2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser
What happens when a 2008 Honda Element 4WD EX breeds with a 2008 Wrangler Rubicon 4X4? You get a 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser!
By: Nathan D. Adlen
Picture the scene: The Honda Element’s parents told her not to get mixed up with a boy like the Wrangler Rubicon. “He’s a punk! That kid is loud, brash, old fashioned and crude!” yells her father, Honda Ridgeline. Her mother, Honda Odyssey, tried a more sensible approach. “Dear, he’s always so filthy and hates taking the proper path. Think of your children! What kind of father would he be!?” Tears streaming from her square headlights, the Honda Element rushes off to her rebel, and mutters as she cozies up to his burly side, “I don’t care what they say; we’ll have an amazing family!”
It is the dream of many fathers, to have a son that will outshine him. Although the Jeep is more capable off road, the FJ Cruiser is a far better all around package who takes the best bits from both parents; a son to be proud of indeed. Off road, you would be hard pressed to find terrain a properly set up FJ cannot handle. On the street, its intelligent packaging gives you maximum utility in a limited space.
The 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser is one of the most logically set up off road machines on the market today. With a rugged interior that has similar, larger reverse opening rear doors to the Honda Element, the seating is remarkably comfortable. Even though the rear passengers sit right in front of the rear solid axle, Toyota has done a commendable job isolating the vibrations and jarring motions from underneath.
When seated, you will find an excellent forward view – very commanding. Unfortunately, the rear quarter-pillars are very thick and make it difficult to look over your shoulder at side-rear traffic. Fortunately, the large mirrors compensate for a majority of the blind spots. If you are over 6 feet, the driving and front passenger seating is ideal, unfortunately; the same thing can not be said about the rear seating. Children and small adults will be fine in the back (there is no rear seat adjustment).
The rear door opens outward which is great for loading small things, but it is difficult to fit large items. If you have long pieces of lumber, you will have to resort to opening the rather small rear glass. It would have been more utilitarian if Toyota created a hatch or clamshell rear opening, but the spare tire would have been an issue. Still, this is more of a recreational vehicle than a brick hauler.
Toyota took the same route as Hummer and Jeep when it came to a “themed” interior. Many of the moldings and components are strictly for show and tend to be plastic covering steel bits. Nevertheless, once underway, you feel like Indiana Jones! Just bounding out of the parking lot and navigating the urban jungle feels like an adventure. You sit cocooned in a plastic and steel cage with a beefy machine surrounding you.
On the road, the high seating position and unusual cut of the glass takes some getting used to. Still, the FJ is based on the venerable Toyota 4-Runner and shares many of its mechanicals with its older brother. As such, the steering is light and city driving is quiet and drama free. On the highway, the wind and tire noise can be dialed out by use of the optional 400 watt, 8 speaker stereo. Considering its short wheelbase and high roof, the directional off road stability and solid driving dynamics are commendable.
Compared to its closest rivals, the FJ wallows a bit when performing sharp maneuvers on the blacktop. Parking takes some getting used when you try looking out of the high sill doors. But the most difficult maneuver to do in the FJ is cornering while driving in reverse. You need to use the side mirrors a lot, even with the parking sensor that indicates when an object is closing in on the rear. A backup camera would be a good idea.
This is not a high efficiency commuter! There are a lot of suspension, drive train, and chassis additions to make the FJ a serious off road machine. All of the extra weight, brick-like aerodynamics and fat tires will challenge you to better 20 MPG on the highway, and that is with the 6 speed manual. Still, the 239 horsepower VVT-i V6 has gobs of torque (278 lbs) and it moves the FJ with more authority than most of its competition (the Nissan X-terra feels quicker on the pavement).
I was given the opportunity to ride along with three guys who brought their new toys to a fishing area (South Platte River, Colorado) where I was riding in my good ol’ 90’ full-size Jimmy. One guy had the 08 Toyota FJ, the other drove a 07 Nissan X-terra and the third guy had a 08 Jeep Unlimited Sahara. They all knew next to nothing about hardcore off road driving – which is fine. They all fish better than me, and that is not fine. Anyway, we had a blast flinging mud, bounding over rocks and flying down sledge filled dirt roads.
Look, I’ve got to say, nothing fells better than having your truck covered with mud when you pull up next to a shiny, luxury SUV. It’s like a badge of honor. The three aforementioned SUVs were awesome in the muck and it was hard to disseminate the absolute virtues of any of the three. For my money, the Toyota FJ is the best all around off road toy.
The Nissan X-Terra is awesome and has some real grunt with the most usable space of the three. The Jeep is a MONSTER off road; you just can’t stop it! I had a hard time keeping up with the Jeep in my built-up Jimmy when he dropped into 4-lo and went up some of the slickest, nastiest rocks I’ve ever attempted. Finally, horsepower and stupidity prevailed as I scrambled up the same rocks. The FJ and X-Terra could not quite handle the slick rock and waited for us at the bottom. Unfortunately, the Jeep is weak on the road. It is WAY too slow and far too ungainly to drive aggressively as you can the FJ or X-Terra.
In a competitive price segment of around $30,000 the Toyota FJ shines. It is a real truck that has enough personality to set it apart; yet, it can back up its rugged looks with serious performance. There are many choices and a great cross section of capable trucks to compare, such as the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Nissan X-Terra and Hummer H3. All of these trucks are excellent. For the price (which can nuzzle the $40,000 mark if you go too crazy with the options), you will be hard pressed to find something as visceral and entertaining as the FJ.
Having the image of a mother as cute as a Honda Element and a father as brawny as the Jeep Wrangler, one often wonders, “What will their kids look like?” Extreme mixtures can produce amazing results – I wonder what a Ferrari Enzo mixed with a Hummer H3 would be like.
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