FJ Cruiser or Tacoma for Touring

[Jupiter58]

That is the perfect description!

Have you looked at RSI Smart Cap? They have a really nice stainless steel bed replacement setup for Tacomas that is *supposed to* be available in NA this year. It's been tempting me for months now, I just don't know if I could live without a tailgate...

Wow, great bed replacement. For domestic full size also.


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[DaveInDenver]

I'm going to have to take issue with this statement. It seems to be generally accepted wisdom that FJCs are more capable than Tacomas but that has not been my experience. I absolutely loved my FJCs and figured that I would be taking an off-road performance hit when moving to the Taco. However, after 2 years operating the Taco in all manner of weather and terrain I have not run into anything that the FJC could have done comfortably that the Taco won't do comfortably. It's a totally different feel so my driving style had to evolve but the Tacoma has proven itself to be just as "capable" as the FJC ever was - you just have to drive it differently.

Yeah it depends on what the terrain is. My Jeep TJ could do certain things the FJC couldn't do, but those things were so technical and dependent on very short wheelbase that they are irrelevant to me. I realized that the tradeoff in comfort (especially on long travels), and cargo capacity was not worth it. Overall, the FJC is a much better vehicle, hands down than my souped up TJ was: it can be driven at 85mph comfortably, it is awesome off road, especially in sand! It can carry more, pull more, and just do it with much more comfort. The Tacoma so far seems like it's pretty much as versatile. Maybe the FJC will perform better in tighter tracks or more technical trails, but again it all depends on what the mission is.

There's never going to be a perfect apples-to-squirrels comparison for defining capability. The Jeeps with two solid axles and coil springs are going to out do any IFS Toyota in crawling, no argument. But IFS does fine and will be better on washboard and pavement. Whatever, just run what you brung. The key is not to get wrapped around the axle (so to speak) with the on paper arguments and paralyze yourself. An stock truck getting it done on trails is way better than a built one sitting in the driveway. Sure, you might spin a wheel or break some plastic. So what? It's just a truck, fix it and move on.

 

[Strider]

Just to continue this conversation...

Still going back and forth as to which vehicle to complete first.
One thing that comes up over and over is the Tacoma's payload capacity. I just assumed it was a lot higher before buying it, which was naive of me. It really irks me that such a nice truck has such a piss poor payload capacity! I mean, 1,200 pounds is just ridiculous. Even another 500 lbs would have been OK. It really irritates me that the FJC has the same capacity!

Seems like one option is a small trailer to carry the extra stuff. It's pretty ridiculous I think.

 

[Strider]

One thing that keeps popping into my head is that the FJC is a Land Cruiser.
Damnit!
BLABLABLABLAAAAAAA!!!!

 

[Arktikos]

Just to continue this conversation...

Still going back and forth as to which vehicle to complete first...

Did you fix the warning light/tranny issue?

 

[Strider]

Did you fix the warning light/tranny issue?

The tranny issue seems resolved. Once I did the first change of a quart or two of the old fluid the shaking went away. I've done it twice and will keep doing it on every oil change.
The warning lights have not come back on. I think I may have saved the infor so I will post it if I can find it.
If they do come back on I will post them.

I do like the Tacoma, but the FJC just feels great to drive, while the Tacoma isn't bad at all, but doesn't stand out.
What I'm leaning towards is to soup-up the FJC, then the Tacoma. One reason is that the FJC already has the OME suspension, expedition drawers, and tires.
Maybe the FJC will be the "go alone" vehicle and the Tacoma will be the go with wife and dog vehicle. I don't know. But the FJC is a Landcruiser and I like it better, even though it's older and has 230,000 miles!

 

[tacollie]

The tranny issue seems resolved. Once I did the first change of a quart or two of the old fluid the shaking went away. I've done it twice and will keep doing it on every oil change.
The warning lights have not come back on. I think I may have saved the infor so I will post it if I can find it.
If they do come back on I will post them.

I do like the Tacoma, but the FJC just feels great to drive, while the Tacoma isn't bad at all, but doesn't stand out.
What I'm leaning towards is to soup-up the FJC, then the Tacoma. One reason is that the FJC already has the OME suspension, expedition drawers, and tires.
Maybe the FJC will be the "go alone" vehicle and the Tacoma will be the go with wife and dog vehicle. I don't know. But the FJC is a Landcruiser and I like it better, even though it's older and has 230,000 miles!

FJC is a Land Cruiser light. I'm a big fan of the 120 platform but they aren't LCs. I could be wrong but I think the 08' had the lighter 8" rear end. GVWR is important for reliability. GAWR is important from a legal stand point.

The FJC is unique. Tacomas are a midsized truck. Midsize trucks are super common.

As far as the low GVWR. My buddies 16' Ram 1500 is only 1000lbs. Another buddies 14' Tundra is 1200lbs. My 08' Tundra was over 1400lbs but still less than my 09' Tacoma. That's why I ended up with a Ford (3337lbs payload) after owning Toyotas for 22 years. I'm not super into the Ford but it's a tool that serves a purpose.

All that to say use the tool that helps you meet your goals. Beer and gas make the memories. Also, probably your wife?

 

[Strider]

FJC is a Land Cruiser light. I'm a big fan of the 120 platform but they aren't LCs. I could be wrong but I think the 08' had the lighter 8" rear end. GVWR is important for reliability. GAWR is important from a legal stand point.

The FJC is unique. Tacomas are a midsized truck. Midsize trucks are super common.

As far as the low GVWR. My buddies 16' Ram 1500 is only 1000lbs. Another buddies 14' Tundra is 1200lbs. My 08' Tundra was over 1400lbs but still less than my 09' Tacoma. That's why I ended up with a Ford (3337lbs payload) after owning Toyotas for 22 years. I'm not super into the Ford but it's a tool that serves a purpose.

All that to say use the tool that helps you meet your goals. Beer and gas make the memories. Also, probably your wife?

Seems like it's still a tough vehicle. I hear the Aussies calling it "Land Cruiser FJ".

The Tacoma is new, and the FJC is about 13 years old with 230,000 miles. But I still prefer the FJC to be honest. Pretty much decided to soup up the FJC first, since it already has the OME suspension and drawers (though I want to remake the drawers with light plywood or composite).

 

[Arktikos]

FJC is a Land Cruiser light. I'm a big fan of the 120 platform but they aren't LCs. I could be wrong but I think the 08' had the lighter 8" rear end....

Yes, the bigger rear end began in 2010. Guess they decided the FJ was too heavy for staying with the 8". Friend of mine says it's a weak spot in this model. But then, he's a LC purist and doesn't like them.
On that subject, IMO FJ is more similar structurally/mechanically to a 4Runner than a Land Cruiser. Way cooler styling though, I like them. Gotta be a more fun ride than 4Runner.

 

[tacollie]

Yes, the bigger rear end began in 2010. Guess they decided the FJ was too heavy for staying with the 8". Friend of mine says it's a weak spot in this model. But then, he's a LC purist and doesn't like them.
On that subject, IMO FJ is more similar structurally/mechanically to a 4Runner than a Land Cruiser. Way cooler styling though, I like them. Gotta be a more fun ride than 4Runner.

Its essentially a shorter wheelbase 4th gen 4Runner. They share as lot with the Prado 120. They feel "tighter" than Tacomas. The 8" rear end is ok but not ideal. Especially if the vehicle is heavy. I really like the 120 based SUVs. We are casually shopping for a GX470.

 

[AggieOE]

I would go with the FJ simply because you like it more. You'll take it out more and enjoy it more than the Tacoma.... as long as you aren't worried about it breaking.
I'd suggest giving it a proper once over, new fluids everywhere and maybe a belt or two. New brakes, new tie rod ends, new seals, etc. Basically, treat it as an old FJ you just bought. Then build the rest up!

Now then... I have a quick question. What all issues have you had with your JK? I (knock on wood) haven't had any issues with our '16 JKUR, currently at 75k miles, and am curious what year yours is, mileage, etc.
Similarly, I LOVE driving our Jeep on tips but the 4Runner is realistically more comfortable and is still quite capable. Especially considering we travel like you with a lot of pavement and, unfortunately, only some dirt.

 

[4000lbsOfGoat]

There's never going to be a perfect apples-to-squirrels comparison for defining capability. The Jeeps with two solid axles and coil springs are going to out do any IFS Toyota in crawling, no argument. But IFS does fine and will be better on washboard and pavement. Whatever, just run what you brung. The key is not to get wrapped around the axle (so to speak) with the on paper arguments and paralyze yourself. An stock truck getting it done on trails is way better than a built one sitting in the driveway. Sure, you might spin a wheel or break some plastic. So what? It's just a truck, fix it and move on.

Just want to report that this week I ran my Taco across Fins 'N Things in Moab and didn't bypass a single obstacle! Came away with only one small scar on my rear bumper (the hitch skid took most of the abuse on the sharp departures). That's with only a 2ish inch lift and 275/70/17s.

And it got me there and back comfortably with my camper in tow!

Don't doubt the capabilities of a Tacoma!

Best pic we got since we were following a guide and didn't have much time for photos...

 

[Jgrider16]

One nice thing about a truck is being able to use the bed for all of the stinky and dirty stuff in back, separated from the cab.

 

[Jgrider16]

Just to continue this conversation...

Still going back and forth as to which vehicle to complete first.
One thing that comes up over and over is the Tacoma's payload capacity. I just assumed it was a lot higher before buying it, which was naive of me. It really irks me that such a nice truck has such a piss poor payload capacity! I mean, 1,200 pounds is just ridiculous. Even another 500 lbs would have been OK. It really irritates me that the FJC has the same capacity!

Seems like one option is a small trailer to carry the extra stuff. It's pretty ridiculous I think.

My 2020 Tacoma has more official payload than my 2016 Ram 1500 diesel but way less space. Fullsized 150 / 1500 level trucks have always been categorized as 1/2 ton trucks while heavy duty are 3/4 ton or 1 ton trucks. Doesn't mean that cannot all carry more, but doing it safely is the key. I think it's actually impressive that the Tacoma is over 1000. Our midsized trucks are not the same as those from other continents like the real Hilux, which are made to fill the roles of our full sized trucks but fit on smaller roads.

 

[Gatordoc]

I'm going to have to take issue with this statement. It seems to be generally accepted wisdom that FJCs are more capable than Tacomas but that has not been my experience. I absolutely loved my FJCs and figured that I would be taking an off-road performance hit when moving to the Taco. However, after 2 years operating the Taco in all manner of weather and terrain I have not run into anything that the FJC could have done comfortably that the Taco won't do comfortably. It's a totally different feel so my driving style had to evolve but the Tacoma has proven itself to be just as "capable" as the FJC ever was - you just have to drive it differently.

The *only* advantage I miss from the FJC is that it is an easy hack to modify it such that the rear locker could be engaged in high range and that is just not possible with the new Tacomas.

The caveat "in my experience" certainly applies, and my experience is certainly limited. The biggest capability difference we see is that I don't sleep in the FJ but in a hammock or ground tent, while he can sleep in his Taco. I can more easily navigate some tight sections of the trail where he might have to make a multi-point turn to get around an obstacle, usually tightly spaced trees. The FJ is more capable in a pure- off road sense in just the same way a Wrangler would be still more capable than the FJ; it doesn't necessarily make it better, and off-road capability is often accompanied by an equivalent loss of capability in other areas.

My opinion is also based mostly on direct comparison with the 2nd gen Taco I've wheeled with; the owner of that Taco is kind of a Nancy when it comes to off-road driving, so I'm willing to concede that I may be off-base on this one.