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Five-Point Inspection: 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser

18K views 59 replies 52 participants last post by  cgentile 
#1 ·


A hardy off-roader with a go-anywhere attitude, the Toyota FJ Cruiser is the subject of this week’s Five-Point Inspection. Priced at $26,115 to start, our test model retails for $32,694. Find out what we liked, what we didn’t like and what you need to know about the FJ, in five quick points below.

1: Loud, Noisy and Unrefined.

The FJ has a lot of presence and makes itself known in terms of its look and sound. The 4.0L V6 makes an unrefined noise that, while fun at first, gets tiresome. It might just be the noisiest engine on the market with less than eight cylinders.

But engine noise is only half the problem. The FJ’s boxy shape doesn’t cut through the air in a sleek manner. As a result, wind-noise at the front of the vehicle is unbearable and can only be countered by cranking the stereo.
Check out the whole Five Point Inspection on the 2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser at AutoGuide.com
 
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#3 ·
These reviews are useless. They should compare and contrast similar vehicles. Poor fuel mileage as compared to a hybrid sure but a hybrid can't do what i bought an FJ for. I have no problem with any noise.
 
#4 ·
I agree the only real rivals to the FJ would be Jeeps and any of those complaints could be stated about any of their vehicles. I never see them knocking hybrids for lack of ground clearance for offroading :lol: If they are going to judge the features that make the FJ what people want then they do not understand it and probably shouldn't review it. I mean making 1/5th of your review about how high it sets is ridiculous. :cowfrown:
 
#9 ·
It is all pretty true. We just happen to like the simple off-road-ness.

Mr. Haj-Assaad who wrote the article probably drives a 3 series or something lol
 
#16 ·
Mr. Haj-Assaad who wrote the article probably drives a 3 series or something lol
Well, now ya know what the problem is...

Sami Haj-Assaad
Features Editor
Sami comes to us with an unquenchable thirst for car knowledge. When he's not asking questions about cars and car tech, you can find him tinkering around with his gadgets. He finds himself right at home in side vehicles with the latest and greatest touch-screens, infotainment systems and complicated high-tech doo-dads. Before writing for AutoGuide.com Sami spent time writing in the Biz-Tech world, writing reviews of cell-phones, tablets, laptops, apps and videogames at his site CrustyKritics.
 
#11 ·
This idiot must have tested the wrong vehicle.
1. My transmission is the SMOOTHEST one I've ever driven.
2. The stock rock rails are useless for climbing in the rig. They are too tight to the rocker panels to slip a toe in there to climb in. What a fool. .....:rofl:
 
#12 ·
Wow. I heard it was not being released this year. In fact, after the first year, they discontinued the FJ Cruiser cause they suck so much.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app
 
#14 · (Edited)
what?
What engine noise???
You mean there is an engine in these things?
I thought it ran on air, I can`t here shyt over the MT`s!
turn up the what? wow we have a radio in here too???

what a &*()(^%##$%... they really shouldnt just give anyone any writing utensils, and that includes anything techno...
Jackarse!:lol:
 
#19 ·
We see these idiotic reviews periodically, don't we? Let me just add - wind noise?!?!?! This thing is MUCH quieter than my 2004 Forester was, with the frameless windows it had and all. I was surprised at how quiet it was comparatively.
 
#20 ·
Obviously the reviewer is out of his element and poorly equipped to properly rate the FJ. He should stick with Smart for Twos and Fiat 500s. Pehaps all the cooling fans on his little gadgets have caused a frequency harmonic and his ears are resonant from that. Who knows?

I have the TRD cat-back exhaust and TRD CAI on mine, and the only time it makes any noise is when you really floor it and get some serious RPMs going. Other than that, it is very quiet engine wise. It's the same with wind noise too. Even with vent visors added, the wind noise is barely discernable. I'm 5'7" and have no trouble getting in and out of the vehicle. Use the roof rack to grab on to?? :boohoo:

I/We love our FJs because they are awesome trucks and do what they were designed to do very well, and they do it quietly I might add.

Some people just don't get it. Maybe the author was off his meds. Just sayin'. :lol:
 
#22 ·
In the sense of a valid and legitimate automotive review it is laughable. The major car magazines and the Consumer Reports type magazines use vast combined years of experience, a knowledge of various vehicle types, target demographics and their intended usage, along with tempered objectivity (Most of the time) to compile and present their reviews.

This particular reviewer that is used to rating ipods, toasters, and "gadgets" has taken the "usa today" approach and brought the review process down to the "dumbest common denominator." :iamwithstupid:

Fortunately, FJ owners being the discerning bunch that they are, know better to begin with. An article as lame as the one pointed out in the OP has the same effect as a mosquito buzzing around ones head, annoying yes, but once you slap it into cyberspace it will quickly be forgotten. You will then continue on your merry FJ way, smiling to yourself at what a fantastic vehicle you have been blessed to own. :wave:
 
#23 ·
Wind noise! My neighbors 2008 CRV has much more wind noise... These review people don't understand the people that drive this type of vehicle. The review people sit at their desk and type up review after review. They have no comprehension of the word "fun".


Poorly typed on the paid auto-guide app, that occasionally works, but never lets you upload pictures larger than a postage stamp.
 
#25 ·
A purpose-built truck understandably makes a few compromises, but every passenger that jumps in, and out of the FJ Cruiser, can’t help but comment on how high up it is. If a ladder isn’t handy, amateur rock climbers will find the roof rack (a $649 option) something to hold onto as they, quite literally, climb into the truck.

I agree! WTF was Toyota thinking giving a offroad vehicle ground clearance? I want to step down into my FJ.

Toyota made the FJ so high up that instead of lifting the suspension, owners are dropping the suspension left and right. A major design flaw if I ever saw one.
 
#30 ·
What? Lol
 
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