Well, I got my FJ!!! I am so happy!
*First off --> What an incredible feel to drive this animal! Comparisons to the 4runner are a discredit to the FJ! I drove it 120 miles yesterday and had a hard time finding a vehicle I was not looking over (including my friend's 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee). The FJ looks enormous (height-wise) next to the GC. All my friends said the same thing about the seating position...incredible! I think the forward-set flat windshield and extremely long front side windows (with a very squared-off interior look) give an optical illusion that you are driving a military supply vehicle, rather than a pedestrian prado/4runner-based SUV!
*I LOVE the feel in the clutch. Very smooth take-up/engagement. Like butter! The shifter feels notably truck-like and bouncy, but that is expected. It's easy to shift smoothly as long as you don't get wicked on the throttle! Drivetrain makes awesome clangy sounds and the stock exhaust even has a nice rumble to it. Feels powerful and adds to the "I-could-drive-over-your-damn-VW-if-I-want-to,-so-move-it!" feel!!
*Engine power is very good, and torque comes in like a DC motor! No waiting on this engine to propel the FJ, even with the power/torque being split front/back. I'd have to really suck at driving to stall this truck on launch. Launching 2nd gear is not a problem either; just prolong engagement on the clutch maybe 1/2 second. I launched in 2nd at least a dozen times (not uphill though) and no stalls there either. The low-end torque is abundant!
*My FJ has freaking stupid Dunlops on it (I also have the upgraded wheels via package). Get this: On my maiden voyage with my FJ (aka test drive w/4 miles on the truck), I took on a screw on the LR tire and heard a thumping sound of rolling on it! I could not believe my bad luck! However, I watched them back the screw out of the tire with a power drill, and it came out clean. Did NOT peirce the tire! Embedded itself in tread pattern and was only 3/4" long at the most! Whew! Anyway, the tires look very conservative and make no noise, but I am certain that will translate into BAD snow/mud/sand/rock/dirt performance too!
*Brakes are so strong, they are scary! Very impressive braking ability! That's all I'll say about that....
*Aggressive road handling is POOP! Car and Driver was right. That being said, I really don't care! It does fine in normal driving and is very quiet. I did not buy this so I could road-race or hit the mountain twisties at 80MPH. People who buy the 2WD for pavement duty only may be disappointed, unless Toyota tuned them differently.
*Something I liked that I have not read much about on here, is that when the engine is under duress (over-driven in 6th @1200-1500 RPM going up a grade), the TC selection lever vibrates/resontates with the tranny. I like that feed-back, even if it makes a little bit of noise. Makes me feel connected to the vehicle! You can grab it just to take your FJ's pulse! IT'S ALIVE!!!!
*Fuel conomy appears to be shaping up around 15-16MPG for mixed driving during break-in. I can accept that, and expected it anyway. I get the impression that on pure highway, you may be able to pull 20+MPG in the manual. It just sucks gas in the city. Window sticker says you can expect as low as 13MPG in city driving depending on style of driving.
Well, today I am off to play. I need to find a torture test for this thing and I may have to head toward WV to do it! I'll try and take some sexy pics today and post them. I'll see what I can do!
-Ralph-
Took delivery of Black MT6 yesterday!
Linear Mode
