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?