New here!! FJ or 4R??? help...

[hube01]

So far this place looks great! I have to tell you that I had fallen in love with the FJ. Having said that, here is my delema... My wife has a bad back and I believe that the 4R rides a bit better. Besides, as my main suv, it will be used for the family trips too...

Looking at the 4R, I do have a few questions...

6 or 8 cyl?? Is there a major differance?

I do like the 4R urban.... Does anyone have one any problems? I would prefer to order it in a color then white.....lol

Jay/Connecticut

 

[josh220]

So far this place looks great! I have to tell you that I had fallen in love with the FJ. Having said that, here is my delema... My wife has a bad back and I believe that the 4R rides a bit better. Besides, as my main suv, it will be used for the family trips too...

Looking at the 4R, I do have a few questions...

6 or 8 cyl?? Is there a major differance?

I do like the 4R urban.... Does anyone have one any problems? I would prefer to order it in a color then white.....lol

Jay/Connecticut

Test drive both a V6 and V8 to make your own decision. The V8 has more lower end torque, but overall speed, they are very close in acceleration. The best way to determine which is best for you, is to experience it for yourself.

As the the Urban 4Runner, you may want to consider a Limited or SR5 over a Sport Edition or Urban Runner, because of your wife's bad back. The Xreas suspension on Sport Editions and Urban Editions will help reduce body roll on turns, but will give you a rougher ride. But again, I would suggest test driving both options.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

I grew up in CT. I say get the T4R. The center Torsen diff rocks and CT weather is perfect to take advantage of it. Unless you get a manual shift FJC you get a comparetively primative part-time 4wd system. IMHO.

Good luck, either way you'll enjoy the ride

 

[<<<<]

V-6 4WD 4Runner, hands down. I wouldn't even concider FJ unless you off-roading.

 

[R104]

I have only sat in the FJ, and have not test driven. I would say visibility is better in the 4Runner which may also be a factor if your wife has a bad back. Turning and checking blind spots would probably be easier in the 4Runner. I think the FJ is a great vehicle too - but the 4Runner has the best of both worlds. It's great off road but also great on the highway and around town. Practicality for passengers and accessing the back seat and cargo areas seems better in the 4Runner. Just a few thoughts. Good luck.

 

[krytikel8]

For me it made more sense to by the t4r. Easier access since the FJ rear doors are small and reversed. The trunk opens up instead of to the right and it just feels like there is more room in the runner but that is my personal experience. Plus the fact that you have 2 rear windows that open is a definite bonus. the only thing I liked about the FJ over the runner is you can option it in a manual. I don't think that that is a defining factor for you since you are looking for a smoother ride for your wifes back. Let us know when you decide!

 

[semipro]

If one of your bases for deciding is your wife's back issues, you might research the various threads on this site regarding people's complaints with the 4runner driver seats. I've experienced these problems myself, and am still trying to tweak the seat adjustments on my 05 SR5 to find the best/most comfortable driving position. Oddly, the passenger seat is much, much more comfortable for me. Maybe I should just lest my fiancee drive me around all the time?

 

[RonMAIDEN]

If I never planned on any real off roading I'd take the 4Runner but if you really are going to off road the FJ has the goodies like an avaialble manual and rear diff lock that works with the A-trac plus it's got a little better clearance in stock trim and a better approach angle.

 

[Koz]

The FJ is a bare bones version of the 4Runner designed more for off-roading. The 4Runner is more versatile. It is very capable off-road and when optioned out it turns into a very refined street vehicle. In the Limited form it turns into a luxury cruiser.

Koz

 

[sl0annuggets]

im partial to manuals. i think there should be a manual option on every vehicle. i dont think either of the two will help your wifes back.. id be all over a black fj manual and put some black steelies on it and paint the roof black and blast donnybrook at all times lol.. im kidding but im not.

 

[RichAA]

I wanted an FJ so bad I started losing sleep. But I drive an A4, which I'm not giving up, so it had to be my wife's. I had her look, and she drove the FJ, and she didn't like the access to the back seat and it just didn't work. So the compromise was a 4Runner Sport Edition and it's pretty nice, we like it a lot. But for young and cool, the FJ for sure. For no kids, FJ. For towing your toys and looking good, FJ.

 

[ran]

My wife and I are in the mid 50's right now. Our backs are not the greatest. Anyway, just got back from a 1000 mile in 3 days. Ocean to 4200 elevation. My '07 sport V6 handled just great. My wife drove half the time and likes my ride. (she has a Taco 4 dr V6). No problems with the seats at all. good luck

 

[BenSD]

If something happened to my 4Runner and I had to go out and buy a new vehicle, I would go for the FJ. Why? Just because I would want something similar, yet different. There is certainly a cool factor to them as well.

All in all, the T4R is going to be a better vehicle. There is a bit more space inside, no unpainted plastic cladding (which looks horrible after a couple years), and the 4 door design is better for most situations.

IMO, white is the best color out there. It's easy to keep clean, and mine shows hardly any swirl marks after 4 years. The contrast between the dark accents and the white is killer. If I got a FJ, I'd have to get it in white as well.

 

[Thai]

If I got a FJ, I'd have to get it in white as well.

I agree:

 

[R104]

That white FJ is a sweet vehicle - I definitely would have considered one had they been available in 05 when I bought my 4Runner. I may be biased, but I think Toyota's trail-ready choices have the best designs out there. I would take an FJ hands down over a Hummer or Jeep.

 

[Thai]

To be honest, if i were to buy a trail-ready vehicle for off-roading, then i would pick Jeep Wrangler Rubicon SWB over anything out there right now. The Jeep Rubicon is just sensational with what it comes with from the factory. I don't think that there is anything out there at this time that can compete with the Rubicon SWB off-road.

 

[LandRvr Convert]

I looked at an FJ and I admit I liked it, but I bought the 4Runner instead. It just fit my needs better. The rear visibility out of the FJ is very limited (and that's with no one in the back seat!) I don't recall leather being an option on the FJ either and that's something I wanted.

I think the FJ would be great as a third car to have for fun, camping and off roading trips, but not as a daily driver or for long road trips.

I'm 6'3, 240 and just came back from Florida yesterday after an 850 mile road trip. The 4Runner was great and drove very quietly and smoothly.

As a side note, my V8 4x4 Limited got 17.5MPG on the trip and that was with alot of extra weight in the truck, the AC running the entire time and an average speed of 70-75mph. Very respectable mileage for a full-time 4x4 V8.

 

[Thai]

I looked at an FJ and I admit I liked it, but I bought the 4Runner instead. It just fit my needs better. The rear visibility out of the FJ is very limited (and that's with no one in the back seat!) I don't recall leather being an option on the FJ either and that's something I wanted.

I think the FJ would be great as a third car to have for fun, camping and off roading trips, but not as a daily driver or for long road trips.

The FJ really surprised me. I had a chance to take a real close look at one and testdrove my brother's FJ Cruiser. It is more practical than i thought...the rear suicide doors does it's job well enough. Back seat is not all that cramp (for 2 people), but legroom is a bit limited. The rear visibility can be a problem, but after driving it for 5 min., i learned to get around it without incident...so, for me, i can definitely tolerate it.

Although the FJ does not have leather, it's seating cloth is resistant to water, which partially makes up for the lack of leather.

I drove the FJ on the highway and found it to be pretty quiet, not that noisier than my Sienna. (It was definitely quieter than my G500.) The ride was quite comfortable (let's not even go there with my G500!). The only negative i can see for long trips is the lack of adjustable lumbar support. My brother denies any problems with his back on long trips (300 miles round trip).

The other minor negatives for a $30K car: no homelink (which i really need) and no memory seats (forgiveable).

Oh yeah, it would be nice if Toyota added KDSS suspension (from Lexus GX and the new Toyota Land Cruiser) and 4:1 transfer case to the FJ.

Overall, i must say that i am impress with the FJ...more so than previous. It is my #1 choice in it's class overall, which includes Xterra, Rubicon, and H3. The FJ combines safety (good crash test scores all around), off-road ability, on-road ride/comfort, and relative practicality. But, it is not my #1 choice of pure off-roading ability, which i must give to the Rubicon, followed by H3, then FJ and Xterra. (BTW, i have off-roaded with all of these vehicles with the exception of the H3.)

 

[Thai]

There is something else that kinda bothers me about the FJ...back when i had my M3 in 2003 or 2004, there was a horrible accident on the forum. Basically, it was one of those M3 meet & greet among forum members. They all rode through the mountains...i think that it was in California or something. Apparently, one of the M3 took a mountain corner too quickly and slide on the sand and rolled down the hill/mountain side. The M3 had at least 3 passengers (2 in front and 1-2 in the rear seats). The M3 ended up on it's roof. It caught fire. The driver and passenger were able to crawl out with significant burns (had to be in hospital for a while). The rear passenger(s) could not get out and was burned alive...other people on the drive heard screams from the backseat. The M3 is a coupe (2 doors).

From that day forth, i vowed never to get a coupe because it was simply not safe for rear passengers. (Don't get me wrong, sports coupe are just plain beautiful.)

The FJ has suicide doors, but the suicide doors can only be opened when the front doors are opened. They cannot be independently opened. The windows on the suicide doors are fixed and cannot be rolled down or opened. Therefore, i am not sure if the FJ rear passengers would fare that much better than the M3 above. If the front driver/passenger are unconcious, then the rear passengers are screwed.

My brother is OK with the above potential problem. I am not sure if i will be OK with it personally.

What do you guys think??

BTW, i will try and find the link to the above accident.

 

[techno]

That is a horrible and horrific story there Thai, the double whammy of a crash then a fire is about as bad as it can get. Having said that though, I believe there are many contributing factors to that incident with the 2 door factor being only one of them.
I would certainly understand someone who has actually been in an incident where that was the only reason a situation got worse being permanently 'wary' of sitting in the back of a 2 door vehicle. But for me, and from a risk assessment point of view, I wouldnt let the 2 door factor adversely effect my decision to purchase the vehicle.