What off-roader can compare with VX?

[IsuZOOM]

I loved my VX, and may get back into the VX game to have a real off-roader again. (Right now we have a unibody SUV)

Honestly - is there anything that really looks good but can go offroad? I've never really enjoyed the Wrangler aesthetic, and the FJ has a Fisher Price interior and massive windshield problems. The Xterra is too boring to look at.

The main issue is age - VX's are 7-10 years old and I'd love to buy something newer if the right vehicle exists!

Is there anything that comes close to the VX? Or am I destined to return?

[taylorRichie]

You are asking a really objective group

For me aesthetically it was between the VX and the FJ.

[Ldub]

Ohhhhh...I dunno, there's this little "off brand" company that makes a pretty stylish off road vehicle...what was it agin'...

Oh yeah, Mercedes AMG ML sumpin-er-other...



Tone, the one & ONLY Dude I'm aware of that's ever been nVtz enough to take one of these beauties not only OFF ROAD, but up & down Lions Back!

Tone, I salute You!

[circmand]

maybe it is the photo angle but that looks like a mini van

[nfpgasmask]

maybe it is the photo angle but that looks like a mini van

I'm with you, circ, and no offense Tone, but there is only one Mercedes that looks good AND was made for off-roading:



Now, back on topic. I think about this all the time. If I was in the market for a different, new vehicle, I would probably find myself in a Toyota, but not the FJ. I just can't get with the FJ, its too bloated looking. I mean, they seem pretty nice, but there is just something about it that bothers me, and I think its the fact that its kinda H2 looking. So anyway, I would probably end up in a Tacoma or a 4Runner, and not because I think they look cool, but because they could get the job done and be reliable.

The simple fact of the matter is that there is nothing new that looks as cool as the VX. You either deal with the age issue and the fact that Isuzu is out of the passenger vehicle market for good, or you buy something new, and more or less boring.

Bart

[Triathlete]

Here ya go...and the back seat is just as hard to get in to!

[JHarris1385]

I like the Infinity FX's.....Yeah I know they are no where near the VX in the off road world but I do like the style.

[VehiGAZ]

the FJ has a Fisher Price interior and massive windshield problems.

Huh? What is this about? (Does it have a problem with its massive windshield, or does it have a massive problem with its windshield?)

I don't understand the lack of understanding of the FJ from this crowd (not picking on you IsuZOOM). It is clearly the closest thing to a spiritual successor to the VX. If we don't get it, who the heck is supposed to?! Personally, if it made sense to make the expense, I would sell the VX and replace it with an FJ.

[circmand]

But like Vehigazz says what about the expense. I don't know about you guys but I couldnt afford an FJ to drive let alone risk uing it off roading

[nfpgasmask]

I have heard the windsheild problems have to do with the fact that it is very flat and almost perpendicular to the ground, making it very prone to rock chips and cracks...other than that, I don't know.

Ask Jay, he would know.

Bart

[Gussie2000]

I like the Infinity FX's.....Yeah I know they are no where near the VX in the off road world but I do like the style.

Yeah i agree totally with you,the FX & the EX are very cool vehicules,however they aren't so off-road capable as much as the VX,very sad

[IsuZOOM]

I heavily researched the FJ and test drove them a few times. The interior is just plasticky and feels like a toy to me, with the comically enlarged interior trim pieces. Personal preference I guess, not that I thought the VX interior was anything to write home about, but I preferred it.

The windshield issues are ubiquitous - there's a class action suit. Basically, it's a three-fold problem. One is the obvious angle that allows every piece of debris, every rock, every bug, etc., to contact in such a way that instead of merely grazing, it makes a solid contact. That's bad. Second is the thickness (or lack of) of the glass. Third is apparent design flaws that put the glass under tension, creating stress fractures and cracks and making it more susceptible to cracking under benign conditions. People report owning similar-angled vehicles (like a Wrangler) for 10 years with no crack, then they have an FJ for 2 weeks and get a windshield crack 8" long. Then they pay $1,400 to replace and have another a month later. Suffice it to say, a heap of people are pissed off and I don't plan to join that flock anytime soon.

Plus people complain heavily about thin paint (lots of chips) and believe it or not, it's a bug magnet too, with swarms of insects hovering near the vehicle at all times.

The FJ is not for me. Plus it completely misses the VX's "sporty" nature. I loved the idea of an off-road sports car. I remembered reading years ago of a billionaire that put a M-B SLK body onto an ML-class frame, and drove it off road around the world. That just seemed awesome to me.

Now perhaps the only thing that comes close is the VW Touareg / Porsche Cayenne. But they're huge and expensive, and still not the looker the VX is.

I guess bottom line is - dammit why won't someone make an off road sports car?

[Dallas4u]

I remembered reading years ago of a billionaire that put a M-B SLK body onto an ML-class frame, and drove it off road around the world. That just seemed awesome to me.

I remember it, too:

http://www.jimrogers.com/

[IsuZOOM]

That's the one - I guess it's a much-better G-Wagen chassis! It's hard to believe they never even TRY building vehicles like that. Jeep teases people every 5 years with a new Jeepster concept and never builds that either.

[VehiGAZ]

Wow - didn't know about that. A friend of mine has one and never mentioned any windshield problems to me. Good to know. Do later models have an updated windshield design?

Yes, the interior design is a bit cartoonish. I guess the idea was that you should be able to operate the controls with mittens on. :-)

Still, in basic layout, it's a lot like the VX - gunslit windshield, serious off-road performance, and it's (sort of) a 2-door.