Jeep Wrangler Unlimited VS Toyota FJ Cruiser

By: Kaylee Myers and Tyrel Treat

Off-Road Warriors

The ultimate off-road machines, the Jeep verses the Toyota. Wondering the differences between the Toyota FJ Cruiser and the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited? Want to know What makes them so powerful and well known for “off-roading vehicles”? In this blog we will compare the two vehicles and talk about what really make the two of them so special and why TONS of people go crazy over the two. With a rivalry that runs deeper than the mud pits you’ll be traveling in with these two vehicles, it’s easy to see why there is such a rivalry today.

Starting back in the 1980s, you can see by the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser and the Jeep CJ7, the race to build an off road warrior with every rugged feature, yet still have the luxury of a long lasting road vehicle was well on its way.

Fast forwarding 35 years to today, the brands have come a long ways in major leaps and bounds in the safety, technology, performance, and reliability departments. Interior
The Toyota comes with Rubber/Vinyl floors and water resistant seats allowing you to hose out your entire vehicle after your fishing trip to the beach filling your FJ with sand and that lovely fish smell. While the FJ may be easier to clean out, nothing is more enjoyable than the “optional” doors and top, and all-weather sound system on your Jeep, allowing you to really experience that trip to the fullest. The Jeep Seating position is higher than the FJ for increased visibility.

Performance: Mechanically not much separates the two vehicles, while neck and neck all the way across the performance board; the jeep takes the cake, but just by the skin of its iconic front grill. The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited comes in with 15 horsepower more than the FJ, 103 lbs lighter, a 0.2 seconds faster 0 to 60 time, and a 0.1 second faster quarter mile time. On the 60 to 0 braking length test, the jeep stops just one foot shorter at 132 ft. and the FJ at 133 ft. Despite the jeeps slight lead in the performance area the FJ has its advantages, mainly by taking the gold in the figure 8 showing that power may not be everything, especially while trekking those winding mountain trails or fitting thru narrow paths in the backwoods. The Jeep has 10.6 inches of ground clearance while the FJ has a little less at 9.6 inches of clearance; however the FJ Cruisers exhaust sits Higher allowing you to drive through water nearly 2 feet deep.

Safety: When it comes to safety both of these vehicles have a large amount of safety features ranging from the mandatory airbag to the very in-depth rollover testing that both the Wrangler and FJ Received. The FJ Rollover Risk rating from the NHTSA Ratings Received a 25.6% Risk of Rollover while the Jeep received a touch more at 27.9%. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) the Toyota received slightly higher ratings for roof strength and head restraints/ seats; while the Jeep received higher small overlap front and moderate overlap Front Crash ratings. For those of us who didn’t know what an overlap crash rating is, IIHS describes it as “The test designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or object like a tree or utility Pole.

Reliability: Both the FJ Cruiser and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited are very reliable because of their engines. They have been refined over the years and are some of the most reliable, long lasting engines made. The interior lasts a long time because they are made to be off roading vehicle with rugged features such as vinyl floors, all weather seats and have very technologically advanced, simple features that can last a lifetime!

So if you are interested in either one of these vehicles please check out our website to find out what Woody’s Automotive Group has in stock today! As you can see these two AMAZING vehicles have a lot to offer.

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