toyota FJ cruiser

[Yvon]

We will change our car this year. So I,m slowly looking at our options. We would like a small SUV. I kind of like the toyota FJ cruiser. I know it's ugly that's why I like it.
Anybody has any experience with it?

[Steve Clark]

I can't offer any advice on the truck but I love the look. We went to a smaller vehicle since we had been in SUV for a few years. The Toyota looks fantastic.

[shawn-o]

My buddies dad has one and loves it.

The stock locker is quite good from the factory. The stock stereo sucked but the interior is pretty cool. Ive been in it quite afew times and its a really good ride.

Within the first week, he had purchased new toyo open-country tires for it, and drives it as a daily driver.

[Philbiker]

I think it looks terriffic! However it is a traditional truck based SUV. Built to handle serious off-road use. As such, it gets very poor gas mileage and will offer a very "trucky" ride which you may find uncomfortable. 4WD mode may be of limited use on dry roads. If you like camping and off-road driving it's going to be the ticket!

If you're not heading off road consider the car based "crossover" SUVs like the Highlander, Subaru Outback (I would recommend the more upscale 3 liter 6 cylinder models only, as the 2.5L is trouble), Lexus RX300, etc.

[ROON]

The outside looks AWESOME, but I sat inside one at a car show recently and the interior just feels like a cheap toy.
Everything looks really really plastic-ish and toy-ish.

[Yvon]

thanks for the comments so far.
It seem like it might not be the best car for me.
I really like the look though!
Might go for rav4 or something like that.
We'll see. I will go look at them anyway though!

[mike_v_s]

Originally Posted by Yvon

thanks for the comments so far.
It seem like it might not be the best car for me.
I really like the look though!
Might go for rav4 or something like that.
We'll see. I will go look at them anyway though!

We didn't buy either, but both the RAV4 and the previous generation Highlander are very nice vehicles at their price points. Truthfully, you might be surprised how much vehicle you get for the money with a RAV4. They are a good bit larger than they used to be.

Mike

[DigMe]

I like the look of it but I'm not a fan of the suicide doors.

bc

[Jiggybass]

Screw that, buy the new 4-door wrangler, totally beats out the FJ.

Plus you can take the top off, and the doors come off too, super fun in the summer!

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by Jiggybass

Screw that, buy the new 4-door wrangler, totally beats out the FJ.

Plus you can take the top off, and the doors come off too, super fun in the summer!

Except the Wrangler will spend five times as much time in the shop.

I'm going to wait on the FJ until they put Toyota's new 5.7 liter, 381 hp V-8 in it. Now that would dominate, Abercrombie or not.

[johnpaulbass]

I think that is a small hummer ..

love the look

toyota also makes quality cars IMO

[Ericman197]

Originally Posted by ROON

The outside looks AWESOME, but I sat inside one at a car show recently and the interior just feels like a cheap toy.
Everything looks really really plastic-ish and toy-ish.

Haha, I'll never get this perspective. I hear these complaints with just about any car with good performance, especially with GM. As someone said on another forum:

"THAT car [Corvette] with the performance of a car costing twice as much doesn't even have a teak glovebox or swanskin seatbelts! Inferior rubbish from the colonies"

In the case of the FJ, the interior is designed as it is for a reason. It's meant to be fairly stain/water resistant, and easy to operate when wearing gloves (hence the oversized knobs).

For those who criticize its appearance, or the interior dimensions: you probably aren't in the target demographic of 18 to 30ish year old single males. The FJ was not designed for hauling kids.

If you don't care about gas mileage and other practical problems with the FJ, I think it's a totally neat truck. It has a great ride for what it is, and decent enough street manners. The one thing that kept me from buying one is the piss poor visibility.

e: I would totally recommend it if you're willing to deal with the above problems. If you don't want to or don't have any offroading wants, then the RAV4 or any number of other cars/SUVs would be a better and more practical choice.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Yvon

We will change our car this year. So I,m slowly looking at our options. We would like a small SUV. I kind of like the toyota FJ cruiser. I know it's ugly that's why I like it.
Anybody has any experience with it?

My wife drives one. It's a fun ride, but kind of a toy. The visiblility is horrible (the front window is so small that you have to lean over to see a hanging stoplight, and the rear window almost doesn't exist... they actually have a 'rear collision warning system for use when parallel parking).

The 'suicide doors' are fun but again, more funky that 'good' for most people.

The 4 wheel drive system is VERY good (multiple modes of 4 wheel drive and multiple modes of traction control, etc.).

The stereo system is average at best, and LOT's of plastic on the bumpers, etc. to keep down the weight and cost. The base cost is very low for these, but it's a really stripped down version. The 'L' model is around $30k.

Gas mileage is average for a full size SUV.

So.. if you live in a rural area and really need a 'psuedo offroad' vehicle, they are cool. We have a cabin up North, and this thing will go through ANYTHING.

For an everyday car, the Honda CRV/Element or the Toyota Rav4 are MUCH better.... lower cost, massively better mileage, more internal room, still very good in snow conditions, and significant lower cost.

IMO! It's a great 'toy' if you are looking for something funky, and I would guess it is better all the way around than the similarly designed small Hummer.

K

[dryheatbob]

I think it looks retro cool, and my 5 year od thinks it's a transformer.


Give the DryheatBob household seal of approval!


Bob

[Yvon]

Originally Posted by KJung

My wife drives one. It's a fun ride, but kind of a toy. The visiblility is horrible (the front window is so small that you have to lean over to see a hanging stoplight, and the rear window almost doesn't exist... they actually have a 'rear collision warning system for use when parallel parking).

The 'suicide doors' are fun but again, more funky that 'good' for most people.

The 4 wheel drive system is VERY good (multiple modes of 4 wheel drive and multiple modes of traction control, etc.).

The stereo system is average at best, and LOT's of plastic on the bumpers, etc. to keep down the weight and cost. The base cost is very low for these, but it's a really stripped down version. The 'L' model is around $30k.

Gas mileage is average for a full size SUV.

So.. if you live in a rural area and really need a 'psuedo offroad' vehicle, they are cool. We have a cabin up North, and this thing will go through ANYTHING.

For an everyday car, the Honda CRV/Element or the Toyota Rav4 are MUCH better.... lower cost, massively better mileage, more internal room, still very good in snow conditions, and significant lower cost.

IMO! It's a great 'toy' if you are looking for something funky, and I would guess it is better all the way around than the similarly designed small Hummer.

K

Thank you,
I'm not doing any off road but I live in a small city away from everything and the road in the winter are horrible.

I mean on my way to work (about 15 miles) I see at least one accident a week. and maybe 10 accident with dead people a year. So I just want something that will stay on the road in the winter.
Of course I drive slowly and I buy the best winter tire I can find. But I think a small suv would be a little better.

I will look at the other 4x4 also, like the honda and the rav4.

I just look at an online video review of the fj cruiser and it's that the visibility seem to be really bad!

[Geoff St. Germaine]

My wife and I test drove one before buying our Pathfinder. It was a nice vehicle, but my issues with it were visibility and interior access (especially the back seat). I also found that there wasn't enough leg room in the back. I would only have considered it if I was looking for something as more strict of an off-roader. I like the Special Edition one that is available in the US.

[Lync]

The one I sat in at a dealership recently seemed like it was well-built. The interior will be good for mud, but you have to watch for scratches when you transport gear (this is coming from experience with a Honda Element).

The FJ doors closed with a solid resounding thud (I love when vehicles do that). The gas mileage could be better though...

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Yvon

Thank you,
I'm not doing any off road but I live in a small city away from everything and the road in the winter are horrible.

I mean on my way to work (about 15 miles) I see at least one accident a week. and maybe 10 accident with dead people a year. So I just want something that will stay on the road in the winter.
Of course I drive slowly and I buy the best winter tire I can find. But I think a small suv would be a little better.

I will look at the other 4x4 also, like the honda and the rav4.

I just look at an online video review of the fj cruiser and it's that the visibility seem to be really bad!

The all wheel drives in the Rav4 and the CRV are wonderful for getting through snow, and with the right tires, they will go through anything 'on road' that you could think of. They are also WONDERFUL for gigging, since the rear compartment is very large on both, and the access is very low to the ground... nice!

Interestingly, the RAV4 and CRV have more room in the back compartment than the larger SUV's (Highlander, etc.) in those lines, I assume due to the fact they are built of a car frame versus a truck frame.

The Suburu crossovers are nice also, but not as good for gear. They are more like station wagons, and do not have the nice 'black out' windows and deep well in the back, so your gear is always in plain sight for anyone to see. With the RAV4 or the Element/CRV, you have to pretty much put your nose up to the rear window to see anything in the back compartment. Nice if you even have to leave your gear in your car after a gig.

The Element from Honda is pretty cool if you want some of the 'funkiness and fun' of the FJ in smaller, more gas friendly SUV.