We don't rent the Wrangler. Our FJ Cruiser is the same job.

If you searched for a Wrangler in East Tennessee, you almost certainly want the same job a Wrangler does: a tall, square, capable SUV that handles paved scenic driving, gravel forest roads, and the occasional muddy parking area at a trailhead without complaint. The 2013 FJ Cruiser Trail Teams Special Edition is built for that exact brief. Toyota designed the FJ Cruiser as a direct competitor to the Wrangler — body-on-frame, real transfer case with 2WD/4WD-high/4WD-low, locking rear differential, short overhangs front and back, and an interior built around go-anywhere durability rather than luxury.

The Trail Teams Special Edition adds the upgrades Toyota offered for buyers who actually used the platform: TRD-tuned suspension, BFGoodrich All-Terrain rubber, rock rails along the body sides, and the appearance package that distinguishes a Trail Teams from a base FJ. It's the spec a Wrangler Rubicon owner would cross-shop, and the spec we'd hand you if you came in asking for the closest thing to a Wrangler we have.

Most Wrangler rentals in East Tennessee end up doing the same trip: pick up at McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Alcoa, drive 60–90 minutes to Cades Cove or the Foothills Parkway, do a scenic loop, eat in Townsend, Gatlinburg, or Pigeon Forge, drive back. That's a lot of pavement and a lot of highway. The Wrangler — especially a 2-door — is noisy, short-wheelbase, and wanders on the interstate. The FJ Cruiser has a longer wheelbase, more sound insulation, and a more refined ride. On a paved-heavy trip with a few gravel detours, the FJ is the more comfortable choice and gives up nothing where it counts.

The FJ also has the visibility advantage. Wide windshield, upright seating, tall side glass — you see more of the Smokies through the windshield than you do in a Wrangler, which has a more truck-cab-like feel.

The Wrangler has two genuine advantages over an FJ Cruiser: the top comes off, and the doors come off. If your trip is specifically about top-down summer driving with the wind in your hair, or your social-media aesthetic requires the door-removed Jeep silhouette, the FJ Cruiser does not match. The FJ has a fixed roof. There's no version of the FJ where it doesn't.

If a removable top is the reason you searched, we're not your rental for that trip. Hertz, Enterprise, and Avis at TYS sometimes have Wrangler-class SUVs available, and there are off-road-specialist rentals further afield. We'd rather you book a Wrangler that does the trip you wanted than book the FJ from us and feel like you settled.

If your trip is genuinely off-road — meaning you have an OHV park reservation, a specific overland route, or trail you've researched that requires lockers and articulation — both the Wrangler and the FJ Trail Teams handle it. The FJ Trail Teams in particular is a more capable trail rig than people realize. It's stock-tire-rated for real trails.

Cades Cove loop: ideal. The 11-mile paved one-way loop is exactly the kind of low-speed scenic driving the FJ is most pleasant for, and the upright seating gives the wildlife-spotting view the trip is about.

Foothills Parkway: ideal. Wide-open scenic highway from Walland toward Tail of the Dragon, smooth pavement, big sky. The FJ cruises it comfortably and looks at home in the parking pull-offs.

Cherohala Skyway: ideal. The 40-mile high-altitude run from Tellico Plains to Robbinsville, NC is a real mountain road — the FJ has the brakes and the chassis to enjoy it.

Tail of the Dragon (US-129): possible but not the FJ's strongest road. The Dragon's 318 tight corners reward low, light cars — the FJ is high and heavy. If the Dragon is the centerpiece of your trip, see /attractions/tail-of-the-dragon for our enthusiast-fleet picks. If the Dragon is a fun side mission on a Smokies-focused trip, the FJ handles it within its limits.

Gravel forest roads in Cherokee National Forest: ideal. This is where the BFG All-Terrains and the 4WD system earn their existence.