FJ Cruiser thoughts?

[wyosteve]

Thinking of picking up an FJ Cruiser for a second vehicle. Mostly for daily driving. Reviews generally are positive, but wondering if anyone has first hand experiences to share? Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[IH8Cali]

Great as long as you're not in the back seat; i've never seen a vehicle take more rock chips than that front windshield. Be prepared for that.

 

[mtwarden]

My buddy had one; very capable off road. He did complain of the visibility from the driver's seat- several pretty bad blind spots- there may be aftermarket cameras/mirrors to address that????

 

[DenimChicken]

Driven one and had friends that owned them, but never personally owned. Huge blind spots as mentioned above. Also very offroad capable and large aftermarket support for them. I'd get one for a hunting/offroad rig with no hesitation but not as a daily driver.

 

[JStol5]

Really great vehicles. But I will second the above comments- very tight backseat and visibility is bad. Small back window and thick pillars on the rear.

 

[AppalachianHollers]

Not at all comfortable in the back seat. Like they were trying to take the “discomfort” title from the Hummer.

 

[5MilesBack]

Ya, really small windows/poor visibility.

 

[Wetwork]

Horrid gas milage with too small of a gas tank, poor at towing and really hard to cram a deer or elk in the back whole.,,,,its pretty amazing off road though. Its also very hackable. I have a 2014 FJ.

 

[Weldor]

Pricey for what you get. But very good off road and poor on fuel. Rear doors are a pain and windows don't roll down. Besides that I think their good for intended purpose. I like my JKU better than my FJ.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

Rock solid and tiny. Would be my second vehicle for hunting, definitely not a daily driver unless it was a rock road to work. Edit I drove one to 309k miles

 

[Ross]

Bought one the first yr they came out 2007 I believe and went from Jeep rubicon to the FJ. Was a 3rd rig and traded it in 2 yrs ago for a new forerunner. Had 140k on it. Only issue that arose arose was the rear diff started to slip. Dealer advised is an issue that does arise sometimes with them. As noted big blind spots and window can get peppered not so much the size but the angle of the design Imo. Had the windshield replacement on my coverage and was used a few times but not crazy but is an expensive windshield. Back seat comfort avg, access not the greatest. The rear held a good amount but is not a truck. I had a small lift on it and both the mrs and I enjoyed it and likely if still made would have bought another one versus the forerunner. Gas mileage was 19/16. I’m a toyo guy and on my my 6th one with zero issues. My little 06 taco just hit 117k

 

[Windigo]

I just fit a boned out elk, the skull, and two guys gear for 10 days in one last november without issue. Love it off-road, never really had an issue with the blind spots. The FJammer radio however has eaten many cd’s.

 

[wyosteve]

Very helpful. The back seat is pretty much a non-issue since it would just be me or two of us 99% of the time. I wondered about the blind spots. Had an H2 Hummer for a while that was a bit similar for blind spots. I have a Dodge/Cummins for truck work. My current 'daily driver' is a Power Wagon, but since we sold our Montana property no longer have a need for 2 trucks. Sounds like I need to debate a while longer. My Power Wagon gets pretty close to the same mileage as you're saying the FJ gets, so not a real advantage there. Thanks again.

 

[Hydro557]

Really great vehicles. But I will second the above comments- very tight backseat and visibility is bad. Small back window and thick pillars on the rear.

Daily drove my 08 from 08 to 20. If you're familiar with mirror usage blind spots aren't am issue.

Best vehicle I've ever owned. Stays in the garage now with 221k miles. Regular maintenance is all.

 

[505Wapiti]

Have a 2012 with 130k miles on it. Hands down one of the best vehicles ever owned. Will keep it forever.

 

[WKR]

Gas mileage is really bad with a tiny fuel tank. There is much better options out the for a daily driver/hunting rig

 

[BLJ]

Bought an 07 new in August of 06. Would still have it if 3 car seats would have fit in the back. Full time 4WD was like it was on rails in the snow. Wife drove it daily until 2012. Best vehicle we ever had.

 

[bojangles808]

My mom has an 07 I think it just hit 270k it's been solid minor maintenance. Weird blind spots though and not the best fuel economy

 

[eddielasvegas]

I owned an '07 Voodoo Blue for about a year. A very capable off road rig in stock form, but let me list why I sold mine so soon after buying it. This was 15 years ago so keep that in mind as some things may have changed.

1) Requires premium fuel. This always burned my azz worse than a 3 foot flame. At the time (IIRC) that meant a ~20% gas tax to drive the durn thing.

2) Windshield is one of the most upright ones on any vehicle so highly prone to replacement due to rocks, etc. I had one replaced under insurance and it was $1,200. A couple years after I sold it I was talking to another ins. company about a new policy and they asked me about the $1,200 claim and I did not remember such a large claim, but that was the W/S.

3) If you have 3 or more people (like we did), the suicide doors are a royal PITA to use regularly.

4) The windows in the back do not open, pop out, etc. to allow ventilation for those in the rear.

5) No center console lid. Another head scratcher here like # 4.

It is Toyota reliability so it'll get you there and back (most importantly) like few others will. I bought a '01 T4R in 2018 (thankfully) and it is hands down better in every way than my FJ.

Also, they hold their resale very well. Maybe not an issue given where used car prices have been lately, but like another member said, there are better options IMO.

Good luck,

Eddie

 

[kda082]

Great as long as you're not in the back seat; i've never seen a vehicle take more rock chips than that front windshield. Be prepared for that.

Wife’s forerunner also a rock magnet.