Toyota FJ Cruiser Reviews

The Toyota FJ Cruiser is very PC. By which we mean Personnel Carrier - not armoured perhaps, but a swivelling machinegun mount wouldn't look out of place on the roof.There's a military flavour to the design, which Toyota says takes its cues from the original J40/FJ40 seen here first on the Snowy River Scheme in the 1960s - and in one or two war zones -- but the new one looks more like the result of a one-night stand with Hummer.Luckily, whatever you think of the retro-brute styling, underneath it is a reasonably practical vehicle that has bypassed the techno-trizz bin but done a bit of staple shopping in Toyota's off-road parts aisle.VALUEAvailable only in one spec at $44,990, the FJ Cruiser has all the usual basic electric equipment, plus a six-stacker CD player with iPod, USB and Bluetooth. connectivity, and a rear-view camera and parking sensors.The price makes it the entry point to Toyota dual-range 4WD wagons, with the Landcruiser well above it at around $65,140 - although there's a Prado at the FJ's price with constant 4WD.But if you're looking for a two-stage transfer case, you can get one in a Suzuki Grand Vitara V6 petrol at $40,490, or a Subaru Forester 2.0D at the same price if you'd prefer diesel - although with a manual transmission.And starting at $43,900 there's also a few dual-range choices among the Mitsubishi Challenger turbodiesels with either a manual or a five-speed sports auto.TECHNOLOGYThe FJ Cruiser sits on a shortened version of the Landcruiser Prado platform, and has used the same 4.0-litre V6 petrol engine five-speed automatic transmission, with real offroad potential coming from a two-speed transfer case and a lockable rear differential - which get separate switches.The engine develops 200kW of power at 5600rpm and a pretty hefty 380Nm of torque at a pretty high 4000rpm, but with 310Nm available from 1200rpm.The official combined fuel economy is 11.4L/100km, but we couldn't get within cooee of that except on a highway run, and ended up with just on 18L/100km in a mixture of urban, inner-city and country driving with a very brief offroad taste.DESIGNThe FJ Cruiser draws on the original design with retro styling in the upright glass windscreen - wide and shallow enough to need three wipers -- wraparound rear windows, mesh grille with Toyota spelled out, round headlights and bluff high nose.The interior has a similar flavour, with the squared-off lines of the centre stack, big easy-to-read gauges - with outside temperature, compass direction and pitch and yaw -- and the hose-out feel of the rubber floor.The driver gets height adjustment and the front row has ample legroom. Suicide rear half-doors give easy enough access to the rear seat, but there's not a lot of room back there. Kids will probably love the novelty factor and the high position, but adults will feel cramped.There's scope to head offroad in the decent ground clearance on the thick rubber and 17-in wheels, and the short front and rear overhangs will help approach and departure angles for gullies and creeks. But a 20kg load limit on the front chassis rails will stymie those who want to fit a bulbar or winch there.SAFETYIt hasn't been crash-tested here yet, but the Prado to which it's loosely related got four stars in 2003 for the VX with six airbags, and more recently a full five stars for models with more safety equipment - and more airbags.The FJ Cruiser is back to six bags, plus active headrests on the front seats, and has traction and stability controls, anti-lock brakes with brake assist for extra effort in emergency stops and brakeforce distribution to counter uneven vehicle loading.Visibility is good except for towards the rear, which -- with the rear-mounted full-sized spare -- is so poor as to be almost blind. The rearview camera and rear parking sensors help in that direction, but those who still like to add a head-swivelling human check to the electronic aids will be frustrated.DRIVINGFirst of all there's the attention you'll get in the FJ. People will either love it or hate it, but either way they'll all notice it - so you'll have to get comfortable with that.Until then, you'll at least be comfortable with the drive. Whether you're on the road or off, the ride quality is brilliant. Part of the reason behind that will be the 100,000km+ of testing to tune the suspension for Australia.The steering was done in the same program but has still ended up with less connection and communication than we'd like on the road - although it works well enough to get the vehicle around at urban speeds and for parking.Except for those who wait in vain for a diesel to join the range, few could complain about with the V6 engine's smoothness and strength. With close to 2-tonne to push around, the FJ isn't spritely off the mark but there's plenty of effort on tap for hills and overtaking.And in a brief paddock and gully foray, it's proved to have enough torque and decent design for fairly tough crawls, with the low range and traction control working well and the short overhangs avoiding contact through deep washouts. And after recently returning a HiLux press vehicle with an offroad audit trail on the paintwork, we were pleased to try and erase some of the blot on our reputation with this one.VERDICTSome people will want the diesel or manual it doesn't have, but for those who will occasionally need the low range to go offroad but won't ever need hard-core factors, the FJ Cruiser offers styling that stands out from the crowd.

Back when the Snowy Mountains Scheme was in full flight, a bunch of Toyota 4WD vehicles were brought in to tackle the arduous conditions. They handled it easily and so started the legendary reputation Toyota now enjoys in this country. Paying homage to these early Toyotas is the FJ Cruiser - a modern day, hose out, tough as teak, proper "fourbie" with looks harking back half a century.VALUEIt's been around for a long time in the US but the (new) FJ only recently made it here and seems destined to be a popular addition to the Toyota range. This is emphasised by the fact that it's all Prado (petrol version) underneath and costs at least $10,000 less than the cheapest Prado - a three door turbodiesel. We are predicting Toyota won't be able to handle demand for the riveting FJ which turns heads in the street like a supercar.DESIGNIt has enormous appeal particularly with males who warm to the tough guy styling and have an affinity with the old FJ40 `Cruiser' from which the modern day FJ issues. Built on a ladder chassis with coil springs all round and selectable two range four wheel drive, the FJ Cruiser can tackle the toughest off roading you can throw at it.This is aided by impressive ground clearance and steep approach and departure angles. The entire vehicle has been "Australianised" with specific suspension and steering calibration as well as extra dust exclusion and and noise penetration treatment. FJ is sensibly offered in one spec' only - all with a white roof.TECHNOLOGYIt weighs around two tonnes but the powerful 4.0-litre petrol V6 out of petrol Prado makes light work of all driving conditions. It generates a handy 200kW/380Nm output while drinking 95 octane at the rate of 11.4-litres/100km - driving carefully. A large load space is provided with a rubber floor mat behind the barn door tailgate complete with an externally mounted full size alloy spare.The FJ rolls on 17-inch wheels with meaty 70 profile tyres suitable for moderate off roading and any sort of sealed road driving. The interior is a sea of hard plastic that looks cheap but imparts the necessary functional look. There's Bluetooth phone and audio streaming. OK audio, cruise, aircon, multi function trip computer and a reverse camera in the rear view mirror.SAFETYSafety kit includes six air bags, three wipers up front and stability control. No ANCAP crash rating is available.DRIVINGThe ride is excellent offering plenty of comfort and control in such a tall and potentially unwieldy vehicle. Not the case at all. It even steers pretty well and has plenty of kick from the engine across a wide speed range. This is harnessed by the five-speed auto offering smooth, almost predictive changes up and down.A six speed auto would be an improvement particularly for fuel economy. It's bulky but fairly compact fitting easily into the standard residential garage. Seats for five are large but could be more supportive especially the driver's pew. The rear hinged "suicide" doors are a talking point and practical to a certain extent.VERDICTWe really like this vehicle for a number of reasons not the least its styling. It is comfy, the right size, will go just about anywhere, is robust, well equipped and has plenty of poke. Uses too much fuel though. Wonder if there's a diesel planned.

The FJ Cruiser is more than a distinctive face in today's herd of four-wheel drives.  For not only does the FJ pay homage to the original FJ LandCruiser of the 1960s through to the 1980s it is also an honest off-roader. Loaded with style and some faded memories.The FJ began life as a Californian styling exercise, Toyota looking to find more market appeal among younger buyers. By 2003 there was a concept, the Rugged Youth Utility, and by 2005 a production version launched into the United States.There are three heroes here: exterior designer Jin Kim, interior designer Bill Chergosky and chief engineer Akio Nishimura.  The three worked in unison to keep the FJ simple, stay true to the tradition of that iconic original and Kim's original vision; there were few compromises between concept and production.That's resulted in a good-looking machine with many practical touches, few electronic do-dads and a fair swag of off-road ability.  For Toyota this is the 'go anywhere, do anything' machine designed to attract younger, active lifestylers and at a more than reasonable price.   VALUEAt $44,990, the FJ is Toyota Australia's most affordable 'proper' four-wheel drive wagon. It is $500 dearer than the all-road Kluger and $11,000 cheaper than the three-door Prado, probably its closest competition.A four-door, hardtop Jeep Wrangler starts at $40,990 and has the advantage of petrol and diesel powerplants, manual and automatic transmissions; a two-door Wrangler starts at $31,590 but can't offer as much room and on-road comfort as the FJ.The new-boy Toyota - one model grade only - arrives with electric windows, air conditioning, six-stacker CD player with USB, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors. The floor is covered in a rubber-like compound, and the five seats are water-repellent; value-added material in an adventure machine. TECHNOLOGYToyota has eschewed many of today's electronic driver aids for the FJ, citing the need to keep the machine honest, more onus on driver ability.  But not offering multi-terrain settings and hill descent controls and such is also in keeping with the brief to keep the wagon affordable.Instead what's here is the smooth four litre V6 petrol engine and five-speed automatic transmission (both borrowed from the Prado), a two-speed transfer case, a lockable rear differential, vehicle stability control and traction control, all packaged in and around a shortened Prado platform.There are no plans at this stage for a diesel engine and there's a 20kg load limit on the front bumper, limiting the use of big bull bars and winches. Apparently testing weights hanging off the front of the chassis rails (a different construction to Prado) to Toyota standards would have taken too long and stymied its Australian introduction; this matter may be left to the aftermarket crowd. DESIGNDesigner Jin Kim drew heavily on the original design. (That and an American pit bull with its chunky, forward-leaning stance.) An original FJ sat in the studio as Kim worked though he was after its essence, its DNA rather than a retro design.So the FJ has round headlights, a mesh grille with Toyota badge (rather than the corporate bull horns) an upright windscreen, two-door style (with clever rear access doors), white roof and wrap-around rear windows. It also sits on tall rubber and 17-inch wheels. All this colours the FJ with yesteryear hints, adopted and adapted into an aggressive 21st century stance."It looks very serious, purposeful, indestructible," says Kim. "At the same time it looks fun. It is balancing all the opposing elements - serious playfulness."Retro-inspirations are carried through to the cabin, a wide and spacious affair up front; roomy but cosy in the rear seat. The speedometer is painted up like the original, there are body-coloured panels, and big, chunky door handles and such.It is a substantial vehicle and attention to what went before enhances the FJ's off-road and weekend adventure credentials - the big wheels add ground clearance, short front and rear overhangs make for better approach and departure angles, a hose-out interior should make cabins easier to clean while big controls makes it easier to find the right settings.SAFETYPassive safety features include six airbags and active head rests on the front seats. There's good visibility to the front and sides and, where compromised by the rear-mounted spare wheel, there's a rear view camera.Clever B pillars are incorporated into the forward-opening, rear access doors. Active safety features include switchable traction control, stability control and ABS with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist. Just as importantly for safer driving, the FJ's suspension and steering were tuned for Australian conditions over 100,000km of testing.DRIVINGThis is a comfortable and competent machine, on and off the road.  The experience begins with that wide, high and handsome cabin; from the get-go the FJ feels substantial. Controls and instruments are big and easily identified, no hunting for miniature controls or worried something's about to break off.Down the tar the first thought is the steering response a little remote but after a day, and particularly in the rough, it is familiar and well-weighted. (Toyota engineers suggest off-road feel was more the priority here.) Ride quality is impressive, the FJ rarely loses composure on bitumen or dirt.The big V6 is smooth, nicely mated to the five-speed auto with plenty of punch for a 1955kg wagon. It runs easy to the maximum 200kW at 5600rpm and, with 310Nm of torque from 1200 rpm (lifting to 380Nm at 4400rpm), highway cruising and overtaking are never an issue. Those torque figures also translate well to off-roading. Where some may dismay the lack of a diesel, this engine and transmission acquit themselves well when the going gets slow. Low-low range is more than adequate for an auto and there's good engine response for the quicker parts of the track.And off-road those big and proper 17-inch wheels, short overhangs front and rear, good ground clearance and a wheelbase that allows for good ramp-over angles are complemented - where needed - by the lockable rear diff and Toyota's Active Traction Control, a switchable traction system to control wheel slip. Yet for the most of it, the FJ will go a long way before these aids may be needed.VERDICTThe Toyota FJ Cruiser is one of those rare cases where form and function mesh into a most stylish machine with real off-road credentials. The lack of a diesel engine may inhibit sales but will not inhibit the FJ's status as a hero machine in the Toyota fleet.