2-door vs 4-door vs FJ Cruiser?

[bradsm87]

For a dedicated off-road and camping vehicle (not a daily driver):

I'm totally stuck. I've always wanted a 3.6L JK 2-door Rubicon. Awesome approach, breakover and departure angles, lockers, small, light, fenders that can fit big tyres, good engine etc. etc.

My problem is, I have a wife and two children and the vehicle needs to be able to fit us and all of our stuff including at least a 50L fridge. That kinda puts an end to the 2-door JK idea.

I've never been a fan of the 4-door JK, mostly due to the 2950mm wheelbase. With the type of off-roading I intend to do, this will get stuck frequently with the lift (2") and tyres (34s) that I want to run.

The other vehicle that I'm now quite interested in is the Toyota FJ Cruiser. I don't mind the weird look and can put up with the weird little things about it. The size and wheelbase seems like a perfect compromise of storage space and off-road capability. It also has an extra 200mm of wading depth rating. I suspect that the cabin would be much better sealed from water in the FJ. I would be going for a +2" extended arms and driveshafts front long travel kit as well as sorting out plenty of travel in the rear. This isn't cheap but the end result is plenty of wheel travel, taking away a lot of the advantage of the solid axle in the Jeep. The lighter unspring weight and geometry of the IFS means that it feels nicer and tighter to steer and is inheretly more comfortable. More stuffing around though!

The other idea which I think will be too much work is get an FZJ105R LandCruiser and put a 6L Gen 4 LS V8 and 6-speed auto in it. The least economical end result but possibly the best. A large project is not what I really want though!

Thoughts and opinions?

[Wazza D]

I'm a bit confused.
You say you prefer the JK short wheel base over the 4 door due to off road performance. OK so far.
Then in the next breath you are talking about FJ Cruisers and FZJ105R plus spending lots of money on them.
I go out with a few of these, and they are great, but if you are talking off road performance, then not so much as a direct comparison.

[bradsm87]

Originally Posted by Wazza D

I'm a bit confused.
You say you prefer the JK short wheel base over the 4 door due to off road performance. OK so far.
Then in the next breath you are talking about FJ Cruisers and FZJ105R plus spending lots of money on them.
I go out with a few of these, and they are great, but if you are talking off road performance, then not so much as a direct comparison.

The FJ has a wheelbase pretty much bang-on in the middle of the 2-door and 4-door. As I said, I'd be getting a proper long-travel front setup for it. Why would that not have excellent off-road performance? Even the 105 series land cruiser has a shorter wheelbase than the 4-door Wrangler. Why would that not be extremely capable when modified?

I'm genuinely interested to know, how would a 4-door jK be better than these two vehicles?

[bradsm87]

Originally Posted by samft

....also, seriously an FJ? surely just go for a Prado. There's no shame in wanting to join the Toyota crew like everyone else. But FJ's are for people who want to kid themselves they bought something non-generic.

the Prado is essentially the same car with much better visibility, 7 seats if you need them and a much bigger fuel tank.

I'm not sure what the benefits of the FJ are over the prado

The FJ is much shorter front to rear and WAY less overhang both front and rear than a Prado. Also much cheaper, factory rear locker and much bigger guards to fit bigger tyres.

[samft]

Sorry, I was in a grumpy mood this morning

I have no input because I've never driven such an extensively modified FJ, I'm sure it'll be great

If you want specific JK advice/opinions ask away

[milky01]

I would say look at the Y61 Patrol. People run 35s on these and have all the creature comforts for your family. It already has a 5.0 V8 with a big gas tank, can fit a roof rack, and the price has come down from it's previously absurd amount.
Only downside is they are a thirsty vehicle, but the cost there will be more driven by how much mileage you're doing.

[bradsm87]

Originally Posted by milky01

I would say look at the Y61 Patrol. People run 35s on these and have all the creature comforts for your family. It already has a 5.0 V8 with a big gas tank, can fit a roof rack, and the price has come down from it's previously absurd amount.
Only downside is they are a thirsty vehicle, but the cost there will be more driven by how much mileage you're doing.

Thanks. I'll have another look at the Y61 but last time I checked, they were just too huge and heavy. The 105 series LandCruiser is already bigger than ideal and the Y61 is just next level.