Bogley

[Scott P]

Stirrin' the pot here.

According the latest issue (April 2006) of Consumer Reports, the authority on long term reliability of vehicles, and average four year old Jeep has 87 mechanical problems per 100 vehicles. This is compared to 25 for Toyota. While one person may have good luck with a Jeep, you are still taking a risk by buying one. Simply put, an average Jeep will have 348% more problems than the average Toyota. Big difference.

Jeep is on my black list of vehicles never to buy again. I used to own one (89 Wrangler).

The FJ is claimed to be better off-road than the Rubicon, but it would be better to have an unbiased source compare them side by side to see if it's really true. One report says they are equal, but the Rubicon has a slight advantage due to dimensions.

Here is one review I've found:

http://blogs.edmunds.com/.ee8e9d9

In the Forums, there's quite a discussion about the FJ Cruiser. Lots of speculation about the vehicle's pricing and how capable it will be off road and how well it will stack up against cars like the Jeep Wrangler, Hummer H3 and Nissan Xterra. Well, I've driven all four of these vehicles, and the FJ's pricing has been released, so I will go ahead and set the record straight right here:

The FJ is a screaming bargain. It starts at less than $22,000 for a 2WD automatic, and it tops out at $23,300 for a 4WD auto. If you load it up with luxury items and off-road equipment you might crack $29,000, but even a base 4x4 version will utterly destroy any remotely surmoutable off-road driving surface. It's also better equipped than the other three cars (even before you add options) and, in my not-so-humble opinion, it is by far the best looking and best on-road driving vehicle of the group, too. I'll maybe give the Jeep Rubicon a slight advantage in pure off-road ability, but only because of the Wrangler's tidier dimensions, not because it has superior equipment or any other inherent "capability" advantage. And in terms of everything not related to going off road, the FJ pummels the Wrangler (BTW, I'm a big Jeep Wrangler fan, but I'm not going to let that fact warp reality).

Here's another, but it sounds like they didn't drive them side by side:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/features/motoring/mt121032006.html

Most of those parts and accessories undoubtedly will be for off-road use. After traversing a fomidable off-road course in the Fj, Mark Williams, editor of our sister publication Truck Trend, says, “The Fj is a serious four-wheeler. A locking rear diff, A-TRAC four-wheel traction control, and strong approach and departure angles will set this icon up against the Nissan Xerra, the Hummer H3, and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. The hard-cores will appreciate the steel wheels on the base 4x4 and the manual transmission gearing. Toyota included a clutch interlock defeat with the manual to allow for starters crawling over serious obstacles.” Toyota heralds that the Fj Cruiser is the most capable 4x4 in the U.S lineup, and it lives up to the hype.

I don't think I'll buy either due to gas mileage, but here is what they get by EPA figures:

Jeep Wrangler Rubicon:

City mpg: 15
Highway mpg: 19
Horsepower: 190@4600 rpm
Torque: 235@3200 rpm

Toyota FJ Cruiser:

City mpg: 17
Highway mpg: 21
Horsepower: 239@5200 rpm
Torque: 278@3700 rpm

In other words, the Toyota is a bit roomier, supposedly as capable off road, much better on road, will be more reliable with likely less than 1/3 of the mechanical problems, has 13% better gas mileage city, 11% better highway, 26% more horsepower, and 18% more torque. It seems buying a Jeep is now a very poor choice.

[fourtycal]

In my opinion, and from my limited experience, You can not go wrong with ANY Toyota. They are great machines and so well built I can not say anything bad about them (even though mine was in the shop last week getting a new steering rod).
I have also owned five jeeps and was very happy with all of them. Having a Jeep always made me feel like a proud American. Even though it may not be the smartest move from a mechanical viewpoint, if I had a choice between the 07 FJ40 and an 07 Rubicon I would have the Jeep.