Toyota FJ Cruiser
 

Anyone got any contacts at Toyota in Perth who get get me a look at one of these?

Any thoughts/advice or input from you 4wd'ers if any on here?

Theres one at the toyota dealership on scarb bch rd, i had a squiz the other day. They're built to the price (lots of plastic) but imo very good value when you consider the off-road capabilities. I like the styling, tho I'm sure it'll polarise people

Cheap looking yes, but it's not trying to look expenses.
Big negative is no diesel

Saw one on the freeway y'day & it looked pretty funky.

Kinda on topic :D

These have been on the market in China for atleast 2yrs, I took one for a spin in the country side around Beijing and hit up some hill climbs etc, was a lot of fun and handled well.

The thing I liked the most was its quite wide and low so when at angle you didn't feel like you were going to topple over like the normal top high 4wd's.

For the price ($50k drive away) I would go the landcruiser 79 series. Why?

1. Best clearance (factory standard) and therefore best approach/depart/ramp over angles.

2. Almost no plastic bits on the outside. Harder to break stuff 4wding
3. Much better engine - 4.5litre twin turbo diesel is going to be lot more fuel efficient than the 4litre petrol and have enough torque to tow 3.5 tonne boat.
4. Has been proven by many years in the mining industry.
5. No carpets, not a lot of electrics (Cd player is probably the only thing) and other luxury stuff ie power steering/clutch servo etc. Some people might take it as a disadvantage but let me tell you in simple man's terms it means less stuff can break.

If you're looking for a 4wd only vehicle 79 series is the way to go IMO

Gimme a 1973 Series III Land Rover any day for real work :p

Oh wait..I've got one.

[QUOTE=pete gopal;557136]For the price ($50k drive away) I would go the landcruiser 79 series. Why? [/QUOTE]

$50k for a 79 series!? Try 67k drive away for a basic Workmate wagon. Also its not twin turbo, that only comes in the 200 series.. its a single turbo 4.5 litre diesel V8.

The FJ is basically a re-bodied SWD Prado.. so its good value for what it is, and it looks cool IMHO!

[QUOTE=pete gopal;557136]For the price ($50k drive away) I would go the landcruiser 79 series. Why?
3. Much better engine - 4.5litre twin turbo diesel is going to be lot more fuel efficient than the 4litre petrol and have enough torque to tow 3.5 tonne boat.
5. No carpets, not a lot of electrics (Cd player is probably the only thing) and other luxury stuff ie power steering/clutch servo etc. Some people might take it as a disadvantage but let me tell you in simple man's terms it means less stuff can break.

If you're looking for a 4wd only vehicle 79 series is the way to go IMO[/QUOTE]

Pete,

79 series is the same block as the twin turbo motor but it is only single turbo.

I wouldn't have it any other way but it is manual only aswell.

Also I just ordered a new one for me the other day (my current one is just over 3 years old) and when you tick a few boxes (factory diff locks etc) you dont get a lot of change out of $70k and that is still with gold toyota fleet.

Mine has carpets and even electric windows! Since the upgrade about 12 months ago they got a new dash and you now even get a cupholder and airbags! The metal glovebox is gone aswell.

The other strong point on the 79 series is the resale value. Mine is just over 3 years old, 90 + km's and had the shit belted out of it and I still got $40500 for it. Cheap motoring really.

It is a weapon for towing but I have a 200 series diesel aswell and the 79 does not hold a candle to it. Set the cruise at $1.20 towing 3.5 tonne and no problems.

The FJ is just a prado underneath. It has great road manners but it does not have a separate chassis so is not going to be quite as capable offroad. For 99% of what people do it will be fine. Having said that we broke the suspension in a brand new (not even had its first service) prado the other day. Was $3k in parts alone. There have also been quite a few problems in the US with dealers fitting bigger wheels and then breaking the suspension and it not being covered under warranty.

Brendon

[QUOTE=BALISTC;557140]$50k for a 79 series!? Try 67k drive away for a basic Workmate wagon. Also its not twin turbo, that only comes in the 200 series.. its a single turbo 4.5 litre diesel V8.

The FJ is basically a re-bodied SWD Prado.. so its good value for what it is, and it looks cool IMHO![/QUOTE]

$67k! (GXL that explains it) that's not what i was quoted last year...my quote was around $53-$55 drive away for the Gx wagon in white.

Also another thing to compare would be the range...FJ with long range fuel tanks (not sure here?) and petrol normally doesn't go as far as diesel