Toyota has announced at the SEMA show in Las Vegas that this is the last year for the distinctive FJ Cruiser. From the beginning Toyota said that the FJ Cruiser would be a single-generation vehicle, and – after an 8-year run – they’ve made good on that statement.
I remember with fondness my 2007 Sun Fusion 6-speed FJ Cruiser. Never understood the lack of sunroof, but I dearly loved the bolt-on wonderfulness that is Toyota design (pretty much everything came pre-drilled and pre-wired on the FJ; all you had to do was plug in a switch, add a foot of wiring harness, or pop-off the covers and you had everything offered in the Toyota options list added to your base model FJ.
When I wanted to add a hard top to my ’07 Wrangler, on the other hand, I had to switch out the A/C control panel, plumb for the rear window washer, run 12′ of wiring and cuss a lot. Not that it wasn’t worth it … just that it was certainly a bit different than buying a foot of wiring and now having the full tow package, or adding a switch and having A-TRAC.
I first saw the (way larger than the production version) FJ Cruiser at an off-road show in Ontario. I liked the rugged good looks, and thought the clamshell door arrangement was kinda nifty. I dug the “TOYOTA” in the front grille, the blade-like bumper ends, the built-in winch, and the concept Voodoo Blue interior. It was well received, and when they announced the rig would be available in 2007, I ditched my H3 and picked one up. I can’t say I was sad to see it go (I got the ’07 Wrangler 4-door after it), but I did enjoy the drive. It had it’s first year quirks, but – as of 2014, it’s all grown up.
Still wonder where there isn’t a sunroof, though.
The swan song for the FJ Cruiser will be a Trail Teams Ultimate Edition available only with 4WD (duh; it’s the TRAIL Team edition!), with active traction control, defeatable vehicle skid control and an electronically controlled locking rear differential. Full time 4WD with the 6-speed manual, while the automatics get part-time 4WD and Crawl Control.
If you want one new, now is the time to pick one up. If you want the Trail Teams version, it’ll be available in February, 2014.