I got about 25 minutes behind the wheel in an FJ Cruiser today, not nearly enough time, but I thought I'd share my thoughts.
The truck I drove was the Dark Cherry with a roof rack, had the diff. lock and all power equipment.
The 1GR-FE V6 is awesome, the power delivery is perfect for the truck. It sounds great and feels really solid. I'm not a fan of the body panel between the 1/2 door window and the rear side cargo window- but its worse from the inside. The Cruiser's biggest flaw is lack of visibility from the driver's seat. It's better than a lot of vehicles, but not good for an SUV. The body panel I mentioned combined with tiny windows on either side make shoulder checks and lane changes less than easy. However, I'm used to driving a RHD vehicle on LHD roads, so this could get better with practice. The steeply raked windsheild is quite far ahead of you, and due to the high beltline, all windows are short. The windsheild may cause sight problems with traffic lights if you're the first car parked at a red light.
The interior is great, I love the lack of carpet in a vehicle like this. The seats could be a little more supportive, but they're nice and firm. The transmission shifts smoothly through all 6 gears and the truck accellerates excellently. The only gripe I have with interior design is the area of the dash above the glovebox. Typically Toyota has been good with space usage on things like this, but it appears there must be something in behind the dash that restricts a good usable box. A grab bar or something similar on the dash would make it more exciting looking. The stereo has a stock Auxillary input that could be used for your iPod without having to buy the optional interface.
Overall, this truck is a LOT different than the Landcruisers I'm used to. That said, it's a more refined city truck with the ability to get dirty.
I won't have the chance to offroad one until all the customers get what they want. For now I rate the truck:
Exterior Styling: 8.5/10 (For disliking retro, this turned out well, IMO)
Interior Styling: 8/10 (I really like the design of older Toyotas, but this gets points for being very usable)
Visibility: 6/10
Drivability: 9/10
Cool Factor: 10/10
OffRoad: To be seen
The truck I drove was the Dark Cherry with a roof rack, had the diff. lock and all power equipment.
The 1GR-FE V6 is awesome, the power delivery is perfect for the truck. It sounds great and feels really solid. I'm not a fan of the body panel between the 1/2 door window and the rear side cargo window- but its worse from the inside. The Cruiser's biggest flaw is lack of visibility from the driver's seat. It's better than a lot of vehicles, but not good for an SUV. The body panel I mentioned combined with tiny windows on either side make shoulder checks and lane changes less than easy. However, I'm used to driving a RHD vehicle on LHD roads, so this could get better with practice. The steeply raked windsheild is quite far ahead of you, and due to the high beltline, all windows are short. The windsheild may cause sight problems with traffic lights if you're the first car parked at a red light.
The interior is great, I love the lack of carpet in a vehicle like this. The seats could be a little more supportive, but they're nice and firm. The transmission shifts smoothly through all 6 gears and the truck accellerates excellently. The only gripe I have with interior design is the area of the dash above the glovebox. Typically Toyota has been good with space usage on things like this, but it appears there must be something in behind the dash that restricts a good usable box. A grab bar or something similar on the dash would make it more exciting looking. The stereo has a stock Auxillary input that could be used for your iPod without having to buy the optional interface.
Overall, this truck is a LOT different than the Landcruisers I'm used to. That said, it's a more refined city truck with the ability to get dirty.
I won't have the chance to offroad one until all the customers get what they want. For now I rate the truck:
Exterior Styling: 8.5/10 (For disliking retro, this turned out well, IMO)
Interior Styling: 8/10 (I really like the design of older Toyotas, but this gets points for being very usable)
Visibility: 6/10
Drivability: 9/10
Cool Factor: 10/10
OffRoad: To be seen
