4 Wheel Drives driving experiences
Perhaps to drive in style to a remote location of secluded villa could be accomplished by any jeep or even on old but trusty Toyota FJ; but for some owning such villa is the prerequisite of purchasing a G wagen. In fact this was the main determining decision when we purchased the Benz monster. It is a monster for our narrow streets! In early 1990s the road going there was an off beaten track with long steep ascending section, rendering a sedan to be impossible to drive through. We were making an upgrade from 3 doors Isuzu Trooper into the luxury Benz, from 30mpg plus diesel fuel to the 15mpg high octane gas guzzler.
Comparison between Isuzu Trooper and G wagen
But the drive quality was obviously miles different; from the so so ride to the exemplary comfortable dampening ride quality. From the nice low down torque to the screaming DOHC beauty; each has its own benefit. Trooper is good for city commuting but the Benz for country driving. And where is the role of classic FJ40?
4 Wheel Drives Comparison between FJ and G wagen
Like most developing country in 1970s, much of the road section was pretty much consisting of gravel unpaved street. And during the rainy season it all turned into slippery and muddy style transportation which is only suitable for a 4x4 Jeep. FJ is known for is rugged construction due to its basic simple chassis design mated to rudimentary leaf spring on both axles; harsh ride, steering back fighting. The one way trip to Bandung would guarantee a sore hand along the wrist upward, as OEM steering system did not have any dampening mechanism.
Its last petrol engine FJ year in 1983 was finally had been fitted with power steering, it was much more civilized; though other spec remained the same no Disc brake but merely the addition of bigger brake booster. Such simple lay out is the perfect recipe for rear sideways during the wet season. In fact whenever I got bored with obedient Citroen GS, driving sideways on an FJ was such an entertaining drive.
Hard steering flicks easily provoke the FJ balance; don’t expect such manner could appear in a G wagen, nor any of other Mercedes Benz vehicles. Composure is one of the virtues of the over engineered three pointed stars, none of the latest Land Cruiser series could even match. Inspiring 4 wheel drives driving only belong to a certain 4 wheel truck elite and might be considered as rare cars.
FJ had been produced from early 1960s to 1984 the last year product was powered by diesel engine, through out its production history there were ranges of engine capacity equipped, from mere 3,800 to 5,500 cc. Yes it was powerful it has higher max speed than the 2,800 cc of G wagen. It could achieve 150 km/h if you dare enough!
Obtaining old FJ40 is quite easy these days as it is abundance in quantity, but to restore to current standard of motoring might cost a well used G-300 at 15 Grand, where as a 1995 Land cruiser TD requires another 10 grand over here. Hence the G-280 could be regarded as Cheap Mercedes Benz indeed!
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