While we had the Toyota FJ Cruiser here in The Garage, our good friend Neil Caton was picking up his own FJ Cruiser in Connecticut. Neil has been so happy with his FJ that he agreed to give our readers of his impressions of his big red beast:

My SUV experience first began with an ’89 Pathfinder that didn’t have working brakes, or working lights. That truck lasted a week until I ended up in a 2002 Pathfinder. In a short amount of time that Pathfinder had been lifted, and graced with an ARB Bullbar on the front, guard in the rear, and various other modifications done myself. It was a passion I thought I couldn’t give up. Unfortunately the Pathfinder and I went separate ways when the fiancée didn’t get along with her, and I ended up driving a Hyundai Tucson for 18 months.
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Looking back, I usually find that I can tell from my notes how excited (or not) I was by any particular vehicle. Sometimes there is just one page, hastily scribbled down just so I don’t forget the car. In the case of the 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser however, there is a whopping 4 full pages! Most of these notes relate to cool factor or utility, two things which the FJ has in abundance.

When climbing up into the cabin, there are a lot of details to take in. The first design element to jump out at you must be the body colour center dash stack. Our tester was clad in Sandstorm beige, which prompted Mrs. Grant to exclaim: “The dash looks like the enamel stove my Mom used to have”. From this nostalgic foodie, that was a compliment of the highest order. Cool, in your face design was obviously a priority for engineers and it shows in other elements like dash vents and a really cool shifter. The killer stereo is backed up by a rear mounted sub woofer that looks like it might have been taken from the set of a space flick. Toyota has also included an aux jack for mp3 inputs, a must in today’s world.

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Have you ever had a first impression of something only to find your perception changes after getting to know it? Sure you have and I just had that very experience with the 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser. I suppose a bit of an explanation is in order here. Last fall, when I visited the IMPA Test Days, I had 3 vehicles I was psyched to check out on the off road test track. The H3, the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon and the FJ Cruiser. The Rubicon is a full on off road beast and the Hummer folks had brought an H3 with all terrain tires and fancy paint straight off the SEMA show floor. The FJ Cruiser that that Toyota sent was wearing plain old all season tires. Talk about bringing a knife to a gun fight. Needless to say, the impression left by the FJ that day was severely hampered by tire choice. Fast forward 8 months and I’d just spent a week in a Rubicon and had the opportunity to get it dirty for the camera. When I picked up the beige FJ from Toyota Canada, it was wearing some all season boots. So much for our planned photo shoot in the mud! I was disappointed.

What happened during our week with the FJ Cruiser was very interesting. Every single time I got behind the wheel, I found something else that I liked. The truck grew on me in a way that no other vehicle ever has.
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When Toyota first revealed the FJ Concept, enthusiasts the world over pretty much begged them to build this retro off roader. And so, build it they did and they stayed true to the concept, adding in lots of cool details along the way. Stylistically, funky details abound from side marker lights to dash vents and roof rack to body colour inserts around the center controls. This thing really is cool.
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So here I sit, enjoying a luke warm JW Dundee’s Pale Bock and an ice cold piece of leftover pizza while I sort through a few of the 294 photos I took today. Suffice it to say there is no better way to spend a work day than testing 4×4 trucks up and down a ski hill. That said, it is a work day and it’s been a long tiring day. Cocktails start in about a half hour. My work never ends!
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