Toyota's FJ Cruiser Can Take on Highways and Tough Trails with Ease

With its unique combination of off-road heritage, capability and design, the Toyota FJ Cruiser maintains a loyal following. Fully capable of traversing California’s famed Rubicon Trail, the FJ Cruiser is also well suited for everyday driving, offering plenty of utility for all types of activities.

For a complete review of the FJ Cruiser, please watch VehiclesTEST's thorough FJ Cruiser video road test.

The FJ Cruiser borrows design cues from Toyota’s famed FJ40 4x4 utility vehicle, sold in the U.S. from 1960 to 1983 and now sought after by collectors. The thoroughly modern FJ Cruiser updates the classic theme in a contemporary way. The front grille with two round, five-inch headlights recalls the FJ40’s frontal styling, and other heritage design cues include the hood and fender contours and a rear-mounted and exposed full-size spare tire with an off-center license plate mount.

The FJ Cruiser design offers plenty of functionality. The side access doors open 90 degrees in clamshell fashion for easy rear-seat ingress and egress. A swing-up glass hatch is incorporated into the side-hinged tailgate, opening independently and also useful for accommodating longer items.

The angular wheel arches open to provide maximum clearance for the FJ Cruiser’s large 32-inch tires at full suspension deflection. The arches are edged by flexible fender flares that resist damage during trail driving and also from opening doors of adjacent parked vehicles. Three wiper arms provide nearly complete coverage of the wide windshield. FJ’s elevated air intake and protected electrical components can keep out water up to 28 inches deep.