There was a time, long ago, when we had a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser in our fleet.
Well, this weekend we're revisiting the FJ's strongest merits by using one to camp and explore in southern Utah.
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Can you believe it's been a year already? A year and over 28,000 miles.
I was lucky enough to get the final weekend in the FJ. I had friends come to visit and I needed something that could cart around five adults...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Step on the FJ's brake pedal and there's a quarter inch of nothing (which is about normal) and then there's nonlinear, overly abrupt response. Try and back out a hair and the braking goes away just as abruptly. Then you get back on the pedal, and... you get the point...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
When I was driving out of town this weekend, the "Maintenance Required" light flicked on on the dash and suddenly I panicked. "That sounds serious!" Miles from home and in unfamiliar territory I wondered if and when the FJ would break down. Fortunately it didn't and I got to my destination safely. After I wiped the sweat from my brow and sighed with relief I cracked open the owner's manual to see what that warning light meant...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Any motorist who regularly travels between NorCal and SoCal knows the city of Coalinga. A small town in Fresno County with a slightly disproportional cows-to-humans ratio, its name derives from an ancient Greek word whose etymological meaning roughly translates to "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CLOSE YOUR VENTS!"
Having learned my lesson years ago, my mind has long been programmed to hit the Recirculate button in advance. Unfortunately, this FJ Cruiser wasn't programmed to fully follow orders. After a few moments of easy breathing, I soon caught a whiff of the outside world. After 30 seconds, it was a distinct stench, and after a minute my lunch was ready to go back the way it came.
I realize these things happen; the Recirculate mode started fading away at 95K miles on my former 89 Mazda. But at 27K on a year-old Toyota?
Brian Sy, Automotive Editor, 27,300 miles
Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
I have probably logged more miles in our long-term Toyota FJ Cruiser, including a four-day ski trip a few months back, than in any other car in the fleet. While I've found it hard to assess a car in a few scant miles (one night), I've spent enough nights in the FJ that I've come to terms with it. First, I know I would never own it. It's impractical for my city life...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
When I get the keys to the FJ, I try to think of places to go for a little outdoor adventure. On short notice I was able to gather a few friends and headed up to Joshua Tree National Park for a weekend of camping under the stars and hiking into the backcountry. The parks stark beauty was marred by the screaming kids on one side of our campsite and the group of middle-aged fathers celebrating their weekend furlough with Jagermeister and Van Halen on the other.
The FJ, however, was a welcome respite between activities and bouts of ill-tempered tykes...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
As some of you may know, I took a long ski trip a few months back in our long-term FJ Cruiser. My assessment at the time was that it was absolutely perfect for that very specific task. Big, strong, torquey engine, huge front window, enormous tires, great ground clearance, surefootedness over anything Ma Nature had for it.
So when I took the keys once again last night, I wanted to revisit my feelings...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
I've had the FJ when I went to a Dodgers game, participated in a fun run around the Santa Anita Racetrack and parked in a crowded mall parking lot and each time I was able to find my way back to it just by spotting its white top and Voodoo Blue coloring. I love that! Usually crowded lots stress me out as I've always had a difficult time finding my own black Corolla if I'm unfamiliar with the lot and don't have any real landmarks around my car.
But with the FJ, I take comfort in the fact that as long as I'm in the general vicinity of it all I have to do is hit the key fob and listen for that high-pitch call and look for that helpful flash of the lights...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
I've always regarded the FJ as an oversized Mini, in terms of its cuteness. Love the Voodoo Blue! But yesterday when
Erin
asked me if I'd ever buy one for myself, I paused. "Would you get one if gas wasn't an issue...if money wasn't an issue...if you got married...." she asked...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
At a towering five-foot-five, I'm one of the shorter staffers, so I appreciate it when a car maker has grab handles for the driver in their taller trucks and SUVs. As you can see in the first photo, it's a rather big step up into the FJ. A large, simple handle on the A pillar makes hopping into the cabin a swift and easy maneuver for me. Why some other manufacturers put grab handles everywhere but next to the driver's seat baffles me. I guess they figure the driver can grab the steering wheel to hoist him/herself up and in, but that's awkward compared to this simple and effective solution.
Also, I should tell you FJ fans that the sand in the long-term hourglass has just about run out for our beloved Cruiser, so we will be writing its wrap-up, sometime in the near future.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 25,375 miles.
Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Over the weekend, I took a trip to our local flatbox furniture factory and found that four, fairly fat packs fit just fine in the back of the FJ.
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Last night wasn't about steering feel or cargo capacity. It was about me going to see my favorite band, Tool, on the 10,000 Days tour, at San Diego State, and our FJ Cruiser was my transportation. I'd usually prefer to take a small, fuel-efficient car to a concert due to tight parking situations and the inevitable idling and waiting after the show (shown above...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
A few weeks ago, I noted how awful our FJ Cruiser's XM Satellite Radio quality was. It sounded extremely tinny, like a really old cassette tape. Having been thrown the keys to the FJ last night, I figured this would be a good test for my new Samsung Helix portable XM Radio and MP3 player (I simply can't live without baseball games and such glorious channels as Lucy and Ethel). I planned on checking to see if the FJ's XM had gotten better by comparing it simultaneously with my nifty new player. It was a short-lived experiment.
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
We reported back in October that the FJ cruiser had a small ding in the front windshield. At the time, the dealer quoted us a staggering $1,400 for replacement. Because the blemish was so small, we opted instead to have the hole plugged. It has lasted us several months...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
The last time I took the FJ Cruiser out, it sailed along highways and through
Death Valley. Until this weekend, I had never had any urban-only seat time in it. Saturday included general errand running, and a Dodgers game in the evening (where the "Cookie Monster" blue was much appreciated by passing fans). On Sunday, I was dodging drizzle and LAX Arrival Terminal traffic.
Later in the evening, we ran across a table on the sidewalk...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
I see these gauges sitting atop the FJ's dash and wonder why they are there. In L.A. is it really THAT important to see the elevation changes on Sunset Boulevard from Beverly Hills to PCH? Who really uses a compass when you can Google your route first and are guided by street signs?..
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Toyota's FJ Cruiser looks tough. It's got tough tires, a tough ride height, a tough roof rack and even tough looking interior trim. It's that last part that's got us puzzled. Fold the rear seats flat and there's plenty of room to throw stuff behind the FJ's front seats. The rear seatbacks (where cargo sits when the seats are folded) are covered with plastic that's got a tough looking pattern molded into it. But as this photo proves...
It's not tough.
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
I had a feeling the bike shop was going to call this weekend to tell me that my brand-new Electra Amsterdam had arrived so I borrowed the FJ Cruiser. When I went to pick it up, I thought for sure the bike would slot in nicely back there with the seats folded down and 66.8 cubic feet of cargo room. But instead there was a minor struggle as the bike was bigger than I thought.
The salesman loading it up was trying to be careful not to scratch the shiny red aluminum as he pushed it in but the handle got caught coming in...
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
Not that this is a particularly new idea, but it sure makes my life easier. If not for the rear-hinged half-doors on the Toyota FJ, this is what it would look like if you were trying to get a child seat past the front seat -- already pushed as far forward as it goes.
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Categories: 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
