FJ Cruiser versus Jeep Wrangler

Which one is right for you?

FJ Cruiser November 30, 2011

Here was my problem: I use my own vehicle for work, and I have a job where I sometimes need to go off-road. At other times, I drive to locations that are somewhere between road and off-road, such as on gravel roads or just plain dirt roads. But I also do a good bit of highway driving, which means legal speeds of 75 mph, because I'm out in the American southwest. And, not surprisingly, I do a fair amount of city driving. So, off-road ability is important to me, and so is highway and city driving ability, and so is gas mileage. And yes, a vehicle's appearance is also important to me, and I like driving something that I consider "fun." How's that for a want list?

As you can guess from the title of this article, my decision narrowed down to a choice between two vehicles: the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser, and the 2012 Jeep Wrangler. The Nissan Xterra was briefly considered, and quickly dismissed. It doesn't have the off-road capability of either a Cruiser or a Wrangler, it looks - to me - a bit boring, and the salesperson I dealt with at the Nissan dealership was probably the strangest car salesman I've ever met. (When I was leaving, he shouted after me, "When you call back, only ask for me, and even if they tell you I don't work here any more, don't believe them!" That sure makes you want to buy a Nissan.)

Anyway . . . I did a lot of online research between the FJ Cruiser and the Jeep Wrangler, most of which was dated, because the 2012 models were just coming out, but most of which was also helpful. Petersen's 4-Wheel and Off-Road magazine did a head-to-head test which I thought was reasonably fair, and the article's worth reading. The test only looked at off-road capabilities - an important point if you also drive on-road - and concluded that, "if we didn't consider it a copout, we would almost call it a tie." But they went with the Jeep, mainly because of styling issues and issues with the FJ Cruiser that are no longer issues in the 2012 model.

How do they perform off-road?

The fact is, both the FJ Cruiser and the Jeep Wrangler are great off-road. They both have great clearance, and great four-wheel-drive capabilities. Comparisons, even in extreme off-road conditions, become so nuanced that it really comes down to personal bias. Most folks know that Jeep Wranglers are great off-road, because of their long history. If you have any doubts about how great FJ Cruisers are off-road, check out practically any issue of 4WD Toyota Owner magazine.

Which one looks cooler?

Appearance and styling issues are, of course, a matter of personal taste. The appearance of a Jeep Wrangler is iconic, and all-American. John Wayne rode around in Jeeps in World War II movies. The appearance of the FJ Cruiser is clever, retro, and iconic in a more global sort of way. Unlike some Toyotas sold in America, FJ Cruisers are built in Japan, and naturally have a big Pacific Rim presence. If you're John Wayne in the Jeep, you're Crocodile Dundee in the Cruiser.

Much has been made of the back doors on the FJ Cruiser but, frankly, I found no issues with them. The guy at the Toyota dealership who went for a test drive with myself and my wife was well over six feet tall, and got in and out of the back seat easily. The other criticism of the FJ Cruiser is that there is a bit of a blind spot, which is true. The 2012 model compensates for this by including a back-up camera viewed in the rear view mirror. Like any vehicle I've ever owned, I won't drive it until I put a stick-on Blind Spot Convex Mirror on each of the side mirrors, and I rely on these for changing lanes.

How do they perform on-road?

The question of how both vehicles perform on-road, especially in highway driving, ended up being the make-or-break issue for me. My advice: before you decide on a vehicle, take each one out for a reasonably long test drive on a highway. That's what I did. Driving an FJ Cruiser on a highway isn't like being in a luxury car, but it's fairly comfortable. Driving a Jeep Wrangler on a highway is like being inside a Waring blender with wheels on it. Really, there's no comparison here - the FJ Cruiser wins hands down.

So, I bought an FJ Cruiser

Once the test drives were over, I was pretty convinced that I wanted the FJ Cruiser. But there was also one other issue that swayed me. Where I work, some of our fleet vehicles are Jeeps (the Liberty model, not the Wrangler). And they're in the shop a lot. Which is not what you want to be thinking of when you're out in the middle of nowhere. By contrast, the vehicle I traded in was a 2007 Toyota RAV4 with 80,000 miles on it. I bought it new, and I was the one that drove it those 80,000 miles, often pushing the vehicle - RAV4's are not off-road vehicles. And it never gave me a lick of trouble. So, I bought the 2012 FJ Cruiser. I've already driven it over two thousand miles, and I love it. It's loud, it's boxy, it's tough as nails, and it goes anywhere. What more can a guy ask for?

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