2010 FJ Cruiser.

yes it was a SEMA project

 

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They need to make this for production. I showed my wife and she said "WOW I want that one"!

 

The FJ's a great concept but the physical body needs re-working -- the huge blind spots and the welding helmet windshield two feet ahead of the driver are problems for many.

 

Plus it is almost impossible for a 6 foot tall person to get into the back seat.

 

And was he comfortable?

 

The FJ is what you get when you take a lot of good ideas and try to shoehorn them into a sales pitch for a country that lives in the suburbs. What showed up was a middling execution of that concept that's about the best you can expect from such an odd marriage.

The FJ, technologically, is a very capable mud plugger. At the time of its introduction, it was the most offroad capable vehicle in its stock form that was widely available. One could argue that it's since been supplanted by the Ford Raptor, but even that isn't necessarily true - the Raptor's suspension is certainly nice, but it lacks ATRAC or something similar, which the FJ has had since day 1, and which gives the FJ enough crawl capability to go toe to toe with the Ford any day. Additionally, the Raptor may not be defined as "widely available" by some parties.

Now, how do you take a package like that and put it in a form that a mid-30s male with two kids and an early receding hairline can convince his wife to let him buy?

Well, you have to make it "stylistically unique", which is to say, something that can be a fad for a little bit. This is the same technique Mini uses to sell the Cooper, which, once you get past the "unique" exterior, is essentially subcompact you just got bilked out of 40k for.

And thus, we have the FJs go-anywhere utility hidden inside an overgrown Tonka toy with questionable cabin ergonomics.

I find it ironic, because most of the demographic that Toyota targeted with the FJ just kept buying Tacomas. Now that the TRD Offroad Taco has ATRAC as well, the FJ's value proposition drops even further as it can't match a pickup for versatility.

The FJ could still be successful as a niche vehicle, but in order for that to happen, Toyota will have to make peace with it being a niche vehicle and embrace that in the design...which is to say an old school utilitarian interior, a functional structure allowing proper visibility, and lower sales targets.

 

Friend of mine down the street from me has a 2008 FJ Cruiser, just slightly bigger than I am and he can't get into the back seat. Myself being 6ft and 275 lbs has a hell of a time trying to get into the back seat of one of those things and when I do make it back there, it is very uncomfortable.

Just before I bought the Tacoma last month, I had a 2006 Honda Element EX-P. The Element has the same door configuration but it is so much easier to get in and out of and so much roomier in the back seat.

 

For all the ladies on TW...I need a sugar mama. That looks awesome.

 

If my experience was typical, the only reason I own a tacoma right now instead of an FJ is gas mileage. I test drove both, but the deciding factor was that fact that I put at least 100 miles on every day, and the 4 cylinder 5 speed tacoma couldnt be matched by the FJ as far as gas mileage goes.

Although if they had a green one on the lot I'm not sure what I would have done...

 

agreed. my dad is 275lbs and was comfortable on a 45 minute trip. My 6'1" buddy is always in my FJ as well, and says he prefers this seating over the Tacoma.

 

Bought my wife a 2010 FJ and recently moved 1600 miles from Texas to Delaware. Driving my Tacoma and her FJ across country, best I could get was high 22 mpg in my Tacoma. She constantly got high 23 mpg. Almost made me want to trade mine in for a FJ after that.

 

1 mpg difference and you wanted to trade

 

I said "almost". Her FJ is really a nice setup over my Taco. The V6 and automatic make it a lot nicer to drive than my I4 and standard transmission.

The mileage was only more of an insult to me because her FJ has only 4K on it and is not even broken in. I drive her FJ enough to get what I want out it. I will keep the Tacoma as I learned long ago to never be without a open bed truck in the stable.

My only complaint with the FJ is that the windshield is so far forward, I have to crouch at a stop light to monitor it. This is even with the seat adjusted all the way down.