Dealer & FJ today

[Falls]

Wife wanted to stop to browse at a RAV today, naturally I steered over to the 4R's , truck's ect....

I know the FJ is the hot toyota rage right now and share's 4R part's ect.. and kind of put out to be a competitor with the H3 type of crowd,but I personally think Toyota could have done alot better job with the FJ as far as agressive styling and look's and still keeping it a little retro looking like it was intended.

The white roof is god awful looking imo , the rear pillar is way to big and seem's to create a huge blind spot ( although I've never driven one ) the 2 they has there had what I consider car tire's on them.

I'm not bashing it , just some of my first up close observation's. I just think they could have done sooooo much better with styling. Not fancy styling but more of a beefier off road look,sporty look ect...

If I was to buy a Toyota vehicle for off roading right now I would buy another 4R and trick it out a little or a Tacoma sport 4dr ( I just love the way they look ).

 

[Northof49]

The white roof is one of it's best styling features IMO....looks retro and cool without being ghetto.

I don't mind the blind spots, because they will hopefully drive soccer moms away.

MSRP on the FJ is also less than the Taco or the 4R....so I would hope the 4R is a better starting point!

 

[Bouncnb]

Well I will tell you that the Rav4 is a POS in my opinion. I have had one as a rental/loaner from Toyota for a week now. It has less than 5,000 miles and rattles like crazy. Plus the 4 banger in it has no power what so ever.
I think that the FJ looks pretty sweet. Kind of reminds me of the old school original off road vehicles.

 

[Thai]

RAV4 is meant to have with a V6...that's its calling card.

As for FJC, it is really BIG...this shocked me the first time i saw it up close. Here is a quick size comparison between my car and FJC:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19752

It just looks small....

 

[EDGE]

will we eventually see a V8 rav4, just look at how the 4Runner slowly made the transition:

the rav4 is positioned almost like the redesigned 1996 4Runner:biggrin2: all those drastic changes it's only a matter of time:awais:

 

[no1sportz]

Toyota usually knows what they are doing market wise. That being said, this is what I would like changed if it were me.

Add V8 option. We all know the 4.7 is absolutely bulletproof. Ofcourse the new 5.7 would be even better...Toyota...are you listening??? A diesel would be killer.

Ditch the rear door design like my GX470. I hate it. I know it was designed for short women, but still. Add a lift gate like the 4Runner...with power rear window ofcourse.

The white roof should be an option, not a must.

Add sunroof as option. I HAVE to have a sunroof.

I think it's fair to say the white roof will become an option soon. The sunroof may as well. The other options...I think they won't materialize however Toyota has said that the V8 isn't an option at this time. Duh. They didn't say it wouldn't be an option in the future.

 

[EDGE]

Well I will tell you that the Rav4 is a POS in my opinion. I have had one as a rental/loaner from Toyota for a week now. It has less than 5,000 miles and rattles like crazy. Plus the 4 banger in it has no power what so ever.
I think that the FJ looks pretty sweet. Kind of reminds me of the old school original off road vehicles.

any vehicle that is used as a fleet/rental vehicle is never the best to make a solid statement that reflects the entire vehicle lineup as a whole,

drive it like you stole it and then let countless others do the same: I had a rental magnum and with only 3000 miles on it the car looked like the previous renters really abused it

 

[sketch1]

Add sunroof as option. I HAVE to have a sunroof.

I agree, not having a sunroof in the FJ was probably 50% of my original decision to stop looking at the FJ and start looking more at the runner.

 

[Thai]

I agree, not having a sunroof in the FJ was probably 50% of my original decision to stop looking at the FJ and start looking more at the runner.

I am the opposite...i don't care much for a sunroof. SKIN CANCERS!!

 

[Falls]

I would like to drive one , saw another on the road today. They are still pretty sparse around here. I only saw a total of 2 on the road and the 2 at the dealer.

Like I said not bashing Yota or FJ it was just some off the cuff observation's.

As for the Rav comment , yes the 4 cyl. is slow , but for some they might be comfortable with the power and better fuel econ.. All in ther eye's of the beholder. Also a rattle trap can be found in any type of vehicle mfg. A friend want to get rid of her Highlander cause it's a rattle trap , so she say's.

 

[Koz]

Why would they put a V8 in the Rav when the V6 makes more power?

Koz

 

[no1sportz]

Why would they put a V8 in the Rav when the V6 makes more power?

Koz

Don't know why they would put a V8 in the Rav but I would prefer the V8 in about every other application. More torque. More refined than the V6. And even though the majority of what Toyota builds are very solid, the 4.7L V8 is an extremely low wearing powerplant. One of the most reliable engines Toyota has ever produced.

 

[azskyrider]

Where is the market?

Toyota markets the FJ for the younger off road crowd. Could it just be marketing say? Sure, but after testing the FJ, 4R, and GX side by side it made me really think about my present age, life and employment circumstances which can influence the decision making process where in the past it was cost and cool factor.

Most, younger crowds are usually single and usually their vehicles are not considered to be used as an extension of their current employment in terms of carrying clients and their comfort. They will also tend to have the time to use their vehicles for its intended purpose more often. This can be related with most having just a M-F 9-5 job and when you leave work you leave work. No cell phone or pager going off at odd hours of the night or having to work the weekends for free because you are on salary. Bling or purpose built is top priority to show off to the girls or friends. I can

 

[tkr128]

I sat in one while at the dealer today and I have to say, the driving space is really roomy and feels bigger than the 4Runner. The backseat is another story...

Overall, I'm not that pleased with it. It's nice, but I'd take my 4Runner anyday.

 

[ThatsRicci]

I sat in one while at the dealer today and I have to say, the driving space is really roomy and feels bigger than the 4Runner. The backseat is another story...

Overall, I'm not that pleased with it. It's nice, but I'd take my 4Runner anyday.

I had an FJ on order, i was awed by the buzz surrounding it and buying my first vehicle ever (ya fresh college grad) i wanted something COOL. Well i was out test driving other cars (touareg, jeep commander ..etc.) and i went by the dealer to check out a 4runner while i was still waiting for the fj to arrive. And i drove a 4x4 v8 limited (obviously they put me in one with all the fixins) and i loved it!!! there was a black FJ that the wait lister didn't want, and i was able to test drive it. And exactly my same issue, not enough creature comforts for me (coming from a fully loaded 97' pathfinder) and after driving it, not al toimpressed with making it a daily driver. It would be a better weekend fun vehicle if i wanted a 2nd car. So there i left that evenign with my new t4r.. and i'll never look back

 

[azskyrider]

$5K+ MSRP

ThatsRicci,

What was the dealer selling them for?

Two weeks ago the dealer wanted 5K on top of MSRP from the one I visited. I contacted a fellow friend who owns a fleet company. He freaked out when the dealers he deals with were asking 5K up to 14K! on top of MSRP. The dealer showed him one invoice that was sold for $41K out the door.

 

[ThatsRicci]

Re: $5K+ MSRP

ThatsRicci,

What was the dealer selling them for?

Two weeks ago the dealer wanted 5K on top of MSRP from the one I visited. I contacted a fellow friend who owns a fleet company. He freaked out when the dealers he deals with were asking 5K up to 14K! on top of MSRP. The dealer showed him one invoice that was sold for $41K out the door.

If it was on the lot it's 5k over sticker. If you ordered it, there was no markup. However the one i test drove wasn't made available to me anyway because the dealer was gonna throw 8g worth of upgrades on it... leather, good stereo, maybe a sunroof too.

regardless.. i would have done all those mods myself, and ended up paying the same amount as the 4runner with everything already on it. so i even felt more logical

 

[Thai]

Some dealers are now willing to sell FJC under MSRP...apparently, supply has caught up with demand.

 

[Expat]

The FJC's kick arse wheeling. I was out with a group of five or six all day yesterday and they handled double diamond trails in stock form with minimal effort.

Really a 2 seater tho. Styling is definitely an issue. To me they look like a Lego brick.

 

[JungleJim]

Don't know why they would put a V8 in the Rav but I would prefer the V8 in about every other application. More torque. More refined than the V6.

The V6 in the RAV is very refined. More cylinders does not automatically equate to being more refined. (But of course, it depends on your personal definition of "refined".)