2007 FJ Cruiser Review (1 Viewer)

[mikem]

Here's a serious review on the 2007 FJ Cruiser. And when I say serious, I mean every detail, from design to performance and features, driving tests, history, etc.
The only disadvantage is that it's 6 pages long, so you might wanna grab a coffee

You can also find a big picture gallery and some FJ Cruiser films showing it in action.

This is a must see for any fan, so enjoy

The review is on TopSpeed, here: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/toyota/toyota_fj_cruiser-ar1736.html

 

[SATXChelus]

They said it was a "Luxury SUV"?!

 

[JLam]

Hahaha...the "funny video" they linked to is me driving and my brother acting goofy at the end of the video. My fiancee shot the video with our little point and shoot camera. Cool.

 

[TexasBadlands]

I'm not going to write a 'review', but I would like to express my opinions of this new FJs prowess as a long time Land Cruiser owner.

I've been off roading for a lot of years, and owning a Land Cruiser the whole time. In those years I have driven other rigs, and none, and I mean none ever compared to my FJ40 off road. Eventually I got married and after a few years we went to see about a new 4wd and I didn't like the latest Land Cruiser they were offering with the small tires, unibody, and general "grocery getter" look (Post 1997). Therefore we went all over test driving other 4wd vehicles, and eventually went down to Land Rover. Once inside the Land Rover Discovery II and after driving it off road, I had found a vehicle I feel was on par with the Land Cruiser off road - Not something I judged lightly...

So on to TODAY. After seeing the prototype FJ Cruiser I was very stoked. I knew if Toyota released this new incarnation of my favorite 4wd it would be a winner, and it was. It met all my expectations and more.

Driving the FJ Cruiser off road on my test drive was encouraged by the salesman, to which I quickly obliged. We found a hill, with loose gravel and deep rain ruts. I took control of the beast and put it in 4 Lo lock with the rear diff lock engaged and took my foot off the pedals as I engaged 1st gear (6 spd manual). As I sat there, the grin on my face got larger and larger as I watched from my seat how the FJ just crawled up and over the curb and through the ruts to the base of the hill with no assistance from me and the accelerator, letting the torque and gearing do all the work.... I knew then and there this was a real Cruiser at heart. As soon as I reached the base of the nasty little hill, I eased up as slow as I could barely touching the accelorator and the beast just crawled right up... rrrrrr...rrrrrrr....rrrrrrr..... Yeah the sound of the low end torque and gearing making that hill a cake walk. Just like my old buddy sitting back home (1978 FJ40) but in much more comfort and with air conditioning. Wow was I impressed. We got to the top and I piddled around a bit and then we went back down. Staying in 1st gear and feet off the pedals I let the vehicle decend using the 'engine braking' method, until reaching the deep ruts near the bottom where I feathered the brakes and had some fun with the suspension 'twisting it up'... We had people stopped along side of the road watching us, and they were smiling just as much as I was. I know I sold a few more new Cruisers for them that day just by the looks. When we got back on the road, the salesman said "You've been doing this stuff a while, haven't you".... "Yep!" I said, as we drove back to the dealership to put my downpayment on my new Toy.......

 

[Dirk Diggler]

The 100 series Cruiser you are referring to is NOT unibody and has bigger stock tires than a 40. In fact, the frame of the 100 series is probably the best yet.

Congrats on your new rig.

 

[TexasBadlands]

The dealer told me they were Uni-body. The tires look small, and I didn't like the new shape. The tires on my 40 are 31" BFG Mud Terrains.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

The dealer told me they were Uni-body. The tires look small, and I didn't like the new shape. The tires on my 40 are 31" BFG Mud Terrains.

Stock tires on a 100 series are 275/70/16 or 275/60/18, which is approx. 31.2".

Stop listening to the dealer. Most are complete morons.

A 100 series can fit 305's without a lift (33x12.5). It is an awesome vehicle. That is why it was named 4x4 of the year by Four Wheeler magazine this year.

 

[TexasBadlands]

Cool, Dirk. I'm glad you liked it, but I didn't and didn't think it lived up to the previous model or kept with the LC styling.