Toyota FJ Cruiser

Price Paid:  $7.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
2007 FJ Cruiser

Summary:
Overall, a very good, but not great vehicle. First, stop reading the previous reviewer's groaning about the price. The vehicles novelty and demand have lessened since those reviews were written. Now they are just meaningless words on a page. My purchase price was $100 over invoice, nuff said.

Anyway, the vehicle drives very well, almost carlike. The steering is accurate, not too slow and provides some feedback. The brakes are powerful with good pedal feel and are very easy to modulate. The six-speed manual transmission shifts crisply and feels solid but the throws are long. Clutch take-up is smooth although engages a bit late. The engine is torquey, revs easily and sounds like fine machinery.

The car handles well for an off-road capable suv. The ride is compliant without being floaty but will lean in turns. It leans so much that it makes you want to slow down. Probaly a good idea, but disappointing because the other driving dynamics of the vehicle are actually enjoyable. Independent front suspension swallows bumps in stride but the solid rear axle doesn't appreciate mid-corner bumps. My real world mileage has been about 12-15 MPG in the city and 16MPG on the highway which is about comparable with other SUV's in its class.

The interior is cool to look at and has good ergonomics with legible guages and decent seating position but the interior trim is a bit lacking with cheap plastics that scuff easily and the waterproofed cloth upholstery feels low end. The suicide rear doors are cool and provide ample OK access to the rear seat but conventional doors would be better.. Conventional doors would prevent the the Bermuda triangle effect - park too close to another car in a lot, get out and open the suicide doors to grab something or let somebody out. You are now trapped in the triangle. The rear seats fold forward but do not leave a level cargo area.

Another obvious shortcoming is being a slave to fashion. This car looks cool but sacrifices outward visibility. The windshield is far away and the low roofline limits being able to see when a traffic signal turns green. The low height of all the windows contributes to looking cool but limiting outward visibility. There are huge blind spots in the rear 3/4 view and the scenery outward through the rear glass is partially obscured by the reardoor mounted tire.

Offroad, this car is amazing. Limitations are due to style as you cannot see the corners of the car which hurts in rock crawling. The tires definitely need to be upgraded if you want to enjoy yourself offroad. Otherwise, the ATRAC, 2-speed transfer case and electronically locking rear diff work great. The crawl ratio is about 45:1 on the manual version, which is great for traversing a challenging hill. The car is tons of fun on fire roads and you can get the car to 4 wheel drift if you are in 4 high - which disables the stability control and locks the center differential.

This car was an easy purchase when considering the competitors - Nissan Xterra and pricier Hummer H3. Toyotas proven reliability was a major factor. Although 2007 was the first model year for the FJ Cruiser, the chassis, drivetrain and suspension were based on the non-US market prado, so I was less worried about dealing with the first model year bugs that most cars have. Its easy to minimalize the cool stylling but face it. This car makes a statement and people either love it or hate it.

At first, I bought the car and was luke-warm on the styling but loved driving it. 8k miles later, the styling continues to grow on me daily and I still love to drive it. I expect to feel that way in another 50,000 miles.

Strengths:
Almost handles like a car, torquey engine, great brakes, off-road prowess, Toyota quality, style.

Weaknesses:
Slave to style, cheapy interior bits.

Price Paid:  $29990.00 from vimont laval toyota

Year / Model Reviewed:
2007 toyota FJ Cruiser

Summary:
An absolutly outstanding vehicle, fun to look at, a Blast to drive, especially in the winter, quebec winters are crazy sometimes, and in this thing its a breeze. i will literally plow my way through 4 feet of snow to create myself a parking spot. Gas milage cirtainly stinks, but i didn't buy it expecting it to be economical. stock radio is pretty crappy but suits my needs. ipod jack is pretty usefull. i mustered up everything i could to find as many weaknesses as possible so this review doesnt sound too much like toyota commercial as possible. that said most weaknesses i mention bothered me for about 5 seconds total, and are trivial.

Strengths:
- its a Toyota
- has plenty of torque (though their can never really be enough)
- trunk door opens away from the sidewalk (usefull when unloading)
- rear seats fold down for a ton of trunkspace
- i've only done light off-roading so far but it proved to be very capable
- very comfortable up front, rear seats are comfortable for "regular sized" folks
- the looks obviously, compliments come on a daily bases
- i love the suicide doors for the rear seats
- ipod jack
- already has an assload of aftermarket support, be it for offroading or engine performance (superchargers etc)
- ground clearance is great.
- full time4x4 is amazing in winter
- rear diff lock standard on manual tranny
- A-trac is awsome (electronic traction control) for off-roading or in winter (comes in base models, all i had to do was buy the switch, which i installed myself and didnt have to pay the
3500$ package option at dealer. switch costs 50$)
- 3 windshield wipers freak everyone out, lol
this list would never end so ill end it right here, lol

Weaknesses:
- gas milage stinks, i get about 17 or 18 mpg mixed city/highway.
- rear seats are hard to get into/out of for heavier people
- dealers would not budge from MSRP
- had to wait almost 3 months to get it from the time i ordered it
- shift throws are very long (i bought a short throw kit to remedy this)
- stock radio is crappy, optional sterio "upgrade" is almost equally crappy id get the base unit and just get an aftermarket head unit.
- these trucks have problems with the windshield cracking cause they are near vertical. mine has not(knock on wood) but i've read online that they do.
- stock horn sounds a bit like roadrunner cartoon (you know "meep meep")sounds like the same horn used in the toyota echo which sounds funny on a SUV of this size. i bought a "high pitched" horn from TRD and its equally weak.

Similar Products Used:
Jeep Wrangler, way to noisy at highway speeds, and that was with the hard top. Wind/road noise was atrocious. And the lack of low/mid/high end torque was very apperent in normal driving. though jeeps are more capable off-road, and i love the look with top and doors removed. Was a pretty easy desicion to go with the toyota.