FJ Cruiser three year review

***Corey*** · 10-17-2009, 03:08 PM

I have had my FJ Cruiser since July the 24th of 2006.
I ordered it back in March of the same year.

Though this review is a little late, I would like to share my thoughts on the rig.
It just turned 24,373 miles at 3 am yesterday when I gassed it up before work.

I called the dealer the other day as it is ready for an oil change and I asked about the plugs and he said wait until it turns 30K before getting the plugs done if it is running perfect.

I must admit it is running perfectly and the only thing that has been done to it is regular oil changes, lube, and a few air filter changes.
No squeaks rattles, or other pesky things have cropped up.
And I am only on the second windshield.
These flat windshields are more prone to chips/cracks than a normal slanted window.

The rig is far from stock though as it has the OME 2.5" lift, ARB front bumper, Warn XD9000 winch, Bentup sliderz, Dick Cepek Mountaincat mud tires sized over stock at 285x70x17, a Safari snorkel, Autohome Maggiolina AirLander roof top tent, ect...
And it still accelerates as fast as it did when it was bone stock.

The gas mileage when new was close to 21 MPG combined city/highway, now I am down to around 17 MPG combined city/highway with the above equipment on it.
The first set of mud tires where the biggest hit to the lower MPG.
In fact this is my second set of the same tires, the first ones were of the stock size, and I immediately went from around 21 MPG down to 19 MPG, so you can see the hit that put on the MPG.

The performance is the same though, it feels like a rocket ship to me after coming from a 2nd gen '91 4Runner with the 3.0 and an automatic transmission.

I have zero complaints on the rig.
I keep reading about blind spots, I do not see them.
But then I use to drive semi trucks part time long ago, and I drive rigs at work that require me to depend a lot on using mirrors to drive with.
I have the FJs mirrors adjusted accordingly to see properly out of.
Although seeing out the back is not the greatest due to the spare tire there, I really hardly use the rear window anyways to navigate the roads with.

The handling has been affected by adding the roof top tent to the factory rack as it sits a little to high, and on a windy day coming home from work I can get pushed around a little.
This is not due to the weight but more to the fact that between the top of the roof and the bottom of the tent is a good amount of space there that wind can move around trying to blow me off course.
Not bad on a calm day, but when windy can be a little nerve racking.
Working on that solution though with a vendor on this forum for a rack that will lower the tent substantially which should yield better handling when it is windy out.

Of all of Toyotas current lineup the FJ Cruiser is really the only rig I would buy brand new.
I do like the Tacomas very much too, and I would not hesitate to build one up for a daily driver/expo rig, but the FJ is my first choice.
The new 4Runner coming out does not do anything for me as it seems it is getting more plush each year.

The FJ Cruiser for me is a vehicle more back to Toyotas roots for an off road/expo oriented type vehicle.

4WD lever for the transfercase, no carpet, no leather seats, ect.
The two latter items make cleaning up the rig after a day of off roading, camping, dragging along the mountain bike and wearing dirty bike shorts/jerseys makes cleaning up the rig a lot easier.

I find the seats very comfortable in the rigs, and there is plenty of headroom.
Even when wearing my camping/safari hat.
I have heard the FJ Cruiser has more headroom than others in the Toyota lineup.

Seeing out the shorter/straight windshield has never been a problem for me, and seeing those three wiper blades called into action when the sky opens up still looks cool to me.

If anything were to happen to this rig I would replace it with a 2010 FJ Cruiser, maybe even the new green color which looks pretty good.

For my lifestyle though of back country camping, exploring, mountain biking, this is the perfect rig for me.

These rigs are pretty tough too.
Back in June of 2007 I was sitting at a red light in my town heading out to do the weeks grocery shopping.
All of a sudden I felt a slight impact, and I knew I had just been rear ended.
I jumped out and a Ford Ranger was folded up like an accordion in the front.
his truck was totaled.

Mine?
Rear bumper needed to be replaced, the tailpipe, the rear door, and a few trim items.
He hit me at about 25 to 30 miles per hour.
I drove home, he did not.
My rig was fixed, frame checked which was perfect, good as new afterwards.

The rig continues to start conversations with others when I am out on the road, at the store, or getting fueled up.

I am very happy that Toyota introduced this vehicle.
I am surprised that it is still being produced as it was only suppose to be a short run on these as a limited production model.
Nice to see that it did make it another year for 2010.

Anyways, I am stocked about this vehicle, and it and a few other things (Overland Journal) have gotten me interested in camping again after taking about a decade off from camping.
I use to go every other weekend with my two sons when they were younger from about May through September.

Here are a few pics of how the rig has evolved over the years.
Day I brought it home in the first pic, then the mods came very fast from being excited about this new rig from Toyota.

Overall I am 100% satisfied with what Toyota offered this rig up as.

Who needs rear seats?

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BigBluePile · 10-17-2009, 06:24 PM

Nice review Corey. It's always good to see a vehicle put to its potential as a rig.

4biker · 10-17-2009, 06:53 PM

Good review, Corey. I hope at some point I can upgrade to an FJ Cruiser when the 4Runner finally gets too old (probably won't happen for a long time). Last summer my wife and I test drove one on a date one night, and I really liked it. I actually forgot I was test-driving while we were cruising on the freeway, and I could easily see myself owning one. I remember the suspension was super cushy, and was wondering if the OME suspension changed stiffened up a lot on yours, or if it mostly just lifted it? I kind of liked the Cadillac-esque ride.

lgrt · 10-23-2009, 12:08 AM

nice write up and glad the rig still have that same new rig shine in your heat... great pics too.

GodwinAustin · 10-23-2009, 12:17 AM

Corey thanks for the writeup. You have an awesome camp setup with that truck.

toyota4x4907 · 10-23-2009, 12:30 AM

When they first came out I thought they were pretty ugly. The look sure has grown on me though. I can see myself owning one in like 10-20 years when my 4runner dies

Your rig is definitely one of the coolest around

I never noticed the triple windshield wipers before.

10-17-2009, 06:53 PM	#3 (permalink)
4biker Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: SLC, Utah Posts: 296	Good review, Corey. I hope at some point I can upgrade to an FJ Cruiser when the 4Runner finally gets too old (probably won't happen for a long time). Last summer my wife and I test drove one on a date one night, and I really liked it. I actually forgot I was test-driving while we were cruising on the freeway, and I could easily see myself owning one. I remember the suspension was super cushy, and was wondering if the OME suspension changed stiffened up a lot on yours, or if it mostly just lifted it? I kind of liked the Cadillac-esque ride. __________________ 1997 4Runner Ltd, E-locker, OME 881/N91SC + 906/N86C, 265/75/16 Yokohama Geolander AT+II's, 1000w inverter, dual batt setup, very custom cargo platform My Profile 1998 Rocky Mountain Element TO (Canada Red)

10-23-2009, 12:08 AM	#4 (permalink)
lgrt Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 89	nice write up and glad the rig still have that same new rig shine in your heat... great pics too. __________________ lgrt Mods: a change in attitude, Baja Design Lights, lots of Metal Tech stuff along with bits and peices 4x4 Adventure Blog: Stories, pictures and videos of my rig along with the odd rant and rave

10-23-2009, 12:17 AM	#5 (permalink)
GodwinAustin Contributing Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Eagle County Colorado Posts: 1,149	Corey thanks for the writeup. You have an awesome camp setup with that truck. __________________ -Jon Red 88 4runner - 5Spd - 22re

10-23-2009, 12:30 AM	#6 (permalink)
toyota4x4907 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska Posts: 2,334	When they first came out I thought they were pretty ugly. The look sure has grown on me though. I can see myself owning one in like 10-20 years when my 4runner dies Your rig is definitely one of the coolest around I never noticed the triple windshield wipers before. __________________ '95 4runner\|22re\|5spd\|130K miles\|ISR\| 2" BL\| 31x10.5 \| CompuStar Auto-start\| two 170mm LightForce\|anti-sway bars removed f/r\|Warn manual hubs\|ADD bypassed\|Diff breather extensions\|XLPerformance muffler '88 4runner\|22re\|5spd\|206K miles\|Sold '93 single cab\|22re\|5spd\|150K miles\|Sold\| Pro IFS Last edited by toyota4x4907; 10-23-2009 at 12:31 AM.

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