Aside from the FJammin' stereo, the Cruiser comes with four-wheel disc brakes including ABS and EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution), vehicle stability control and traction control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with built-in audio controls, a multi-information display; outside temperature gauge, compass and inclinometer, front and rear head/side curtain airbags, air conditioning, P265/70R17 all season tires with 17" aluminum alloy wheels equipped with wheel locks, and the list goes on.
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| Clamshell doors are trendy, but getting in and out in crowded parking lots can be frustrating. (Photo: Alexandra's friend, Canadian Auto Press) |
Another item on the list of features is the back-up sonar, or better known as 'park assist'. While, the FJ is robust in frame and body it's quite easy to park. Granted, its blind spots are, well, blinding, but backing up and parallel parking is a little easier because of the beep that goes off when getting close to another vehicle or obstacle behind.
And when parallel parking, I had to leave ample room behind in order to open the rear cargo door. That's one of the FJ's not-so-Jammin' features. The heavy tailgate doesn't open up, but out. Luckily it opens away from the sidewalk, and not towards as is often the case with this type of setup. The inconvenience of the fifth door mechanism didn't stop me from packing the cargo area full of junk. I kick-started my week with a trip to Costco and loaded up the back with groceries. It only seemed fitting to put all that space to good use, right? When loading all of the bags into the back I couldn't help but appreciate the resin flooring. It makes cleaning up spills or messes much easier, speaking from experience, and looks decent too.
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| All round, this is a great SUV. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
On the other hand, a not-so-decent aspect of the Cruiser is its fuel economy. I give it 6.5 potential FJammers out of 10. I started off the week with three quarters of a tank and got a mere 260 km of city driving done before the little orange light next to the gas gauge flickered on and told me I needed to fill up, and fast. Highway driving, on the other hand, was better. My trip to Seattle and back only cost me the same three quarters of a tank, and we traveled over 450 kilometers. I'm not good with mathematical equations, so I'll leave you to figure out how well it did. Let's just agree that the end result probably won't be as rosy as the EnerGuide estimated fuel consumption at 13.6 L/100 km in the city and 10.3 L/100 km on the highway.
