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sagiphile previously said:
Hi,
I test-drove an FJ over the weekend. I love the open platform and the ability to customize it for off-road and on-road friendliness. I'm having a hard time with the limited family space though.
Family will spend about 10% of their riding time in this vehicle. I'll commute, get off-road for kicks (no major rock crawling) and use it for volunteer search and rescue work if needed. I live in Northern CA and make a couple trips to the Sierras and the Lost Coast annually.
Please give feedback.
I have two daughters, 6 years and 12 months. Seems cramped and claustrophobic in the back. No open windows, little air, limited legroom even for kids. Has this been a problem for anyone?
What about wind noise? The factory rack was whisteling along on the test drive. Are the Gobi racks just insanely noisy. Must I simply accept this as the price of driving a truck?
Anyone considered the benefits of simply waiting a year or two for things like earth tones; grab handles for passengers; a diesel? I don't know that any of these things are coming but like many in the FJ community I'd like more choices.
Manual or automatic? If I dare the Rubicon one day is a manual tranny a must, or can I happily bounce over it, kids in tow, with an auto? Seriously, I don't think they'd come with, but I'd be tempted.
Re: Gobi -- why go Safari? Seem the Ranger offers greater utility. Am I missing something here?
ATRAC and diff locks -- what do I need really. Can I enable ATRAC on an automatic for $50, or is that only on the manual jobs.
Base models: I'd like to get a base model and use my money to build up the beast. Is this even an option, or must I spend close to $30k simply to get diff locks?
Why does the plastic seem so cheap, even for plastic?
I think that's all for now. All non-flaming responses are appreciated.
Oh, about my login ID on my first post. Before you get any weird ideas you should know my wife is a Sagittarian. Sagi + Phile = sagiphile.
KJB
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A quick response for some of your questions based on the consensus of past forum posts -
- Plastic - yep, could be higher quality
- The $50 A-Trac option works only when you have the Rear Diffy Lock. So that means every manual and the Auto's with the Rear Diff Option. On the auto the Rear Diff Lock can be had as a stand alone option and is not necessarily tied into one of the packages. Availability for any given combination of options seems to run very dealer and region dependent. Do you need it? That depends on how much you wheel in what conditions. Thinking of it like having a more extensive tool kit. Diffy Lock and A-Trac give you more job specific tools - you can find workarounds for a lot of situations without them but when you really need them its nice to pull the exact right tool out.
- Gobi - Height is a big factor - the FJC starts tall - add 8" with the Ranger rack and a lot of parking garages and home garages are out of play. Add the Stealth rack and save some height with only giving up a bit of utility. Also relates to wind noise.....
- Wind Noise - Disclaimer - I don't have my FJC yet but I have driven trucks and off roads for 20 years. Wind noise depends a lot on individual tolerances. With the Gobi's there are deflectors that can fooled around with to limit some noise but add a rack and maybe some lights to an already blocky figure and it aint no luxury sedan for a quiet ride.
- Manual or Auto - whoo, huge question with a lot of discussion in a couple of threads. It's all about personal preference when you are not off roading. Good arguments on both sides. For 97% of the off-roading out there it won't make a difference either. As a matter of opinion for "easy" off-roading (low technical factor) you could argue that an automatic is easier, especially for a beginner, as there is one less thing to think about. But, one point not up for argument is that the crawl ration in low gear is much better (though still not close to stock rubicon) in the manual then the automatic. Again, the amount of times this makes a difference is limited but when it does make a difference there is no replacement. Personal opinion - manual.
- Waiting a year or two? - no official word on what Toyota will change, how many they will produce next year, offer as options, etc. A lot of threads on the a first year model two. General consensus is with Toyota you won't have the same first year issues as with a lot of other manufacturers and, this late into the run several changes are likely to have been made on the production line to address known issues already - therefore it is more like a 2007 1/2 now. Not a word out of them on Diesels - not going to happen for '08. New colors - a strong possibility. Things like grab bars? Anyone's guess. Waiting a year - not a chance for me.
- The back seat dungeon - again refer to my earlier disclaimer. This was a major issue for me so I spent a lot of time researching it as I have three boys, 10, 9, and 3. Those that have been down this road report it has not been a problem in general. Getting in and out for kids is not an issue, room is not an issue, etc. The one comment I have seen is that they sometimes do complain that the window doesn't roll down in the back. I thought about it and then realized I rarely let my kids put the windows down anyway (and in my Bronco it wasn't an option or problem for them either) as it is - with my three boys the odds of a ball or book going out the window and causing an accident when "I was just tossing it to him" is their excuse is too great.
Okay - that's all I got. It sounds from your post like you almost want to be talked out of it. Just imagine yourself three years from know looking back at the car purchase you made in 2006 - in hindsight which vehicle are you most pleased that you bought? If its the FJC stop hesitating!
