FJ vs Tacoma vs 4Runner
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coastsider
Adventurer
FJC TT for me, I was initially attracted by the novel 'Tonka Toy' design and the Trail Teams all white look and extras sealed for me, nothing else like it on the road back in 2008 (or now to think of it). My choices were between the Rubicon and the FJ, the Jeep just seemed cheap and rattled a lot, the FJ just seemed more together and as an everyday drive much more comfortable and just as capable off road. I knew I would be adding modifications and wanted to be a little different from the Jeep crowd.
Nearly 5 years into ownership and I still think I made the right choice, my FJ with mild mods (3" RC lift, Trail armor etc) has taken the wife and I everywhere we asked of it and never let us down (apart from getting high centered on the Mengel Pass in DV, but that was my fault!). Yes, the inside is small, especially for passengers, and some of the standard gear is suspect (factory rack, useless) but overall I love my FJ!
But in closing, back to the OP question. I didn't want a pick up and the 4runner just seems old fashioned.
The wife shows her appreciation of our FJ as it takes us around the White Rim in Utah.
Nearly 5 years into ownership and I still think I made the right choice, my FJ with mild mods (3" RC lift, Trail armor etc) has taken the wife and I everywhere we asked of it and never let us down (apart from getting high centered on the Mengel Pass in DV, but that was my fault!). Yes, the inside is small, especially for passengers, and some of the standard gear is suspect (factory rack, useless) but overall I love my FJ!
But in closing, back to the OP question. I didn't want a pick up and the 4runner just seems old fashioned.
The wife shows her appreciation of our FJ as it takes us around the White Rim in Utah.
STREGA
Explorer
Being that they are all Toyotas you can't really go wrong with any of them, knowing your particular needs will point you to which one to own.
For me I didn't want a PU truck again after 30 years of having them and since we did not have kids to haul around I didn't need a bigger SUV either. After seeing the FJC concept vehicle I knew I was going to end up with one eventually. When I bought the FJC I had no idea it would end up being a "overlanding/camping" truck that it has morphed into.
Like Corey I really like the utilitarian interior and has proven to be a great DD also. It is a great truck with 2 people, would be to crowded with kids in the back unless you had a trailer to base camp out of IMO. I removed the rear seats, built a aluminum frame to mount a dry box, AT double drawers and ARB fridge and with proper gear selection and packing I can easily carry enough to camp for 4 or 5 days with 2 people (comfortably) before needing to resupply.
For me I didn't want a PU truck again after 30 years of having them and since we did not have kids to haul around I didn't need a bigger SUV either. After seeing the FJC concept vehicle I knew I was going to end up with one eventually. When I bought the FJC I had no idea it would end up being a "overlanding/camping" truck that it has morphed into.
Like Corey I really like the utilitarian interior and has proven to be a great DD also. It is a great truck with 2 people, would be to crowded with kids in the back unless you had a trailer to base camp out of IMO. I removed the rear seats, built a aluminum frame to mount a dry box, AT double drawers and ARB fridge and with proper gear selection and packing I can easily carry enough to camp for 4 or 5 days with 2 people (comfortably) before needing to resupply.
toyota_jon
Adventurer
I have an 04 Tacoma DC. I really enjoy the truck. If I was to do it over again, I'd get the access cab, for the added bed space as well as the standard tranny ( I HATE autos). My second choice would be a 3rd gen 4Runner. I wouldn't get an FJ, for one big reason, visibility. I sat in one and instantly hated it. I felt like I was sitting in a helmet. It's a shame too, if it weren't for that my girlfriend and I would probably own one.
SWITAWI
Doesn't Get Out Enough
Get what works best for your needs...
xHoweverManyBeforeMe on the FJC being great for a couple of people all the time, but not as convenient for small children in car seats, family+dogs, etc. My vehicular goal was to find something with decent enough mileage to serve as my primary commuting transportation and yet still be able to get me all the way down the Padre Island National Seashore in stock form. Originally I wanted a full-size pickup, but I couldn't stomach the combined mileage. Newer 4Runners were out of my budget, older 4Runners were frequently abused, and I decided I didn't want a Tacoma for some reason (Don't take that personally Taco owners. I love you guys!). In the end I stumbled upon a very unmolested 2yr-old FJC with 12k miles back in Aug '10 and I have enjoyed it immensely. Just this past weekend two buddies and I drove about 4hrs total with a bunch of guns in the back and pulling an M101A3 loaded with an ATV, EZ-Up, etc. None of us are lightweights by any imagined use of that word, but we were not cramped at all and the (admittedly) shorter-legged rear passenger was just fine.
I figure the FJC is more versatile than its silhouette leads people to believe. I drove a company van for 7yrs so the visibility never bothered me (I never have added any of those little convex spot mirrors) and I still have my longtime habit of backing into parking spaces. If I ever found anyone crazy enough to stick with me or I had kids to get in and out of the back constantly I would turn to something with four full doors. As for needing a pickup bed for the big/dirty things, that's probably why I keep my hitch carrier on almost full-time and added trailer brake lights to it. Carry a compund miter saw on it, gut a pig on it, whatever. Still, I will admit a hitch-mounted cargo carrier is no truck bed. If I start to hanker for some 4'x8' plywood I need to borrow a friend's F-350 with an 8ft bed anyway. A flat roof rack could get me around that, wouldn't it?..
:ylsmoke:
In the end this works for me. What works best for most of your needs?
xHoweverManyBeforeMe on the FJC being great for a couple of people all the time, but not as convenient for small children in car seats, family+dogs, etc. My vehicular goal was to find something with decent enough mileage to serve as my primary commuting transportation and yet still be able to get me all the way down the Padre Island National Seashore in stock form. Originally I wanted a full-size pickup, but I couldn't stomach the combined mileage. Newer 4Runners were out of my budget, older 4Runners were frequently abused, and I decided I didn't want a Tacoma for some reason (Don't take that personally Taco owners. I love you guys!). In the end I stumbled upon a very unmolested 2yr-old FJC with 12k miles back in Aug '10 and I have enjoyed it immensely. Just this past weekend two buddies and I drove about 4hrs total with a bunch of guns in the back and pulling an M101A3 loaded with an ATV, EZ-Up, etc. None of us are lightweights by any imagined use of that word, but we were not cramped at all and the (admittedly) shorter-legged rear passenger was just fine.
I figure the FJC is more versatile than its silhouette leads people to believe. I drove a company van for 7yrs so the visibility never bothered me (I never have added any of those little convex spot mirrors) and I still have my longtime habit of backing into parking spaces. If I ever found anyone crazy enough to stick with me or I had kids to get in and out of the back constantly I would turn to something with four full doors. As for needing a pickup bed for the big/dirty things, that's probably why I keep my hitch carrier on almost full-time and added trailer brake lights to it. Carry a compund miter saw on it, gut a pig on it, whatever. Still, I will admit a hitch-mounted cargo carrier is no truck bed. If I start to hanker for some 4'x8' plywood I need to borrow a friend's F-350 with an 8ft bed anyway. A flat roof rack could get me around that, wouldn't it?..
:ylsmoke:
In the end this works for me. What works best for most of your needs?
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targa88
Explorer
I have owned an FJC since 2007.
Many miles on/off road. Very satisfied. 80,000 miles on the odometer = solid as a rock.
Largest cockpit of the three that you have suggested.
Rear seats were removed soon after purchase to make room for a sleeping platform and storage.
Recently returned from a 5,000 jaunt to Baja.
Many miles on/off road. Very satisfied. 80,000 miles on the odometer = solid as a rock.
Largest cockpit of the three that you have suggested.
Rear seats were removed soon after purchase to make room for a sleeping platform and storage.
Recently returned from a 5,000 jaunt to Baja.
Logans91XJ
Dirt Road Anthem
Not a current Toyota Owner but I have done tons of product launching for them and Lexus. I loved the FJ till I drove it and realized I couldn't see a damn thing out of it. The Blind Spots are horrible. I can't even imagine trying to take that thing offroad in or around a tight trail. You can't see out the back window, the b pillar and c pillers are the size of a 18 wheeler and the reverse doors are annoying esp in parking lots. The interior room of the FJ is horrible. Plain and simple you are buying the name, and the 4wd system everything else is a after thought.
The Tacoma for me would probably be my 2nd/1st choice - My biggest complaint with the truck is the tiny windshield and how high the dash and roofline cut visibility and I'm only 5'7. I love the bed and the power outlet and the simple fact of being able to throw anything in the bed.
- Also I feel for the price of the truck it's about 5-6K over priced. The interior is boring and seating postion is more like a car than a truck. For 30K for a TRD Offroad Tacoma DBL Cab you really don't get much. The Best part of the truck is the Rear Diff Locker and the bed.
Best part is the resale value of this truck never drops. People own them and drive them and most take outstanding care of them. Then they go to sell it for top dollar even though it might have 180,000 miles on it.
Until another manufacture steps up and makes a truck worth competing with the Tacoma it will always be the King of Mid-Size Trucks.
Toyota 4runner is my 1st choice - Why, I personally love the new look of the 5th gen and still in love with the 3rd gen 4runner. The interior is top-notch and very well thought out and placed buttons. The 4 doors is really nice to have and makes getting in the second row very easy and also so nice to be able to drop the middle row and have loads of cargo room. I do photography and it's amazing what my buddy and I will bring to a photo-shoot and being able to throw everything inside and be secure is a nice feeling. The 4wd system works very well and with having more weight over the rear tires it stay very well planted off-road and with snow.
- The new 4runner 5th gen is underpowered in my opinion and the V6 is lame. Bring back the v8 that pretty much gets the same mileage as the v6.
3rd Gen 4runner and 2002-2004 Tacoma in my opinion are the best bet for the $.
I did own a 1999 Toyota 4runner Limited with the ELocker
The Tacoma for me would probably be my 2nd/1st choice - My biggest complaint with the truck is the tiny windshield and how high the dash and roofline cut visibility and I'm only 5'7. I love the bed and the power outlet and the simple fact of being able to throw anything in the bed.
- Also I feel for the price of the truck it's about 5-6K over priced. The interior is boring and seating postion is more like a car than a truck. For 30K for a TRD Offroad Tacoma DBL Cab you really don't get much. The Best part of the truck is the Rear Diff Locker and the bed.
Best part is the resale value of this truck never drops. People own them and drive them and most take outstanding care of them. Then they go to sell it for top dollar even though it might have 180,000 miles on it.
Until another manufacture steps up and makes a truck worth competing with the Tacoma it will always be the King of Mid-Size Trucks.
Toyota 4runner is my 1st choice - Why, I personally love the new look of the 5th gen and still in love with the 3rd gen 4runner. The interior is top-notch and very well thought out and placed buttons. The 4 doors is really nice to have and makes getting in the second row very easy and also so nice to be able to drop the middle row and have loads of cargo room. I do photography and it's amazing what my buddy and I will bring to a photo-shoot and being able to throw everything inside and be secure is a nice feeling. The 4wd system works very well and with having more weight over the rear tires it stay very well planted off-road and with snow.
- The new 4runner 5th gen is underpowered in my opinion and the V6 is lame. Bring back the v8 that pretty much gets the same mileage as the v6.
3rd Gen 4runner and 2002-2004 Tacoma in my opinion are the best bet for the $.
I did own a 1999 Toyota 4runner Limited with the ELocker
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Corey
OverCamping Specialist
This whole blind visibility thing cracks me up.
Did not anyone learn to use mirrors when they took drivers ed, or are they not teaching this anymore?
Granted I have been driving since 1973, but we were taught back then to use our mirrors, and then spot check.
I have never had an issue with blind spots on my FJ, and I do not use those stick on convex mirrors either.
The rigs I drive for Boeing both in plant and over the road have blind spots, so I must use mirrors constantly.
Try driving a Corvette, I have heard from owners they see out of the FJ better than they can with their Vetts.
Interior room horrible?
Up front, in the rear, where I might ask?
This is my 4th Toyota, I have owned two trucks, a '91 4Runner, and now the FJ.
The FJ has the biggest cockpit up front out of all of them and head room.
I have had friends and coworkers sit in the rig and they are surprised at how much room is in the front when you are sitting in it.
One coworker after sitting in mine went out and bought a 2012 a few weeks back, he traded in a nice Chevy 4WD pickup.
Did not anyone learn to use mirrors when they took drivers ed, or are they not teaching this anymore?
Granted I have been driving since 1973, but we were taught back then to use our mirrors, and then spot check.
I have never had an issue with blind spots on my FJ, and I do not use those stick on convex mirrors either.
The rigs I drive for Boeing both in plant and over the road have blind spots, so I must use mirrors constantly.
Try driving a Corvette, I have heard from owners they see out of the FJ better than they can with their Vetts.
Interior room horrible?
Up front, in the rear, where I might ask?
This is my 4th Toyota, I have owned two trucks, a '91 4Runner, and now the FJ.
The FJ has the biggest cockpit up front out of all of them and head room.
I have had friends and coworkers sit in the rig and they are surprised at how much room is in the front when you are sitting in it.
One coworker after sitting in mine went out and bought a 2012 a few weeks back, he traded in a nice Chevy 4WD pickup.
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2025 deleted member
Well-known member
I have to second Corey on the cockpit. The front row room is amazing compared to the tacoma. One of the big selling points for me.
I had a 2nd gen 4Runner and a few pickups before I bought my FJC. I bought it new in Jan of 08 and it has 92,000 miles on it. It runs and sounds like it did when it was new. If someone stole it, I'd buy another tomorrow. I also don't get the rear visibility thing, it is at least as good as a pickup with a shell on back, probably better. It has plenty of power, and is fairly nimble. Of course I've weighed mine down with armor and the usual mods; but it goes anywhere I want to go. I don't believe there is the perfect vehicle for anyone. If we had kids, the FJC would be too small. Before I bought the Horizon, we could fit all the stuff we needed to camp in (or on) the FJC, including an ARB fridge. Now, hauling the trailer, the back of the FJ is usually empty.
I'd try to drive everything, and figure out what you want to do with your vehicle. Good luck.
I'd try to drive everything, and figure out what you want to do with your vehicle. Good luck.
SWITAWI
Doesn't Get Out Enough
I agree wholeheartedly, Corey. Most of the strong negative opinions I get on the FJ are snap judgements with little time actually spent in one. Every single person I know who didn't like my FJ at first but has spent more and more time in it has become more accepting of it. It's less ugly to some of them, and the interior is less 'closed-in' for others. Am I saying this is the vehicle for everybody?.. No, it definitely is not, and it may not be the right vehicle for the OP by a long shot, but everyone's perceptions are different. What some people see as 'character' other folks will always see simply as flaws. Hopefully some_dude can figure out which vehicle has the fewest flaws, the most character, and still works best for his life and needs.
:coffeedrink:
:coffeedrink:
Corey
OverCamping Specialist
Right on, well put guy's.
One of the Boeing police officers sat in mine a few weeks back who is a good foot taller than me, and he was surprised at how much room was above his head still.
I would replace mine too with a new one if I had to for some reason.
Unless I got my hands on an FJ 70
I think for those without kids having to take up the rear seats, the FJ can handle a lot of camping gear thrown at it.
If you have seen what I take camping, it is amazing I can fit all of that in there.
I am cutting back though :wings:
One of the Boeing police officers sat in mine a few weeks back who is a good foot taller than me, and he was surprised at how much room was above his head still.
I would replace mine too with a new one if I had to for some reason.
Unless I got my hands on an FJ 70
I think for those without kids having to take up the rear seats, the FJ can handle a lot of camping gear thrown at it.
If you have seen what I take camping, it is amazing I can fit all of that in there.
I am cutting back though :wings:
coastsider
Adventurer
Colin, where did you get that sweet rear CBI rear swing out? I can't find it on their website anywhere. Thanks!
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View attachment 94798
2025 deleted member
Well-known member
Right on, well put guy's.
One of the Boeing police officers sat in mine a few weeks back who is a good foot taller than me, and he was surprised at how much room was above his head still.
I would replace mine too with a new one if I had to for some reason.
Unless I got my hands on an FJ 70
I think for those without kids having to take up the rear seats, the FJ can handle a lot of camping gear thrown at it.
If you have seen what I take camping, it is amazing I can fit all of that in there.
I am cutting back though :wings:
We've seen pictures, I call that moving not camping!