FJ Cruiser - Worthy of the Name?

What do you all think of the new FJ Cruiser? Is it worthy to wear the FJ name of its spiritual predecessors?  

Could you please explain what FJ means? I'm really curious to know, thanks.  

It's just the traditional chassis designation Toyota gave to the Land Cruiser. The FJ40 was the iconic original from the 60s, followed by the FJ60 and FJ80. I don't know what the literal meaning of FJ is/was. Maybe someone else might know.  

F is in reference to the engine, the F series which was a 3.8L.  The J was in reference to the chassis/body.  They also offered a BJ40 which had the B series 3.0L deisel motor.  

history of the Land Cruiser:

http://tlc.toyota-europe.com/main_frame.html  

Thanks for that link Don-A-Vee. I was kind of curious what that designation meant myself.  

I just looked at the FJ in person tonight and was very impressed.Only thing I saw that might be a problem was the rear tail lights.They stick out past the sides of the body.It might not be a problem in open rock country but on the narrow trails here in the east I don't think they will last very long.Otherwise I liked it.I'm A diehard Jeep man but I'm thinking about defecting!  

I'm sure it'll just be a matter of time before some aftermarket companies come out with flush-mount taillights like they have for the Wrangler. I'm honestly kind of surprised that Jeep stuck with the protruding taillights on the new Wrangler. It seems like 80-90 percent of the Jeeps on the trails have a flush-mount conversion kit on them.  

I took an FJ to the Baja 500 last time and pre ran the ENTIRE COURSE IN IT with no problems what so ever, The FJ is the same design as the Toyota Tacoma so you can put  Tacoma long travel on it already, very easy. But overall we mobbed through some of the gnarliest trails in Mexico and the FJ rolled along perfectly, was fun too because people were laughing at us and had never seen an FJ down there, better yet a brand new one with no plates yet charging the same stuff as the trophy trucks.  

Pretty impressive! I've likewise heard nothing but positive reviews from guys on the new FJ. It sure seems like they did their homework on it. How do you think the new JK Wrangler will hold up to it, both off-road, and in the sales race?  

Just looked at the pics of the Jeep JK, I like it. Im glad they really did nothing with the body because I dont want it to change. I like how they changed the interior and tryed to give us some technology, but I dont like how they took out all the gauges like I have in my 93, I have like 6 gauges telling me everything thats goin down with the car. That kinda dissapointed me but theyve ben weeding those out over the years. Interior reminds me of an FJ overall. I like the 6 speed and motor options. HUGE PLUS is the new cage design. AND how the hard top comes off in pieces might actually make this a 1 man operation for going convertible. but overall I LIKE IT, anyone have a price on these yet ?  

it's a bummer to see the guages go away in any vehicle.. they are all being replaced with !D10T lights which don't tell you anything more than to just pull over.  
RuggedRocksOffRoad.com

agree 100 percent, i miss my gauges  

I've been a die-hard Chevy man for years and years (K5 Blazer) but I do miss my little 68 Scout. I never thought I would ever even consider foreign ......
But I am so tempted to stop into a toyota dealer and drive out in an FJ - they look like fun is back into 4WD. I've cussed and cursed the K5 for so long and my dad totally embaressed me with his old willis jeep 4 banger skinny narrow tires (he drove for miles in a complete mud swamp where I would have been buried in the first 10 feet - saying to me you spent how much for them tires and how much did you just put into that engine- [454 with TA mudders]...
I am ready for some fun!!!!!!!  

The new FJ Cruiser has proven to have an outstanding off-road prowess. Having spent several hours behind the wheel of an FJ Cruiser both on and off the trail I can assure you of this. Recently, I was on the trail with the FJ Cruiser Trail Team in Farmington, NM and got a taste of what you can do with your FJ with a little experience behind the wheel. The approach and departure angles are phenominal even in stock form, the 4wd system has worked flawlessly everywhere I have used it, the 6cyl engine is fast and full of torque and on the road its very comfortable. I did a complete review of the vehicle in our magazine almost a year ago and as I said back then, the biggest complaints that I had were cosmetic. Oversized mirrors and tailights are bound to be demolished on the trail and looking over your shoulder to see cars around you can be a lot like driving a box van. That is the reason for the oversized mirrors if any of you are wondering. If you are considering an FJ, dont fear that it wont be able to handle your off-road cravings and keep in mind that its also a Toyota so it will be reliable for many years to follow.

Jordan May
Feature Editor