
While I am late in the conversation I have to chime in considering I own a FJ for over 2 years now and at the time I purchased it, it was at the top of my list for capable off-road vehicles. To be precise it was the only vehicle on my list. I did alot of research at the time and found nothing even remotely comparable other than an older model 4runner like my buddy Carl owns. I really loved my Forester and still consider myself a Suby enthusiast but I wanted a vehicle that could take me deeper into the woods and be able to maneuver over the most challenging terrain. I also wanted a vehicle with a large after market support as well as having superb reliability. For me the FJ cruiser, with its awkward appearance, suits my needs. I have to say that in some of the most challenging situations my FJ has surprised me as well as others with its off-roading abilities. I recommend the FJ to anyone looking for a vehicle of this type.
 
I imagine it may have to compete with the new Range Rover Evoque https://www.landrover.com/au/en/rr/new-range-rover/


What?!? Come again, please!

I love the new LRX. And I love the FJ Cruiser. Both for their design and their capabilities. But other than four wheels, what do they have in common? I don't understand. :confused:

I have to admit I've been torn between sporty cars with off-road pretensions, and real off-road cars. My MY06 Forester, even with the N/A engine (2.5 liter US model) was an excellent compromise. Here in Africa, our old Land Cruiser with the 3-liter N/A diesel is clearly off-road with no pretense. But I also like my Nissan X-trail with the 2.2 liter turbo-diesel. It's the most economical and most sporty car I've owned to date, and it can hold its own off-road.

My fantasy these days is of a WRX, with a big lift, big off-road tires, and some underbody protection. Now that would be a blast!
 
So are you saying....

Your X-trail is the sportiest car you've owned? On what basis do you judge "sporty"?

I drive both vehicles regularly and can honestly say that the X-trail is nowhere near as sporty as the Forester.

Are you judging only by power? If so, then that is not what maketh a car sporty.

For example - If I throw the X-trail into an ultra high speed corner, it wants to go straight for a few milliseconds then the body rolls like a Cadillac before squealing and screaching through the corner, whereas my Forester can take the same corner at a much higher speed with much more composure from the chassis - in fact it will out-corner and out-handle most front wheel drives and rear wheel drives on a high speed twisty mountain road. The dynamics between the two vehicle's chassis' don't even compare.

Sure the 2.2 turbo diesel from the Nissan may be more powerful than your NA Foz - but I highly doubt it is more sporty.

There is a loop road near my parents house that goes under a large bridge, it is a sweeping, off-camber curve. In the x-trail I can do about 70km/h before the car feels like it's about to roll onto it's doors. The Forester can do it at 85 km/h.
 
What?!? Come again, please!

I suspect they are both aimed at the same market and price down here - we'll see.

As to X-Trail offroad capability - be careful on sand as they work very well until the AWD overheats then drops back to 2WD. The older models did it and our club had a new diesel model out on training 2 weekends ago and it did it too!
 
What I have noticed about the X-Trail is that the daparture angle is differnt for left and right sides.

Surely a longer (i.e. full widthe 'east west') shallower muffler, giving dreater uniform clearance would have made a lot more sense for off road purposes?!
 
So are you saying....

Your X-trail is the sportiest car you've owned? On what basis do you judge "sporty"?

Good question, Tweaksta. I mean sporty in terms of pick-up. While my Forester featured the more powerful 2.5 liter US-market engine, it was naturally aspirated and mated to the 4-speed auto box. The X-trail I have here in Africa is a turbo-diesel with a 6-speed manual, which gives it better go. The X-trail definitely can't keep up with the suspension and handling of the Forester, which was excellent for a CUV. So if sporty = handling, then the X-trail definitely lags far behind the Forester.

The other factor influencing my evaluation of the X-trail as "sporty" is that our other car here is a 1998 Land Cruiser, which is anything but sporty. More of a bulldozer, actually. :biggrin:

I suspect they are both aimed at the same market and price down here - we'll see.

Aha! I agree that in terms of marketing, both are more for show than for actual off-road performance. This would hold true both back in the US, and here in West Africa. However, I've seen plenty of FJ-Cruisers covered in mud that came from obvious off-road duty, whereas I have never seen a recent-model Range Rover (esp. Sport and now Evoque) with any signs that it has been used off-road, other than having driven down the short driveway to the horse farm.

As to X-Trail offroad capability - be careful on sand as they work very well until the AWD overheats then drops back to 2WD. The older models did it and our club had a new diesel model out on training 2 weekends ago and it did it too!

Thanks for the warning, Kevin. Mine's the older model (2008, now sold as "Classic"). But it's been used mainly as our city car, i.e. to drive through giant puddles during rainy season as well as pot hole-riddled roads generally. While the 2.2 liter turbo-diesel has nice pick-up on-road, it has zero low down torque. Even after a year of ownership, I still regularly stall it in first gear! Something that's impossible to do in our old Land Cruiser, where we hardly use first gear at all, as it launches fine in second. :biggrin:

I hear the X-trail is even more prone to stalling once you engage AWD. So I can't even imagine what it will be like when I finally take it to the beach. Although this will likely be in convoy with the Land Cruiser, which could always just tow the X-trail if needed. :p And I have invested in a low-pressure tire gauge, because the locals tell me that airing down is more important than AWD/4x4, clearance, or off-road tires.

On a totally unrelated note, even though there are virtually no Subarus here, I've seen a Legacy, an Outback, and a new Forester with the Boxer Diesel in taxi livery!! It appears to be some promotional thing by a PR firm, although I have yet to get to the bottom of the story or be able to take a photo of one. Really need to start driving with my DSLR in hand.;)
 
Here's one I snapped in China over a year ago, they even had the new Mini Wagon there a year ago.

China242.jpg
 
Pity it is only available in Auto..

I have actually been waiting and saving for this or the new 4 runner. Shame
 
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