Toyota FJ Cruiser

kam04, Mar 1, 7:04pm
Toyota FJ Cruiser - Anyone on here own one or has owned one and can offer some advice on performance, towing etc. Looking around the 2011 >
tamarillo, Mar 1, 10:25pm
What sort of performances are you interested in? It's a 200kw petrol prado with 2 tonnes to pull. It's a serious off road truck not a soft roader, so if you're wanting speed and road holding etc look elsewhere, but if you're wanting off road performance and are happy with a scary gas consumption it's great. It's actually quite quick off the mark with its powerful petrol engine, but you'll pay for it at pump. there are plenty of reviews on line.
jmma, Mar 1, 10:29pm
Have you owned one? Op has asked for owners comments not online reviews as I'm sure he has looked at these.
gunhand, Mar 1, 10:31pm
bwg11 owns one. he may come along and tell about it.
tamarillo, Mar 1, 10:37pm
What is your problem, it's a forum.
bwg11, Mar 1, 10:44pm
i've owned one for 4 years. Love it.

The Pro's: Heaps of power (200kw). Excellent off-road, good articulation, good exit and entry angles. Has diff lock on the rear, but the clever (A-TRC) electronics work really well and almost makes the rear diff lock unnecessary.The Australian and NZ versions have stiffened up springs, shock and roll bars compared with the US versions which were reported as wallowing and barge-like. Mine is very definitely SUV like to drive but no worse than any other serious 4 x 4. I suspect some of the NZ and Australian journalists just rehashed American comments.Nothing has broken or stopped working in 4 years

The Con's:
Bit thirsty, My lifetime consumption is 13.6 litre/100kms. My usage is a lot of round town, lot of hill work and boat towing. Best consumption was 10.6 litre/100 on a 2000k road trip, cruising at 110k-ish. Rear visibility is poor, the tiny display (in the rear mirror) is useless, but rear sensors are good.

Some on the market here are Japanese imports, they can usually be distinguished by the mirror above the left head light. Don't know if they have the US or Australian suspension. The only change since 2011 has been the introduction of the electronic "crawl control". Can't comment on its usefulness.
jmma, Mar 1, 10:49pm
It may well be a forum, there are plenty of people on here that have knowledge of certain makes or are sparkies or painters etc that are only to happy to answer questions.
My problem was that OP asked a certain question and it would be great if he gets a certain answer then the MB would be Great.
You don't have to try and answer every question, you do seem very knowledgable and I am sure your imput will be greatfully recieved if you comment on what you know.
Just answering your above question (o:
tamarillo, Mar 1, 11:22pm
At least I commented, quite accurately it seems, rather than waste a post on something irrelevant to question. BTW I have been in them a lot, know an owner well, and so had some thoughts. Whether OP finds them Useful is up to them not you, and iv'e noticed some folk post here without even the most basic Google search first.
tsjcf, Mar 1, 11:30pm
lol that's so funny coming from you.
tamarillo, Mar 1, 11:35pm
Eh? Don't think I've asked question as OP here before I've checked as best I can have I?
gabbysnana, Mar 2, 12:17am
everyone drives them as remuera tractors in oz, you have really made it in the young blingy crowd if you own one. found it hard to ride in and squashed up.
kam04, Mar 2, 12:22am
Thanks for your comments.
One can google as much as they like and get all the 'sales hype'. Yes there are sites out there that can give all the technical data but I find personal experiences more helpful.
From what I am reading so far they are prominently an off road vehicle which I am not really interested in.
I appreciate ALL comments made here and as in many cases there will be a difference of opinions and preferences.
I don't know anything about this model of toyota hence my query. I have noticed that all the ones listed here on trade me are petrol, do they make a diesel option?
tamarillo, Mar 2, 12:37am
It seems like petrol only, recall owner saying they were mainly thinking of US market and didn't do a diesel. Hence it was surprisingly quick.
I think Toyota less off road orientated SUV style machines are the RAV4 and the Highlander (also known as Kruger I think). These are soft roaders as oposed to full on off roaders. But they don't look at all cool, and the FJ does have a cool style.
Enjoy your search, thanks for feedback.
thunderbolt, Mar 2, 2:12am
Tammy, I think you might be confused with Freddy Kluger, the Ozzie version.
tamarillo, Mar 2, 3:09am
Whoops, yep you're right, Kluger is the other name for them. Better than bighorn!
a.woodrow, Mar 2, 10:51pm
Some of us know enough to post on here without having to refer to google. just sayin'
bwg11, Mar 2, 11:22pm
Yep, there is no telling what you might find on the net if you search long enough. A while back, to prove a point, a certain Euro fanboy found a 4 litre petrol Hilux which took 11.6 second for 0 to 100 kph, virtually the same as the fastest Amarok found on the net. Just sayin'
bwg11, Mar 2, 11:41pm
Back to the OP, yes, only the petrol option, and in NZ only 5 speed auto. America has a 2WD option (why I have no idea) and a 6 speed manual option. The FJ isn't identical to the petrol Prado mechanically. The FJ is part-time 4WD, whereas the Prado is AWD.
phalanax, Mar 3, 3:25am
Get the 6 litre h2 hummer. and run the fj cruiser over. lol
nzdoug, Mar 9, 2:56am
Heaps of north American after market accessories for this Toyota, as it was first introduced and sold there since 2007 but didnt release RHD until 2010.
It was designed for North American buyers.
Nice winter wagon.
inkapuka, May 7, 6:53am
The paint colour selection though ugh pale and dull, with plastic everywhere