If you are of a certain age, you'll recognize the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser as the rebirth of an icon, the Toyota FJ 40, better known in North America as the original Land Cruiser. It was a rugged, go-anywhere vehicle, a sport utility vehicle decades before the genre had a name.
You also may remember that the old Land Cruiser was the vehicle that kept Toyota viable in the North American automotive marketplace until the Japanese automaker finally figured out how to build passenger cars that Americans wanted. We don't need to tell you Toyota certainly figured out how to build vehicles Americans wanted, such as the Camry, Corolla, Tacoma, and luxurious Lexus models.
On the other hand, if you are of a significantly younger age than graybeards nostalgic for manually locking hubs, you'll see the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser as something new and different and even unique on the road.
Or, more properly, we should say on and off the road, because while this newest Toyota was designed to appeal to a youthful and especially male audience, it also was designed to be the most capable of all Toyotas when the pavement gives way to gravel, sand, rocks and other assorted obstacles not normally found in shopping mall parking lots or between the shoulders of Interstate highways. And that's saying something, given the capability of the 4Runner and Tacoma.
The FJ Cruiser seats five. The front doors are standard, front-hinged doors. Rear-hinged access doors ease egress to the back seat and cargo area. Rear access to the cargo area is through a door hinged on the driver's side of the vehicle instead of a typical roof-hinged hatch-style closure.
We found the FJ Cruiser superb in rugged terrain but comfortable on the road. Its V6 engine is more powerful than those used in the Hummer H3 and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.