What's the more offroad capable: FJ or Taco?

[ERdept]

I'm getting close to buying and have always debated these two. My driving will mostly be to work, then once a month, driving to a trail and driving out. Camping, and hauling my hobby stuff (guns).


But I also want to know which is the better off road. I know this is a Tacoma forum, but I'm asking you to step outside of yourselves and give me your honest take on offroad practicality and performance comparo for the two for me. I need your help.

[Demoncleaner]

FJ.

specs tell the tale.

A TRD Off-road Taco will still do very well. Doesnt sound like your doing the Rubicon trail or extreme off-roading to wreck your 30K investment. Either should fit the bill, but and you can actually haul something in a Tacoma.

[Janster]

I'm not familiar with the FJ's - but I would research the differences between their 4WD systems, & locker options.

Other than that - I would think the FJ can haul more people plus more interior room.

When it comes to aftermarket offroad accessories -I would tend to believe the Tacoma has more available.

For light offroading - you can't go wrong with either. What's the price tag comparison between the two?

If that offroad itch gets too overwhelming - you can always save your pennnies and buy another vehicle (a beater-upper truck), upgrade it, and wheel the snot outta it and keep your tacoma or FJ in prestine condition.

[piercedtiger]

I would say the FJ is more capable. Shorter wheelbase so less chance of high centering. Then again the shorter wheelbase might also mean you'd get stuck in mud. There's a few places I've been where I had just enough momentum for the front tires to bite solid ground while the rears were spinning mud just as the truck slowed down. A shorter vehicle may have bogged down before hitting solid ground, or would need more speed to get through. Depends on the situation. Some places you don't want too much speed (recalling a a vid I saw of an FJ smacking a tree and bending the hell out of his ARB because of too much speed).

Either way, the taco has more cargo capacity, and a DC taco has more passenger capacity. I seriously looked at an FJ when they came out, but it looked like a real pain in the ass to get anyone other than small kids out of the back. If you're a bachelor with no kids then it's probably ok. That's who Toyota designed it for. If you have a wife and kids, forget about it. Car seats would be a bitch, and it would probably be too small as the kids got older. Then again, you can always buy a bigger vehicle later.

Since it's more like a Jeep I've seen a lot of aftermarket goodies for the FJ. More so than the Taco at first, but they're coming for the Taco too.

Guess it depends on if you want a truck or a jeep, and if you wheel solo or with friends along for the ride.


Seems like the FJ's were more than the Taco's too. Maybe get an actual jeep (used, or already modded) for a fraction of the price and build it up?

[surfsupl]

This would make an interesting article in a magazine. Its hard to say. Now the FJ's from way back, I think they would give them a run for their money. By 2days standards, the new FJ is probably catered more 2wards the daily driver. Not weekend warrior!..Just my 2 cents!

[concrete jedi]

I have never seen the new fj's in the mud or trail, but they were designed to mimic the old ones, that's some fine pedigree. To keep it fair you would have to keep the wheelbase as close as you could, regular cab taco to the fj and the fj's rear diff would have to stay in the open configuration, i would say very close to maybe a slight advantage to the taco b/c of power to weight ratio. I am not that familiar with the final drive ratio of the fj, 3:73 or 4:10's ?

[dbbd1]

I agree with the above comments about the FJ being better. And then there is A-TRAC on those FJ's as well, d@mn near unstoppable. I love my FJ but the Taco has more room, longer fuel range, and (as of yet) no engine bay bulges.


http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forum...body-rips.html

[piercedtiger]

Originally Posted by dbbd1

I agree with the above comments about the FJ being better. And then there is A-TRAC on those FJ's as well, d@mn near unstoppable. I love my FJ but the Taco has more room, longer fuel range, and (as of yet) no engine bay bulges.


http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forum...body-rips.html

Yeah.... and then there's that.... I had forgotten about that.

[Toy4Life]

Here's the FJ on the Rubicon Trail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLXqvrwKY3s

I think the FJ's are badass. They are two very different vehicles, with different uses. Both of which are very capable offroaders with Toyota quality and Reliability.

[piercedtiger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMOhVKW5lgI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lugab0ehZM

'nuff said.

[Toy4Life]

Originally Posted by piercedtiger

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JMOhVKW5lgI

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5Lugab0ehZM

'nuff said.

That could've just as easily been a taco.

[piercedtiger]

True. Just goes to show you can drop $30-$40g's on a wheeling rig, and all the gadgets and gizmos won't save your stupid ass.

Although in the second vid I'm thinking maybe a longer wheelbase might have helped... I dunno... Looks like if he could've made it a couple more feet...

[trd_sport]

FJ will give you the best off-roading vehicle for sure.

[WilsonTheDog]

Originally Posted by trd_sport

FJ will give you the best off-roading vehicle for sure.

I agree, if only for the same reason a Wrangler is so good off road: short wheelbase.

[tacotoe]

I think the FJ is designed to be more capable off-road. The Tacoma does very well off-road too. I think a new access cab/short box 6spd man and TRD(lock.dif.),and a topper would be great...but I`m "Family Guy",now.

[Janster]

Originally Posted by piercedtiger

Maybe get an actual jeep (used, or already modded) for a fraction of the price and build it up?

YES...that's exactly what my husband and I did.

No worries - you can beat the snot out of it and not really care (like you would with a nice shiney $30K pament ridden daily driver).

And if you keep that trail rig legal on the streets, you have an extra set of wheels in case something goes wrong with your daily driver.

Again - I don't know much about the FJ's.... I would think their center of gravity is higher and thus would get *tippy* sooner than a taco would.

[dbbd1]

Went out today and we all got stuck in the snow. 4 FJ's and my Taco. Of course, if we all had not stopped to clear the tree out of our way, trucks slowly settling into the 3' of snow, it may not have happened. But, since I was in the lead, I did not want to hit the tree...

[mjp2]

Know your intended use. Both rigs offer the same powertrain options and have the same front suspension.

Rear suspension is where you'll find the differences:
Tacoma = solid rear axle & leaf springs. Better for towing, hauling, and overall reliability.
FJ = independent, coil-sprung rear suspension. Better general handling and most high-speed stuff.

It's really a toss-up. Rock-crawler guys swap out independent front suspension for solid axles for better strength and more articulation. Desert racers keep the independent front and gusset the rear solid axle. Even the trophy trucks run solid rear axles. :shrug:

Go with whichever you like more. Honestly, both will be up to whatever offroad task you through them at. And if that task is something specialized or beyond the capability of the truck, you'll end up with a build on your hands anyway. Each have their own weaknesses to overcome, but neither are full of fail.

[dbbd1]

This is where I was, along with 4 FJ's. We were all stuck. This is after we got the 2 FJ's out that were trying to pull me out, first in, last out. I keep telling those FJ'ers that it took 4 FJ's to pull out where 1 Taco went. (they were not buying it, though!)

[dbbd1]

Oh yeah, that was virgin snow before I did my imitation of an icebreaker (I would get a run at it, ride up on it with my skid, slowly settle). Might be time for taller tires (now, I just need the money)