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Fun on four wheels

It’s young, male and very cool. Get closer for a test drive, and you will want to bring one home
Mohana Prabhakar

It is unabashedly male and undeniably good-looking. See it from a distance and you are bound to want to come closer to check it out (and possibly the driver). Colours are distinctive, the combination of the white roof works surprisingly well; it’s big but not of a size that makes an overt statement; and highly stylised lines and curves on the exterior further accentuate its modern appeal. Which is interesting, considering that the target segment for the Toyota’s brand new SUV was not even born when the first FJ40 made its appearance and went on to become a rage in the ’60s as the legendary rough-and-tough 4WD that could survive the toughest roads. All off-road reviews of the 2008 FJ Cruiser, also place it in the top-performance category, but what will probably be the deal-clincher is the distinctive looks – definitely a car that you would want claim as yours in the parking lot at work or at the club.

There were two anomalies in our test drive of the FJ Cruiser. One was that a woman was testing this ‘of’, ‘by’ and ‘for’ men car and two, we did not have the time to take it off-road on this occasion. But then the spec sheet says this is an SUV and a ‘part time 4WD’, so that helped in making me feel a little less of a fraud. The first thought on opening the door was that the handles were designed in a manner that felt comfortable and solid to hold and the door opened without the slightest need to flex any muscle. Climbing in is comfortable; if you are at least five feet, you won’t need the footboard to climb in.

We will come back to the interiors later, one because it does not grab your imagination the way the exterior does and two, because at the time I was grappling with the fact that this vehicle had two doors and of course the one at the back, and I was quite sure I had read there were four doors. Look at the car and I defy anyone to spot from the outside that the narrow panels next to the front doors actually open. Open, they do but only if the front door is open. These doors are rear-hinged and opening from the outside is a bit awkward. And unless you are superbly svelte, you will find that it’s not very easy to manoeuvre yourself into the rear seats.

The rear seating, though is spacious enough but visibility is not optimal because of tiny windows at the corners and the rather wide C- pillars (the shaft of material that supports the rear windshield on either side). You can easily fold one or more rear seats to stow your off-road gear. Actual capacity is 66.8 cubic feet with rear seats folded and 27.9 cubic feet of storage with seats up.

The test drive vehicle was the part time 4WD version with five speed automatic transmission, and we tested the car in 2WD primarily. The eight-way adjustable driver’s seat was easy to get into position as was the steering that allows for the tilt mechanism that I find indispensable. Powered by a 4L V6 engine producing 240HP (that is 20HP more than produced by the five cylinder engine of the Hummer H3), starting off from the flash Toyota headquarters and showroom in Wattayah, smooth and easy is the first phrase that comes to mind.

Decent acceleration was the next thought though the V6 engine could feel a bit overwhelmed by the bodyweight while trying to join the highway or overtake on inclines. Visibility in the tall rectangular side mirrors was surpris-ingly good even for driving on city roads. The steering is light and responsive but not excessively so, the automatic transmission is slick, and most importantly the brakes are sensitive but bring you to a stop without drama.

To get back to the interiors. It’s no-fuss, practical and a tad too plain after the excitement of the exterior. Controls are big, easy to handle and the audio and air-conditioning controls are set into a body-coloured panel in the centre of the dashboard. The look is largely of rubber, again making it clear that this is a car that expects you to get adventurous and dirty. And yet, even if you don’t have the heart of an adventurer and never plan to leave the paved roads, but want a car that spells action and style in every line, don’t think twice. Go for it.