Ive owned 2 FJs. Love em. But if you are getting this as a Grocery getter... don't. It makes a better off roader than the 4runners. Better approach and departure angles.

I ran both of mine all over Moab. Ran Fins and Things, Hells Revenge, Poison Spider, and many other trails in it. Very capable off road, if not more capable than the 4Runner.

I picked up a trail teams edition in 2008. I liked driving it... made me feel like I was driving a tank and could go anywhere I wanted... but the ex-wife hated it.

Here are my complaints about it.

1. Its surprisingly small inside. The back seat is totally useless, and for the most part I had the dog in the back, which means all your storage is on the rear seat.

2. Its lousy as a highway cruiser. I felt I was limited to 110km/hr. Anything above that and the gas mileage dropped off drastically. And the wind noise... gahd.

3. The C-Pillar design. If you get spotter mirrors it helps some, but any quick lane changes are near impossible. Get used to checking your blind spot over and over again. The C-pillar can and will hide anything smaller than a house.

4. The rear door... if you need to use the back seat, make sure there is no one near you. So you'll be parking at the back of any parking lot. You will get stuck in the door triangle a few times before learning your lesson.

5. If you enjoy the scenery while driving... the visibility out of the FJ will make you miss 90% of what road trips are all about. I drove the Oregon coast in 2011 with it... missed most of the scenery. Drove it again last year in the 4runner and what a difference.

6. The stock roof rack is almost useless... but that's with most factory roof racks. Upgrade to make it useful.

7. It needs a rear view camera. Mine didn't have one... minor point, but it would have been better if it came with one.

8. No sunroof... we only have 2 weeks of summer in Calgary... it would be nice to enjoy the sun while driving.

9. Cheap plastic material everywhere. I often had lumber poking out through rear window. The interior was scratched to hell.

10. You'll go through windshields often.... and they weren't cheap.

11. Soft paint... but that's like everything else on the market now that paint is water based.

What I did like...

1. It is a very capable vehicle. Right from the start, you'll want to drive over stuff.... well I did anyways. But it was also my first true

2. It looks awesome. I really like the all white with blacked out trim (2008+)and all black editions (2007 TRD).

3. It was small enough to discourage people from sitting in the back... no in-laws tagging along.

4. Excellent in the winter. First spring I had it, we had a freak snow storm around Easter. 12-15" of snow in a couple hours. The city shut down... I just plowed on through.

5. Really easy to work on. Lots of room in the engine bay for a compressor, battery, etc. And easiest oil changes I've done anything with 4 wheels.

6. The FJ forum was the first friendly forum I joined. Lots of helpful people there, and a great community. Learned lots of what to do and not do.

7. Lots of aftermarket support.

8. Based on Tacoma chassis and powertrain. The good ones, not the new crap that Toyota seems to be churning out.

We bought ours new in '07 and have loved it ever since.

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My 2007 had a rear locker (not lockers, Toyota hasn't put a front locker in anything but the LC's back in the day) but no ATRAC. I bought the $65 ATRAC button and just popped it in. Toyota wires the FJC for ATRAC but on some models, just doesn't give you the button. On the 07, you were limited to either the rear locker or ATRAC. I know on later years, Toyota finally allowed both to be engaged.

Thanks, very informative from an owner POV. I will have to weigh out the pros/cons

nice, can you sleep in the cargo with seats folded like the t4r?

They updated the FJ engine in 2010 and the doing oil changes on the newer engine is just as bad as doing oil changes the 5th Gen 4Runners. Also the 2007-2009 FJs drive a lot better but require premium gas.

I just recently traded my 08 FJ in for my 14 Trail.

I LOVED the FJ, but with 2 huge GSDs it was just too limited on space. All of the issues that folks talk about (doors opening odd, hard to see out of the rear, etc) I just didn't have a problem with though.

That being said, it was a brick. I averaged 15mpg with a 3" toytec suspension lift and 265/75r16 duratracs. The steel bumper and winch didn't help much in that aspect, lol.

It would go ANYWHERE. Rocks, snow, mud....handled it all with ease.

In the end, I was ready for something new, but I will miss that suv. We had it all over the Virginia and West Va mountains.

I found a pic with my FJ next to a stock one for comparison:

I thought the FJC was based on the Prado 120.

I had a 2010, loved it, BUT…

Only two of us, it was fine, conventional back doors are really more practical.

Couldn't sleep in back.

One of the few vehicles I kicked myself for selling.


To me, the 17 TRD Pro is a "better" vehicle. Great on highway, same Toyo quality, same truck feel, more practical doors, better rear gate(lift v swing), rear seats do a better job of folding, same engine, just as capable off road so far.

I'm not a fan of large display screens for cars, the 4Runner is a good compromise for me, the FJ had nothing (not a big deal, would rather just get a new tablet every couple of years with Waze/Skymap apps, goes in tent, hotel, other cars).

We have 2 large GSDs, really better for hauling big dogs, with or without crates. My 2 large crates wouldn't have fit in the FJ.

And, mine was a 6-speed. I told you I was still kicking myself...

I too loved my old FJ but I had to upgrade to accomodate my growing family. We were fine with 2 grade school kids but as soon as my 3rd one came, the infant car seat became a nightmare taking it in and out from the suicide doors on tight parking spaces. Another issue that cropped up was that once the car seat is latched, my wife no longer have legroom from the passenger seat. Her knees are touching the glove compartment and mind you, we are not big people. This became problematic and unsafe and had no choice than to shop around.

Aside from that, everything about the FJ is awesome. I loved driving it solo. It feels faster than my now 5th gen t4r Limited. Everything was plastic on the Interior even the floor which made it so easy to clean. I did experience the transmission shudder issue and rear diff seals (messy oil all over the wheels). Both were fixed through an extended 3rd party warranty and was given a brand new transmission. Super happy about that.

Would've kept it longer but family is first. Here's a last pic I took when I traded it in. It's an 07 fully loaded with A trac, locking diff, rear subwoofer and all msrp around 31k in 2007. It's a very capable vehicle but you just need to know how you want to use it.

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Nope much shorter than the 4R but, at 6'4" I'd have a heck of a time stretching out in a 4R too.

If you're looking for a grocery runner, just don't bother with the FJ.

How often do you camp and hunt? I would look into another 4runner or even a rav4. It just seems like overkill to grab an FJ for mostly running around town and the occasional camp/hunt trip.

Now THAT is a real good looking FJ. Makes me regret selling mine

Grocery getter and getting to General hunting/camping spots, get a Subaru Outback and throw on some Cooper AT3's. Good gas mileage, almost 9 inches of ground clearance, plenty of passenger and cargo space and the V6 can really get-up and go.