Edmunds takes FJ Cruiser off-roading
Autoblog's own Stuart Waterman hipped you to a cornucopia of info about Toyota's 2007 FJ Cruiser yesterday, and the quick-on-the-ball folks over at Edmund's Inside Line are the first on the ball with a road tes...errr, off-road test.
The basic gist of the piece is that the FJ isn't just a pretty retro face, it's a serious boulder-hopping piece of kit with an impressive driveline package. The off-road prowess and throwback design cues come with a price, however: day-to-day practicality. Of course, one might reasonably expect lousy rearward visibility from a vehicle sporting a c-pillar that looks as wide as the hood. But the cramped rear quarters and limited access (despite the rear-hinged demi doors) will make life difficult for soccer mommies looking to brandish their Extreme Sports personality credentials at the supermarket.
(Video and more after the jump. Thanks to Edsel for the tip)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Doogs 12:40PM (12/28/2005)
Is this to be anything but expected? Of course the FJ Cruiser was going to be good offroad. Among the best you can buy new off a lot. After all, it has the same drivetrain as the Tacoma, only with better approach and departure angles.
I'll be curious to see a three way test between this, the Xterra, and the 4-door Wrangler.
And, I must say, it looks better in yellow than blue.
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Lithous 12:52PM (12/28/2005)
Looks GM-ish. Mirrors that stand out like they were an after-thought, cheap overly exaggerated fender flares Z-71 package or something, H3 mixture of multicolored plastics and chrome. Except the interior is worse than anything GM has to offer currently. Early eighties Fiero-ish (again, GM styling though).
But it's a Toyota so it will sell!!!!
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Lithous 12:59PM (12/28/2005)
Guys, you have to work on your blog software. It shows [1] comment and I click and there are two. On a different post there was a link to "next 20 comments" and I clicked and there were no more comments (the link should be hidden if that is the case so the user experience isn't going to a link with nothing there).
Lithous Powers and Associates ranks these as defects.
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HardwareGuy 1:11PM (12/28/2005)
Here's that edmunds link:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=108557
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Tony 1:16PM (12/28/2005)
Link?
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Rocket Punch 1:28PM (12/28/2005)
....And the award to the most unrelated post of the year goes to.............................
#3 of this topic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Jason 1:38PM (12/28/2005)
What a let down. The original FJ40s are Awesome. This looks and smells like a every other wannabe SUV. I want a convertible again like the original. No thanks Toyota I will stick to my '78.
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Lithous 2:18PM (12/28/2005)
#6 Thank you!
I'd like to thank my forefathers for making me believe I actually have freedom of speach. I'd like to thank DARPA for making it all possible. I'd also like to thank mom and dad for believing in me. I think this is the most prestigious award I have ever won.
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dave 3:24PM (12/28/2005)
I love how every twit who gets shut down by another commenter calls upon the Bill of Rights ... as if recalling the Constitution actually made #6 look unpatriotic (heavens forbid). The rules of the comments section on this blog state, "Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry." It's not an insult to your rights as an American to ask you to do so. Talk to the webmaster if you take issue with technical flubs.
That said, umm ... the FJ is strange-looking, uneccessary, and sadly, marketable. There, now I'm conforming to the comment rules.
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Corey Shuman 5:05PM (12/28/2005)
Seem that this is a chopped down full size cruiser. I'd still choose a Rover if my main goal was offroad prowess..
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Lithous 5:29PM (12/28/2005)
Dude, if you couldn't tell I was joking by my comment then you are the twit.
Even if I wasn't joking, do you think the print on this blog would override the print in the bill of rights if that was the case (that I wasn't joking)? What a twit.
How should I go about "talking" with the webmaster. Should I call him on the phone? I don't have his number.
Lastly, it was for this very topic for which I saw the error and while I was wasting space I decided to add about the other error.
Did I waste 25 minutes of your time (assuming it takes a twit that long to read a few sentences). I may have only wasted 5 seconds of a literate persons time. Big deal.
The fact that you guys both wasted more time commenting about my comments than commenting on this boring vehicle shows that off topic is sometimes done by human nature. Ignore it and move on or email the webmaster and tell him I'm the most heinous individual ever since I did such a post but don't try to egg a guy on as you did. Just not bright because it is obvious I'd come back with an off-topic reply.
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Ed 5:30PM (12/28/2005)
It's not supposed to be pretty, it's supposed to be capable. If you want a driveway ornament, buy a different vehicle. If you want an off-road vehicle capable of challenging the Wrangler (or at least securing second place) then the FJ makes sense. If your idea of "extreme driving" is driving to the mall in a light rain, then it doesn't.
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Lithous 5:40PM (12/28/2005)
#11 if that is true then why the outside chrome, silver plastic and bright paint? I mean if it is for off road and not to be "pretty" why would you do those things on the outside that are destined to be all hazed and scratched up after a trip or two off road? Why not make it in a couple dark basic colors and have black plastic bumpers and grille?
I don't buy that that is the intent (serious off road and trying to be "pretty". I really think Toyota made a bad interior and an unlegendary (is that what the FJ is supposed to be, legendary, I don't know) exterior.
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Dark Leth 5:58PM (12/28/2005)
Lithous, it is cache and server delay, most likely. Don't worry about it, it can happen to almost any site.
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John B 6:10PM (12/28/2005)
#10 Dude,
The First Amendment to the Constitution outlines the restrictions placed on Government in regards to your freedom of speech. Autoblog is not the Government. Autoblog can restrict your speech however they see fit.
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Toyota FJ Cruiser 7:49PM (12/28/2005)
There are already owners chomping at the bit to get their FJ and take it off road... and the wait wont be much longer!
If you are interested in the Toyota FJ Cruiser, be sure to check out:
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/
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El Norte 8:53PM (12/28/2005)
I hope to see these off-road when I go to Sayersbrook or Rockport (in my Jeep). These "off-road" pics though don't really demonstrate capability (all-season tires, lots of pics with a wheel hanging in the air). With swaybar discos and proper meats and a lift I think it could be fun.
Nothing wrong with the FJ Cruiser (and this is from a diehard Jeep guy).
Of course, I don't see the family resemblence to the FJs of old. I've heard a lot of complaining about how it's too retro, and I don't see it. Again, not a bad thing.
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Lime85 9:23PM (12/28/2005)
As a Wrangler guy, I was hoping for a worthy adversary in this new FJ. Sadly, I have been disappointed. While a few will take these new FJ's off-road, I suspect the average FJ owner will be the the same as the average Xterra owner. I know several moms in my neighborhood will have one of these by the summer.
To me this new FJ is a missed opportunity for Toyota to make a vehicle worthy of wearing the FJ name. Just as Ford failed on the Thunderbird, so has Toyota. Both capable vehicles, but neither worthy of the name they carry.
I know someone in the following comments will state that most Wranglers never see off-road action either. That may be true, but at least the Wrangler was designed with a durable exterior. The exterior of this FJ looks as ridiculous as that of the H2, but maybe more, at least the H2 has less of that fake silver plastic.
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Lime85 9:23PM (12/28/2005)
As a Wrangler guy, I was hoping for a worthy adversary in this new FJ. Sadly, I have been disappointed. While a few will take these new FJ's off-road, I suspect the average FJ owner will be the the same as the average Xterra owner. I know several moms in my neighborhood will have one of these by the summer.
To me this new FJ is a missed opportunity for Toyota to make a vehicle worthy of wearing the FJ name. Just as Ford failed on the Thunderbird, so has Toyota. Both capable vehicles, but neither worthy of the name they carry.
I know someone in the following comments will state that most Wranglers never see off-road action either. That may be true, but at least the Wrangler was designed with a durable exterior. The exterior of this FJ looks as ridiculous as that of the H2, but maybe more, at least the H2 has less of that fake silver plastic.
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Ed 11:46PM (12/28/2005)
I don't think the fact that they loaded up the exterior with lame plastic cladding detracts from my argument (in #11). They probably think it will help make the vehicle look "tougher" to the off-road crowd. I think we can all agree that it is not successful in that regard.
Like every other SUV on the planet (including the exalted Wrangler) 90% of the FJs sold will never be used off-road. That's the nature of the American market. But my point (btw, I don't own a Toyota - never have) is that Toyota seems to have succeeded in making a vehicle that is off-road capable. It is probably no Wrangler but I think it's on par with the next level of competition (Xterra, etc). The clearance and standard features indicate that Toyota expects the vehicle to be sold mainly to the off-road crowd. But at the same time, I'm sure they're not adverse to some suburban airheads buy one and never intend to take it off paved roads. The fact that they're trying to sell as many of them as possible doesn't diminish its capabilities. Did I miss something? Did Jeep dealers start kicking customers off the lot unless they swear in writing to use their Wranglers in the mud? And has the Wrangler not added creature comforts on the interior (and styling work on the exterior) to try to broaden its appeal?
I could care less about the FJ - I'm pining away for a return of the Defender, personally! But the initial reviews lead me to believe that someone interested in an off-road vehicle could do a lot worse, regardless of what the Wrangler purists will say.
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