During the automobile exhibition, which was held in February 2005 in the city of Chicago, Toyota FJ Cruiser was officially debuted - the sixth SUV from this Japanese company, intended exclusively for the American market. A year later, the model was launched on the assembly line of a Texas plant. The car stood out for its extraordinary retro-style design, and very quickly gained a large number of fans. Be that as it may, this year its production will be curtailed.
Exterior
The basis of the Toyota FJ Cruiser was the Prado model platform, from which the main units and components were borrowed. The car received a branded radiator grill and round headlights. The main colors for the body are yellow and blue. The car is a five-door SUV, despite the fact that at first glance it gives the impression that it is a coupe. The rear doors are masked and open only when the front doors are open, in the opposite direction to the direction of travel. It should be noted that throughout the entire term of operation, the mechanisms function properly.
Interior
In general, the internal equipment of the car can be called reliable in Japanese. The interior is made in the style of the popular in the sixties model FJ 40. Visibility inside is quite limited, due to the narrow windshield with an overhanging roof in front and a spare tire in the back. The driver who first got behind the wheel of a car will need some time to get used to it. The legroom of the passengers sitting in the back seat is very limited, which creates some discomfort. As an upholstery of the front panel of Toyota FJ Cruiser, hard plastic is used. However, no creaks are heard when driving. The machine is offered in two configurations, the more expensive of which is determined by the presence of a CD changer and some additional devices located on the panel.
As for the luggage compartment, its use is greatly facilitated by the glass, which can be opened independently of the door. Trunk volume is 835 liters, and subject to folding the rear seats, this figure increases to 1575 liters.
Specifications
For Toyota FJ Cruiser, the specifications are much the same as those of the Prado. It was from her that the four-liter V-shaped gasoline “six” was borrowed. It should be noted that no other engine options are provided for the car. However, in 2010 the engine was slightly modified, which allowed to increase its power to 264 horsepower. Buyers also do not have the choice of transmission - the car is equipped with a purely automatic transmission. The average fuel consumption per hundred kilometers is about 15 liters. One of the main advantages of the machine is its high reliability.
Management and riding
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is equipped with a power steering that has a variable degree of amplification. This greatly facilitates driving. The only weak link here is the tie rods, which when operating a car in domestic roads have to be changed about once every 70 thousand kilometers. In the chassis, a double wishbone independent suspension is used in front , while a powerful axle is continuous at the rear. Despite its energy intensity, it provides high stability of the machine. With an active driving style, the front brake discs often deform quite quickly. High patency of the car is largely facilitated by short overhangs, a downshift, and also clearance, the size of which is 220 millimeters.
disadvantages
As the experience of operating a car shows, the Toyota FJ Cruiser has its own weaknesses. The reviews of its owners indicate that one of the most common of them is damage to the brand paintwork of alloy wheels. The main reason for this is the salty winter roads. The door creaking on seals is also quite common, which appears due to the absence of central pillars in the body. This problem can only be solved by impregnating the rubber products of the machine (due to silicone grease). For cars that were produced before 2009, provided the fuel tank is often filled up to the neck, the gas vapor absorber usually fails. If the car runs a lot on off-road, the body sometimes cracks in the area of the front extreme supports. Owners of the car quite often have to change the stabilizer bushings - about once every 60 thousand kilometers. Among other things, wheel bearings are a pretty weak spot in the front. While the right is enough for an average of 100 thousand kilometers, the left fails after 70 thousand.
Price policy
As for the cost of the Toyota FJ Cruiser, the price of a new car in the salons of domestic dealers is almost 2.5 million rubles. At the same time, depending on the mileage, condition and year of release, an average of 1.5 million will have to be paid per car on the secondary market.