Toyota FJ Cruiser 2013 Review

Not so much:
>> Ergonomics
>> Front seats
>> Essentially it’s a two-door

With its Tonka truck looks and a unique-for-the-segment standalone character, the FJ Cruiser is just the sort of vehicle Toyota needs to get it out of its ‘refrigerator’ funk.

Though the Japanese giant has talked big about building cars that people REALLY want to own, it’s only the FJ Cruiser and 86 sports coupe that have yet to break the mould. The new Corolla talks the talk, but its pedestrian mechanicals mean that the sharply styled hatch is a long way from walking the walk.

FJ Cruiser, on the other hand, not only looks like it means business, thanks to well-proven mechanicals it is also very, very capable in its chosen ‘sport’ – serious offroading.

Fashioned after the original FJ40, but rolling on current Prado mechanicals, the FJ is purpose-built for the rough and tumble. It has the best departure and breakover angles (31 and 29-degrees respectively) of any vehicle in Toyota's local 4WD range and the approach angle is impressive too at 36 degrees. And in addition its proper dual-range transfer box equipped four-wheel-drive system, the FJ now boasts ‘CRAWL’, Toyota’s offroad driver aid.

Once the domain of top-level Prados, the ‘feet-off’ system is standard in the new FJ Cruiser. Says Toyota, it automatically “maintains a low uniform vehicle speed uphill and downhill by controlling both engine output and brake hydraulic pressure, allowing the driver to concentrate fully on steering the vehicle”.

Toyota may as well label the roof console mounted dial which control the system ‘Offroad for Dummies’. It makes once difficult ascents and descents fuss-free.

True offroad aficionados will still lament the FJ’s lack of a turbodiesel powertrain, but in its first update since the FJ’s March 2011 local launch Toyota Australia has gone some way to alleviating range concerns for the V6 petrol engine.

The change comes in the shape of the standard fitment of an 84-litre sub [fuel] tank. Coupled with the smaller 72-litre main tank (yes, I know – how can the main fuel tank be smaller than the sub), the FJ Cruiser now has a theoretical range of 1700km (says Toyota!). Bold claims aside, even in serious offroad going there’s going to be plenty to get you well and truly off the beaten track.

The other diesel; related elephant in the room is the relative agricultural nature of the four-cylinder oiler that the donor-Prado platform would gift the FJ Cruiser, were it to be an option.

Though Toyota’s 200kW 4.0-litre petrol V6 isn’t the peppiest engine in an SUV today, it’s got enough go for most and, coupled to a proven five-speed auto, is very, very refined. In contrast, the alternative four pot turbodiesel may be the darling of offroaders but it’s a noisy, laggy and none-to-zesty engine when compared to the latest oilers from the likes of Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and even Ford / Mazda.

Back at the launch of the 150 Series Prado, I commented on the relative tardy performance of Toyota D4-D pwerplant. Now, four years on, it hasn’t improved, and the rest of the field has pulled further ahead.

Yes, I know Toyota keeps selling as many Prados as it can land in this wide brown land, but that doesn’t make the vehicle or its powertrain best in class. It’s far from it, and is a case of the sheer strength of the brand overcoming the essentially basic qualifications of the engineering.

Prado-bashing comments aside, that doesn’t mean the FJ Cruiser can’t hit the right buttons. At least on a basic emotional level – it’s a cobby, friendly critter that in the right colours looks, well... Just right.

We loved the flat orange colour of the car we drove at Toyota’s recent Blue Mountains gathering to celebrate Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson’s trek across Sydney’s sandstone (back)doorstop.

It took the 19th century explorers 21 days to cross the escarpments in 1813. A feat that required a ‘rescue’ by local indigenous people just a few days in... The tribe then pointed the crazy white guys in the right direction.

We had little red signs with Toyota stamped on them and a sat nav unit in the latest FJ Cruiser. As it turned out the terrible ergonomics of the FJ Cruiser meant the signs were of more use.

The FJ Cruiser’s cabin is militarily straight up and down. Limited dash space therefore means the sat nav unit is mounted too low in the centre stack and angled such that it’s almost impossible to take a quick glance at its screen. Toyota’s insistence on disabling many of its function on the move destroys further utility – even your co-driver/passenger can’t use the destination functions mid-trip.

While discussing the man-machine interface, the FJ Cruiser also misses out on even basic trip computer functions. There’s no distance-to-empty or range function that we could find. Oh, and the front seats are too flat and don’t offer enough support.

And don’t get me started about the practicality of the clamshell-style rear doors that can only be opened after the fronts. Tight car parking spaces will be interesting for rear-seaters’ entry and exits.

BUT! After all that whinging I could still own an FJ Cruiser. Totally illogical I know.

Sure, I’d rail against the circa-$48K pricetag, but in the end I’d probably hand over the cash. I’m lot alone it seems – Toyota says at around 200 units per month, the FJ Cruiser is selling at twice the rate it expected.

Amazing what happens when you build a car, instead of a fridge.

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