As we've noted before, rearward visibility is none too good in our long-term Toyota FJ Cruiser, which can make it a little tricky to maneuver in urban areas, despite the fact that it's not very long or wide for an SUV. However, during a weekend in the city with the FJ, I found its blind spots pretty manageable. Its bumper-mounted reverse sensors certainly help, but more useful for parking are its exceptionally large outside mirrors. Properly adjusted, these mirrors allow you to see pretty far to either side -- and once I started taking full advantage of them, I started feeling a lot more confident...
Of course, that confidence was shaken a little every time I had to enter a parking garage. Normal, roofrack-less FJs can go anywhere you want; add the roof rack and suddenly you're at upper height limit for everything. Pulling into the wrong entrance for roof parking at the mall resulted in an uncomfortable situation in which I had to back up while half a dozen cars and two impatient parking attendants waited for me, another feckless SUV driver. However, unlike many SUV owners, I did take the time to check my tire pressure this weekend. They were all 2.5 psi down from the 32 psi cold spec, so I added air.
Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor, 12,245 miles
trackwrex says:
01:55 PM, 08/28/06
hey, maybe we can stick a "broadway" mirror on that to extend the visibility. lol! either that or a schoolbus mirror (the stacked kind) or video cameras underneath with two monitors on the dash. ;P
rsholland says:
02:45 PM, 08/28/06
It sounds like the reverse sensors should be "standard" on this vehicle, rather than an option.