

TOYOTA FJ CRUISER TRAIL TEST
Off-road, the FJ is the real deal.
Photos and text by Larry Walton, Editorial Services West
If you have much experience with off-road trucks, chances are the new
FJ Cruiser has already caught your eye. Several styling cues refer
directly to the FJ40 of years gone by including the white-roofed two tone
color schemes, head light and grill configurations.
But the new FJ is just turning heads, period. Everywhere we go this
truck is getting attention. FJs ruled at the huge Specialty Equipment
Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Conference in Las Vegas this year where
modified versions were sporting lifts, bigger wheels and tires, winches,
lights, racks and a number of other add-on parts. This is great news for
FJ owners who wonder if parts will be available.
Toyota was even displaying the FJ Cruiser that will compete in the Baja
1000 in the stock class, which brings us to an important aspect of the
stylish vehicle’s attributes: it is the real deal in off-road performance.
The FJ Cruiser’s platform is based on the 120 Series Land Cruiser Prado.
“But the tire size and wheelbase is different,” says Akio Nishimura, the
FJ’s chief engineer. Nishimura shortened the wheelbase, allowed for 32
inch tires and tucked the fuel tank up out of harm’s way.
The new
FJ’s frame has eight cross members to reduce flex. Also contributing to
the excellent frame stiffness are beefed-up center side rails and rear
inner channel reinforcements. You can feel this attention to detail when
the FJ is in a counter-camber situation that would pop glass on a lesser
frame.
The frame includes pre-drilled weld nuts for rock rails, which can save
you a trip to the local body shop and keep your doors operating after a
close encounter with some unfriendly granite on the trail.
You’ve heard us talk about locking differentials at Truck Test Digest
and for many off-road situations there’s no substitute. Toyota’s got a
good locker and they employed it on the new FJ. With over ten years of
proven durability the B20N’s electronic actuator locks the side gear to
the ring gear via the sleeve, thus locking the rear axles, which adds up
to a big time traction boost.
The FJ’s locking dif can handle a matted accelerator in mud or sand but
it can also help you crawl at a bumper-saving snail’s pace when precision
is the order of the day. While the best off-road performers have a
locking dif like the FJ, there are good reasons that all cars don’t offer
a locked dif all the time – basically you can’t turn – well, at least very
sharp when traction is restored.
This is where the new Cruiser offers another level of traction in
addition to the locking dif. It’s the Active Traction Control. You’ve
probably noticed that the wheel in the air is the one that tends to get
the power. Toyota’s traction control senses this spinning wheel, applies
brakes to that wheel and the open dif transfers power to the other side of
the vehicle – you know, to the tire which is actually on the ground.
This A-Trac (aka “8 trac” – not to be confused with 8 track, which is
still found in some FJ40s and doesn’t help with traction but can mellow
you out, man, far out) system works remarkably well and will get you
through almost everything you encounter.
It’s clear that the FJ’s wheeling credentials look good on paper (or on
your monitor) but does it perform on the trail? That’s just what Toyota
gave us an opportunity to find out and the FJ did not disappoint.
We recently joined one of the FJ Cruiser Trail Team on a run with the
Cascade Cruisers near Brown’s Camp in the Oregon Coast Range. I drove a
bone stock FJ while other team members drove an FJ slightly modified for
the Rubicon. Several club members brought their new FJ Cruisers out on
the trail as well.
I have to tip my hat to the Toyota guys who did not preview any of the
trails we would see that day. We just jumped in and the trails proved to
be challenging. Just ask the guys who were acting as spotters because
they had plenty of time directing the drivers where to place the wheels to
dance around boulders and over logs.
I was surprised by the number of trails through the heavily forested
region. Usually the coast range timber can only be cruised on foot or on
the many logging roads, which are built for log trucks to move the
precious Douglas Fir from the hills to the mill.
But the Cascade Cruisers had identified a number of elk and deer trails
that were approved for off-road use and helped us to identify how the FJ
performed on steep terrain, loose dirt and rocks, large rocks and some
mud. Event organizers warned us about one run, which the Rubicon prepped
FJ handled unassisted using lockers but the stock truck needed a little
more tire height and got a slight winch assist. Other than that it
blazed through all challenges.
I was particularly impressed with how well the A-Trac worked. When the
FJ encountered those stretches where the trail had big holes or was
transitioning from a left to a right camber putting opposite corner wheels
in the air the system locked the free wheels and put the power to the
grounded rubber. Nice!
We put
the skid plates to the test, too. The smart traction system kept getting
the power to the ground while the FJ was getting its belly scratched. High
centered is not one of my favorite places to be so I appreciated this
assistance from the truck’s computer.
Interior design features of the FJ Cruiser understand that the great
outdoors do not always stay outside. Water-resistant seats and
rubber-type floors mean easy clean up for the off-roaders who need to stop
by the car wash before their significant others get a glimpse of the
residual effects of the FJ’s forays.
Owners we talked with really like the suicide doors to access the back
seat, but some in situations where the back seat occupants need to be
getting in and out it can be bothersome for the driver who must unbuckle
and open the door each time the rear door is used.
Almost everyone agrees that the FJ’s visibility leaves something to be
desired. The hefty roof support pillars that give it its distinctive
looks also create some significant blind spots. I found the large mirrors
really helped with this.
The pipe-like dash details look pretty cool but some will find them to
be a knee knocker when entering the
driver’s seat.. The dash mounted gauge pod, which is a featured item on
upgrade packages 1 & 2 look kinda cool but may impede over-the-hood vision
for shorter drivers.
Safety features abound. Three wiper arms provide excellent windshield
coverage. Stability control, traction control, ABS and electronic
brake-force distribution help keep the FJ out of trouble. Plenty of
airbag and seatbelt planning should keep occupants safe in most emergency
situations.
Daytime running lights improve safety by informing other drivers of the
FJ’s presence. These lights cannot be turned off while the FJ is running,
which is usually not a problem unless you are trying to photograph the FJ
in action and the new FJ Cruiser is indeed ready for action!
  |