C&D Comparo: 1) Xterra, 2) Grand Cherokee, 3) FJ Cruiser, 4) H3
03-01-06 | 10:25 PM
#1
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Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,169
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C&D Comparo: 1) Xterra, 2) Grand Cherokee, 3) FJ Cruiser, 4) H3
1) Nissan Xterra
0-60: 7.0s
Total points: 225
2) Jeep Grand Cherokee
0-60: 8.0s
Total points: 221
3) Toyota FJ Cruiser
0-60: 7.2s
Total points: 206
4) Hummer H3
0-60: 10.3s
Total points: 195
0-60: 7.0s
Total points: 225
2) Jeep Grand Cherokee
0-60: 8.0s
Total points: 221
3) Toyota FJ Cruiser
0-60: 7.2s
Total points: 206
4) Hummer H3
0-60: 10.3s
Total points: 195
03-01-06 | 10:27 PM
#2
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Posts: n/a
Let me tell ya'll, the Grand Cherokee has grown on me tons. I am really liking this truck. I do thnk the Xterra is absolute crap, with a retro exterior and retro mid 70s typical Nissan interior.. And quite frankly, the FJ should be a SCion or something, I don't really like it much either, looks like a toy, the interior is not much better than th Xterra.
And the Hummer with a damn I-5 is laughable, and out this group, total, absolute, dinasaur crap.
So out this crap, the Jeep is my favorite turd. Get mine in that nice turd green Jeep color please.
And the Hummer with a damn I-5 is laughable, and out this group, total, absolute, dinasaur crap.
So out this crap, the Jeep is my favorite turd. Get mine in that nice turd green Jeep color please.
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03-03-06 | 03:46 PM
#9
Speaks French in Russian
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 13,303
Likes: 65
From: What is G?
ROCK-HOPPER SUVs
4. Hummer H3 - $36,745
"At the end of 2.5 days of dust, dirt, and rocks, each editor was asked, 'If you had to make that same trip by yourself, which vehicle would you choose?' Unanimous reply: the H3. The Hummer guys' hubristic claims were thus upheld. In 1906, a hermit named William Henry Schmidt was mining for gold on a trail we traversed in Last Chance Canyon. Schmidt became strangely obsessed with boring a tunnel through Copper Mountain. Eventually, he single-handedly clawed through 872 feet of mountain guts, a distraction that cost him 32 years. With its Hummer H3, GM flat-out nailed the off-road half of the equation, and then, like ol' Schmidt, apparently got distracted."
Highs: Real off-road tires, 4.0:1 low-range granny gear, a confident and competent rock hound.
Lows: About 500 pounds too heavy in its loafers, about 60 horsepower too light in its loafers.
The Verdict: Governor Arnold off-road, Barney Fife on-road.
3. Toyota FJ Cruiser 4WD - 27,000
"Alas, the soft suspension that was a boon in the boonies - we're talkin' 7.9 inches of travel fore, 9.1 inches aft - induced wallow and roll on paved surfaces and in corners, where the FJ plowed and howled. In this quartet, the FJ boasted the least lateral grip, and it generally felt a twitch slow-witted and Hummer-esque as it swayed down the 405 freeway...Still, there are plenty of FJ details that satisfy. The backlight flips open independently of the tailgate. The three wiper arms sweep nearly every inch of glass. The XXL climate controls can be adjusted while you're wearing gloves. The driver's seat features an adjustable armrest. The black stamped-steel wheels simply zinged us. (Can't we all please move beyond colossal chromed dubs that suggest to onlookers that you're an NBA star?) The seats are water-repellent, and the floors are coated with a Honda Element-like gray rubber, inviting a 20-second hose-out at trails-end."
Highs: Look-at-me styling, vast ground clearance, washable interior.
Lows: A rear seat designed for prisoners, meager visibility, calibrated for trails instead of tarmac.
The Verdict: Great value, great fun, and, hey, it's a Toyota.
2. Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD - $33,155
"Even with the Quadra-Trac II four-wheel drive, which offers just-adequate low range and no diff locks, the Jeep surmounted every awful obstacle along our trails. Unlike the H3 and FJ, the Jeep's main intent was highway cruising. It offered quick, car-like steering, was the most sure-footed on the skidpad, and was the quitest at both WOT and a 70-mph cruise...In this group, the Jeep carried the steepest base price and the worst observed fuel economy. It became our limousine. Whenever we attained pavement, one driver after another would insincerely mutter, 'Hey, isn't it my turn to drive that thing?'"
Highs: On pavement, it's a car.
Lows: Too little ground clearance, steep base price, dismal fuel economy.
The Verdict: Still the best all-around Jeep ever created
1. Nissan Xterra Off-Road 4WD - $28,340
"If it was Carlos Ghosn who fixed the disaster that was the previous Xterra, then someone should hire the guy to direct FEMA...Too bad this gen-two iteration, with its fast-revving 265-horse V-6 nestled within a modified Titan's steel ladder frame, looks so much like the original, because it doesn't deserve one iota of its forebear's rep. It's like the difference between Kate Smith and Kate Moss. On the Mengel Pass, the Xterra kept pace with the H3 and FJ, thanks to its locking rear diff, Bilstein shocks, BFG Rugged Trail tires, and three skid plates (plus a fourth guarding the monster transfer case)...In this test, the Xterra prevailed because, no matter what we threw at it, it remained friendly, flexible, and practical."
Highs: Slick shift linkage, poised atop boulders, a rabbit to 60 mph.
Lows: Mushy brakes, looks too much like its predecessor, noisy rear suspension.
The Verdict: Unfazed by anything we threw at it.
4. Hummer H3 - $36,745
"At the end of 2.5 days of dust, dirt, and rocks, each editor was asked, 'If you had to make that same trip by yourself, which vehicle would you choose?' Unanimous reply: the H3. The Hummer guys' hubristic claims were thus upheld. In 1906, a hermit named William Henry Schmidt was mining for gold on a trail we traversed in Last Chance Canyon. Schmidt became strangely obsessed with boring a tunnel through Copper Mountain. Eventually, he single-handedly clawed through 872 feet of mountain guts, a distraction that cost him 32 years. With its Hummer H3, GM flat-out nailed the off-road half of the equation, and then, like ol' Schmidt, apparently got distracted."
Highs: Real off-road tires, 4.0:1 low-range granny gear, a confident and competent rock hound.
Lows: About 500 pounds too heavy in its loafers, about 60 horsepower too light in its loafers.
The Verdict: Governor Arnold off-road, Barney Fife on-road.
3. Toyota FJ Cruiser 4WD - 27,000
"Alas, the soft suspension that was a boon in the boonies - we're talkin' 7.9 inches of travel fore, 9.1 inches aft - induced wallow and roll on paved surfaces and in corners, where the FJ plowed and howled. In this quartet, the FJ boasted the least lateral grip, and it generally felt a twitch slow-witted and Hummer-esque as it swayed down the 405 freeway...Still, there are plenty of FJ details that satisfy. The backlight flips open independently of the tailgate. The three wiper arms sweep nearly every inch of glass. The XXL climate controls can be adjusted while you're wearing gloves. The driver's seat features an adjustable armrest. The black stamped-steel wheels simply zinged us. (Can't we all please move beyond colossal chromed dubs that suggest to onlookers that you're an NBA star?) The seats are water-repellent, and the floors are coated with a Honda Element-like gray rubber, inviting a 20-second hose-out at trails-end."
Highs: Look-at-me styling, vast ground clearance, washable interior.
Lows: A rear seat designed for prisoners, meager visibility, calibrated for trails instead of tarmac.
The Verdict: Great value, great fun, and, hey, it's a Toyota.
2. Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD - $33,155
"Even with the Quadra-Trac II four-wheel drive, which offers just-adequate low range and no diff locks, the Jeep surmounted every awful obstacle along our trails. Unlike the H3 and FJ, the Jeep's main intent was highway cruising. It offered quick, car-like steering, was the most sure-footed on the skidpad, and was the quitest at both WOT and a 70-mph cruise...In this group, the Jeep carried the steepest base price and the worst observed fuel economy. It became our limousine. Whenever we attained pavement, one driver after another would insincerely mutter, 'Hey, isn't it my turn to drive that thing?'"
Highs: On pavement, it's a car.
Lows: Too little ground clearance, steep base price, dismal fuel economy.
The Verdict: Still the best all-around Jeep ever created
1. Nissan Xterra Off-Road 4WD - $28,340
"If it was Carlos Ghosn who fixed the disaster that was the previous Xterra, then someone should hire the guy to direct FEMA...Too bad this gen-two iteration, with its fast-revving 265-horse V-6 nestled within a modified Titan's steel ladder frame, looks so much like the original, because it doesn't deserve one iota of its forebear's rep. It's like the difference between Kate Smith and Kate Moss. On the Mengel Pass, the Xterra kept pace with the H3 and FJ, thanks to its locking rear diff, Bilstein shocks, BFG Rugged Trail tires, and three skid plates (plus a fourth guarding the monster transfer case)...In this test, the Xterra prevailed because, no matter what we threw at it, it remained friendly, flexible, and practical."
Highs: Slick shift linkage, poised atop boulders, a rabbit to 60 mph.
Lows: Mushy brakes, looks too much like its predecessor, noisy rear suspension.
The Verdict: Unfazed by anything we threw at it.
03-03-06 | 04:18 PM
#10
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 5,813
Likes: 1
From: The Bay Area, CA, USA
Thanks magneto112 for the review. So in this ROCK-HOPPER SUV comparo, the CAR and Driver magazine picked the least capable offroaders as #1, #2, and gave the #3 and #4 to the most capable ones?
Nuff said.
Nuff said.
03-04-06 | 03:51 PM
#11
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 917
Likes: 0
From: NY
Did you guys ever notice how commericals for the Xterra are almost exactly the same as commercials for Valtrex, that Herpes medicine? My friend works for Nissan and drives an Xterra, so I give him grief about this all the time. Both involve young, outdoors-y looking people going to remote locations and doing things like kayaking, mountainbiking, etc. Just wondering if anyone else had noticed. LOL. He tells me I drive an overpriced Toyota, and I say, well at least Lexus commericals don't look like STD medication commercials...
03-05-06 | 11:24 AM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 7,285
Likes: 0
From: A better place
Originally Posted by magneto112
ROCK-HOPPER SUVs
4. Hummer H3 - $36,745
"At the end of 2.5 days of dust, dirt, and rocks, each editor was asked, 'If you had to make that same trip by yourself, which vehicle would you choose?' Unanimous reply: the H3. The Hummer guys' hubristic claims were thus upheld. In 1906, a hermit named William Henry Schmidt was mining for gold on a trail we traversed in Last Chance Canyon. Schmidt became strangely obsessed with boring a tunnel through Copper Mountain. Eventually, he single-handedly clawed through 872 feet of mountain guts, a distraction that cost him 32 years. With its Hummer H3, GM flat-out nailed the off-road half of the equation, and then, like ol' Schmidt, apparently got distracted."
Highs: Real off-road tires, 4.0:1 low-range granny gear, a confident and competent rock hound.
Lows: About 500 pounds too heavy in its loafers, about 60 horsepower too light in its loafers.
The Verdict: Governor Arnold off-road, Barney Fife on-road.
3. Toyota FJ Cruiser 4WD - 27,000
"Alas, the soft suspension that was a boon in the boonies - we're talkin' 7.9 inches of travel fore, 9.1 inches aft - induced wallow and roll on paved surfaces and in corners, where the FJ plowed and howled. In this quartet, the FJ boasted the least lateral grip, and it generally felt a twitch slow-witted and Hummer-esque as it swayed down the 405 freeway...Still, there are plenty of FJ details that satisfy. The backlight flips open independently of the tailgate. The three wiper arms sweep nearly every inch of glass. The XXL climate controls can be adjusted while you're wearing gloves. The driver's seat features an adjustable armrest. The black stamped-steel wheels simply zinged us. (Can't we all please move beyond colossal chromed dubs that suggest to onlookers that you're an NBA star?) The seats are water-repellent, and the floors are coated with a Honda Element-like gray rubber, inviting a 20-second hose-out at trails-end."
Highs: Look-at-me styling, vast ground clearance, washable interior.
Lows: A rear seat designed for prisoners, meager visibility, calibrated for trails instead of tarmac.
The Verdict: Great value, great fun, and, hey, it's a Toyota.
2. Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD - $33,155
"Even with the Quadra-Trac II four-wheel drive, which offers just-adequate low range and no diff locks, the Jeep surmounted every awful obstacle along our trails. Unlike the H3 and FJ, the Jeep's main intent was highway cruising. It offered quick, car-like steering, was the most sure-footed on the skidpad, and was the quitest at both WOT and a 70-mph cruise...In this group, the Jeep carried the steepest base price and the worst observed fuel economy. It became our limousine. Whenever we attained pavement, one driver after another would insincerely mutter, 'Hey, isn't it my turn to drive that thing?'"
Highs: On pavement, it's a car.
Lows: Too little ground clearance, steep base price, dismal fuel economy.
The Verdict: Still the best all-around Jeep ever created
1. Nissan Xterra Off-Road 4WD - $28,340
"If it was Carlos Ghosn who fixed the disaster that was the previous Xterra, then someone should hire the guy to direct FEMA...Too bad this gen-two iteration, with its fast-revving 265-horse V-6 nestled within a modified Titan's steel ladder frame, looks so much like the original, because it doesn't deserve one iota of its forebear's rep. It's like the difference between Kate Smith and Kate Moss. On the Mengel Pass, the Xterra kept pace with the H3 and FJ, thanks to its locking rear diff, Bilstein shocks, BFG Rugged Trail tires, and three skid plates (plus a fourth guarding the monster transfer case)...In this test, the Xterra prevailed because, no matter what we threw at it, it remained friendly, flexible, and practical."
Highs: Slick shift linkage, poised atop boulders, a rabbit to 60 mph.
Lows: Mushy brakes, looks too much like its predecessor, noisy rear suspension.
The Verdict: Unfazed by anything we threw at it.
4. Hummer H3 - $36,745
"At the end of 2.5 days of dust, dirt, and rocks, each editor was asked, 'If you had to make that same trip by yourself, which vehicle would you choose?' Unanimous reply: the H3. The Hummer guys' hubristic claims were thus upheld. In 1906, a hermit named William Henry Schmidt was mining for gold on a trail we traversed in Last Chance Canyon. Schmidt became strangely obsessed with boring a tunnel through Copper Mountain. Eventually, he single-handedly clawed through 872 feet of mountain guts, a distraction that cost him 32 years. With its Hummer H3, GM flat-out nailed the off-road half of the equation, and then, like ol' Schmidt, apparently got distracted."
Highs: Real off-road tires, 4.0:1 low-range granny gear, a confident and competent rock hound.
Lows: About 500 pounds too heavy in its loafers, about 60 horsepower too light in its loafers.
The Verdict: Governor Arnold off-road, Barney Fife on-road.
3. Toyota FJ Cruiser 4WD - 27,000
"Alas, the soft suspension that was a boon in the boonies - we're talkin' 7.9 inches of travel fore, 9.1 inches aft - induced wallow and roll on paved surfaces and in corners, where the FJ plowed and howled. In this quartet, the FJ boasted the least lateral grip, and it generally felt a twitch slow-witted and Hummer-esque as it swayed down the 405 freeway...Still, there are plenty of FJ details that satisfy. The backlight flips open independently of the tailgate. The three wiper arms sweep nearly every inch of glass. The XXL climate controls can be adjusted while you're wearing gloves. The driver's seat features an adjustable armrest. The black stamped-steel wheels simply zinged us. (Can't we all please move beyond colossal chromed dubs that suggest to onlookers that you're an NBA star?) The seats are water-repellent, and the floors are coated with a Honda Element-like gray rubber, inviting a 20-second hose-out at trails-end."
Highs: Look-at-me styling, vast ground clearance, washable interior.
Lows: A rear seat designed for prisoners, meager visibility, calibrated for trails instead of tarmac.
The Verdict: Great value, great fun, and, hey, it's a Toyota.
2. Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD - $33,155
"Even with the Quadra-Trac II four-wheel drive, which offers just-adequate low range and no diff locks, the Jeep surmounted every awful obstacle along our trails. Unlike the H3 and FJ, the Jeep's main intent was highway cruising. It offered quick, car-like steering, was the most sure-footed on the skidpad, and was the quitest at both WOT and a 70-mph cruise...In this group, the Jeep carried the steepest base price and the worst observed fuel economy. It became our limousine. Whenever we attained pavement, one driver after another would insincerely mutter, 'Hey, isn't it my turn to drive that thing?'"
Highs: On pavement, it's a car.
Lows: Too little ground clearance, steep base price, dismal fuel economy.
The Verdict: Still the best all-around Jeep ever created
1. Nissan Xterra Off-Road 4WD - $28,340
"If it was Carlos Ghosn who fixed the disaster that was the previous Xterra, then someone should hire the guy to direct FEMA...Too bad this gen-two iteration, with its fast-revving 265-horse V-6 nestled within a modified Titan's steel ladder frame, looks so much like the original, because it doesn't deserve one iota of its forebear's rep. It's like the difference between Kate Smith and Kate Moss. On the Mengel Pass, the Xterra kept pace with the H3 and FJ, thanks to its locking rear diff, Bilstein shocks, BFG Rugged Trail tires, and three skid plates (plus a fourth guarding the monster transfer case)...In this test, the Xterra prevailed because, no matter what we threw at it, it remained friendly, flexible, and practical."
Highs: Slick shift linkage, poised atop boulders, a rabbit to 60 mph.
Lows: Mushy brakes, looks too much like its predecessor, noisy rear suspension.
The Verdict: Unfazed by anything we threw at it.
This review has several contradictions, but at least it's not as bad as Edmunds comparisons, which are downright insulting with the amount of hypocrisy they have.
For example:
"Lows: A rear seat designed for prisoners, meager visibility, calibrated for trails instead of tarmac."
That's nice and all C & D, except that Toyota *never* intented for the FJ to have luxurious rear seats, or great on-road manners. The FJC was specifically designed for mostly off-road use, and as such, you won't see any commercials for it. It's being exclusively marketed to off-roaders. So the fact that they list one of the FJC's strengths as a low is really silly.
As for the Cherokee, why was it even included in this test? They might as well have thrown in a 4Runner or Pathfinder while they were at it.
Lastly, they listed the speed of the Xterra as one of it's "highs", yet the FJC was only 0.2 sec slower to 60mpg than the Xterra, so what gives C & D?
Also ironic is that in the Motor Trend test, the Xterra could not pass their off-road test, while here in this C & D comparo, the Xterra seemingly is an off-road champion.
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