Liberty CRD vs Fj Cruiser
- Thread starter Nullifier
- Start date
Nullifier
Expedition Leader
expeditionswest said:
Thanks for the feedback Scott. The KJ now has a snorkel option from a company called airflow. Lostkjs has a thread on it. http://www.lostkjs.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19923
The FJ snorkel should be out shortly according to Chris @ ARB
Scott Brady
Founder
Get the JK or 4Runner...
Without question, the best new offerings available today.
The Liberty and FJC will both be compromises to real-world functionality.
This is not meant to downplay the Liberty or FJC at all. The FJC is a crazy, fun machine for daily driver / trail use. The Liberty is high on value and has a diesel option.
But given your aspirations for travel, get the JK 4Door or 4Runner. The Xterra would be an option too (and a good one). In the world of reasonably priced, functional expedition wagons, those are the only ones I would consider...
If you want something wild, build a Brute!
Without question, the best new offerings available today.
The Liberty and FJC will both be compromises to real-world functionality.
This is not meant to downplay the Liberty or FJC at all. The FJC is a crazy, fun machine for daily driver / trail use. The Liberty is high on value and has a diesel option.
But given your aspirations for travel, get the JK 4Door or 4Runner. The Xterra would be an option too (and a good one). In the world of reasonably priced, functional expedition wagons, those are the only ones I would consider...
If you want something wild, build a Brute!
2500Adventures
Adventurer
Not sure if you have checked the L.O.S.T. KJ board at all, but they have a wonderful CRD section dedicated to all the pros and cons to CRD ownership. Maybe check it out if you haven't already...
www.lostkjs.com then forum and locate crd section
And yes lift selection sucks on the Liberty. The best IFS lift I know of seems to be the Frankenlift located out of Big Bear Cali out of a shop called All Js (www.boulderbars.com)
www.lostkjs.com then forum and locate crd section
And yes lift selection sucks on the Liberty. The best IFS lift I know of seems to be the Frankenlift located out of Big Bear Cali out of a shop called All Js (www.boulderbars.com)
SeaRubi
Explorer
i vote for the Liberty. :REOutArchery02:
let's look at what you want to use the rig for ... if it's "overland" type travel, there's alot of benefits to the Liberty.
Let's face it - you're not rock crawling, so the big lift and big tires has limited value for your application.
IFS front: advantage. On washboard and rough roads, IFS is an asset, not a liability. Who needs the solid axle and the rougher ride?
CRD: the crd libby felt pretty durn peppy to me, and solid as a tank. I still wonder if the unlimited rubi was the best choice. I was set to get a CRD Liberty but didn't due to my urges around more hard-core offroading and light rock crawling. The libby wouldn't have held up to the abuse.
However, we were scoping out a trip from Seattle to the Baja and back. I would sure love to have the diesel for an 80% pavement trip. And even looking back on events like the border 2 border, I wouldn't hesitate to take a Liberty out on one of those. With that beefy rear diff, a rear TrueTrack would be plenty in that dept, IMO. Some mud terrains in the same size as OEM and you're rolling.
the cons to the libby are space - as in there isn't much. I think the cargo and rear seat areas were smaller on the Liberty as compared to my '06 Unlimited wrangler.
let's look at what you want to use the rig for ... if it's "overland" type travel, there's alot of benefits to the Liberty.
Let's face it - you're not rock crawling, so the big lift and big tires has limited value for your application.
IFS front: advantage. On washboard and rough roads, IFS is an asset, not a liability. Who needs the solid axle and the rougher ride?
CRD: the crd libby felt pretty durn peppy to me, and solid as a tank. I still wonder if the unlimited rubi was the best choice. I was set to get a CRD Liberty but didn't due to my urges around more hard-core offroading and light rock crawling. The libby wouldn't have held up to the abuse.
However, we were scoping out a trip from Seattle to the Baja and back. I would sure love to have the diesel for an 80% pavement trip. And even looking back on events like the border 2 border, I wouldn't hesitate to take a Liberty out on one of those. With that beefy rear diff, a rear TrueTrack would be plenty in that dept, IMO. Some mud terrains in the same size as OEM and you're rolling.
the cons to the libby are space - as in there isn't much. I think the cargo and rear seat areas were smaller on the Liberty as compared to my '06 Unlimited wrangler.
ox4mag
Explorer
Willman said:I'm missing something here......
EDIT: Gotta remember here...I rode the small bus to school when i was a kid:hehe:
The Brute is an offering by American Expedition Vehicles in which they have taken the Jeep TJ platform and transformed it into a functional Jeep TJ 'truck'. Check out the following link, it's pretty cool!
http://www.aev-conversions.com/products/brute/
Another very cool alternative is an offering by Summit Unlimited. Their concept is similiar to the Brute but quality-wise, I hear it's even better. Check them out at:
http://summitunlimited.com/
Grim Reaper
Expedition Leader
Toyota will ALWAYS have better resale.
I am aware of people that have lemoned the Jeep because of vibration in the drive line.
The Toyota rear axle IS stronger then the JK. The front suspension it probably stronger as well and there are no videos of Toyota's blowing their entire drive line out on a hill either.
I am aware of people that have lemoned the Jeep because of vibration in the drive line.
The Toyota rear axle IS stronger then the JK. The front suspension it probably stronger as well and there are no videos of Toyota's blowing their entire drive line out on a hill either.
jeffryscott
2006 Rally Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
SeaRubi said:
I brought up the lift limitations after coming from my Suzuki to the Toyota. I had the Zuk up between 4 and 6 inches over stock - which was pretty equivalent to where the lifted Liberty would sit. In Arizona, even if one isn't a hard-core rockcrawler, there are rocks. With the 4Runner in stock form, trails I bashed the Suzuki around on haven't even hit the underside of the Toyota.
Again, I liked the Liberty a lot and think they are probably underrated as a 4x4 (much as the Zuk's are), but it was just an observation I had between the choices given. It probably isn't an issue in Florida or where there is lots of mud, but I don't have any experience there.
calamaridog
Expedition Leader
Let me say this about the Liberty.
We own one, and we love it for around town and shorter road trips, but we cannot take it camping for more than one night at the most. One kid and one dog do NOT fit into a Liberty with all your stuff. Not even close to enough room for even a small family.
We get around 20mpg combined driving with the 3.7L V6, last time I checked. The drivetrain is good, and the part time/full time transfer case has worked out well for us for inclimate weather driving.
The Liberty can be a capable little trail rig if you get some skids and 32" tires. It's much smaller than my Land Cruiser, let me tell you. My issue with the Liberty is the underbuilt front end and small ass wheel wells. IFS is not created equal, and the design of the IFS in the Tacoma, for instance, is stonger, better, etc. in every way.
Honestly, if the Liberty was a little bigger, and had a better front suspension design, I'd have probably taken it from the wife and bought her a car and never bought the Land Cruiser. For that matter, if there was a 4 door Wrangler when we were shopping for the Liberty, We'd have gone that route, and I wouldn't have the Land Cruiser today either...
The 3.7L V6 is a good engine and I see no benefit to the added cost and headache of the CRD. People want to talk about the torque, but the Liberty is not a SFA rock crawler. The CRD would be awesome for a Wrangler that was built for crawling I think.
We own one, and we love it for around town and shorter road trips, but we cannot take it camping for more than one night at the most. One kid and one dog do NOT fit into a Liberty with all your stuff. Not even close to enough room for even a small family.
We get around 20mpg combined driving with the 3.7L V6, last time I checked. The drivetrain is good, and the part time/full time transfer case has worked out well for us for inclimate weather driving.
The Liberty can be a capable little trail rig if you get some skids and 32" tires. It's much smaller than my Land Cruiser, let me tell you. My issue with the Liberty is the underbuilt front end and small ass wheel wells. IFS is not created equal, and the design of the IFS in the Tacoma, for instance, is stonger, better, etc. in every way.
Honestly, if the Liberty was a little bigger, and had a better front suspension design, I'd have probably taken it from the wife and bought her a car and never bought the Land Cruiser. For that matter, if there was a 4 door Wrangler when we were shopping for the Liberty, We'd have gone that route, and I wouldn't have the Land Cruiser today either...
The 3.7L V6 is a good engine and I see no benefit to the added cost and headache of the CRD. People want to talk about the torque, but the Liberty is not a SFA rock crawler. The CRD would be awesome for a Wrangler that was built for crawling I think.
Bergger
Explorer
expeditionswest said:
I vote for the Xterra Off Road model as well! My wife got one last fall and its an awesome vehicle. Gobs of power, smooth ride, factory locker, nice interior room and layout, and good after market support. We got a brand new one for about 23.5k. I'd go with this or the 4Runner. I've owned a 3rd gen 4Runner and loved it. My neighbor actually bought a 4th gen 4runner 2 weeks after I got the Xterra so I've compared both very well and you won't be disappointed with either.
Bongo Boy
Observer
I have a 2005 Rubicon and the FJ Cruiser SE TRD, manual 6-speed--the worst mileage of the FJ lot by far. I don't think the FJ and the Liberty are comparable, but in any case I sure can't recommend the FJ for any purpose at all.
While, IMO, the FJ looks like a soccer-mom car, it would be fairly impractical for that purpose since no one can get out of the back of the car, curbside, without someone opening the front passenger door. The door configuration alone makes it a certain-injury for young kids, IMO, and I think a two-door would be no more inconvenient and quite a bit safer. In order to outfit it with aftermarket product to make it look something like a vehicle that might get out of the neighborhood, I think you're looking at an outrageous amt of cash, too--based on a few things I've looked at. I don't think there's an aftermarket bumper for it that's much under $1,000 USD, for example.
As an offroad vehicle--well, it simply won't fit between the trees on some of the easy forest service trails I frequent, and you can't see out of it anyway. It's NOT a rig I'd enjoy driving on anything but a wide-open trail. If you're accustomed to full-size, fat off-road vehicles, it won't be a problem, though.
I don't know what the range is, but it has poor mileage combined with a small fuel tank--bad conbination.
It's a quiet, smooth and comfortable ride on the highway and it tows 5,000 lbs (rated). That's the only reason I bought it, and if I got a divorce today, the FJ would happily go with her. She prefers it because it's quiet, and the top is always up so her hair doesn't get dorked.
I don't like it much, and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I don't enjoy driving it (except on the freeway) and don't enjoy being seen in it, either. I'm really struggling to figure out what it's intended purpose is, actually. I've been spoiled by the TJ, I guess, and am really used to the high visibility and maneuverability. I have to think if you spend a good bit of time road-testing them both, you'd have to go with the Liberty, unless you just prefer the FJ styling.
While, IMO, the FJ looks like a soccer-mom car, it would be fairly impractical for that purpose since no one can get out of the back of the car, curbside, without someone opening the front passenger door. The door configuration alone makes it a certain-injury for young kids, IMO, and I think a two-door would be no more inconvenient and quite a bit safer. In order to outfit it with aftermarket product to make it look something like a vehicle that might get out of the neighborhood, I think you're looking at an outrageous amt of cash, too--based on a few things I've looked at. I don't think there's an aftermarket bumper for it that's much under $1,000 USD, for example.
As an offroad vehicle--well, it simply won't fit between the trees on some of the easy forest service trails I frequent, and you can't see out of it anyway. It's NOT a rig I'd enjoy driving on anything but a wide-open trail. If you're accustomed to full-size, fat off-road vehicles, it won't be a problem, though.
I don't know what the range is, but it has poor mileage combined with a small fuel tank--bad conbination.
It's a quiet, smooth and comfortable ride on the highway and it tows 5,000 lbs (rated). That's the only reason I bought it, and if I got a divorce today, the FJ would happily go with her. She prefers it because it's quiet, and the top is always up so her hair doesn't get dorked.
I don't like it much, and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I don't enjoy driving it (except on the freeway) and don't enjoy being seen in it, either. I'm really struggling to figure out what it's intended purpose is, actually. I've been spoiled by the TJ, I guess, and am really used to the high visibility and maneuverability. I have to think if you spend a good bit of time road-testing them both, you'd have to go with the Liberty, unless you just prefer the FJ styling.
Last edited:
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Bongo Boy said:I have a 2005 Rubicon and the FJ Cruiser SE TRD, manual 6-speed--the worst mileage of the FJ lot by far. I don't think the FJ and the Liberty are comparable, but in any case I sure can't recommend the FJ for any purpose at all.
While, IMO, the FJ looks like a soccer-mom car, it would be fairly impractical for that purpose since no one can get out of the back of the car, curbside, without someone opening the front passenger door. The door configuration alone makes it a certain-injury for young kids, IMO, and I think a two-door would be no more inconvenient and quite a bit safer. In order to outfit it with aftermarket product to make it look something like a vehicle that might get out of the neighborhood, I think you're looking at an outrageous amt of cash, too--based on a few things I've looked at. I don't think there's an aftermarket bumper for it that's much under $1,000 USD, for example.
As an offroad vehicle--well, it simply won't fit between the trees on some of the easy forest service trails I frequent, and you can't see out of it anyway. It's NOT a rig I'd enjoy driving on anything but a wide-open trail. If you're accustomed to full-size, fat off-road vehicles, it won't be a problem, though.
I don't know what the range is, but it has poor mileage combined with a small fuel tank--bad conbination.
It's a quiet, smooth and comfortable ride on the highway and it tows 5,000 lbs (rated). That's the only reason I bought it, and if I got a divorce today, the FJ would happily go with her. She prefers it because it's quiet, and the top is always up so her hair doesn't get dorked.
I don't like it much, and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I don't enjoy driving it (except on the freeway) and don't enjoy being seen in it, either. I'm really struggling to figure out what it's intended purpose is, actually. I've been spoiled by the TJ, I guess, and am really used to the high visibility and maneuverability. I have to think if you spend a good bit of time road-testing them both, you'd have to go with the Liberty, unless you just prefer the FJ styling.
Let me say that I am not defending the FJC but I don't think that you can compare it to the TJ and this thread was intended to compare the FJ to the Liberty.
Right now there is "FJ-Mania" so all of the vendors are charging what the market can bear. People who are buying the FJs at more than sticker seem to have no qualms about $1K bumpers either. other people then get cold feet and sell them. There is one near me up for sale that is lifted with bumpers and all of the goodies. Only 1800 miles too.
Nullifier
Expedition Leader
What's amazing about the FJ is that the units I have seen that apeal to me sticker at 27K you look on ebay and people are buying used ones with 20+k for 28-30K and they are stock ones. I just do not see why with the dealers stock up now, that peolpe are buying used ones at retail price. Now ay I'm paying 28k for an fj with 2ok miles on it.