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Classic FJ Land Cruiser Goodness In Modern Packaging: The Aspen Project

Classic Toyota FJ Land Cruisers have a strong following among automotive collectors. Their durable design and iconic shape have made them prime candidates for restoration. Now, some wish to go a step further – to modernize one of the best off-road vehicles ever built.

The FJ Company is one such outfit, specializing in ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s Land Cruisers (FJ20, FJ40, and FJ60 series models). Once the FJ Company acquires a donor car, it sets about transforming the 4×4 into a customized, reliable work of vehicular art.

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This year, SEMA invited the FJ Company to strut its stuff, and instead of displaying one of its more traditional Cruisers, the specialty shop went to work on the “Aspen Project.”

What began life as a 1982 Toyota FJ43 Land Cruiser has become a tailor-made beauty. FJ Company’s President, Juan Diego Calle, asked for a “purpose-built, family-friendly beast that could take on the rigors of everyday highway driving as well as the back-country near Aspen, Colorado.” What we see here goes just a tad beyond those loose specs.

The build started by removing the FJ’s frame, tweaking the car’s power steering, front disc brakes, and climate controls, then addressing the powertrain. Toyota’s 1FZ engine, a 4.5-liter inline six-cylinder with electronic fuel injection, serves up 210 horsepower in this configuration. That’s paired with a five-speed manual transmission for optimal off-road responsiveness.

A passing glance would overlook the trail-ready equipment on this FJ, because the original Land Cruiser exterior remains mostly unchanged. In addition to a matte white paint job, the FJ Company added a Warn 8274 winch on the original front bumper, flanked by a pair of 7″ LED fog lights. Most importantly, a custom roll cage was engineered to keep all occupants safe – especially since the back half of the rig is only covered in canvas.

Inside, the Aspen Project gets Recaro SPEED seats, trimmed in the same marine-grade material as the door panels and fold-down rear seats. The floor is also coated in Rhino Linings bedliner for all-weather protection. As convenience features go, there’s a digital instrument cluster (which some luxury cars don’t even have), LED interior lighting, and a premium sound system with Bluetooth.

As a one-off build, the Aspen Project FJ has already been sold (price unknown), but I’d wager if you’ve got a healthy bank account, the FJ Company design any Land Cruiser you fancy.

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BMW, hybrid cars, and EVs dominate Consumer Reports’ top rankings
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Consumer Reports tests hundreds of vehicles a year and conducts some of the most intensive tests in the industry. Apparently, the organization logs hundreds of thousands of miles on test vehicles annually to help consumers make an educated purchase. Recently, Consumer Reports ranked 32 car brands in its annual Auto Brand Report Card Rankings and, for the first time in the organization’s history, BMW came out on top as having the most reliable cars.
Before we get into the results, here’s how Consumer Reports ranks its vehicles. Each car that Consumer Reports tests gets an Overall Score. The score is based on four factors: reliability, safety, owner satisfaction, and the road test. The predicted reliability score comes from the organization’s survey that's based on 17 problem areas in cars. A safety score is determined by crash-test scores and available safety features, while the owner satisfaction score is based on a survey that’s completed by Consumer Reports' members. Lastly, the road-test score is based on the various tests that the organization puts vehicles through.

BMW topped Consumer Reports brand rankings with an overall score of 81. Subaru (79), Mini (79), Lexus (77), Honda (77), Toyota (76), Genesis (76), Mazda (75), Audi (74), and Kia (73) finish off the top 10. Out of the automakers in the top 10, Genesis made the largest leap, moving up 12 spots compared to last year, while Mazda fell six spots.
“BMW builds many high-performance, full-featured, and reliable models, so it’s not surprising to see it at the top of our brand rankings,” said Jake Fisher, senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports. “But non-luxury brands like Subaru, Toyota, and Mazda have also consistently ranked high over the past few years, ensuring that consumers don’t have to sacrifice affordability to get a high-quality car.”
Automakers that did poorly as the least reliable cars in Consumer Reports’ testing include: Land Rover (45), Jeep (46), Jaguar (52), Alfa Romeo (53), Mitsubishi (54), GMC 955), and Mercedes-Benz (56). Chrysler, which finished in 25th place, had the most dramatic drop of any automaker, falling 12 spots compared to last year.

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BMW may be known for its high-performance sports cars and excellent driver-focused sedans, but the X5 was its best-selling model in 2022. The last time the X5 model was fully redesigned was in 2019, which means that it’s time for a host of updates. Enter the 2024 BMW X5 and its sportier X6 counterpart, which arrive with thorough mid-cycle refreshes. The main highlights are the introduction of a new inline-six engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, improved efficiency for the plug-in hybrid model, and a new interior design with added tech.
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