I see these gauges sitting atop the FJ's dash and wonder why they are there. In L.A. is it really THAT important to see the elevation changes on Sunset Boulevard from Beverly Hills to PCH? Who really uses a compass when you can Google your route first and are guided by street signs?..
And everyone knows it's always around 72 degrees here ( however the "58 degrees" reveals the cold spell we're currently suffering through).
This multi-information display is part of Upgrade Package #2 and for those city slickers who don't know, those things on either side of the temperature gauge are an inclinometer and a compass. In any case, these items seem kinda extraneous in L.A. Here, we're more apt to figure out our direction with a navigation system than a simple compass. And the inclinometer? Sure, we've got some mountains but nothing major.
So this just left me wondering who on staff actually uses these gauges. Many staffers have taken the FJ camping but no one has remarked on how it guided them through the roads of Yosemite or the plains of Death Valley. I can see finding use for them outside of Southern California but not so much in the urban jungle and its environs.
Unfortunately since we wanted the rear differential lock and A-TRAC traction control system in the $2,620 package, the display was thrown in there as well. If anything, it does lend a certain ruggedness to the FJ.
Production Editor Caroline Pardilla
This multi-information display is part of Upgrade Package #2 and for those city slickers who don't know, those things on either side of the temperature gauge are an inclinometer and a compass. In any case, these items seem kinda extraneous in L.A. Here, we're more apt to figure out our direction with a navigation system than a simple compass. And the inclinometer? Sure, we've got some mountains but nothing major.
So this just left me wondering who on staff actually uses these gauges. Many staffers have taken the FJ camping but no one has remarked on how it guided them through the roads of Yosemite or the plains of Death Valley. I can see finding use for them outside of Southern California but not so much in the urban jungle and its environs.
Unfortunately since we wanted the rear differential lock and A-TRAC traction control system in the $2,620 package, the display was thrown in there as well. If anything, it does lend a certain ruggedness to the FJ.
Production Editor Caroline Pardilla
redliner says:
01:58 PM, 04/19/07
More gauges is NEVER a bad thing. Just think of it as part of the FJ's personality.
I love full instrumentation, and it makes me kinda sad to see that more and more car makers are moving away from that. Thank goodness for aftermarket parts.
banhugh says:
05:30 PM, 04/19/07
I agree with redliner. Its much better than with a stripped down console with only a couple of buttons for the A/C. It gives character to the interior.
But you are right as well Caroline. There is something out of place to drive in the city and be informed of the road inclination.
The problem is not the instruments. Its the fact that you are driving a 4x4 vehicle in LA. To paraphrase your title: "Are 4x4 SUVs obsolete in the city?"
billt9 says:
07:41 PM, 04/19/07
I use the compass a lot.
I like driving to new places to see new sights. I just wander into them.
To wander out, I use the compass to tell me which way is home.
banhugh says:
09:07 PM, 04/19/07
I use the compass along with the moonroof view and my sextant for celestial navigation. No nav system can beat the good old days of Mangelan and Columbus. If only it had traffic information too...
boxermike says:
06:54 AM, 04/20/07
I live in a Northeastern city and I've got to emphatically say that no, 4x4 SUVs are NOT obsolete. Ground/curb/roadhazard clearance, all-weather traction, increased visibility all make day-to-day city driving a pleasure.
ahightower says:
11:26 AM, 04/20/07
Inclinometer is cute but not necessary. The compass is a must for me. I like paying attention to which direction I'm going, finding alternate routes, discovering my own way home after wandering off course just for kicks. And that design is really neat. It looks cool and it's more accurate than the 8-point electronic compass built into my rearview mirror.
desmolicious says:
11:35 AM, 04/20/07
Compass? Nav system? Pshah! I like to leave a trail of bread crumbs to find my way back.
darthbimmer says:
09:29 PM, 04/21/07
I have a compass gauge in one of my cars. I use it occasionally on paved roads and frequently on dirt roads to orient myself. Only a car GPS would make it obsolete.
To understand the use for the incline and tilt gauges you have to do some real offroading. By "real" I mean the kind that fewer than 2% of all offroad vehicles ever see. Out there in the rough the tilt meter is really important. The trails aren't always level, and you'll occasionally have to drive with one side of the vehicle much higher than the other. Learn the number for your vehicle's tip-over angle and watch the tilt meter. It'll help you get through obstacles that you might otherwise chicken out of, and it'll warn you when you're getting too far off camber.
skierx420 says:
08:27 AM, 04/23/07
I love the inclometer. My father owned a number of Dodge Raider / Mitsubishi Montero's with the inclometer it was very handy when we were driving offroad during deer season. Since those vehicles were prone to roll over (I'm sure given the right conditions the Toyota will too) we could use the inclometer to determine if we could go across a sidehill or have to drive to the top of a ridge. But hey the inclometer might come in handy after an earthquake wrecks the 405 and you have to climb out of the choas.
jadolph says:
10:37 AM, 04/23/07
I prefer the older style inclinometers with a profile and a head-on shot of the truck in the display. They're are much easier to read and add more to the "Whoa" factor....but on the other side, trusting a gauge to tell you when you might dump it pretty sketchy. It might help, but add a lift, a roof rack loaded with gear, and a tire on top and those "stock" angles are way off.
dotsara says:
04:15 PM, 04/24/07
I miss having a compass; had one in my Jeep, but the Civic is without and I find that I still look above my rearview mirror trying to find it. Heh.
jnava121 says:
05:35 AM, 05/ 1/07
Compass is a useful tool ! GPS does not always work, and it's a lot cheaper than a GPS system. It's good to use both.
If you get lost in the city you can navigate your way back towards a known reference point like a big building. Sometimes driving through the urban junge of neighborhoods you can get misoriented!
Seems like soccer mom (the driver of this FJ Cruiser, in which toyota's target audience for the FJ was for 4x4 off road enthusiasts seems a little critical of this SUV not being more minivanish?)
If a bike wont fit perfectly sideways into the back? Isn't that what they make bike racks for? If the plastic scratches easily, you can lay down a blanket? If that was leather i bet ripping leather up is alot more expensive than plastic.
jerrywimer says:
05:58 AM, 05/ 1/07
As was explained to me when I recommended the long term Silverado crew cab as an excellent choice for groups of biking friends (bikes / some gear in back, people / some gear in front), the bikes are exposed to the weather. Evidently that's a bad thing? (I have a bike, and I DO keep it out of the weather when not in use, but didn't realize that short term exposure, such as on a trip to actually *use* it outdoors, was a bad thing..)