Introduction

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, butit 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 crossoverage. 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, towhooks, cruise control and a compass/temperature display. Also optional is a modular three-piece hardtop (Freedom top), a sunroof-equipped softtop, a limited-slip rear differential, power windows and locks, keyless entry, remote engine start, an Infinity audio system, a six-CD/MP3changer 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 features17-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 new FJ Cruiser bears a slight resemblance to the original FJ-40, under the skin, it's a completely modern vehicle in every sense of the word. The drive train borrows heavily from the truck and SUV line. The 4-liter 6-cylinder under the hood can be found in the Tacoma truck and other SUV offerings, as are the two transmission options (six speed manual and five speed auto), t-case and rear axle. The suspension consists of a rear solid axle with four links, a pan hard bar and coil springs. Up front you will find an IFS system with rack and pinion steering.

By pushing the wheels to the corners the FJ has good approach and departure angles, but the longer 105-inch wheel base takes a bit of the break-over angle away from an otherwise great wheel base and track width for off road driving. The new FJ shines off-road both inside and out.The best part is there are no buttons to activate the four-wheel drive system - a good old stick is found on the floor!

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 drive able 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.

The FJ has been designed to mimic a two door. I say mimic as the vehicle is supposed to look like a FJ40. On the new Cruiser there is a pair of suicide doors, which facilitates access to the rear seats. While this door system is far superior to a standard two-door configuration found on other two-door cars and trucks, don't expect full rear seat access like you'd get with a four-door model. However, with the seats pulled far forward and the rear doors open, riders can slide in and out quite easily. One thing Toyota should think about adding is an automatic slide forward action to the passenger front seat. Currently you need to manually slide the seat forward to get out of the back, and the control can't be reached by rear seat passengers. Previous Toyotas had this feature as does the Jeep TJ.

The large front window is kept clean with three - yes, three - wiper blades. This trio of water removers keeps a wide area of window clear.The side windows are large as are the side mirrors, which you will be using to navigate as the large rear pillars beside the back seats take away some shoulder check viewing area.

In the back the rear cargo door opens a full 90 degrees, allowing easy access to a space that is much larger than you would expect from the outside. The big flat floor can haul plenty for a vehicle of this size and the 60/40 split rear seats fold into even more room for your camping gear. I actually prefer the lines of the FJ Cruiser without the roof rack, though the fellow journalists in our group tended to disagree with me.For those that need the cargo space the rack will hold plenty.

Overall the driving experience in the 2008 FJ Cruiser is excellent; lots of power from the 4L six, good shifting points in the automatic, a smoothshifting 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 wasmade to be used off-road.

With the retro styling aside, the base price of $29,990 and the loaded C model coming in below $40,000 even with an automatic, the FJ Cruiser will have its legions of followers very shortly.

Another Review of the Jeep Wrangler...

Perhaps the quintessential niche vehicle, the Jeep Wrangler has held the crown of ultimate off-roader ever since it was offered to the general public. The name Jeep was derived from the original military moniker of "GP," which stood for general-purpose vehicle.

Following the war, the Jeep CJ-2A ("CJ" stood for "Civilian Jeep") debuted and sported such "luxuries" as a tailgate, fuel cap and side-mounted spare tire. Although the Jeep Wrangler did its forebears proud in terms of off-road prowess, a combination of that still-short wheelbase, loud and drafty cabin and tepid performance meant it was annoying at best as a daily commuter and road trip vehicle.

For the most recent version of the Wrangler, Jeep has attempted to make it more civilized via a new four-door body style and new safety and convenience features.

Current Jeep Wrangler

Revamped for the 2007 model year, today's Wrangler is larger and more refined than its precursor. Styling is familiar, and although the standard Wrangler retains roughly the same short length as before, its increased width helps to improve passenger comfort.

All current Jeep Wranglers come with a 3.8-liter V6 engine capable of 202 horsepower and 237 pound-feet of torque. Most models arefour-wheel-drive, though a rear-drive version of the Unlimited is available.

Three trim levels are offered: bare-bones X, mid level Sahara and serious off-road-oriented Rubicon. The latter trim adds heavy-duty axles,extra-low gearing and electronically locking front and rear differentials. Each trim level is available in two body styles: a short-wheelbase two-door or the long-wheelbase four-door Unlimited.

Make no mistake, the ride is still stiff, and on the road the Wrangler's modest handling and acceleration abilities can actually be bested by most minivans.

Past Jeep Wranglers

Base SE (2.5-liter, 120-hp inline-4), Sport (4.0-liter, 190-hp inline-6, fancy wheels and graphics) and Sahara (4.0-liter six,air-conditioning, upgraded upholstery, CD player) trims were offered initially. By 2003, the Wrangler "X" (slotted above the SE and featuring the inline-6) and "Rubicon" (featuring hard-core off-road equipment such as a super-low range in the transfer case, 31-inch tires and locking Danaaxles front and rear) trims debuted. Transmission choices included a five-speed manual and three-speed automatic, the latter upgraded to a four-speed unit for 2003.

In 2004, Jeep introduced the Wrangler Unlimited model; it still had only two doors, but a 10-inch wheelbase stretch provided a significant increase in rear legroom and cargo capacity. A Rubicon version of the Unlimited arrived the following year, and a six-speed manual gearbox replaced the five-speed. In reviews, we praised this Jeep Wrangler for its off-road agility and personality but scorned the plastic side windows and fussy soft top. The standard, non-Rubicon version of the Wrangler Unlimited had slightly better road manners, thanks to its longer wheelbase and revised suspension tuning.

The first Jeep Wrangler (1986-'95) had square headlights and, on some trims, monochromatic fender flares and rocker panel extensions, thelatter an odd "of the times" styling touch on such a retro vehicle. Initially, a choice of a 2.5-liter four or a 4.2-liter six-cylinder enginewas offered, and buyers could get a five-speed manual or three-speed automatic. The 2008 Jeep Wrangler has certainly come a long way.