Jeep
Wrangler vs.
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Recently, there's been a lot
of talk about the FJ
Cruiser. There is much
speculation about the
vehicle's pricing and how
capable it will be off road
and how well it will stack
up against cars like the
Jeep Wrangler, Hummer H3 and
Nissan Xterra. This article
discusses these issues.
Pricing-wise, the FJ Cruiser
is OK. The starting price is
less than $22,000 for a 2WD
automatic, and it tops out
at $23,300 for a 4WD auto,
but the basic price is more
than the Jeep Wrangler. If
you load it up with luxury
items and off-road equipment
it's over $30K. It's
reasonably equipped, but no
better than most other
comparable vehicles in its
class. However, one
important factor is that
It’s well known that the
Jeep Rubicon is much better
in pure off-road ability
primiarly because of the
Wrangler's dimensions. Also,
the FJ is no Dodge Viper by
any means, but it is a
reasonable "daily driving
vehicle" without going up to
the higher echelon of Jeep
Vehicles.
More About the Jeep
Wrangler…
The 2008
Jeep
Wrangler
is
attractive
- so
much so
that
it's one
of the
10-best-selling
SUVs on
the
market.
It
exists
for
people
who want
something
decidedly
different
-
particularly
a macho
image
and
serious
rock-crawling
capability
that few
SUVs
still
offer in
this
crossover
age.
Part of the Wrangler's image
comes from features and
attributes that no other
vehicle on the market can
boast. Quite simply, if the
Wrangler can't get you
there, you're going to need
a helicopter.
Finally, the Unlimited model
is the only four-door
convertible on the market.
With the optional hard top,
the Unlimited's four doors, impressive cargo capacity
and relatively spacious
backseat make it the first
Wrangler that can be
considered practical. If you
love the prototypical Jeep
image and capability but
need something that can
journey to Costco or pick
folks up from the airport,
the Unlimited answers the
call.
Jeep Wrangler Body Styles,
Trim Levels, and Options
The 2008 Jeep Wrangler is a
small a SUV with a
convertible top. It's
offered in three trim levels
(X, Sahara and Rubicon) and
two body styles (regular
two-door and the
extended-wheelbase,
four-door Unlimited). The X
comes standard with
removable half doors with
plastic windows, while the
Sahara and Rubicon come with
full doors and glass
windows. Customers can opt
for the half doors if they
wish on either body style's
Rubicon trim and the
two-door Sahara.
The basic Wrangler X is very
austere, though a CD player
with an auxiliary audio jack
is standard. An optional "C"
Package adds
air-conditioning, upgraded
cloth seats and a
full-length center console.
The "S" Package has those
features, plus 16-inch alloy
wheels, tow hooks, cruise
control and a
compass/temperature display.
Also optional is a modular
three-piece hardtop (Freedom
top), a sunroof-equipped
soft top, a limited-slip
rear differential, power
windows and locks, keyless
entry, remote engine start,
an Infinity audio system, a
six-CD/MP3 changer and
satellite radio.
In addition to having many
of the Wrangler X's optional
features as standard
(including the Sunrider
top), the Wrangler Sahara
also features 17-inch alloy
wheels, body-color fenders,
a heavy-duty suspension and
upgraded seat fabric.
Options for the Sahara
include 18-inch alloy wheels
and a navigation system
featuring "bread crumb"
off-highway tracking. A 20GB
hard drive can also be added
to the system to store music
and pictures. Lastly,
there's the trail-busting
Wrangler Rubicon. This
model's equipment level
falls in between the X and
Sahara, but features special
drivetrain upgrades, an
electronically disconnecting
stabilizer bar and special
BF Goodrich off-road tires.
Jeep Wrangler Transmissions,
Powertrains, and Performance
All 2008 Jeep Wranglers are
powered by a 3.8-liter V6
attached to a six-speed
manual transmission or an
optional four-speed
automatic. The engine
produces 202 horsepower and
237 pound-feet of torque.
Most Wranglers come with
four-wheel-drive, complete
with high and low gears,
although the Unlimited can
be had with rear-drive only.
The Rubicon trim has
heavy-duty axles, a Rock-trac
transfer case with extra-low
gearing, and electronically
locking front and rear
differentials. In testing,
we've found that a Wrangler
Unlimited takes a longish
9.7 seconds to reach 60 mph
- and that was the good
time. Another Wrangler
Unlimited we tested did it
in a glacial 10.4 seconds.
Jeep Wrangler Safety
All Wranglers feature
antilock brakes and
stability control with a
rollover sensor. Front seat
side airbags are optional.
The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration gave
the Wrangler a perfect five
stars in frontal-impact
protection. The Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety
awarded the Wrangler its
highest rating of "Good" for
frontal impacts; however,
without the optional side
airbags, the Wrangler's
side-impact crashworthiness
was deemed only "Marginal."
Jeep Wrangler Interior
Design and Special Features
Much like the rest of the
Wrangler, its interior is of
the rough-and-tumble
variety. Although niceties
like power windows and a
navigation system can be
added, this is still a
vehicle meant to withstand
dust, dirt and muck, and
then be easily cleaned.
While the two-door
Wrangler's backseat can fit
two, the Unlimited has room
for three. The four-door
also offers 86 cubic feet of
cargo space when the second
seats are folded. With its
soft top, however, storing
cargo inside the Wrangler
can be a risky situation.
With exterior-mounted
zippers keeping the plastic
rear windows in place, car
thieves can access the cargo
area with ease. The only
lockable areas in the
Wrangler are the glovebox
and decently sized center
console.
The Jeep Wrangler Driving
Experience
The 2008 Jeep Wrangler,
especially in Rubicon guise,
is pretty much unstoppable
in off-road situations.
Although the Wrangler was
bred for mountain trails, it
is surprisingly fun to drive
around the city. Its
steering is light, but
provides plenty of feedback
through its excellent
thin-rimmed wheel.
More
About
the
Retro
Toyota
FJ
Cruiser
Legendary is a word that
aptly describes the Toyota
Land Cruiser. The Land
Cruiser started life in 1951
as the BJ, though mass
production of this model
didn’t start until 1953. The
venerable FJ40 is certainly
one of the most long-lived
designs of the Toyota 4x4
brand in its history,
running for over 25 years.
It is interesting to see the
historical demand for the
Land Cruiser brand. In the
span of the next 10 years
they sold another 1 million
Land Cruisers. Then from
1990 to 2003, a span of only
13 years, Toyota sold 2
million additional Land
Cruisers!
In 2003 Toyota displayed a
prototype at the Detroit
Auto show called the FJ
Cruiser. This was an odd
undertaking for Toyota. At
first there were no
intentions to produce the FJ
Cruiser. When you think in
terms of design concepts,
two years is a blink – but
amazingly, in that time
Toyota brought that concept
to life and into a dealer’s
showroom.
The traction control system
includes an A-trac system
that uses the vehicle
stability control (VSC)
system to enhance off-road
traction. The VSC system
activates the brakes to
control wheel spin, which in
turn directs the power to
the wheels that are planted
on the ground. I was
surprised at how well this
system worked – though the
feel of the system as the
brakes grab and release the
spinning wheels can take a
bit to get used to.
The FJ also comes with a
rear locking differential.
The rear locker is a great
addition to an already
capable vehicle. It was
interesting during our
off-road test drive to see
that in certain conditions
the A-trac system
out-performed the rear
locker, while in other areas
the rear locker worked
better than the A-trac. This
may be the only vehicle in
the market at this time to
have such a flexible four
wheel drive system that can
react to different off-road
conditions while keeping the
vehicle very drivable on
the road.
As well as the previously
mentioned Vehicle Stability
Control system, the vehicle
also comes with anti lock
brakes with electronic brake
force distribution and an
advanced traction control
system. This provides all
the stability for on road
driving and braking control
that is found in vehicles
much more expensive.
Inside, the FJ is all about
utility. Thick plastic
covered floors are found in
both the passenger and cargo
area, a special water
repellent fabric covers all
the seats while the hard
plastic surfaces on the
dash, doors and interior
panels mean a rugged,
easy-to-clean interior –
very much like the old FJ40s
except without those
side-facing jump seats in
the back! Mounted high on
the dash on the C model is a
driver control centre, which
includes a compass,
inclinometer and outside
temperature gauge.
Overall the driving
experience in the FJ Cruiser
is excellent; lots of power
from the 4L six, good
shifting points in the
automatic, a smooth shifting
6-speed manual and very
little body roll for a SUV.
Personally, I prefer this to
a soft sedan-like ride –
after all, this vehicle was
made to be used off-road.