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Without having done any research whatsoever, I am wondering about the Toyota FJ Cruiser:
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I saw one on my commute the other day, and thought it was one of the most nice looking SUVs ever, yet it's not one I had ever seen, or even heard of, before.
Now, I realise that beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but is there a specific reason it seems to have hardly been on the public radar? Or are there just not a lot of them in South Wales?
Were never officially sold in the UK, stopped making them in 2014?
They're very popular, they sold loads of them.
However, they don't sell them in the U.K. Which is why you don't see them in South Wales.
Is that made out of actual Lego?
*imagines Saxon Rider driving down the street, singing "Everything is Awesome"
They are great. Never officially sold here though, mainly for the US market although limited Japan/Aus/NZ. Quite expensive to import here (only the oldest are now hitting 10 years old which makes them easier/cheaper to bring in) and a fairly thirsty petrol V6.
they don't sell them in the U.K.
Oh. The one I saw was RHD, so I assumed it was for this market. Alas, it must have been an individual import.
And FYI, I belt out 'Everything is Awesome' when I'm driving regardless of the vehicle I'm in.
According to this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_FJ_Cruiser
it was sold predominantly in the North American market.
It looks like Left-hand drive versions were made available in Japan, Oz & New Zealand.
It's got a 4 litre V6 that only makes ~250bhp. I dread to think what the fuel economy would be like.
It's basically made to look a bit like the original Land Cruiser. But it actually looks pretty bloody horrible IMO.
Not sure if serious...
It's nice - but it's no Honda Element! 8)
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Are suicide doors a thing again?
Because what the UK needs is more gopping SUVs.
Meanwhile coming soon to a trail centre car park near you...
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I like it, very obvious homage to the J40, never seen one in the wild though
Porsche Macan or GTFO!
*Oh and if you like that urban cruiser check out Jonathan Ward / Icon 4x4. They do fully custom "restomod" rebuilds of Toyota Landcruisers which are nothing short of amazing. Will try to find a vidjo.
Not sure if serious...
Apparently it's only that ugly due to the wind tunnel tests.
It's the [i]least[/i] aerodynamic shape possible for a four seater SUV 😉
Mate of mine in Oz had one. Fitted all sorts of after market off road stuff to it and towed one of these around for weekends in the bush:
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Mumvees
It's awful is the reason. An acquaintance has one in Canada.
As above it's got a 4L engine but woefully underpowered.
Despite being massive it's tiny and cramped inside.
The ride is rough on highway and yet somehow is also awful when actually going off road.
Lada Niva, is the thing.
Where can they be bought?
Saxon Rider, pictured yesterday...
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It's not popular in the far east because it's a 4L petrol.
But this one will sell like hot cakes ...
"Toyota surprises with Land Cruiser 70 re-release"
[url= http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1094082_toyota-surprises-with-land-cruiser-70th-anniversary-re-release-video#image=100477833 ]According to this lot ...[/url]
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Just as ugly, but more available, and probably more capable off- as well as on-road, is this:
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This is the one to have if the Toyota hasn't got balls enough, it's a bi-turbo V12, 700bhp and over [s]700[/s]Nm of torques, 0-60 in 4.6 sec!
😀
Ithat looks like a Playmobile or WOW toy and as I haves bio taste in cars I like it.
Loving Action Man's on trend scarf.
[quote="sweaman2"]It's awful is the reason. An acquaintance has one in Canada.
As above it's got a 4L engine but woefully underpowered.
Despite being massive it's tiny and cramped inside.
The ride is rough on highway and yet somehow is also awful when actually going off road.Almost exactly, word for word what i was going to post.
We had one at work to look at/assess. When it finally went (to teardown i guess) it only had about 800 miles on the clock. After nearly a year.
Most cars we get accumulate that in about a week.
There was a very conspicuous one in downtown Dubai on TG yesterday if anyone noticed.
Actually... I am quite liking the look of the Merc pickup 😉
But then I would be planning on abusing it horribly in actual 4x4 requiring places. My Vito, whilst great on perfect tarmac, is a bit of a nightmare when I fall off said tarmac.
I spent an hour digging myself out of the mud with a pointing trowel and using waterproofs as traction mats a couple of weeks back so have vowed to go back to something more offroad friendly. Also - walking across fields multiple times carrying heavy kit is getting old!!!!
I may change my mind before it is time to change vehicles though. The new Landrover may be out by then. Also the Tesla pickup. Probably some other stuff too....
Yeah, I'd drive that Merc too in fairness - as long as it has a v8 (or bigger) and some more off-road friendly wheels/tyres.
The Toyota - not practical enough for the school run. Needs rear doors for the kids, possibly not enough space for all the gear that goes with them (scooters etc) and four times the protection thickness (and screw the ability for anyone else to drive past it).
And it's the wrong colour.
I remember reading an article in Top Gear when they first came out, they were cheap as chips in the states, and were expected to be a huge success. Bit of a shame they weren't sold over here, but they would have been more expensive and not built well enough to compete with the regular players.
Lada Niva, is the thing.
Where can they be bought?
Available new for £10,799 otr
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From the UK importer http://www.markkey.co.uk/nivacar.html
because its an SUV?
surely the most pointless iteration of the motor car (for 99% of those that own them?)
The Toyota - not practical enough for the school run. Needs rear doors for the kids
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Lada are no longer brought to the UK that mark fella did a press release last year.
The fj was massively expensive even in the us.
And why isn't it more popular in the UK.....Doesn't have a vw or Audi badge....
there are plenty of them here in Oz - I saw a yellow one with a "TONKA" number plate on a few months ago.
In person, they are humongous - like: hummvee big.
You could get away with it in the US, but good luck trying to get around a multi-storey car park in one.
The road is not wide enough in the UK ... 😆
I still prefer the Land Cruiser 70 re-release.
seen a few in SChermany... perhaps imports from the States.
eitehr way, i like the look of them.
and not really any different size-wise to a Disco...
What i am more amazed at are the number of hours and Toyota People carriers i am seeing here in Hong Kong that look a lot cooler than anything we see in the UK. I would have thought the market would be similar. Instead we get the granny looking casual and ford offerings.
Travelled round NZ in my brothers Land Cruiser 70..awesome machine.
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He had a smaller one too
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They're fairly popular in SE Asia and the the exterior is good looking.
The interior is also much less plasticky in real life than it appears looks in photos.
Seems to do okay off road.
Brick - yeah HK and Singapore are full of Oddyseys and the like, I suppose we have the S-max stuff which is about the closest equivalent but it would be nice to see some variety.
I suspect they wouldn't pass half the tests that cars in Europe and the uk have to pass. Cars styling and shape is being more and more influenced by the crash and pedestrian safety regulations we have that the ROW don't. Or the manufacturers don't want to pay the price to have them tested and approved. They may look good but how are they built?
wobbliscottI suspect they wouldn't pass half the tests that cars in Europe and the uk have to pass.
I though California had some of the toughest emissions tests in the world? I just assumed a lot of bigger heavier SUVs / 4x4s / trucks don't get sold over here because their available engine choices, combined with the high fuel taxes make them nonviable or pushes them into the luxury end of the market in terms of fuel costs and vehicle tax.
People carriers in the UK has been a massively declining market, so not a surprise that you don't see many Japanese models here. Also could they be competitive on price against the likes of the European brands and Ford, who seem to be the main players in the UK?
Oh and the reason most of the 'cars' pictured on this thread aren't sold in the UK is the a mining and wouldn't sell in any numbers I expect.
dragon - MemberPeople carriers in the UK has been a massively declining market,
Are you sure about that? I think unless you're are refering specifically to a very narrow definition of people carrier (Renault Espace/Toyota Estima etc) then I think it's a growing sector. MPVs, compact people carriers and cross-overs are everywhere.