When Toyota pulled the sheets off its FJ Cruiser concept at the 2003 Detroit auto show, we wondered how much of its pugnacious, deliberately overwrought design would make it to production. Lots of it would, as it turned out. Captivating design details that made it from the show floor to the street include the decorative lights in the sideview mirrors, the suicide-style rear doors, and the metal-look bumper extensions. The FJ Cruiser also succeeds in evoking the spirit and design of the original--and iconic--FJ40 of the 1960s. It manages to be unique in Toyota's range, a character actor among a rank of worthy but anodyne players.
On sale now for a year, the FJ has been considerably more successful than Toyota anticipated, with more than 70,000 finding homes. And, surprisingly, given the FJ's tough-guy stance, half of all two-wheel-drive models have been sold to women. The FJ is based on a shortened 4Runner platform, and power is provided by Toyota's 4.0-liter V-6, which puts out 239 hp and a hefty 278 lb-ft of torque. The standard transmission is a six-speed manual, but the FJ also is available with a five-speed automatic.
Without question, the most controversial option we specified for our Four Seasons FJ Cruiser turned out to be that automatic gearbox. It's smooth and responsive and works well enough, but it's paired with a part-time four-wheel-drive system. And when this particular four-wheel-drive system is engaged, stability control is deactivated. This is less of an issue when you're driving an FJ in Florida, but it's a rather more notable problem when you're in the depths of a Michigan winter. The full-time four-wheel-drive system paired with the manual transmission, on the other hand, has a Torsen limited-slip center differential that works happily with stability control.
A scan of our filled-to-bursting logbook (the FJ Cruiser elicits opinions from everyone and his dog) reveals that the FJ's styling was the biggest talking point among drivers and passengers. In the main, people really warmed to its toylike design. "Toyota product planner Ben Mitchell was telling me that Toyota had to break a lot of its own rules when creating the FJ--rules regarding windshield angle and outward visibility, to mention two," said senior editor Joe Lorio. "But that's how you get a vehicle that breaks out of your own homogenized box."
"It's the Japanese Hummer with a piquant hint of VAZ/GAZ [Russian car companies]," wrote technical editor Don Sherman. Assistant editor Sam Smith added: "Finally, someone has built an SUV/trucky thing that makes no excuses and is just good old trucky good. It reminds me of an old Series I/II Land Rover or a Jeep CJ."
So, we were nearly unanimous in the view that Toyota hit a home run with the FJ's exterior styling. Logbook comments like "Duplo Lego" and "fun" were a recurring theme. The interior's chunky, utilitarian styling garnered similar reactions, with most people enjoying and complimenting the FJ's unique cabin ambience.
But, and here's the rub, you pay a price for all that style. Everyone who drove the FJ commented on the big blind spot at the rear and on the fact that you have to lean forward and tilt your head to the side to see traffic lights, thanks to that upright windshield and the resultant mailbox-slot view. Rear-seat accommodations aren't great for adults, and the view of the outside world from those seats is impeded by the suicide doors and their small windows. ...next page >>