Now let's get one thing straight. Before I tell you about this exercise in silliness you have to promise not to head off to your local
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| Don't try this at your local quarry. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
quarry on the weekend and do something as stupid with your SUV. First of all, nine out of ten sport utes couldn't handle it, so you'd be replacing your engine faster than you can say "strap this winch cable around that tree over there" to your buddy, because the FJ's we were thrashing around the gravel pit really shouldn't have stood up to the underwater activity they were being subjected to. But one after another they kept coming, entering fender-deep water, the next one quicker than the last, not waiting for a wake to form before charging into what seemed
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| Now this is really asking for trouble! (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
more like a manmade lake than a pool of standing water. The dirty liquid streaming up and over each FJ's hood, lapping up on the windscreens and in some cases splashing up and over the roof as the SUV's blunt grille pushed its way into the water. At first, being an experienced off-roader, I stood smiling, taking photos and jumping out of the way when the water's wake rushed past, waiting for the first engine to seize and first journalist to be forced to wade, waist high out of the puddle. But it never came. What was I to do but join in the fun, so off I went with confidence, and barreled over the edge, into the water, windshield wipers working overtime to keep my view clear as my FJ trudged through the grime. Cool! Let's do it again! And so on... and so on...
Obviously
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| Obviously Toyota sealed the engine. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Toyota sealed the engine and various ancillary components well, plus situated its air intake to the rear of the engine, facing backwards. I know of even less adventurous attempts at fording water by larger, off-road rated 4x4s which ended up much worse; in one recent case leaving the dumbfounded driver (who just happened to be the publisher of a magazine I write for) stranded in the middle of a swamp, and even worse, splattering yet more mud on the faces of those execs who OK'd the under water experiment. Other aspects of the FJ Cruiser design that help it traverse rough terrain include its standard full-time four-wheel drive system, electronic stability control, two-speed transfer case, multiple steel skid plates to protect vital organs, and solid rear axle. A part-time four-wheel drive system is also available, and will be the mode of choice among off-road
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| Both transmissions are ideally suited to the powerful 4.0L V6. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
purists. This system also has the benefit of running in rear-wheel drive mode, which saves on fuel.
The tall final drive of the FJ's six-speed manual is beneficial for reducing fuel consumption too, although most will probably opt for the smooth-shifting five-speed automatic. This transmission is ideally suited to the big four-litre engine, and even makes 4x4ing a great deal easier - especially for novices. Can you imagine a five-speed automatic in an original FJ40? How far we've come?
Somewhere between my sandbox with Tonka truck in hand and playtime with the FJ Cruiser in the gravel pit, my Dad bought an FJ40. What a cool SUV. Heck, it was a sport utility before sport utilities existed. We used to take off for the weekend, on our way northwest towards our family cabin that sat on a quarter acre lakeshore lot, and along the way we'd get hopelessly sidetracked. Actually, our ability to get distracted became such a problem that it would take hours longer to reach our destination with each trip. We'd take any excuse for
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| Good memories... an original FJ. (Photo: Toyota Canada) |
a side road that we could find, and often stick to it all the way to its end before turning around, making our way back to the main highway and then continuing our journey north... unless another intriguing off-road adventure beckoned us off the highway again. Funny thing is, while I look back fondly at our weekends and weeks at the family cabin, it was such offshoot adventures that are now the dearest memories to me. I'd say, "Let's check out that river down there..." and he respond with an, "OK..." and we'd be making our way down an embankment as far as it was possible to travel by FJ, and then walk the rest of the way on foot.
