Mar 13, 2012 (Laura Walubengo) Here’s a beaut! The FJ Cruiser which was dropped into North American showrooms in 2006 has finally been spotted in Nairobi.
So far the headcount is at two Toyota FJ Cruisers, but this is bound to change. This modern hard-core motor vehicle akin to a Hummer and a Cruiser is an off-shoot of the main Land Cruiser model FJ40 which was manufactured from 1960 t0 1984.
So is Toyota way ahead of its time, or like fashion are cars going back to rugged basics?
Well there’s nothing basic about the FJ Cruiser other than its solid structure.
Sporting a 4 litre engine Dual VVT-i, with 5 Super ECT transmission and a part-time 4WD powertrain, it’s no wonder the FJ bagged a Good Design Award in last year’s Tokyo Motor Show.
In December 2010, this simple but superb piece of machinery was retailing for 3m Yen in Japan, in keeping with the description “heritage meets modern”.
The basic outline of the car includes large side mirrors, three windshield wipers, silver trim on bumper centres, high-mount LED brake lights, spoilers, and halogen lamps.
On the inside, features include a leather-wrapped steering wheel with volume buttons near the horn knob. Eight speakers use the ceiling panel to distribute sound evenly throughout the car.
The spacious seats are water-repellant with ample legroom and a rear-door glass hatch opens easily detached from the back door itself, for greater flexibility.
In terms of the ride, the FJ Cruiser has a double wishbone at the front and a trailing-link rigid axle at the back, so that it’s stable and easy to maneuver.
This fuel efficient car can also be customized through a system known as My FJ, where you can combine accessories and parts to make it the car of your dreams. Once they start streaming into the market they should be in good shape; being fairly new and since the 8-year window in Kenya lets you have the 2004 model.
One a scale of one to ten, we give it an eight. Read about the detailed specs here!
