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Posted February, 2007

Road Test: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser

By Thomas E. Bonsall

The first time I saw the new FJ Cruiser, I was shocked, stunned, and in total disbelief that a major manufacturer could produce a vehicle at once so ugly and so bizarre. I still am. As I quickly learned, though, it is not a view universally shared. Indeed, as soon as our test vehicle arrived, my next-door neighbor practically swooned over it.

The Toyota Cruiser has been around forever. If you looked way in the back of the catalog, you'd find it. The company has hardly promoted it over the years, but it must have sold well enough because they kept it around, a wallflower no one seemed to much notice.

No more. This wallflower's back and she's on steroids! I can't predict that the new looks will improve Cruiser sales, but this is a vehicle that won't go unnoticed.

The Cruiser is a sort of poor man's Range Rover. The base sticker is only $22,890. Our test vehicle had four thousand dollars in options plus destination charges for a grand total of $27,574. The options included the following:

The CQ Convenience Package ($1,840): remote keyless entry, cruise control, power outside mirror, rear parking sonar (that beeps at you as get closer to objects as you back-up), privacy glass, rear wiper and daytime running lights. This package struck me as good value for the money, especially the rear parking sonar. The rearward visibility is dreadful, really quite the worst I've seen in a long time, and you'll need all the help you can get.

The C7 Convenience Package ($1,167): roof rack, towing hitch and wire harness, and spare tire cover. A good value if you like to tow things.

The Z2 Preferred Accessory Package ($422): all-weather mats and cargo mat, rear door storage, First Aid kit and a center armrest. What a strange collection of items!

And, finally, 17-inch Alloy wheels ($650).

The Cruiser comes standard with four-wheel drive. The engine is a 239 horsepower, 4.0-liter V6. Our test vehicle had a six-speed manual transmission, although a five-speed automatic is also available. Our vehicle had plenty of power for normal driving and, in general, was thoroughly competent in terms of performance, ride and handling. It is a good-sized four-by-four and drove like one, but, within those parameters, it did all the things you would have expected it to do and did them well.

I've already touched on the styling. Either you love it or you don't, but this is a call you'll have to make on your own. The poor rear visibility has already been noted. Poor access to the back seat is another problem. The Cruiser uses the half-sized, center-opening rear doors that first appeared on the Saturn coupe several seasons ago. Unlike the Saturn, the Cruiser features them on both sides of the vehicle. You have to open the front door before the rear door, so there is no danger that the rear door will come open while the vehicle is in motion. That's good, but the access still isn't.

The EPA rates the fuel economy at 16 city/19 highway. That's only middling these days. Toyota really should be able to do better.

My overall impression of the FJ Cruiser is that it is a highly specialized vehicle that will appeal to a small number of buyers who will like it a lot. The rest of us probably wouldn't accept one as a gift. I suspect Toyota has accomplished precisely what it set out to achieve. R&D