|  If Toyota hasn't had much of a reputation for style in recent years, the Japanese giant makes up for that with the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser. Styled by Toyota's Southern California-based Calty Design Research and introduced as a concept vehicle at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show, the FJ Cruiser pays homage to the FJ40 4x4 that was sold in the United States from 1960 through 1983 and is a sought-after collectible today. The retro style of the new FJ will appeal to many people and almost guarantees its success.
our-wheel-drive FJ Cruisers should be quite solid off-road; rear-wheel drive will be standard. While it measures eleven inches shorter than a 4Runner, its wheelbase is shortened by only four inches, which should result in good departure and approach angles. An available locking rear differential and the standard 4.0-liter V-6, rated at 245 hp and 282 lb-ft of torque, also will aid in rock-crawling adventures. That V-6 shares its four-liter displacement with two other small SUVs that Lentz notes as likely competitors to the FJ: the Nissan Xterra, which shares exterior dimensions very close to the FJ's, and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. The Xterra's V-6 has an advantage of 20 hp and 2 lb-ft, while the Rubicon's ancient straight six gives up 55 hp and 47 lb-ft to the Toyota. The original FJ40, a smidge smaller and taller than a modern-day base Wrangler, never got more than 135 hp and 210 lb-ft out of its inline six.
The all-new FJ Cruiser is the latest in a long line of celebrated off-road vehicles from Toyota. And in the tradition of the legendary Land Cruiser family, the FJ Cruiser is not only engineered to conquer anything Mother Nature has to offer, but keep coming back for more. |
