Toyota FJ Cruiser

Toyota FJ Cruiser

Manufacturer	Toyota
Production	2006–present
Model years	2007–present
Assembly	Japan: Hamura, Tokyo, (Hino) China: Guangzhou (GAC)
Class	Compact SUV
Body style	2+2-door SUV
Layout	Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Engine	4.0 L 1GR-FE V6
Transmission	6-speed manual (4WD only) 5-speed automatic
Wheelbase	105.9 in (2,690 mm)
Length	183.9 in (4,671 mm)
Width	2007-09: 74.6 in (1,895 mm) 2010-: 75.0 in (1,905 mm)
Height	71.3 in (1,811 mm) (2WD) 72.0 in (1,829 mm) (4WD)
Curb weight	4,050 lb (1,837 kg) (2WD) 4,290 lb (1,946 kg) (4WD manual) 4,295 lb (1,948 kg) (4WD automatic)
Related	Toyota 4Runner Toyota Tacoma Toyota Hilux Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a retro style SUV with styling and off road performance reminiscent of the original Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers. Introduced as a concept car at the February 2003 Chicago Auto Show, the FJ Cruiser was green lit after a large consumer response and debuted at the January 2005 North American International Auto Show in final production form. The FJ cruiser is built by Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors in Hamura, Japan since 2006 and shares many structural underpinnings from the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado.

Design and development

By the time the production of the original FJ40 ended in 1984 Toyota had shifted towards increasing the size and luxury of the Land Cruiser line. The idea of a new FJ with rugged capabilities of the FJ40 originated in the mid 1990s with Toyota Product Planner Dave Danzer and then Vice President of Sales and Operations Yoshi Inaba.

Danzer worked secretly with Akio Toyoda to set up a special shop at the NUMMI plant to test the feasibility of a new FJ40 by combining Tacoma underpinnings with the bodies of "Banderiantes", an FJ40 based vehicle still in production in Brazil at the time. Akio Toyoda returned to Japan to join the board of directors giving high level support to the project. Toyota's flagship design studio Calty was then brought on to deliver a fresh interpretation of the FJ40.

In the summer of 2004, Toyota began extensive off road evaluations of the FJ platform by driving development mules on many of the most difficult trails in North America including Moab, Utah, the Angeles National Forest, the Mohave Desert, and the famed Rubicon Trail. Despite each one off mule costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, the development team was determined to push the capabilities of the prototypes in order to deliver reliable off road performance in the production model. Changes to the A-TRAC traction control system and suspension tuning came as a direct result of the prototype testing.

Exterior

The FJ Cruiser features a short wheelbase, stocky frame, and grille/headlight arrangement much like the original FJ40. Other throwback design cues include a nearly vertical windshield with three windshield wipers for maximum surface area coverage. The FJ Cruiser is also Toyota's only current vehicle to use the name "Toyota" spelled out across the grille instead of the corporate emblem which has been in use since 1990, another reference to the FJ40 and other older Toyota trucks. The FJ's body features rear opening access doors that give a unique look to the SUV. Special high strength steel was used to give the vehicle side impact protection without the need for a door pillar.

2007–2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser (US)

Calty hired veteran Chrysler automotive designer Bill Chergosky to lead the development of an offroad vehicle known internally as Rugged Youth Utility (RYU) aimed at attracting young male buyers, a segment Toyota felt they were losing touch with at the time. Many takes on the RYU concept were created including the 2001 Rugged Sports Coupe concept before a retro style design created by 24-year-old designer Jin Won Kim was chosen as the final exterior concept with Chergosky designing the interior. The FJ Cruiser concept quietly debuted on the final day of the 2003 Chicago Auto Show in Voodoo Blue, a color that would become the Signature color for the production FJ Cruiser. The bold styling was an immediate hit with the automotive press and general public despite competing with more exotic concepts like the Cadillac Sixteen and Dodge Tomahawk. By resurrecting design traits from the iconic FJ40, the FJ Cruiser was viewed as a new "Halo Car" for Toyota much like the similarly retro styled 2005 Mustang had done for Ford.

The exterior of the FJ concept remained largely unchanged when the final production model debuted at the 2005 North American International Auto Show. However, Chief production engineer Akio Nishimura had to significantly alter the amenities offered in Chergosky's interior concept to keep the price of the production FJ Cruiser reasonable. Unique interior touches like the gear shifter that doubled as a shovel handle, removable interior lights which doubled as flashlights, and flat folding front seats were removed though several concept items remained as factory options.

Interior

The interior of the FJ features many design elements focused on enhancing off road practicality. All interior surfaces are covered with washable rubber materials to aid in fast clean up after heavy outdoor use. The FJ also incorporates oversized controls to aid drivers with gloved hands. The 3 gauge cluster (with compass, temperature, and inclinometer) as well as the 110 volt rear outlet were carried over from the FJ Cruiser concept vehicle as options on the final production model.

Specifications

2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser right-hand drive variant with license plate located on the rear bumper (Australia)

2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser (Australia)

At 183.9 inches in length, the FJ Cruiser is the longest compact SUV offered by Toyota in North America, slotting between the smaller RAV4 and the mid-size Highlander. Toyota sources many components from other vehicles to produce the FJ including shared engines and transmissions found in the Tacoma, Tundra and 4Runner as well as suspension components used in the Prado, Hilux, Tacoma, and 4Runner.

The 4x4 FJ Cruiser has 9.6 inches of ground clearance, 34-degree approach and 30-degree departure angles, and a 27.4-degree break-over angle, with 8 inches of front and 9 inches of rear suspension travel. The FJ is also designed to ford up to 27.5 inches of water and has a 5000 lb towing capacity for both 4x4 and 4x2 variants. On road, the FJ accelerates 0-60 in 7.8 seconds and has .69 G of lateral grip tested with stock Bridgestone Dueler tires.

Chassis

Structurally the FJ Cruiser incorporates a body on frame truck style design based on the Prado platform. The FJ Cruiser uses a high-mounted, double wishbone front suspension and stabilizer bar, and a 4-link rear suspension with lateral rod with coil springs and stabilizer bar. The 120-series Land Cruiser Prado, Tacoma, 4Runner, and Hilux share the same suspension parts as the FJ Cruiser. The FJ Cruiser uses power-assisted 4-piston front/2-piston rear ventilated disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and is also equipped with Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and a specialized traction control system known as (A-TRAC). The A-TRAC (active traction control) system applies braking to control wheels that have lost traction mimicking the performance of a locking differential without the "binding" that can make steering difficult in normal locking differential setups.

Toyota has made revisions to the engine bay inner fender aprons due to some bulging and cracking issues with 2007 and some early 2008 models. The bulges and cracks in the inner fenders were attributed to a Toyota design flaw through certain Vehicle Identification Numbers. Toyota has addressed the problem and has changed the design.

Powertrain

The FJ Cruiser uses the 4.0-liter 1GR-FE DOHC V6. For the 2007 to 2009 model years, the engine came with single variable valve timing (VVT-i) which produces 239 hp (178 kW) at 5200 rpm, and 278 lb·ft (377 N·m) of torque at 3,700 rpm on 91 octane fuel. For the 2010 model year, the FJ Cruiser's engine gained Dual VVT-i technology which adjusts timing on both intake and exhaust camshafts resulting in 260 hp (194 kW) at 5600 rpm, and 271 lb·ft (367 N·m) in addition to slightly improved fuel economy on 91 octane fuel. The latest engine meets stringent LEV II/Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions certification Both versions of the 1GR-FE engine run normally on 87 octane fuel though they produce less power thus Toyota recommends premium fuel for demanding situations such as towing, off-roading, and driving at high elevation.

Four-wheel drive models equipped with the RA61F manual transmission have a full time 4WD system that is permanently engaged; it employs front, center and rear TORSEN differentials, with a locking feature and distributes the engine's power 40:60 under most driving conditions. The TORSEN unit varies power distribution as needed, based on steering angle and wheel slippage. In the Lock position, the differential switches to 50:50 power distribution.

Rear-wheel drive models are only available with automatic transmission, and come standard with a limited-slip rear differential.

• 5-speed A750E automatic transmission on rear-wheel drive models.
• 5-speed A750F automatic transmission with VF2A transfer case on part-time 4x4 models
• 6-speed RA61F manual transmission with VF4B transfer case and limited slip differential on full-time 4x4 models.

Safety

Side curtain airbags for both rows and side torso airbags optional on 2007 models became standard on 2008 models. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the FJ Cruiser its Top Safety Pick accolade. The FJ Cruiser received a "Good" overall rating in both the front and side impacts tests and also received the "Good" rating in all 14 measured categories.

NHTSA crash test ratings (2008):

Frontal Driver:
Frontal Passenger:
Side Driver:
Side Rear Passenger:
Rollover:

Market

The FJ cruiser was primarily developed for the North American market but has been sold in small numbers globally since its launch. On 25 November 2010, Toyota announced sales would begin in right-hand drive form for the Japanese market. Sales began on December 4, replacing the outgoing Hilux Surf and selling alongside the Land Cruiser. Japanese produced right-hand drive models have a different rear bumper to North American models with the license plate located on the bumper as opposed to under the tailgate door handle. Right-hand drive versions also have the side indicator markers on the fender panels rather than in the side-view mirrors as is the for left-hand drive production. Sales of right-hand drive model began in Australia and New Zealand in 2011 available in 4 wheel drive automatic only.

Variants

TRD Special Edition

For North America, Toyota Racing Development (TRD) produces a 3,200 unit per year limited production TRD Special Edition FJ Cruiser, which includes such things as a TRD performance exhaust, TRD air filter, Bilstein off-road tuned shocks, rock rails, 16-inch gun-metal gray finish wheels with BFGoodrich All-terrain tires, and TRD badges. The TRD Special Edition includes mechanical changes to synchronize the locking differential with the active traction control (resulting in the rear differential no longer overriding the active traction).

Trail Teams Edition

In 2008 Toyota began offering 3,200 units per year of the Trail Teams Edition FJ cruiser which features many TRD options including the same 16 inch steel wheels and tires, and Bilstein shock absorbers. The Trail Teams Edition comes in one distinct color each year and is the only FJ variant offered in a monotone color scheme instead of with the traditional white roof, as well as the only FJ to have trim pieces blacked out from the factory. Special design details carry over to the interior with color matched fabric inserts on the seats and trail teams special badges.

Reception

FJ Cruiser with suspension articulated while offroading (US)

The FJ debuted to both criticism and acclaim from the automotive press. Critics appreciated Toyota's drive to bring such an aggressively styled and purpose driven vehicle to market at a time when the company was focused on more conservative designs. The FJ was universally praised for its off road performance with many reviewers also appreciating its on road manners, functional interior, and styling that paid homage to the original FJ40.

Some reviewers took issue with the amount body roll and low lateral grip performance though noting the suspension was designed to be soft with a long travel for off road use.

The FJ Cruiser was also criticized for its styling which created large blindspots, smaller than average cargo capacity, and cramped rear seating that was difficult to access. Toyota attempted to improve the blind spot issues by offering a rear back up camera starting with the 2009 model year and changed the hinge mechanisms on the front seats allowing passengers easier entry and exit from the rear starting with the 2011 model.

The off-roading community has embraced the new FJ Cruiser much like the original FJ40. There are numerous regional and general forums dedicated to discussing and modifying the FJ Cruiser. Fjcruiserforums.com is the largest of such communities with over 54,000 members and 2,000,000 posts.

Sales

Sales of the FJ Cruiser were strong in the initial years from the initial exuberance surrounding the unique retro styling and performance offered by the FJ. However sales have waned from a high of 56,225 units sold in North America in 2006 to less than 15,000 units by 2010 partly from the increased competition in the compact SUV segment and poor fuel economy amidst rising gasoline prices and environmental concerns. Toyota hoped to rectify these concerns with an updated engine optimized to run on regular unleaded instead of premium with a slight boost in fuel economy for the 2010 model year.

Calendar year	US	Canada
2006	56,225	916[citation needed]
2007	55,170	1007[citation needed]
2008	28,688
2009	11,941
2010	14,959

External links

• Official site at Toyota USA
• Official site at Toyota Japan (Japanese)