[UKHOOPZ]

I have read so much here about how great it is for a back roads, back woods beast, and I certainly know about the gas mileage issue. What I want to hear about is how it does in everyday real world driving. Is it a good ride to use day in and day out? Some of us don't have the luxury of owning a "fun" car for the weekend and a gas saver for every day. I can afford the gas but is it comfortable enough and nimble enough to drive every day? Is it stiff or smooth? I realize I can get a lot of this by test driving one, but you guys drive them all of the time and have done it over the test of time.

Tell me what your real opinions are.

Thanks!!!

 

[bone3412]

Ive had mine for just under a year, drive it everyday, to and from 2 jobs n all over the place. It is a great daily driver as long as you can handle the gas money youll love it!!

 

[CowboyCEO]

As my daily driver for the past 11 months. It has delivered nothing but 23,000 miles of smiles.

 

[NBFJCruz]

Ok if you disregard the mileage the FJ is an incredible daily driver. I have had mine going on 8 months now and it has a little over 30,000kms (18K miles approx) and I love it. It is still unique enough to turn heads and cleans up well. Gobs of power when you need it and very comfortable.

Love my truck......Love this forum!!!!!

 

[BigPoppa'sFJ]

I love it! I commute 20 freeway miles one way to and from work and haven't had any problems/complaints and Houston traffic SUCKS!!!

I'm averaging about 17mpg and considering the amount of rush hour I sit in every day, I think it's pretty kick @$$!

It's comfortable and the stock radio with the sub does the job for me (although other forum members would beg to differ).

 

[CaliChaos]

going on 55K miles mostly daily driver.
about 200 miles of it off road.

seems to function well. completely stock.

 

[Brock]

drive mine every day to work 30minutes each way...then to lunch every day on top of that another 10-15 minutes. I also elected to drive it on my last business trip to wash dc from charleston sc....and loved it.

it is nimble and agile and great for daily driver...with one caveat. learn to adjust your mirrors properly and get used to relying on them to augment your field of view. I adjust right mirror to where it is just past being able to see right side of vehicle...if you can see back corner of vehicle and then move it until it disappears that is about right..helps with lane changes too as you can see beside you as well as behind. driver mirror i have so i can see side of FJ and directly behind me....rearview I have so i see top edge of rear window and centered. I love it.... I have auto tranny , 33" tires, 3" lift, budbuilt rock sliders and soon someones skid plate underneath...plus the FJammer stereo with subwoofer helps on ride. Do add weathertech or ventshade front window deflectors as the wind noise with windows down is very loud without them.....

Good luck

 

[hero]

I don't really drive daily, but after two years it has been my primary vehicle and aside from the gas prices it has been great.

 

[UKHOOPZ]

drive mine every day to work 30minutes each way...then to lunch every day on top of that another 10-15 minutes. I also elected to drive it on my last business trip to wash dc from charleston sc....and loved it.

it is nimble and agile and great for daily driver...with one caveat. learn to adjust your mirrors properly and get used to relying on them to augment your field of view. I adjust right mirror to where it is just past being able to see right side of vehicle...if you can see back corner of vehicle and then move it until it disappears that is about right..helps with lane changes too as you can see beside you as well as behind. driver mirror i have so i can see side of FJ and directly behind me....rearview I have so i see top edge of rear window and centered. I love it.... I have auto tranny , 33" tires, 3" lift, budbuilt rock sliders and soon someones skid plate underneath...plus the FJammer stereo with subwoofer helps on ride. Do add weathertech or ventshade front window deflectors as the wind noise with windows down is very loud without them.....

Good luck

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I am driving a Chevy Tahoe now, so I also have to rely on my rearview side mirrrors a lot to see where I am going. I love this forum and can't wait to get my hands on an FJ.

 

[bkw]

50 miles each way in NY traffic, anywhere from 1:15 - 1:30 each way everyday.

I have an auto (my first) and according to my scangauge, I'm averaging 21mpg per tankful. That's better than our 05 RL and the MDX this truck replaced. As much as I wanted to get the 6sp, I'm more than happy with the auto considering the price of fuel these days. Although I'm quite sure that once my armor, lift and tires are put on, the days of 21mpg will disappear quicker than the funds out of my slush fund.

As for comfort, I have two herniated disks in my back and have gone through surgery once. While the FJ doesnt have the most plush seats out there, it's certainly not the worst. I was planning on purchasing a set of wet okole's for the added .5" of padding it gives, but decided to use that money towards other mods and picked up a $15 seat pad which works fine for me.

Enough rambling.. the FJ is a very capable daily driver.

 

[themayor]

I only drive about 3 miles one way to work, so my driving is rather limited, but for the short commute I really enjoy it. It's big enough to be intimidating, yet when driving it, it seems tiny!

First mod would be to get the bubble mirrors for your blind spots. You'll be doing alot of mirror driving as I'm sure you are already used of in your current vehicle. Of course, for me it's not a determining factor, just a different style/type of driving and can easily be overcome. It's got alot of power in my opinion. I say that coming from a Mitsubishi mirage(think Honda civic but only cheaper). The fit and finish is pretty simple which makes for easy cleanup(even if your only doing mall crawling). When it snows, or rains and you get alot of mud and dirt inside, again, easy cleanup.

I digg mine as a daily driver. I digg it even moreso as my toy as well So I really like it, I get the best of both worlds.

Best of luck!

 

[BigBlu]

I drive 40 miles one way to work in Chicago traffic - usually spend about 3-4 hours in the car each day. I'm 6'6" and it's the most comfortable car I've owned. It makes the commute a little more tolerable! The only thing I wish it had was the adjustable lumbar cushion like my camry. It was nice to be able to inflate/deflate on the long rides.

Other than that, it is definitely a great everyday driver! (getting in it every morning puts a smile on my face despite the fact that it's 6:00 AM!)
:cheers:

 

[Zeeker]

I've got 10k miles in 3 months on mine. Drive it every day typically 50mi each way to work. Runs and rides great on the freeway and in traffic.

I would highly reccomend an FJ over any other "SUV" if that is the style you are shopping for.

Oh yea, more that 2 occupants is a pain. It is hard to get into the back seat.

 

[jenward74]

When I drove my FJ home from the dealer, which was 3 hours away, I was immediately impressed. I continue to be impressed each time I get in it. It is just so well-built! I drove GM vehicles before this, and still do. Toyota's quality is just so much better. Everything feels better, smoother, tighter. The fit and finish is great, even though it's not a luxury vehicle. It has more than enough power to pass on the freeway, and I was amazed at such a smooth ride from a 4x4. Very, very smooth. I was used to the blind spots in the first week, and have done nothing but love every minute of driving it.

 

[pokerDawg]

I have read so much here about how great it is for a back roads, back woods beast, and I certainly know about the gas mileage issue.....

Well I stopped using it as a DD due to the MPG issue. It's more of a treat now when I do drive it.

Whatever negative things you hear about come to pass. You get use to the blind spots, clamshell doors, and etc. It's no big deal now.

 

[FJKoji]

It's a great daily driver. 24,000km on it and no issues.
I suppose the only issue is that I can't stop modding the thing even though out the door it has everything you need (except maybe a map light )!

Get one - you will love it!

 

[ZenPunk]

I bought mine for my girlfriend when her 4x4 jimmy broke down. She does seach and rescue and needed the 4x4. I get to drive it to work every once and awhile, and it is so much fun to drive. It has enough power to get you on the freeway at speed and big enough to protect you. :bigthumb:

 

[TiFJ]

For a daily driver I think there are much better options. I generally don't have a long driving commute (15 min drive to the transit station) so it's liveable. Some of the issues I have are: on drives that are longer than 3 hours I find the seats to be unsupportive and uncomfortable, somewhat loud, poor mileage (I'm slightly modded but stock is no hell either), it doesn't fit in a lot of underground parking lots (even before it was lifted), not the smoothest ride but it isn't terrible and getting people in the back seat is a PITA. If it's your only vehicle and you spend time outdoors, have pets that you like to haul and need a mid-sized SUV then it's a good compromise but if it's all driving around town, to and from work then I think there are much better choices out there. That said, I love mine and hope to keep it for a long time to come, I'll just be supplementing it with something smaller and sportier

 

[Snagle]

We have been very happy with ours as a daily driver. When we researched the FJ, the negatives we found listed were things like poor sight lines and poor fuel economy. If you know how to use mirrors, the sight lines are not bad; fuel economy is a little better than you would expect from such a capable 4x4. We get ~17-18 around town and ~21 highway...no mods.

Everything else about the truck is great. It rides high, feels safe and stable, rides nice (really nice considering its capablilties), is reasonably nimble and offers a great deal of practicality. My in-laws, who are in their 70s, routinely ride in the rear seat. After a recent day-long trip, they remarked how comfortable the FJ was for travel. That, to me, speaks volumes.

In any case, take a test drive. If you like it, you will continue to like it for a long time. I have yet to find any disappointing surprises after ~3 months of ownership. Toyota built a great Tonka Truck! :bigthumb:

 

[chango]

I have read so much here about how great it is for a back roads, back woods beast... What I want to hear about is how it does in everyday real world driving.



Thanks!!!

But I thought the backwoods is the real world!? Every so often I get to wake up from this imaginary concrete hell to go there to remind myself that I'm still alive. So, yea... it great :bigthumb: